Here at Infomedia, we'd like to clear up some of the bigger pop culture geek misconceptions about Support/IT/Tech departments.
With so many movies and television shows including geek characters these days, it’s easy to start believing the stereotypes portrayed up on the big screen. And the small screen. Really any screen … did you know you can watch movies on your phone now? Crazy.
Here at Infomedia, Support has been scientifically proven to be the geekiest department (the tests were mostly throwing balls at us and seeing if we could catch them. We could not.) With that in mind, I’d like to clear up some of the bigger pop culture geek misconceptions about Support, IT and Tech departments.
MYTH: Geeks are afraid of the sun.
FACT: We’re afraid of fluorescent lights.
If you ever visit the Infomedia office, don’t be surprised to find a room in the corner that is plunged in darkness. No, we aren’t being punished for anything; we just like being able to work without glare or extra harsh light. In fact, since our office is practically in the middle of a forest (hence our nickname, Camp Infomedia), we typically have the blinds up to let in as much sunlight as possible.
MYTH: We’re laid back and carefree
FACT: Laid back is not the same as unstressed
How can we be unstressed while staying busy? Sure, we have deadlines and meetings and fires to put out, but when you love what you do and who you do it with, it doesn’t feel like work. It is possible to have a hectic day from the moment you walk in until the moment you leave but never lose your smile or good attitude. The “voices” of our department, Pam and Michele, are living proof of that. Both rarely get a moment to breathe, but both never seem frazzled or stressed.
MYTH: Our office is covered with Star Wars stuff
FACT: We also have a Star Trek poster
… moving on.
MYTH: We get frustrated with your requests
FACT: Why would we get frustrated doing our jobs?
This might be the most unfair misconception: that of the computer guy who condescends over every issue he has to fix, rolling his eyes and sighing at how bad you messed things up or how simple the fix. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The whole reason we’re in this field is because we love solving problems and we like helping people. You messed up something on your site? No problem; we get a challenge to work on. Simple fix that took us 30 seconds? Even better. Why would we be mad at a simple solution? If things didn’t go wrong, we’d be out of our jobs, so why would we get insulted at having job security? Go ahead, break more things on your site! [Editor’s note: Please do not purposely break things on your site.]
We may know more about web design, but if we went to your job, we’d feel like idiots. Everyone knows a lot about something and next to nothing about the rest. Don’t let that be a reason to not let us know the issue or what you want done to your site. The more problems we solve, the more likely it is we’ll get to have light bulbs again.
Wait, I mean, we like having the lights off. It’s calming and soothing and definitely not a punishment.
