Why No One Would Help Michella
Stories from the Basement(IT Department)
This series of stories centers around my experience working in information technology and educational technology. I have been doing this since 1998 and some how maintain my sanity.
I was briefed before taking the new job that there were some problematic staff at the school. There were people who couldn’t be helped. Not my words mind you.
As I worked down the list of the problematics, there was a name listed a few times, Michella. This meant multiple people had independently sent her name to multiple supervisors. She was really famous for being annoying.
I always give people the benefit of the doubt. I reached out to her and asked for a meeting.
The meeting was mostly me listening to her rant. Then I asked for some specifics. Michella said, “One of the most annoying issues I have, is that the sound on my computer has not worked for two years. Every person in the IT department has come to check the problem. No one can help. I would really like a new computer.”
I requested a time when we could meet together, and I could check out the problem.
On the day in question, I went into the office. I sat down, and in about 45 seconds I solved the problem.
The computer was on mute.
It was on mute for two years. Literally, the little sound icon had the red line through it, and it was clearly on mute.
I un-muted it. I was a hero.
Does this mean that all the other people who helped Michella were incompetent, and I was a genius? Was I the master of the obvious?
No.
The people who had tried to help Michella in the past, before the sound issue, had been burnt out by her attitude. So when the opportunity came that would allow them to drive Michella a little crazy by not fixing a trivial issue, they took it.
PAUSE THE STORY.
If you want to prank someone with a sound issue, wedge piece of debris in the headphone jack. Something really small. It can even be a wood fragment. That will stop all the audio from working, and unless someone checks the tiny hole with a light at the correct angle, they will never figure it out.
CONTINUE THE STORY
I was debriefed a few times about this problem and no one believed me. Most people assumed that some Windows update fixed the underlying issue. When someone in IT hears the words, Windows-Update-Fixed in a sentence, they immediately assume they are living in an alternate reality.
If you aren’t aware, the only thing a Windows update has ever fixed, is another Windows update. It is self sustaining cycle of fix and break.
The real question is, and I have always wondered, did Michella intentionally mute herself or was she that clueless? Maybe she just wanted people to come to her office?
Certain information in this story has been changed to protect those involved in, but the story is true. These stories are designed to give everyone pause, and reflect on their situation. If you have a story, please send it to: info@tonydeprato.com .
All submission will be posted anonymously.
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Why is this SubStack called, Pancake on a Stick?
Pancake on a Stick is the single funniest story I have ever heard in my life. In about a year from now, the event will be reenacted and recorded. I named the SubStack after the story, because every time I think of the name, I smile and laugh. This helps with my writing and tone, and makes me always remember the most important things in life.
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Most social media is dead to me, but you can find me on LinkedIn and Youtube.
LinkedIn (A bastion of boredom but mostly on mission)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tdeprato/
Email
info@tonydeprato.com
My video series on Expat Recruitment is BORING but useful Listen or Watch and you can master this process.