“It was scary. I felt like I had the entire company’s reputation in my hands.”
It was about 7 or 8 PM. One by one, everyone started to leave, shutting off the lights behind them. And suddenly, there was just silence — and me… feeling the heavy burden of responsibility on my shoulders.
I know there are a lot of horror stories that start this way, but it isn’t the case with this one. What I just describe here was the beginning of my first night shift. Five years ago, there were only seven people doing worldwide support, and every night, one of us was responsible for the “night’s watch” — no White Walkers or wildlings involved. I still remember my first one. I’d just joined the team.
It was scary. Not because we all know “the night is dark and full of terrors,” but because when you’re all by yourself, you can’t ask for help for things you’d probably ordinarily ask for; you can’t screw up because you don’t want to call your boss; and you feel you have the entire company’s reputation in your hands. It has to be scary. But it’s also a great school. Two years later, I was a team leader.
Today, things are bit different. We have over 50 people on the team, and night shifts aren’t that lonely anymore. As for me, I rarely solve cases now. My job is to help the team scale through knowledge management, training, and bridging with R&D to improve our product. Which, for me, is great.
I’d never thought about becoming a support engineer. I’d never even dreamed about becoming an engineer in the first place. I liked computers and was good with them, so the day I applied to university, I chose computer science. But I’ve come to realize that the part that I enjoy is management. Managing people and managing business.
In Support, I do a bit of both. The cool part about it is that you help customers unlock a door formerly closed to them so their business can move forward. And, at OutSystems, you have that, plus an amazing culture. For example, I wouldn’t be surprised if my team were playing Playstation right now. But I know that by the end of the day, they’ll do their work with responsibility. That’s how awesome my team is, and I know it would be hard to find someone like them anywhere else.
I don’t think I’ll stay in Support forever, though. I’d like to explore my manager side a bit more, and work closer to the business and customers. But I won’t leave Support until I feel my job here is done. The only thing I’m sure is that I want my future to be here, at OutSystems.
Hello there! If you liked Pedro’s story feel free to share it on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. And if, just like Jon Snow, you want to be part of the Night’s Watch, check all Customer Success available positions at OutSystems.
