Agree - I worked in a call center for several years and it paid the bills, and improved 'soft skills' while letting me develop more technical knowledge on the side. Since I wasn't standing on my feet all day making sandwiches or waiting tables, I could come home after solving problems for angry people all day (thankfully I worked for a place that gave their support people the ability to actually resolve the problems), I would still have the energy and mindspace to be able to work on side projects and learn on my own time.
As much as companies try to automate things, I really hope that localized support makes a comeback.
Ive had both a call center job and a job making sandwiches all day while teaching myself programming on the side. I progressed way further during the sandwich-making years. It was hard to come home after being on a computer all day dealing with real problems (call center) and sit down to program, whereas after working in a restaurant I was physically exhausted but desperate for a cognitive outlet.
To clarify - the stress of the restaurant job was as much the lack of a distinct schedule combined with minimum wage pay as it was the physical work of the job. The call center gave me a regular 8-6 window, full time work at double the minimum wage at the time.
As much as companies try to automate things, I really hope that localized support makes a comeback.