So, where are you working these days?
I'm working for Verizon, specifically with the billing system.
Geographically speaking: if you're here in Tampa, it might be meaningful for you to know that our office is in a huge complex in Telecom Park, just off of Fletcher Avenue next to I-75, right across the street from Lettuce Lake Park.
I'm in a group that gives production support to another group responsible for maintaining huge data tables that contain things like what products are available where to whom, rating and pricing information, and even tax information. (No customer data, though, so don't bother asking me to "hook ya up".) We're also responsible for distributing the data they produce to a bunch of different systems throughout the company, including systems that get used by service reps and the website.
So what does that mean? Well, say you call us up and ask for Call Waiting. The rep punches it up on their computer, and can tell you how much it is for your area, and tell you about any special "bundling" deals we have -- such as if you already have the *69 thing, it might be cheaper to buy a package that includes both services than to buy them separately. The odds are pretty good that at least some of that information came through us.
Lately I haven't been doing as much of our core work as I have been doing ancillary stuff, like working on our internal website, and developing (and fixing) tools to make our work easier through automation. It involves a lot of REXX, and a little Javascript and DB2.
Yep...Temple Terrace, actually.