I continued my time at IBM but I was starting to hate it. The calls had become routine and there wasn’t a job I hadn’t done. Well, except one.
The only real “step up” within the call centre itself was “Lead Product Specialist.” You were still a contractor but you got paid a little more and you didn’t have to deal with customers. You dealt with reps who had tried everything and still couldn’t solve the issue.
I had done the job several times but mostly in a “fill in” capacity. One position had opened in Sept 2000 and three or four of us were up for it. I was sure I would get it. My numbers were always near the top of the group and I was well liked by management.
Well I didn’t get it. In fact the gentleman that did was widely considered to be the worst of the group. I was OK with it at the time but then something happened. The day after he got the job he tried to come over and talk to me about why he thought I didn’t get it.
Something snapped in my head. I sensation that I had never felt before. I knew I could never pick up that phone again and pretend that I cared about this job. I didn’t respond to him. I stood up, went over to my phone and logged out. I went to management and quit that day. I vowed I would never wear a headset again.
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