Retail Techs. vs House Techs.

[LPetrarca]

Just wondering, a head count on how many retails techs. there are posting and how many Inhouse techs. are posting here?

I read all the posts, and many of the horror stories seem similar. But, there seems to be a point where retail techs. and inhouse techs. have unique problems because of the users they support.

Me, I'm in the inhouse category.

Anybody else care to weigh in?

[Triumph]

Inhouse here but I have done Field Service also. I was sort of a retail tech when I worked for the Shack in that I was constantly solving users problems. Now if the lame-o state I live in, Rhode Island, could get some decent tech jobs .....

[LPetrarca]

Originally posted by Desert Eagle:
Inhouse here but I have done Field Service also. I was sort of a retail tech when I worked for the Shack in that I was constantly solving users problems. Now if the lame-o state I live in, Rhode Island, could get some decent tech jobs .....

I'm in RI and I've got a decent tech job....

[Jallentino]

In-House, it's the way to go. People are People and you get moron's wherever you go, but the pay is better here and I know all of my customers, so that works for me.

[cyberhh]

Currently in-house.
Started in the Field
Ran the retail.

[gpint]

Started out as a retail tech and am currently a house tech. I like the house tech position much better than the retail tech. It's nice being able to fix a users computer without them constantly asking "how much is this going to cost?"

[Kymera]

Never been a free range tech, always in-house. That way you get to know your ID10T users. The real challenge though is trying to manage a project that includes the ID10T users and those stupid techs and programmers. You're surrounded by fools, and no one seems to be capable of thinking on their own, or if they do you wonder how much compressed air they inhaled before they made their decision. This leads you to forbid anyone from thinking on their own, which in turn frustrates the hell out of you, and ends with you taking a 2 week vacation to Cabo San Lucas and considering staying there and becoming a goat herder to avoid assault charges on the lead moron.

Okay, it's not that bad. I only took a 1 week vacation, but that goat herder position sure was tempting.

[http://forums.windrivers.com/cgi-bin/forum1/noncgi]

Did my time as a retail tech. Now I'm technically an "engineer", a fancy name for an in-house tech.

[LPetrarca]

Originally posted by gpint:
It's nice being able to fix a users computer without them constantly asking "how much is this going to cost?"

But, that question gets replaced with "how long is this going to take?"

The other one is "There's something wrong with my computer. I was running fine until I installed this screen saver thing I downloaded from the web. This computer has been giving me problems for awhile any way."

[DharmaLion]

i was in the out-house...but now im in da house!

[exholt]

I was an entry-level in house tech 5 years ago in a company's IT department in the summer between my sophomore and junior years in college....learned a lot there....then...did some freelance stuff during the college year for some spending money...after college did some free teching for some friends with 486s while working at a web startup doing web development. Now I work in a financial company doing Content QA and some project management in their ecommerce department. So...I don't seem to fit in either category anymore...

I still do some teching as a hobby....and am still learning new things.. )

[parning]

I'm in-house, but I put my time in the trenches as a retail tech. Now, it seems, I'm doing time in Tech Support Hell, but that is a tale for another time.....

[Percy]

I started on the assembly line at Gateway, worked up to software loader, then Q.C. (yes, they do actually quality check their stuff) then went to retail as in in-home tech. The horror...I'm currently working tech for a little bitty Mom 'n Pop networking shop which is a bit better than most retail. At least the paperwork only comes up to my shins now instead of my neck.

[NTTECH1]

We have a retail store but as an owner I have been Retail Tech, Bench Tech Tech Support, Worked for City in the MIS Dept, AS/400, OS2/Warp,Win95, Win98,Windows NT Server, Done just about all including On Site Networking.

[AlienDyne]

Retail Tech, but when I have the time (and need the money) I work at home too. Most of the times, I provide on-site support when I have the necessary free time.