Is it okay to be a Mediocre IT worker?

Pedro_ramirez

Tell me is it? Is it okay to be JUST average or just acceptable enough to do the job? How do people look at you?

shodown

this is one of those questions that is weird for a lot of ways. I'll answer it the best I can.

1. It depends on the type of IT shop you are in. If you are at a boutique shop that specializes in high end delivery and getting hard problems solved, its not the place for a person with the attitude you just said above.


If you are in a typical enterprise environment and just wanna do 9-5 and get the work done thats asked of you nobody should fault you and in fact every shop should have people like this around. Expect mediocre pay as well.

pcgizzmo

There isn't anything wrong w/being average if average is your best. If you can do better than average then you are coasting and being lazy. That being said I always try and do my best but sometimes I don't do as well as I could on things because I get tired, want to get finished etc.. but I don't make it a habit and it's not my normal mode of operation.

I think anyone that says they just want to be average all the time and can do better has issues. Not saying that's you but it's something to think about if it is.

the_Grinch

I believe everyone starts off as mediocre and it's only after some hard work that you start getting better. I've known plenty of people who weren't super stars and were still effective. But if that's your aim then you'll be stuck in the same position forever and that means your raises won't be great.

jcundiff

Sure, if you want to be mediocre... you get mediocre pay and respect with it, and if you are mediocre at a place with no horrible IT people, guess whose names are going to be on the top of the list if workforce reductions occur? Not going to be the better than average IT guys I personally refuse to be average, I have had 2 reviews in 15 years that were not "exceeds" ( fully met= average) 1 as retribution from my then manager because I went over his head (chain of command) and his manager backed my defense of my employees rankings and 1 when I had no manager for the majority of the year ( kept my duties done and went way above and beyond to make sure the company met its obligations when we had no DR staff). I may be the exception but I firmly believe in a fair days work for a fair day's pay.

Why be average?

bumg

jcundiff wrote: »

Sure, if you want to be mediocre... you get mediocre pay and respect with it, and if you are mediocre at a place with no horrible IT people, guess whose names are going to be on the top of the list if workforce reductions occur? Not going to be the better than average IT guys I personally refuse to be average, I have had 2 reviews in 15 years that were not "exceeds" ( fully met= average) 1 as retribution from my then manager because I went over his head (chain of command) and his manager backed my defense of my employees rankings and 1 when I had no manager for the majority of the year ( kept my duties done and went way above and beyond to make sure the company met its obligations when we had no DR staff). I may be the exception but I firmly believe in a fair days work for a fair day's pay.

Why be average?

I couldn't agree more. Personally, I always strive to exceed expectations but that is just my personality. I too have only received two non-exceeds expectations reviews. Oddly enough, mine were both for the same exact issues you listed but my 2nd situation came before the 1st.

I won't necessary fault someone for having a mediocre attitude, but don't expect to lead the pack with mediocrity.

alias454

I would mostly agree that if the output of one's actions results in average results as the best of one's abilities then so be it. However, being average is more about attitude than a realization of skills IMHO. Always trying to do better and improve on previous results is different then settling for average, even if the result is the same.

You should always aim high because gravity has a way of affecting your shot.

Regards,

olaHalo

This you?

Danielm7

olaHalo wrote: »

This you?

Exact same post text, I'd say yes. I see cross posts to reddit pretty frequently from users here.

636-555-3226

I take it your annual job review indicated you were just mediocre and need to step it up some to be above average and get a bigger raise?

AverageJoe

Can you imagine applying that same question to other fields?

Is it okay to be a mediocre bank teller that only gets deposits into the right account some of the time? Or a mediocre fire fighter that who doesn't really care if the fire is put out. A mediocre architect who doesn't try very hard to design buildings to be safe. A mediocre doctor, surgeon, or pharmacist where mistakes can cost lives?

I have believed for years that eventually the IT field will require licensure because people will get fed up with high promises and low delivery. I think DoD's 8570 stepped in that direction, but as some point I think there will be large-scale, mandatory, expensive licensing requirements that will change the industry.

I also expect IT folks to get hit with malpractice suits for loss of data and security breaches. I think that's right around the corner, and that mandatory licensure will be one of the wide-spread results.

Iristheangel

Pedro_ramirez wrote: »

Tell me is it? Is it okay to be JUST average or just acceptable enough to do the job? How do people look at you?

Plenty of people in the IT industry are mediocre but I would say that it gives you a higher risk of being a red shirt (Star Trek FTW). If you are mediocre and layoffs happen, you stand a higher chance of being the red shirt who gets cuts because your management probably pegged you for a guy who isn't going to move up or put in extra work. You'll also find you'll peak quickly in terms of pay, job title, etc. Ultimately, its up to you on how much effort you want to put into your career but think about all the things in your life you may need that job security, pay, etc for: kids, wife, retirement, private schools for kids, college for kids, vacations, house, cars, your spouse's school, etc.

NetworkNewb

olaHalo wrote: »

This you?

Saw this quote from the OP in that thread... "Is there a difference between saying mediocre or being the Average IT Worker? I think I might have said the wrong words. Lets you are trying but in general you are just average"

I don't know about other people, but it hurts me to see someone think they are just average. Right off the bat you're limiting your potential. No one should ever think this. Because it is not true.

bpenn

The respect I get from management and clients here for going above and beyond makes me want to excel even more. When there is incentive to achieve more, I see more people go for it. If I don't get validation for being a high speed employee, it makes me less likely to want to do more for the organization. But that's just me. However, it doesn't affect my studying habits.

kohr-ah

Hello fellow redditor,

Is it okay to be average/mediocre? Yes and no.

Yes - You don't have to be a rockstar all the time every day. You should always put your best in every day but it depends on your definition of average and it also depends on the job you have. Help desk (No offense to anyone in help desk right now) is harsh. You are the front lines and in a lot of places you can burn out quick. This is the case where being average I can understand. Depending on the job you are doing you can only do so much. For the field I am in, networking, I work with average engineers. They don't try to learn more. They don't try to further themselves past level 1 work and they are happy with that and that is fine. There is nothing wrong with if you are content with doing that and that is as far as you want to go.

No - You control your future. You should push yourself to better yourself and make yourself a better worker. You don't have to be a rockstar every day (as stated above) but if you are in a mid to senior level role, if not higher, I would expect a higher grade of work out of someone. I wouldn't want average. This means you are not average and nor should you be average. You aren't getting paid well to be average. You further yourself to challenge yourself more.

E Double U

It is necessary to have people like that on a team when the company gives employee ratings on a curve. Save the high marks for us top performers and the mediocre individuals get what they get.

I worked in a NOC with a guy that had a passion to sing. He only worked as an analyst to provide for his family until he could make a living doing what he really wanted to do. He did below average work for sure, but he didn't care because he didn't desire to move up. It didn't bother me either because having colleagues that do the bare minimum made it easier for me to standout.

philz1982

I will answer the question in a different way.

Just b/c your skills are mediocre doesn't mean you need to have a mediocre attitude. You can improve your skills and you can influence if you have the right attitude. However I've seen tons of brilliant people who last 6 months due to their egomaniac attitudes. So, I would say in IT, unless you are completely inept having a proactive, humble attitude will take you far.

rsutton

Pedro_ramirez wrote: »

Tell me is it? Is it okay to be JUST average or just acceptable enough to do the job? How do people look at you?

I disagree with everyone who says being average is OK. It's not OK from the standpoint that you will limit your career options, be less happy & be looked down on from top performers. Those are not subjective; they apply universally. It is true that what some companies consider average, others consider below-average, but that is besides the point. If you realize that you are operating at the average, you need to step your game up. The good news is that there are many ways to do this, if you have the initiative.

scaredoftests

No, of course not. If you are bored..go somewhere else or learn a new IT skill..

Tom789

You will fade into mediocrity if the job is boring. Try to find something that interests you and you will start excelling. On the other hand, there are bills and the world is not always sunshines and rainbows.

tpatt100

I go through lazy periods myself but to me "mediocre" sounds like a state of being rather than going through some ups and downs. I don't think anybody can give it 110 percent for their whole life, sometimes you need to find a balance between doing your job and sprinting towards some new goal.

YesOffense

I don't think it's ok to ever accept mediocrity, no matter what you do, but I got negged the last time I said that here, so what do I know.

Kai123

I literally just logged into techexams to make a thread about this!!

I found out today in my work that weekend and nightshift staff do almost nothing. We have so many tickets to process and many can be worked on, but if the Manager is not around, then nothing is done.

It blew my mind that one colleague will sleep during the night, wake up every 30 or so minutes to check alerts. If nothing is going on, then back for a nap.

Now, the NOC Manager will not notice any difference if I did the same, and also will not notice if I work hard and close loads of tickets. What I gain most is having tickets to my name to use as leverage for more responsibility, new roles etc. I have a performance review coming up and wanted to ask what was expected on night-shifts, since I work my ass off up to around 5am, at which point its hard to really focus on much.

Now, to a mediocre IT worker, this role might be the jackpot, but what happens if the company gets sold and work arrangements change? What if the extremely slow pace of work becomes so normal that they will never be able to keep up if they moved to a new role with passionate workers? I think, if you have to ask if its OK then you already know the answer. People will happily fit into a role for decades but why strive for an IT career to only stop to just get by?

bloodshotbetty

25 people were just laid off in my department. I was the ONLY seasonal employee who was kept on permanently and I was chosen over people with more experience and more time at the company under their belts. The guy who was hired on the same day as I was had a 2 year degree in networking and I had a shiny brand new A+ cert and zero experience and I was chosen over him. Why? Because I show up, work my ass off, constantly ask questions on how I can improve, try to soak up as much new information and experience as I can, and am ALWAYS willing to tackle a new project (even if it's one I am not pleased with...*cough* printer support *cough*) So while you CAN be mediocre at your job, does it really benefit you in the long run?

AverageJoe

Awesome answer, Betty! And congrats on making it through the layoff!

bloodshotbetty

AverageJoe wrote: »

Awesome answer, Betty! And congrats on making it through the layoff!

Thank you! I was pretty proud.

E Double U

bloodshotbetty wrote: »

25 people were just laid off in my department. I was the ONLY seasonal employee who was kept on permanently and I was chosen over people with more experience and more time at the company under their belts. The guy who was hired on the same day as I was had a 2 year degree in networking and I had a shiny brand new A+ cert and zero experience and I was chosen over him. Why? Because I show up, work my ass off, constantly ask questions on how I can improve, try to soak up as much new information and experience as I can, and am ALWAYS willing to tackle a new project (even if it's one I am not pleased with...*cough* printer support *cough*) So while you CAN be mediocre at your job, does it really benefit you in the long run?

When companies have layoffs it seems to be about the bottom line: money. You don't seem like a slacker at all, but that isn't necessarily the reason you were kept. Someone with less experience would demand less money (keep that bottom line in mind). Or maybe they just like you more for personal reasons. I've had a director show me a layoff list that was based on who she liked the least, not work ethic.

Congrats on not being in that 25 though.

Iristheangel

E Double U wrote: »

When companies have layoffs it seems to be about the bottom line: money. You don't seem like a slacker at all, but that isn't necessarily the reason you were kept. Someone with less experience would demand less money (keep that bottom line in mind). Or maybe they just like you more for personal reasons. I've had a director show me a layoff list that was based on who she liked the least, not work ethic.

Congrats on not being in that 25 though.

Maybe but there also is an element of productivity that is important. If someone is paid half of a senior engineer but does half the work then it still isn't profitable to lay off one person and have to employ two to get the job done. Saving money and being profitable is definitely a driver in companies but laying off senior folks and keeping mediocre ones that do average quality and average productivity and having to hire double the headcount to make sure the work is done.

As far as Betty is concerned, I believe she mentioned to me or maybe on the forums that she also go a bump in pay recently. Being a more productive, energetic and motivated worker will get you more opportunities, pay, and job security in the long run. There's always exceptions but on an industry average, working your hiney off to be better == $$$$$

aspiringsoul

Never settle for mediocrity.

twodogs62

Mediocrity sounds like laziness and sloppy work. And possibly this indicates, bad attitude and lack of professionalism.
why would you want to be labeled as this?
why would a manager want to keep this person?

EagerDinosaur

Being mediocre can sometimes provide job security. Mediocre staff won't be asked to be the first to adopt new technology, work on ambitious projects, etc, so the chances of them making a conspicuous mistake are low.

Enthusiastic staff who spend more time at their employer's technological leading-edge are more likely to make mistakes from time to time, which can be exploited by their slow-and-steady colleagues. Do I sound bitter?