The Stigma of a Tech Support Background

An anonymous reader writes "Since the last semester of college I've been working as a first line tech support agent. At first it was just a way to earn some extra money; then it became a way to scrape by until I could find myself a real job. By now (almost two years in), it's beginning to feel like a curse. The problem I'm having is that no matter how many jobs I apply for, and no matter how well-written my applications are, I can't seem to get further than the first interview. For some reason it seems a lot of employers will completely overlook my degree in computer engineering, the fact that I can show them several personal projects that I've worked on, and that I can show them that I clearly possess the skills they are looking for. I've had several employers tell me to my face, and in rejection letters, that my 'professional background' isn't what they're looking for even when they've clearly stated that they're looking for recent graduates. In fact, a few have even told me that they decided against hiring me simply because I've worked in tech support at a call center for the last two years. I'm wondering if others have experienced similar problems and if there are any good ways to get employers to realize that my experience from tech support is actually a good thing and not a sign of incompetence."

Comments

Re:Two years in the first line?

[Tubal-Cain]

Ok, what if he had been using Mac?

Re:Lack of Advancement, Lack of Experience

[kesuki]

i had the same problem with fast food work, they always want to know why you weren't promoted to management.

ultimately though in my case, i don't handle people or stress very well, and wouldn't have done a great job in the type of jobs i didn't get hired to.

then again i have a mental illness, and in retrospect a lot of problems in my life all stem back to early signs of mental illness that doctors ignored, or that i managed to seem normal enough they doctors didn't think it was a serious mental illness. ironically at many of the places i applied for work at, their in house psychological profiles most likely indicated i had some mental problems, and they never even bothered to disclose to me any findings..

but going without medication it was just a matter of time before i had a serious hospitalization spanning some 4 months.. and then another 6 months in group homes. at that point the doctors acknowledged i had a problem. sadly i am in no shape to earn a living for myself even with medication, but because i had some doctors who thought i should be working i got denied twice for benefits. the types of jobs i can hold down for a year or two before being fired don't pay enough to even cover basic living expenses... not to mention getting fired every 2 years isn't a good way to be employed. and i would get fired every 2 years then spend 2-3 months looking for work, it's just sad that the doctors etc couldn't even ask me about how my work history had gone in the past before thinking i should be working. the most income i have ever made in a year was 6,000 my average is around $3,000 and lately i haven't been able to handle earning $2,000 a year, it's gotten worse with time, and i really can't handle a job.

right now since the disability thing is in appeal i haven't even tried to work, not just because i know i can't handle it, but because you can't work if you want to get on disability, no matter how pathetic the work might be.

Translation

[_Sprocket_]

That would be the standard Support Tech for "I feel threatened by you and your technology."