Dominique Spicher is a Sr. Technical Support Specialist and has been with Autodesk for 3.5 years. Throughout his life he has lived in 4 countries and speaks 2.5 languages (English, German, and an almost fluent understanding of Spanish), so if you speak one of those languages, you’re in luck for help from Dominique!
Question: What degree did you graduate with, and how has it affected your career? Or, what education / training do you have that has helped with your role?
Dominique: I started off as an Architect, so I have the German degree of Dipl. Ing. (Diplom Ingenieur) which nowadays would be a Master’s degree. Supporting products of the building industry at Autodesk, me having said degree is quite helpful to communicate on an equal footing with our customers. It always helps to understand what context the customers have when approaching us in Technical Support.
Question: How would you describe your role at Autodesk? What does a typical workday look like? Which skills and qualities are important to be successful in your role?
Dominique: The best way to describe it for me would be a “Swiss Army Knife” that is quick on its feet. You must get a quick grasp on issues presented to you, not only by customers, but also from internal sources. When it comes to product related topics, if no one knows, Technical Support is where everyone goes. So, you are all in one. To accommodate all that, curiosity, patience, empathy, and quick thinking are skills one needs.
Question: What do you find interesting about your role? What are the challenges? What do you find satisfying about your work?
Dominique: It is often like solving puzzles and a solved puzzle is satisfying. Additionally, you get in touch with all sorts of people from different cultural backgrounds and languages, which keeps it exciting every day. Of course, the main part is to help our customers solve the issues at hand, but it is also interesting to be involved in projects revolving around improving the product and getting to see the development side of things. The biggest challenge, I would say, is time management and juggling multiple inquiries successfully at once so that the customer doesn’t feel it and gets the best service possible.
Question: What advice would you give to a student who is interested in pursuing a role like yours? Is there a piece of advice you would give yourself back on day one in your role?
Dominique: Having a sense of the industry of the supported product is a great benefit but can also be compensated for by curiosity and quick adaption and learning skills. Communication skills and a second language are of great help. I have been in this line of work for almost 10 years now after working as an architect before, and never have I regretted switching to the “dark side.” The one piece of advice that I would give my past self when starting would be reassurance: “Chin up…you got this…now move!”
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