A Day in the Life of a Geek Squad Agent: Computing

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It’s simple: Geek Squad Agents tend to share a strong passion in technology inside AND outside work. Sure we have hobbies that have nothing to do with technology, but most of us spend at least a few hours a day researching the latest-and-greatest on our own time.

Let me take you on a short trip through a typical day for me. Hopefully it shines some light on what the “average” day of a Geek Squad Computing Agent looks like.

<6:45AM> Alarm clock awakes me from my dreams of robotic sheep.

<7:15AM> Post-shower snack time. I actually do not eat a full blown breakfast. During post-shower snack time, it is time to check the Geek Squad email for any bulletins that may have come in overnight from other Agents. Any big tech news is usually wrapped up in a mass email to all Agents so we are aware of the situation. After my download, I check my schedule for the day.

<7:30AM> Head online to Geek Squad’s “Agent Forums” to check out company news, see if there have been any big bug-reports or virus-reports and just check out what thousands of other Agents are chatting about.

<8:00 AM> On the road! Today I left a little early because the traffic report indicated back-up. The British sounding lady-of-the-GPS actually told me about traffic backup on I-84 CT today. My first mission: the eradication of a virus infection. The way the client described it, I’m thinking they have a fakealert virus on their computer. This is one of the latest infections I have been seeing. On the drive to the customer’s place, I am going through the removal processes, questions I need to ask and advice to give. This helps make sure the appointment goes as smoothly as possible.

<8:30 AM>Ah HA! I was correct. We have a case of fakealert! It’s trying to trick Samantha (name’s been changed to protect our customer’s true identity) into buying useless software and provide her personal information. Using our super-secret uber-virus-removing tools, I declare war on the virus. I have run across this infection before and I know where to look for it and how to remove it. In the course of battle I found a bunch of other spyware polluting her system.

Samantha and I chat about her web surfing behavior, program downloads and other related matters that help me sharpen up for future removal. For instance, if I run across several people who have reported this issue started after downloading the ‘xyz free music program,’ I will research this further on the Internet and see if other people have reported this problem. It may even warrant reporting on our Agent Forums for other Agents to share in the knowledge

<10:30 AM> On the road again for a short trip to the next appointment of the day.

<10:45 AM> Time to set up some wireless Internet! Did you know that if your wireless is not encrypted properly, any person within range can do whatever they want on your Internet connection, even if it is illegal?

<Noonish> Insert food here. Catch up with some other peeps and use my phone to see what CNN and MSNBC are reporting on.

< The afternoon> Rinse, lather and repeat the above appointments two more times to the end of my day. Though I have helped Jennifer, Tom, Mindy and Linus (names of course changed) be the tech saviors to their respective families, my technology learning isn’t complete.

<5:07 PM> Traffic.

<5:32 PM> Still traffic.

<5:47 PM> Shut off Victoria (the name I have given to my English GPS lady, because I am tired of her sharing the dismal traffic situation).

<6:00 PM> Home. Each day I have a list of Web sites I peruse, looking for the latest news regarding Internet security, technology upgrades and other computer related stuff. Of course I also need to keep up on the latest news of two big gaming releases: Starcraft II and Diablo III! Actually most agents follow a similar routine with a list of bookmarks or RSS feeds on their news reader that deliver the latest news right to a homepage. Sound fun? Check out Google Reader or the RSS pane for iGoogle.

The end of the day is full of the obligatory surfing of social engineering Web sites, instant messaging and sharing email with colleagues, friends, and colleague’s that are friends. The computer really has become a central information and communication hub I use to the fullest. There is a constant stream of tech news coming in and out, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

<Time, confidential> I must now take a leave from you, my batteries need to be recharged so I can plug back into the Internet tomorrow morning. Goodnight.