Early in my career, I encountered a pivotal moment that taught me the importance of data usage and ensuring that my plan aligns with my work needs. It was back in 2005 when unlimited data plans were not the norm.
At the time, I was working in application development and had the responsibility of monitoring jobs over the weekends. My wife and I had just embarked on our American Dream, having recently gotten married and built our first home together. However, due to delays in infrastructure installation, we had to rely on a satellite dish for TV and our cellphones for internet connectivity. (This was way before the era of hotspots, but the concept was similar.)
To avoid any surprises, we checked with our phone company to confirm that my data usage for work purposes would be acceptable. They assured us it wouldn’t be an issue. Little did we know what awaited us just a month later.
One sunny day, while I was mowing the lawn, my wife urgently called me from the front door, waving a paper in her hand. I stopped the mower, curious and concerned about what had happened. As she handed me the paper, it became clear that I was about to receive some unwelcome news. It was our latest cell phone bill, and it amounted to just over $5,000. Shocked, I tried to comprehend how our bill had skyrocketed from $150 to such an astronomical figure within a month.
Without delay, I contacted the phone company, demanding an explanation for this outrageous charge. The customer service agent seemed taken aback, especially when I mentioned the previous conversation we had regarding the acceptability of my phone usage. They escalated my case, and after a few days, we received word from a Senior Vice President who had reviewed our situation. They offered a one-time solution: upgrade to a higher tier service, which cost around $250, and this would clear the exorbitant bill.
With the bill finally resolved and our confidence restored in using our phones for work, I significantly scaled back my data-heavy replication jobs. I realized that I only needed a fraction of the data I had been utilizing. Over the next few months, we closely monitored our usage until we were able to secure internet access for our home.
Reflecting on this experience, I now understand the importance of moderation when it comes to data usage. As a budding professional at the time, I believed I needed all my data to be stored locally, but the reality was that I only required a subset of it for my minimal work at home.
Today, this incident brings a chuckle when my wife and I reminisce about it. However, I can assure you that receiving that $5,000 phone bill was no laughing matter back then.
#LessonsLearned #DataUsage #CareerGrowth
Originally posted on LinkedIn June 6th, 2023
Photo credit – https://unsplash.com/@alpduran
