I just passed my 4-year anniversary (Oct 3) with IDLA, all on the Tech Support Team.
Unmuted: IDLA Q&A
Q: What does a typical day look like in your role?
A: Most of my day is devoted to answering questions/resolving issues for students, parents, and staff. When we get free time between those activities, I am working on onboarding/offboarding employees as needed and researching how to develop a database that everyone in IDLA can use as a ‘central location’ for answers (this is still in its early stages).
Q: What’s one thing about your job that might surprise people?
A: The customers we work with aren’t nearly as confrontational as the customers I’ve worked with in every other tech job I’ve ever had. It caught me by surprise as I learned that just about everyone who contacts us is calm and willing to listen to what we have to say and follow our recommendations.
Q: What’s one project or achievement at IDLA that you’re especially proud of?
A: Our CSAT levels. I’ve worked in other tech groups, and the kind of positive numbers we get are unheard of nearly everywhere else.
Q: What do you love most about working in online education?
A: Supporting Idaho students – it is very rewarding knowing that, in my own small way, I am helping contribute to the education of our own local populace.
Q: What’s one unique aspect of IDLA that people might not realize?
A: I guess it depends on who you mean by people….if you’re talking about the people at IDLA, I would say there is nothing here that our people don’t know. We have the most educated and informed group of people (techs, admins, HR reps, and everything in between) that I have ever had the honor of working with. For everyone outside of our organization, I would say that I don’t think enough people know how valuable our dual credit classes are. Kids can get college credits taken care of while they are still in high school AND they can do it online? That surprised me when I first learned of it.
Q: If you could swap roles with someone at IDLA for a day, who would it be and why?
A: I have always been fascinated by what our Content Team does. How they decide what is worth putting into a lesson, or how they decide how that information is best presented and taught to students. It would be interesting to be in the midst of all that for a day (though probably very overwhelming, lol).
Q: What’s a favorite memory you’ve had while working at IDLA?
A: I got the opportunity to represent IDLA at a student convention in Twin Falls a couple of years back. I was there as an on-site tech, in case any of the presenters needed tech help in getting their equipment connected to the screens. SO many people were so happy to see IDLA at this event, they even gave us a thank you note/card that I brought back to my team.
Q: What’s one fun fact about you that most people don’t know?
A: Most of the tattoos I have are inspired by artwork from Magic the Gathering cards (some of my tattoos are direct copies of the artwork).
Lightning Round!
Q: What’s your go-to coffee (or tea) order?
A: Sugar Free White Chocolate Mocha (Dutch Bros)
Q: If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be?
A: Einstein – I have a lot of questions about the universe and existence, though, I would need him to explain the answers without all the equations.
Q: What’s the best book, TV show, or podcast you’ve enjoyed recently?
A: Star Trek DS9 – I have watched it all the way through enough that I have most of the episodes memorized (even some of the lines), but I never get tired of it. It is such a good storyline.
Q: What’s one piece of technology you couldn’t live without?
A: The internet in general. It is where my career exists, and where a good amount of my socialization and nearly all of my recreation takes place.
Q: If you could work remotely from anywhere in the world, where would it be?
A: A heavily forested region, buried in snow, with an easy/quick route to a nearby town for supplies. I’m not sure where that might be specifically, but that is where I would be most at peace.
A friend of mine once told me a quote that he said described me very well, and it made so much sense that I never forgot it. This is my motto for life – ‘Getting there is half the fun’
