First day of first ever IT job - feeling intimidated

Hi TechExams,

So today was my first day of my first ever IT position. I have a technical military background (radio/satellite telecom), but this is my first IT position, which is a Tier 1 help desk technician for an MSP that supports about 6-8 medium sized companies.

It was a great first day, the people there are very friendly, but boy was it overwhelming.

I think that I'm a fast learner, but besides my own personal knowledge of computers and my schooling, I don't have any real IT experience so today was a lot to take in. I learned a ton of new things, hardware and software. I was tasked to set up a few desktops and laptops. Some of the desktops needed video cards installed. Great, that's easy. Then the desktops needed to be imaged. Not too hard. But before I set this all up, I was told to connect the desktops to a 4-port KVM, which I have only heard about in Mike Meyer's A+ certification text book. This was foreign to me, but the tech that was training me was pleased to show me how to use it [scroll lock][scroll lock][enter].

Then my mind was blown with all the applications that we use. On top of Windows services like Active Directory, I was introduced to a remote access tool, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, email management tool, ticketing software, and some other applications. I reset a password or two and disabled an account.

The tech that was training me seems like a seasoned veteran, switching through applications like clockwork, remoting into servers, and entering CLI commands. It was very intimidating because I kept thinking about where I stand compared to these guys. They are wizards and I'm still an infant.

I know that at one point, every veteran has been in my shoes. Still, I can't stop feeling "not up to par" with these guys. Of course I like this job and I want to do well, but I need some reassurance that I will eventually become "good" at this!

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Comments

scrungy

Stick at it, mate and soon you will be thinking what was I worried about

Time is the only way to learn experience. Have fun and work hard and it will come. Good luck

636-555-3226

Take notes once you get home. At any job I always have my "Bible" of accumulated notes that I take over time so I don't have to remember every little nuance of every little thing. It'll help you keep up!!

TheFORCE

Open excel and note the issues you saw and how you fixed them or which team you assigned the tickets too. Search the ticketing system for past issues to find resolutions to things you don't know. The thing about Helpdesk is that the same issues come up again and again. And don't be afraid.

scaredoftests

Breathe deep. They hired you for a reason. Bask in the knowledge!!

Mow

Try making connections between things you learn and things you remember form school/military experience. Pay attention and you'll do fine. People who want to learn are the ones who excel.

jibbajabba

Here are some news for you - feeling intimidated will never change - not even after 10 years in I.T.

markulous

Being a little nervous and intimidated isn't a bad thing at all. It keeps you on your toes and keeps you humble. Just don't get so intimidated where it makes you quit or where you can't think clearly.

I always have the mindset that if I'm the smartest guy or the most knowledgeable guy in the room, I need to work somewhere else.

networker050184

636-555-3226 wrote: »

Take notes once you get home. At any job I always have my "Bible" of accumulated notes that I take over time so I don't have to remember every little nuance of every little thing. It'll help you keep up!!

Definitely take notes! I wouldn't wait until you got home though. Take a pen and paper to jot stuff down as they show you, use one note to make your **** sheets etc. Don't be afraid to ask for help, but don't make people show you the same task multiple times.

I remember my first job after the military and my head was swimming as well. We've all been there as you said. Most people can't even be bothered to put in much effort in the work place. If you have a good work ethic you'll definitely stand out to your supervisors.

Good luck!

KJEB_HZ

Hey! Did you get a degree in IT??
Very kind regards!

systemstech

Hey man,

Let me give you some reassurance. I was at a very small MSP for about a year. Small law firms with 1-2 people and smaller police departments. Now I'm at another MSP doing Jr. Sysadmin stuff. It's crazy how much I've learned man. Trust me, you'll get there. I came in not knowing much, now it's crazy how much I learned. I'm checking ASA's weekly, access points, backing up ASA's and acess points, it's crazy. On top of that, I'm managing servers for two hospitals. 100-300 doctors at each hospital. It's definitely difficult and I don't think it ever gets easier. Just do your best and keep going.

Also, how is DeVry? Did you like it?

cyberguypr

All of this is normal. And +1 on taking notes. I remember a particular coworker who never took notes and relied on asking the same basic things 3, 4, or 5 times because she was just too lazy to write anything down. It was extremely disruptive. As you can guess, she didn't last long.

Another thing is to always ask questions. No one expects the new guy to be a master of all things IT. We've all been there. I have a lot of experience in IT and am currently in a very high level role. When I started this gig last year it took me several weeks to get up to speed on the way things are done here. Best of luck!

snunez889

Even when you have IT experience, starting in a new environment can seem overwhelming. Give it time, before you know it you will be on the same level as everyone else. Don't forget to take a lot of notes and ask when you don't understand something.

psaechao

Thanks for the replies, everyone!

It's the second day and things are already becoming very familiar thanks to repeatedly seeing the applications that we use. Today we went over password resets in Active Directory, created new user emails in Mimecast, and did some remote troubleshooting in GoToAssist. This is all completely new to me, but so far it all seems rather easy to learn. I'm feeling much more confident.

I haven't graduated from DeVry yet, but I'll have my AS by Feb 2016 and my BS sometime beginning of 2017 if I continue to take max units. I like it so far.

Christian.

psaechao wrote: »

I know that at one point, every veteran has been in my shoes. Still, I can't stop feeling "not up to par" with these guys. Of course I like this job and I want to do well, but I need some reassurance that I will eventually become "good" at this!

That's a normal feeling and it's true, they have a lot more experience as they have been working there for more time than you. It's good you don't feel this as odd, it's normal and expected. The situation will be like water on a funnel (hope that's the right word for that plastic thing). You will get a lot of information on many different things, yet only a small part will actually pass through and stick in your mind. With time and some repetition, and that's the thing you have to remember, you will get more used to the rhythm of having to support many applications and it won't feel like your first day, you will incorporate each day less because you already known the answers and know how to troubleshoot.

A tip to help you with the more seasoned veterans. When you approach them with questions, try to show them you tried to fix it first on your own, you did research on it, you checked the internal knowledge DB if they have one, you googled the error or you even attempted something. If you go asking questions about how to fix something every time wanting them to give you the exact answer.. people may not feel inclined to help you with that behavior. You don't want to be labeled in their heads as the guy that wants others to make your work for you, so, my advise is to make questions (specially if you feel you may break something) but not treating them as google. You will do fine

beads

Even senior level techs ask questions. Good ones ask on an almost daily basis. You retire in this field when you either stop asking questions or cannot remember the answers.

-b/eads

slinuxuzer

Sounds like an awesome first day, be nice and make friends with people, if asked to a social gathering go so they will know your part of the team. Take advantage of every opportunity to learn, always raise your hand and volunteer for stuff, and try to take initiative and at least make an effort to figure something out before escalating. Never complain unless you have a suggestion to fix the problem.

And be very very cautious about getting involved with office politics, there is a good chance sooner or later people will start to feel you out about how you feel about so and so, always be positive and stay neutral if that happens.

And under no cirumstances discuss pay with others, someone always gets their feelings hurt and it may be you and it may not.

Cyberscum

Sounds like a fun first day.

1. Remove stress from things that you cannot control (your thoughts on how you look to others)

2. Ask yourself "would I be stressed from this if I did this all at home by myself?"

3. If not, let go of the stress and have fun doing some cool shiot.

ThePrimetimer

Intimidation comes with the first day at any job. Your brand new to their processes. Time is the only way to get over this. You'll grow into it and will become one of the "wizards" you work with. Just keep moving forward and absorb as much as you can.
I have been in IT almost 10 years and am still learning new things. I work at an MSP and can relate to how hectic it can be. It sounds like you are working with good people who want to help you learn IT, and that is wonderful. One piece of advice I can give, is ASK QUESTIONS!!! If you unfamiliar with something, ask.
Good luck on the job and Congrats!