In need of serious advice

mintu

I have been working as a IT Administrator for a few months now.
It's me and the IT Manager. We have outsourced almost everything, so I only deal with physical issues. Docking/screen/laptop hardware stuff.

Now the thing is, I am not the most service minded person. And I feel very uncomfortable talking to strangers.
Our office is huge and we have people coming in and leaving the company all the time.

So how to deal with this issue? Should I quit and find myself a new job or stay and work myself up in the company.
Probably will take at least three years.


Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Fulcrum45

A good bedside manner goes a long way in this industry. If I were you I would stay on long enough to polish up on my soft skills if nothing else. Meeting an end user for the first time can still unnerve even me a bit but I crack a joke or make some off the cuff remark about family portraits and suddenly I'm their best friend.

kiki162

Unfortunately, it comes with the job and with most industries. You'll have to understand to that when dealing with people in general, you won't win everyone over. Meaning there are some people that will get you and get your way of doing things, and there's others that simply won't care, and will complain about you or consider you the "a-hole". At the end of the day you can't win everyone over, but sometimes you'll have to "fake it" because they are the people that you support.

It sucks, but I think in your situation, you'll need to work your way up and get to know people. Try to have small talk with them, like about the weather, or how was your holiday, etc.. etc. You'll be fine.

Mide

Yeah many intro IT positions require direct customer interaction may that be through phone or face to face. I remember being very nervous about answering the phone for service calls, but you do get used to it after a few months. It gets way better after you get to know your customer base as well.

If you truly don't want to interact with people much, go into networking. In my exp, that group probably talks the least out of all of the other sections of IT I've dealt with.

But for you, I'd advise you to just stay put, work and gain experience, but know that organizations that outsource too much of their IT stuff is not a good place for growth. If something better comes along after a year, jet.

elTorito

If you want to move up (such as attaining a senior position), you're eventually going to have to work on those soft skills. In an ideal world, we admins/engineers would be left well alone to do our stuff - behind the scenes, and with minimal end-user interaction. But I highly doubt there's an IT admin job anywhere that will fit those conditions.

Like the previous poster said, humor can be a great way to break the ice and make the interaction more comfortable. Also, don't feel like you're obligated to chat while you're fixing something. Observe the usual niceties, give a status update every now and then while the user is waiting, and basically just focus on the job at hand. In the end, everyone will better served that way.

scaredoftests

It gets easier dealing with people over time. Plus, great experience with troubleshooting and the art of listening. Treat it like an adventure.

markulous

I'd recommend doing something outside of work that forces you to interact with strangers. Either a class or some type of meet up group for a hobby. Unless you're some kind of savant programmer, you're likely going to need those soft skills almost anywhere.

TechHiring

It never hurts to look. I would advise you always be looking to make yourself better and that means always looking for a better jobs

mintu

And IF one is not service minded? I can't fake being nice and happy. It honestly drains my energy.

I would love to just be left alone and just work with my colleagues. Am I in the wrong business?

I can actually do this job, but I am not CAPABLE to become a network technician or engineer. Do not have the brains for it. Sorry but just trying to be realistic