The instant expert

So, this story starts 2 days ago when my boss told me:”Miguel, a client needs to set up a EM1-D-DR input/output extension of a NDC1 and he seems to be a problem with the CAN connection and configuration, so you’ll take care of it, alright?. We have been delaying it for a long time now and we have to get this job done”.

“Ok” i said.

I really had no clue about what he was talking about and to make the story short lets say I made a few calls to figure out about the devices and getting general information about how to get connected and general aspects of the configuration.

This morning, i still had no clue about how i was gonna even get connected to neither of the devices cos all my attempts failed. I didnt know what the hell i was supposed to do afterwards, what the client’s problem was specifically or how to use the software. All I knew was that I needed to connect A to B through C and set everything up to make it work using a software called D which i have never seen.

The client came at 16h and there I was…facing the inevitable…All I knew was that i had to answer whatever question the client could come up with and all i knew was that i didnt know anything. I couldnt get connected the day before so I didnt know if I was going to be able not to finish, but even start. To the client i was the many-years-experienced-expert but the reality was that “the expert” had no clue 4h before the client arrived.

I had to pretend I knew what i was doing and use the software as if i was born knowing it. I sorted out what the problem was and what exactly needed the client as we went.

It didnt go as “perfect” as it was supposed to, but made my way out better that i thought. We finally made it and the client was happy. All this “customer support” was done in a table right in front of my boss while he was talking on the phone and doing some other stuff, but obviously he knew i just had 2 days (really 1 morning) to prepare about something i had never done before, and i felt as if he was testing me out to see how smoothly i could get the job done.

2 hours later, everyone was happy: The client, my boss (he got a new customer-contact through this client) and of course, me. I tried to keep my i’m-cool-i-do-this-every-day pose but inside i was jumping of joy. It was a great feeling and still im thinking about it and enjoying the moment. I guess this is all part of the getting-to-be-an-expert process. Facing totally new situations and getting the job done at the end of the day.

Im happy.