Not Liking New Job, What would you do?

So I was pretty excited to take on this role at this security software company. They develop a fairly popular SIEM and the goal was to use that exposure and experience to get my way into a Security Analyst role since I'd be working directly with it, troubleshooting it, etc.. I even told them that in the interview (I try to be as transparent as possible). However, it's not what I had expected at all.

There's been almost zero training. One of the senior engineers here made an "onboarding guide" but no one was following it. I gave it to my manager letting him know that I have nothing to do and that we haven't followed anything on here, he said that we shouldn't follow that but never gives us anything to do. I don't even sit near my department because they ran out of desks over there, so I literally sit away from everyone just studying for my MSISA at my desk.

Now it gets even worse. There's just so many changes going on with the company and the product, no one knows what's going on. They just created this new role for their company, which they want me and the other new guy to take over until they get someone. This new role isn't at all what was in my job description. All it is is just answering the phone, creating the ticket, and forwarding it to a technician. NO technical work at all. They're starting to "train" us on this today and this will be our full-time position until they hire and train someone, which could be months.

Now on Friday my son was sick so I utilized the time and applied to any type of security analyst role near me. Maybe I can swing into one now, but if they don't answer back then I'm not sure what to do. I could likely get my old job back at VMware at any time, but the problem with that is I left because it wasn't security-related at all and they never had openings for anything that was. I guess I could ask. That place I was at least learning stuff and had a good environment and enjoyed my job.

Thoughts? Anyone else went through this?

EDIT: Got new job, booya

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Comments

ande0255

Same thing happened at my current job, absolutely zero training, and the engineer who I was working to relieve was in the interview and knew I had little to no experience.

I'd maybe stick with it, unless 'the plan' is to literally have you as a frontline ticket typer moving forward, then I would take the next job I was offered doing just about anything but that.

However if they are just busy, and you are back filling a crappy but necessary function until they can get a permanent person in there, maybe stick it out. However I'd definitely address this with the manager, see how long your expected to be doing this etc.

I just eventually started taking tickets to work myself, a lot of it I had no trainer or anything, I would just copy and paste the ticket request into a notepad file that I would email to my personal email (any sensitive data removed of course) and google / youtube fixes for the issue to try the next day when I got into work.

^After I did that for a few months and got comfy with my job, I moved up in both skills and responsibilities rapidly, unfortunately my pay didn't sky rocket but the experience makes up for it, for now.

fmitawaps

How's the money? I'm sure you want to do a job you trained for, as do I. But is it a good paycheck, worthy of a position you want to be in? If so, let them pay you to study for a better job elsewhere.

Kore

I feel your pain. Been at this new job for a few months now and decided to stick it out to see if it gets better but not so much.

When I started they were not looking for helpdesk guys which was a plus but I did expect to do some as it just comes with the job. Turns out that the majority of the work is helpdesk and hardly any work with infrastructure which was why I took the job to gain more experience with infrastructure support and build outs. I've been losing motivation to work for the last two months.

Right now I am studying my ass off with any free time I get. Once me degree is done and have some credible certs, I am jumping ship.

I am working on my ITIL, VCP, MCSA and CCNA while doing classes.

You took the first step in applying to jobs. I would speak to you boss again about the type of work and see if there is a solution. If not, then keep looking.

If I am not leaning then I start looking. There is always downtime when things are not busy but in you case, answering the phone and creating tickets is very entry level. The possibility that you will be doing that for months is very scary. Just my 2 cents.

markulous

@ande0255 - It's until they find someone, but like I said it could be months. They don't have a timeframe on how long it'll take to hire someone. I just know that once they actually interview someone and they sign an offer letter, they'll need two weeks for their current job, then at least 3 weeks for training, so that'd be at minimum 5 weeks if they hired two people today, which they won't. I'm ready now to start working tickets. I got a copy of someone's VM and shadowed on my own so I just need to be thrown into it.

@fmitawaps - I took a small paycut to come here actually. I am not worried about the money, I want to be happy and doing something I enjoy. I need to be challenged.

I've talked to him and he's a bit dismissive. He doesn't give us anything to do and is dead set on us doing this since we're the new fish.

Sounds like I'm not alone as you guys have experienced this also. If a few weeks go by and I don't get any bites, I'm super tempted to call my former manager, but might be a step back as far as what I want to do.

Node Man

From what I have seen, in the IT industry, if someone doesnt like their job, they leave for a new one. even if they have only been on the current job a few weeks.

kohr-ah

If it helps I am going through the same thing.

The company just now announced their split which I am not worried about but I am getting no training and next month we are fully seperated from one another so my teach gets much smaller.

I have been debating stick it out a year.
Go see if I can go back to my old company.(I think I'll be labeled as a quitter though)
Start looking for a new place but I think that'll look bad on my resume if I do that.

I think the best plan is see if I can make it a year as I need the experience on a lot of what they have.

scaredoftests

I have been through that. Start sending out resumes and chalk it up to a lesson learned.

markulous

I'd have a couple of ideas why it wouldn't work depending on the version, even though I'm a bit of a newbie.

It's a good SIEM that can be extremely powerful and versatile, but it can be fairly complex.

EnderWiggin

Hmmm, that's a tough one. Maybe just put your head down, get through the CEH, and then use that to slip into an even better security-based role. By the time you get the CEH, you'll either be off the help desk, or you'll be able to walk to another gig even more easily than currently.

networker050184

scaredoftests wrote: »

I have been through that. Start sending out resumes and chalk it up to a lesson learned.

My thoughts as well. I've ended up not liking a new job pretty quick. Just found another one and moved on. Now you'll hopefully have a better idea of the stuff to ask about the position before hand like on boarding process etc.

markulous

networker050184 wrote: »

My thoughts as well. I've ended up not liking a new job pretty quick. Just found another one and moved on. Now you'll hopefully have a better idea of the stuff to ask about the position before hand like on boarding process etc.

I definitely will, but all of these changes happened right after I got hired on unfortunately. But like you and others have said, I'll try to use this as best I can for a learning opportunity. Maybe it'll be a good thing and a company will be willing to hire me now that they see SIEM experience on my resume.

markulous

Got an interview next week with a hospital as an analyst. I really hope it goes well.

coffeeluvr

Good luck with the interview!!

HailHogwash

yea chalk this one as a learning opportunity and plot your exit like others have said. Good luck on the interview

electricity

This guy left VMware for this job! (after bagging them so much!

JoJoCal19

electricity, he left his job at VMware because he wanted to get into security and this job was represented in a manner to make him believe he could work his way into security eventually.

scaredoftests

I don't think he 'bagged' them at all.

HailHogwash

The negativity sometimes is nauseating in this forum.. if you have no constructive criticism/advice, then its best to keep your negative feelings to yourself.

UnixGuy

worst thing is finding out that the job is not what was described during the interview....joined a team that got restructured and 3 months in i found that i was scr*ewed.....not so easy to find another job (in my case) if you just moved to security, gotta build skills/knowledge/certs...

scaredoftests

I have had a couple of interviews where the job was completely different than the job and I asked plenty of questions. It is a learning experience and sometimes a humbling one.

markulous

I don't think they meant to deceive me. I think they are just so disorganized and have no idea how to adapt to a growing company that they make hasty changes without thinking about it. I assume I'll eventually get to the position I was hired on for within a month or two. Either way it is something I wish I knew beforehand.

powerfool

I'd say you have two options:

1) Get some perspective and see how this job can still help you in your career progression, or
2) Move.

I don't think that there is anything wrong with leaving if it isn't working out. Just make that clear when interviewing... it seemed like a good fit, but it turned out not to be one when leather met the pavement. Just be sure to not make it look like you didn't give it a chance.

However, I go through a quarterly or semi-quarterly rut cycle. I get a week every so often where I feel bored or frustrated and I start questioning things. But, I keep working through it and come out the other side re-engergized. Could this be a similar situation for you? Do you maybe need to step back and see how you can adjust to be successful and enjoy your job?

markulous

Great points powerfool

I know exactly what you mean where every so often I feel bored/frustrated. If I was doing anything technical or remotely challenging I think I'd be good. Answering phones and dispersing tickets to people is just so boring. Honestly thinking about it, I'm not sure hanging in there is the best option. So far, things have changed so much and they've flaked on things that I can't trust that within a month or two I will get put into the job I was hired on for. Now I may not have a choice if another job doesn't get a hold of me, but I think it's in my best interests to try.

The only positive I can really take from it at the moment is that there's downtime to study for my MSISA. Not really worth staying for that though.

kohr-ah

powerfool wrote: »

However, I go through a quarterly or semi-quarterly rut cycle. I get a week every so often where I feel bored or frustrated and I start questioning things. But, I keep working through it and come out the other side re-engergized. Could this be a similar situation for you? Do you maybe need to step back and see how you can adjust to be successful and enjoy your job?

That is the issue I have as well. I get into ruts and I start questioning everything. Was this a dumb move? Was this a good career choice?
Do I miss the old place? Is it work trying to see if I can go back?

I try to remember why I left the old place and try to tell myself that yes I did xyz at the old place but I came here to do abc and it is helping my career for these reasons.

I still vote and say if you are truly unhappy take your time and look and at least in the meantime you have work that does count as experience on your resume and at least is financial security until then.

dcarey4698

HailHogwash wrote: »

The negativity sometimes is nauseating in this forum.. if you have no constructive criticism/advice, then its best to keep your negative feelings to yourself.

Preach!

Remedymp

Sounds like companies are baiting and switching job positions and then expect your "professionalism" when leaving by giving two week notice. So much for professionalism...

markulous

I definitely can't say I'll put in a 2 weeks notice if I get an offer. I don't see a reason to.

Dakinggamer87

Just keep on applying buddy!! Hang in there

CMalon02

Thank you for making this thread I find myself in this very same situation. Took a dead end IT job for my first gig and I'm super bummed there is no room for advancement. I'll stick with it for now but will just keep applying.

markulous

Dakinggamer87 wrote: »

Just keep on applying buddy!! Hang in there

Thanks!