RUSH!!!

I just wanted to share with you all a little part of me. That's right my work. I felt the need to let you all in on what I do. This picture here shows the front three computers. This is the only area of workers that students see. From your left we have computer 1 then 2 and finally computer 3. Now if you are lucky enough to get computer 1 you do not have to answer calls, that's right all you do is sit there and help the people who come in to take tests. As you can see I however was not the lucky one today. Nope I was taking calls.

This would be my working area. Not really cozy but it will do. Yes I have the sticky notes for all my important documents. The phone off the hook because during this time of year there is no reason to hang it up. Well that's enough of that now onto the RUSH. Pretty much the first day I started this job they started telling about Rush. I didn't think much of it at the time. However as we got closer and closer to Rush I became more and more nervous for it. Everyone would tell me that it is super busy and you never hang up the phone. Well we hit Rush a few weeks ago and man were they right I found that I don't like Rush as much as I thought I wouldn't. By the way the meaning of Rush is (high school seniors who procrastinate until the very end and I mean end maybe 5 days before graduation to finish a course because they need the credit.) Well when you have thousands and yes there are really thousands of students who are in panic mode calls can get a little crazy, and I haven't even mentioned the parents. Well here is a picture to show you some of the madness. At first glance this picture may seem harmless but if you look really hard you might be able to make out the numbers in the little square box.

Thats right, 83 calls on hold and it isn't even 10:00 am!!! Our system only lets us hold up to one hundred calls. I think we are on our way. Yesterday when I went into work around 3 there were 93. Let's just say it can get a little hectic.

Now don't get me wrong I really like working there. The supervisors are great and so are my collegues, but I have my days. For example my favorite calls are when angry mothers call in wondering were there daughters finals are. I check my system well it doesn't look like they were ever requested to be sent. Well don't tell her that. She will start yelling and screaming at you. Then she tells you that her daughter took all of her finals for 4 different classes but you say that they weren't sent and they couldn't have been because she didn't do all the work (before we can send out finals all other assignments have to be done) Well that really makes her mad so she wants to talk to a supervisor, who by the way is going to tell her the same thing, but you send it to them anyway. Well after that is all done you come to find out that the testing center that the finals were to be taken at have no record of the student. So you just sit there and listen to them yell at you and do everything you can to control yourself from not yelling at them.

And then you have really good days where the calls consist of a mother calling in worried that we didn't receive an assignment, so you ask to put her on hold (and she's already been holding for about 15 to 20 min) and she happily says, "Sure babe" and then when you tell her that we don't have it but explain how to send it again she calls you sweetheart. Finally they send it in and you submitt it, then request their final express both ways so they can make it to graduation all she tells you is, "You are such a sweetheart, thank you so much babe, you're an angel. You don't understand how much you helped us. I just have faith in you and you're such an angel"

Ahh when you here those words from someone you've never met, but know that you helped them out it deffinately makes up for all of the others which don't come to often. How can you not love your job.