Week 10

This week we primarily discussed the hardware and software involved for SOHO printing devices. I think out of all the topics discussed in this course, this may be the one with the least overall application for the majority of techs. With printing itself (Paper) quickly becoming a thing of the past for a lot of business processes, printers themselves are becoming more rare and having to deal with regular maintenance for them is becoming even more rare with the low print volume. 

Printing is also at the stage of its life where everything is already kind of figured out with them. Driver installation is usually taken care of automatically with whatever OS you plug it into, network configuration is a set it and forget it task, and maintenance still needs to be performed, but very rarely. 

I work at a small non-profit with about 80 or so users, many of which being sent home with a small HP laser printer. The only tickets I see come across my desk for them is the occasional "I got a new laptop, and need help installing the drivers" (They don't know it's as simple as plugging it in) and "I need more toner." The toner install process is so simple we can just ship them a new cartridge, and they just do it themselves. I've never seen a "My printer is constantly jamming", "Won't pick up paper from the tray", or "Is printing gibberish" ticket. 

 

Blogging "wrap-up" section:  

  • What did you find enjoyable or not about this assignment?
    •  I think blogging should be an "I'm very excited about this, and I want the world to know about it as well." type of thing, and I think there were only around 3 weeks I didn't have to force myself to come up with something to say. 
  • Was it helpful to you in your current job?
    • Honestly, many of the topics I spoke about for these blogging exercises were examples that came from work discussing problems I've already solved or have ran into in the past. Nothing about them is standing out to me as being something I may be able to apply toward my job in the future. 
  • Can you see yourself Blogging in the future when it isn't required for an assignment?
    • I don't think so, I'm a very "keep to myself" kind of person with a distinct lack of social media presence that I've strive to keep that way. If I have anything exciting in my life that I want to discuss, I talk to my family or friends, not on a podium for strangers. 
  • Can you see this ability as desirable for a company, giving you more weapons in your arsenal and making you a more attractive hire?
    • Blogging? I can't say so as it seems to be much more of a soapbox rant, and I feel a skill developed more so around documentation or other 'productive for the company' skill may be more beneficial to them. 
      Besides, with the hiring market as it is these days, I doubt a prospective employer would scout out a personal blog to find candidates, or look to see if a candidate had a personal blog, or even if told "hey check out my blog" if the person in HR who is in charge of the hiring would even know if the information on it was valuable, let alone even visit the site in the first place. 

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