Trying to get a feel for where I am 4 months into IT

I'm trying to get a gauge of how well I'm progressing into my career.

Here's the quick and dirty:
-2 year AS in IT.
-3 basic certs (A+, Net+, Sec+)
-4 months into an MSP as my first IT job.

My tentative goal was to become a SysAdmin in 2-3 years with the intention of getting my foot into the door of InfoSec.

Thus far I feel pretty certain that I'm more suited to development/programming since:
-I like sitting at my desk rather than going on-site.
-I hate answering phones all day.
-Networking is not my strong suit.

I think I've done a few things that most people wouldn't be touching much as a Help Desk Technician fresh out of college:
-Using Windows ADK to automate Windows 10 deployment using an Answer File, shaving down workstation deployment time from about 40 minutes down to just 10 minutes as the tech only needs to boot to the USB drive and run a couple of scripts to clean things up and install some general programs like Firefox, Chrome, and Adobe Reader.
-Creating a GPO that automates Windows Updates for 22 VDIs because they run on Windows Server and end users can't restart for patching.
-Using Task Scheduler to run a batch script that cleans up a folder on a server on a regular basis.

We're in a bit of a weird situation recently that makes me wonder if the impending increase in stress is going to be worth it. 2 of the most senior guys left. On one hand it might mean a chance to get my grubby hands on more server work and higher level work. On the other hand, it means I'll be continuing to work 60 hour weeks pretty much every single week, which isn't exactly healthy. It's also a bit tough as the most junior worker when you're running out of people you can escalate to.

The catch 22 is that while some work like creating GPOs might come my way out of necessity(going back to having no one to escalate to), I'm still the most junior employee so doing the constant phone calls and break/fix work is still 90% of my job. There are also some days when I can't bother to keep the exhaustion out of my voice and I don't want to get into a situation where I'm the one being irate with customers.

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Blucodex

Look for a Jr. SysAdmin position or any place that will get you in the door as a Jr. InfoSec guy. Start labbing at home so you can talk about interesting things you're working on.

Danielm7

To answer your question, it seems like you're doing great for only 4 months into IT. I know plenty of helpdesk people who have been doing it for years who wouldn't have the first clue how to setup the couple things you mentioned. With that said, the 60 hours a week thing, are you being paid for that? Or are they only paying you for 40? Because I doubt as helpdesk that you fall under an exempt salary rule.

EANx

You've been doing this for four months, how can you know networking is not your strong suit? And just because you've been able to put together a few ways of scripting efficiency does not make you a developer. I'm not saying you wouldn't enjoy being a developer but I think your premise for that decision is faulty and possibly more based on frustration with the situation.

N7Valiant

Danielm7 wrote: »

To answer your question, it seems like you're doing great for only 4 months into IT. I know plenty of helpdesk people who have been doing it for years who wouldn't have the first clue how to setup the couple things you mentioned. With that said, the 60 hours a week thing, are you being paid for that? Or are they only paying you for 40? Because I doubt as helpdesk that you fall under an exempt salary rule.

No, I'm on salary. I'm technically not being "asked" to do that, but I'm not really looking to get into a beef over pay given that we're already shorthanded.

EANx wrote: »

You've been doing this for four months, how can you know networking is not your strong suit? And just because you've been able to put together a few ways of scripting efficiency does not make you a developer. I'm not saying you wouldn't enjoy being a developer but I think your premise for that decision is faulty and possibly more based on frustration with the situation.

Probably because when a client had constant network issues I really had no method of identifying the problem beyond running constant ping tests which didn't tell me much of anything regarding where the problem was. It took a network admin to go into the switch configurations to find out that there was an issue with the STP configurations and I couldn't follow what he was doing on the command line.

My sense that I'd be better suited to be a developer is simply because I took the most enjoyment out of that kind of work where I research and figure out which values to pass to configure the answer file to only require a light touch deployment of Windows 10 and the constant trial and error approach to figure out what broke and why.

That and my first programming class in college had me making a Sudoku generator in C# by looking at a flow chart of how another one is supposed to work in C++, so I couldn't copy and paste.

It was the part of IT that always came easiest to me.

NetworkNewb

Just reiterate what Danielm7 said, you seem to be doing really good and already know more than people who have been in the help desk for awhile. If Sys Admin is your goal I recommend knocking out MCSA Server 2016 as soon as possible. Sounds like you are working with tasks that would be on the MCSA already and should be right up your alley.

networker050184

You're in good shape with your qualifications and experience at this point. Keep doing what you're doing!

N7Valiant wrote: »

Probably because when a client had constant network issues I really had no method of identifying the problem beyond running constant ping tests which didn't tell me much of anything regarding where the problem was. It took a network admin to go into the switch configurations to find out that there was an issue with the STP configurations and I couldn't follow what he was doing on the command line.

Of course you couldn't follow along and fix an STP issue your first time. Hell some people that have been doing networking a long time still can't!

I'd say just keep an open mind about networking, and every other facet of IT, at this point in your career. You never know where you're interests are going to lie in five years.

TechGromit

N7Valiant wrote: »

My tentative goal was to become a SysAdmin in 2-3 years with the intention of getting my foot into the door of InfoSec.

...

On the other hand, it means I'll be continuing to work 60 hour weeks pretty much every single week, which isn't exactly healthy. It's also a bit tough as the most junior worker when you're running out of people you can escalate to.

Two to three years to advance into Sysadmin is a realistic goal, it's nice to see someone who realizes they need to put in a couple of years in to advance, instead of demanding they get a promotion after only a year.

On the other hand the hours your working concerns me, if your salary, 60 hours a week is totally unacceptable. Everyone in IT, sometimes has to put in extra hours to complete some project or meet some deadline, but this should be a very short term situation, a week or two at the most. If they are demanding you work 60 hour weeks, every week, it's time to push back, they either need to hire more help, or push the dates on deliverables. If you let them, they will happily work you to death, don't let them. Your being paid for 40 hours a week, Start leaving at 5pm, let them know your not killing yourself for there lack of planning.

It's OK to "volunteer" on occasion, but 60 hour a week is way too much volunteering, don't get into a situation where they will expect it every week.

yoba222

MSP is a fine stepping stone. Four months into my first IT job was when I pivoted to a better one. I'd start applying now; it will probably take longer than you'll expect to get hired and start elsewhere.

N7Valiant

NetworkNewb wrote: »

Just reiterate what Danielm7 said, you seem to be doing really good and already know more than people who have been in the help desk for awhile. If Sys Admin is your goal I recommend knocking out MCSA Server 2016 as soon as possible. Sounds like you are working with tasks that would be on the MCSA already and should be right up your alley.

Tried it, but I ironically feel that the first part of the MCSA really requires actually setting up and deploying servers in order to really pass it. Plus it's a bit tough to find time outside of work to study when I'm shoveling food into my mouth after my shift as I'm typing this before showering and hitting the sacks.

MCSA is a different animal than the previous certs I took and definitely requires labbing at a bare minimum.

networker050184 wrote: »

You're in good shape with your qualifications and experience at this point. Keep doing what you're doing!

Of course you couldn't follow along and fix an STP issue your first time. Hell some people that have been doing networking a long time still can't!

I'd say just keep an open mind about networking, and every other facet of IT, at this point in your career. You never know where you're interests are going to lie in five years.

I didn't expect to fix it, it's just that diving right into creating GPOs for the first time was almost easy in comparison to trying to follow networking beyond the typical IP this belongs to device that.

TechGromit wrote: »

Two to three years to advance into Sysadmin is a realistic goal, it's nice to see someone who realizes they need to put in a couple of years in to advance, instead of demanding they get a promotion after only a year.

On the other hand the hours your working concerns me, if your salary, 60 hours a week is totally unacceptable. Everyone in IT, sometimes has to put in extra hours to complete some project or meet some deadline, but this should be a very short term situation, a week or two at the most. If they are demanding you work 60 hour weeks, every week, it's time to push back, they either need to hire more help, or push the dates on deliverables. If you let them, they will happily work you to death, don't let them. Your being paid for 40 hours a week, Start leaving at 5pm, let them know your not killing yourself for there lack of planning.

It's OK to "volunteer" on occasion, but 60 hour a week is way too much volunteering, don't get into a situation where they will expect it every week.

I wouldn't say it's demanding, maybe the owner might see it that way. I try to alternate, then just come in my normal shift if the ticket queue doesn't seem atrocious.

It might not seem that way, but there's less stress coming in on Monday knowing there isn't a disaster waiting for you when you come in because you had everything cut down to size by Friday.

yoba222 wrote: »

MSP is a fine stepping stone. Four months into my first IT job was when I pivoted to a better one. I'd start applying now; it will probably take longer than you'll expect to get hired and start elsewhere.

Yeah, market is a bit dry here. I'm not even sure if there's a particular industry or company I should look at first like a local bank or something. I'm kind of wondering if the building have more than 5 floors is a good prerequisite to judge since I figure a bigger company with deeper pockets will have an IT team rather than the one "everything computers" guy I'll be replacing before I even get trained.

NetworkingStudent

N7Valiant wrote: »

I'm trying to get a gauge of how well I'm progressing into my career.

Here's the quick and dirty:
-2 year AS in IT.
-3 basic certs (A+, Net+, Sec+)
-4 months into an MSP as my first IT job.

My tentative goal was to become a SysAdmin in 2-3 years with the intention of getting my foot into the door of InfoSec.

Thus far I feel pretty certain that I'm more suited to development/programming since:
-I like sitting at my desk rather than going on-site.
-I hate answering phones all day.
-Networking is not my strong suit.

I think I've done a few things that most people wouldn't be touching much as a Help Desk Technician fresh out of college:
-Using Windows ADK to automate Windows 10 deployment using an Answer File, shaving down workstation deployment time from about 40 minutes down to just 10 minutes as the tech only needs to boot to the USB drive and run a couple of scripts to clean things up and install some general programs like Firefox, Chrome, and Adobe Reader.
-Creating a GPO that automates Windows Updates for 22 VDIs because they run on Windows Server and end users can't restart for patching.
-Using Task Scheduler to run a batch script that cleans up a folder on a server on a regular basis.

We're in a bit of a weird situation recently that makes me wonder if the impending increase in stress is going to be worth it. 2 of the most senior guys left. On one hand it might mean a chance to get my grubby hands on more server work and higher level work. On the other hand, it means I'll be continuing to work 60 hour weeks pretty much every single week, which isn't exactly healthy. It's also a bit tough as the most junior worker when you're running out of people you can escalate to.

The catch 22 is that while some work like creating GPOs might come my way out of necessity(going back to having no one to escalate to), I'm still the most junior employee so doing the constant phone calls and break/fix work is still 90% of my job. There are also some days when I can't bother to keep the exhaustion out of my voice and I don't want to get into a situation where I'm the one being irate with customers.

I think for only being in IT for 4 months you're doing great!!

You should keep updating your resume. Make master resume. You can have 100 bullet points, and then you can cater your resume when you apply for a new job in the future. Jobs "a" NEED this skill, wil then add it into the resume.
Example:

MSP ABC
-Created GPO that automates Windows Updates for 22 VDIs
-Used Task Scheduler to run a batch script that cleans up a folder on a server on a regular basis.
-Reduced Windows 10 deployment time from 40 minutes to 10

Then you say:
Thus far I feel pretty certain that I'm more suited to development/programming since:
-I like sitting at my desk rather than going on-site.
-I hate answering phones all day.
-Networking is not my strong suit.

Most MSP Admins going onsite, becasue they don't work at those companies. The MSP has no pyshical presence at the company to , so they send their network admin.

If you work at a smaller company, or at the enterprise level as a system admin, you will probably be staying on site.

Once you're at this MSP for 1 year or 6 months, can you advance to level 2?

I think working 60 hours a week will start to burn you out. Can you work 40 hours a week?

N7Valiant

I think the main problem is my locale is pretty dry as far as the IT market, which puts me in a bit of a tough position where I'd love to move elsewhere in the States but wanted to at least have one level of promotion skill-wise before I do.

I've seen instances where a supposed SysAdmin is running around between sites setting up workstations and printers instead of say, fixing their permissions where individual users are being added to folder permissions on their file system instead of using Security Groups at all. Or where desktop support techs who have no business touching servers are left managing backup solutions on servers where a simple mistake (like not knowing which physical host your unresponsive FILE server is located on and how to restart the VM) can result in the complete stopping of workflows for 100+ users.

On one hand it doesn't seem like the skill level is too high for these positions, but on the other it still seems like everywhere is understaffed and overworked.

I'm attempting to manage potential burnout by alternating the hours, maybe 60 hours one week but the following week will absolutely be 40 hours.

I think the problem with advancement, raises, etc is that the performance reviews are yearly and given the high turnover rate for the industry, that's quite a length of time to be stuck at the same pay and benefits you were at when you first started. It felt a bit too generic and more geared towards a typical low-skill office job rather than a fast-pace high-stress environment that chases people away unless you provide ample incentives to stick around and put in the extra 110%.