Anyone work for a corporate PC support shop? (ie. Geek Squad)

Call me curious, but I was wondering if anyone here worked for any of the large corporate PC support entities such as Geek Squad, Firedog, CompUSA (I don't know if they had a corporate name like the others), etc...

If you do work for one of these companies, what do they have you do on a day in and day out basis?  Do you like it?  How long do you intend to stay there?  What would you like to do after you move on from your current job?  Is there anything in particular that you don't like?

For everyone else, please be kind to those revealing their secret identity. 

Personally, I'm a systems administrator for a corporation, but was curious about how much people enjoyed working at these large corporate PC support entities that seem to have taken over what used to be the realm of mom & pop shops.

Maybe I'll get a bunch of responses, maybe I'll get no responses, but I just figured it was worth throwing out there.

Call me curious, but I was wondering if anyone here worked for any of the large corporate PC support entities such as Geek Squad, Firedog, CompUSA (I don't know if they had a corporate name like the others), etc...

If you do work for one of these companies, what do they have you do on a day in and day out basis? Do you like it? How long do you intend to stay there? What would you like to do after you move on from your current job? Is there anything in particular that you don't like?

For everyone else, please be kind to those revealing their secret identity.

Personally, I'm a systems administrator for a corporation, but was curious about how much people enjoyed working at these large corporate PC support entities that seem to have taken over what used to be the realm of mom & pop shops.

Maybe I'll get a bunch of responses, maybe I'll get no responses, but I just figured it was worth throwing out there.

bwatsonz

I was thinking of working at geek squad. But I have not filled out a application  yet. I currently work at walmart now. And I want to start a Career. I like to mess work hardware  a lot so am trying to find out too if that's a good place to start.  

[QUOTE="bwatsonz"]

Call me curious, but I was wondering if anyone here worked for any of the large corporate PC support entities such as Geek Squad, Firedog, CompUSA (I don't know if they had a corporate name like the others), etc...

If you do work for one of these companies, what do they have you do on a day in and day out basis? Do you like it? How long do you intend to stay there? What would you like to do after you move on from your current job? Is there anything in particular that you don't like?

For everyone else, please be kind to those revealing their secret identity.

Personally, I'm a systems administrator for a corporation, but was curious about how much people enjoyed working at these large corporate PC support entities that seem to have taken over what used to be the realm of mom & pop shops.

Maybe I'll get a bunch of responses, maybe I'll get no responses, but I just figured it was worth throwing out there.

Axecident

I was thinking of working at geek squad. But I have not filled out a application  yet. I currently work at walmart now. And I want to start a Career. I like to mess work hardware  a lot so am trying to find out too if that's a good place to start.  

i work for compusa as a sales person not a tech.  but i can tell you that all the techs at compusa have to be A+ certified unlike geek squad and firedog.  i dont like that because i dont want to take the A+ tests but i know how to fix computers.  I would never work for geek squad because they wear stupid uniforms and i had one tell my girlfriend wrong information.  j3ninja10

So what did one of the Geek Squad techs get wrong?

Although I'm sure the climate has changed somewhat from when I started, let's also not rule out the "mom and pop" shops. If you can get your experience up that'll help greatly in your segway to another job. Also, depending on the shop some of they may be willing to pay for your certification testing. My first three jobs both during and after high school were tech positions at mom and pop shops. From there I had established enough experience and sufficient contacts to later move into an internal IT position for an engineering company. These days I work as a consultant for a worldwide Microsoft consulting firm.

-Byshop

Although I'm sure the climate has changed somewhat from when I started, let's also not rule out the "mom and pop" shops. If you can get your experience up that'll help greatly in your segway to another job. Also, depending on the shop some of they may be willing to pay for your certification testing. My first three jobs both during and after high school were tech positions at mom and pop shops. From there I had established enough experience and sufficient contacts to later move into an internal IT position for an engineering company. These days I work as a consultant for a worldwide Microsoft consulting firm.

-Byshop

Byshop

You're going to make me betray my age...

Short answer is about 14 years (been working since I was 16 and doing PC technical work since 18). Consulting is fun, but a fast paced industry that often requires a good degree of travel. I worked internal IT for a large company for about four years and I've been doing non-freelance consulting for about two now. I started as a System Engineer, but we have guys coming into our company fresh out of college. I've never been to college, but I get put in charge of managing these college graduates.

Honestly if you don't mind the travel requirements you can get into consulting at any time because any large consulting firm will have a wide range of levels at which you can enter. It generally pays better than internal IT, but is probably going to be more work. Also, having your MCSE 2003 already is a big plus. Any of these companies require that as a bare minimum, but many allow you a year to complete it if you do not have it at the time of hire.

-Byshop