After supporting desktops and portables at Apple/PowerComputing for a few years, I decided to make the leap to the group which handles more of the software aspect. Nowadays we’re known as Enterprise Servers but back then some duties didn’t include server-related products like AppleWorks (replaced by Pages and Numbers), Final Cut Pro and Network Assistant (replaced by Apple Remote Desktop).
I was pretty nervous yet I had to do something different. After being turned down for a managerial and Q&P position, I felt that the Desktop Coaching position was an unacceptable dead end. However, I didn’t know squat regarding mail servers or the current demon, Macintosh Manager. Conrad, the manager who approved my transfer, was more confident. He said, you’re reasonably intelligent, I think you’ll figure it out. I wish he mentioned the six-month breaking-in period because I began to regret my decision all through the remainder of the year. The friends I had in the department leaving shortly after my arrival didn’t help too: Garrett and David namely. I had no idea how the hell DNS worked beyond an analogy.
By the following year, I gained a comfortable level of traction on the essentials of AppleShare IP 6, Network Assistant and Macintosh Manager. My expertise also grew to the point that I was assigned to call back customers regarding their MM issues if a co-worker couldn’t solve it. A key factor to my success was embracing the team’s lab which provided the means to recreate how the products worked. In my opinion, it was easier to control/observe an MM client to figure out what the customers were having difficulty with. Often it was perception and not a technical failure. Today, I continue to be a proponent for my team’s lab because there’s only so much equipment one can fit in a cubicle realistically.
Here’s the fun, trivial element. There are two people with more years on the phones than me in this group. Under the larger umbrella of my product family, I would safely say there are at least a dozen. I think this speaks volumes about Apple and its dedicated employees. I’m pretty lucky to work with so many talented people too. They make my job easier, especially if it involves Active Directory. I’m looking forward to celebrating with them at AppeCare’s 10th straight victory party at the Austin Pizza Park in two weeks. Once again, we came in first place with Consumer Reports.