Devoted family man, sports enthusiast and IT gatekeeper, Everett Taylor
Everett recently sat down with us to talk about a day in the life of a field services specialist II at Texas Health Resources.
1. What did you do before Texas Health?
Before coming to Texas Health Resources, I worked in hospitality management for 12 years. Customer service is a huge part of this job and having that background has helped A LOT. Eventually I decided to make a career shift and went back to school for a technical degree. I remember passing my final certification exam and getting a call from TEKsystems less than an hour later offering me my first contract job with Texas Health. Five years later I’m happy the rest is history, and that I was able to work my way into a full time IT position here.
2. What is a typical workday like?
It always starts with lots of coffee.
Not a day goes by that I don’t hear the question, “When can I get a new laptop?”
Once I leave my desk, you can almost guarantee I will be stopped by an impromptu request in the hallway or pulled aside while I am in route to resolve another ticket. That is part of the fun of the job though. Each day is a mystery and it’s always nonstop, hands-on troubleshooting from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. I enjoy the unpredictability in every day.
3. What is the biggest challenge of your work?
Having an issue that is out of our control or you can’t immediately fix is challenging because you are put on the spot in front of the customer. Most people think we know everything there is to know related to computers, but field services is just one of several divisions of the IT department that help resolve issues. We are a big team, and we all work together.
Dealing with interdepartmental negativity is difficult too. It’s hard to maintain a positive rapport while problem-solving when employees talk bad about IT to other coworkers. It makes the atmosphere tense before we even walk into the room.
4. What do you like most about your job?
I am thankful for the job in general. I know what it feels like not to have a job, or to have to work under harsh conditions. I have the opportunity to practice critical thinking in a customer relations and solutions capacity every day. I love to interact with people face-to-face and hopefully make their day a little easier.
I can’t speak for everyone else, but for me personally I’m just happy to come to work every day in a non-stressful environment and develop new relationships with other departments.
5. What do you do when you’re not at work?
My two daughters, ages 6 and 15, are all over the map from ballet to basketball with their activities. My wife LaMonica and I devote the majority of our free time to supporting them. I also officiate high-school basketball and volleyball for the Fort Worth school district and have been known to host some legendary barbecues on the weekends.
We are obviously big sports fans in my family, so we try to make time to cheer on our Dallas Cowboys and watch the games together. With all of our schedules as busy as they have been this year, I am looking forward to an upcoming trip to Las Vegas in November for some quality vacation time.
Questions and answers have been edited for length and clarity.
