Do You Ever Regret Your Decision to Work in IT?

the_Grinch

In the past few months I've begun to kind of regret my decision to get into IT. There are a bunch of reasons for this, but the biggest one has been being naive. I always thought that once I had the degree (and some certs) that I would be set. Only to truly find that I am doing the same thing I was doing prior to the degree. I really dislike doing end user support and at this point it's the only thing I get calls for. It's actually getting me depressed since about 90% of what I do involves people complaining and bad mouthing the department I work in.

I use to have a passion for technology, but I feel like that is all gone at this point. I knew I'd need experience before getting a security related position, but I thought I'd be doing a lot less support. I've slowly loss my drive to study for certs and just want to come home to veg (and try to block out the crappy days I continue to have). What do you guys do when you hit a slump? Sorry for the whining, but had to get it out

ColbyG

Nah, not so far. There are downsides, but that's true of any field.

I enjoy the technology, and I love to learn new things. IT is ideal so far. I also make a lot more money doing this than I would doing many other jobs.

Nuwin

Stupid people keep us employed.

Getting that dissatisifed in an environment has typically motivated me to do what it takes to get to the next step. It's a lot easer IMO to study and find a new job while you already have one. Sure, you could theoretically study much faster if you didn't have a job in the way, but could you handle the stress of no paycheck? Treat your job for what it is right now, a means to a paycheck.

Also know that it isn't always what you know but who you know. Evaluate your relationships to see if they may hold the key to your next step. If not, perhaps a little networking is in order.

If you want it, you'll find a way. If you don't, you'll find excuses. There are many roads to get where you want. Some are longer than others, but they vary for each person.

apena7

People are going to complain and badmouth the company no matter where you work -- whether you're working in IT or foodservice. Since you're already working in IT, at least people are complaining about something you're generally interested in I also wouldn't get too depressed over helpdesk because it's common for system administrators to deal with the end-users as well. Okay, since there isn't a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow, now what?

Now it's time to set some short-term goals that will help you move on with your career. Use this slump, as Nuwin stated, to keep yourself motivated and stay hungry. I take it there aren't many peers or mentors that you can relate to at your current job (or maybe they're just as cynical as the end-users) if that's the case, you need to find some like-minded people that can give you the boost you need (everyone needs a little friendly competition now and again), so perhaps a job change is in order.

I see you have your CCENT and a few security certs -- have you considered any NOC jobs in your area?

chrisone

I feel your pain but in all honesty and with no disrespect to you but your certifications are very entry basic entry level. In order to be "SET" you should look into a cisco/juniper professional level cert and even then you will still need job experience. At least with a CCNA you will get your foot in the door and with a CCNP you will have more Job opportunities at your door. If you want to be "Totally SET" get some expert level certification like a CCIE or Juniper equivalent.

As i see your certifications theres really not much an employer can use or better yet place you in a position you are looking for. With your certifications its hard to place you in a Server or network engineer role.

To answer you original question, yeah i doubted getting into IT like a year and a half ago. For two reasons i felt this way, 1. because i had jerk boss and co-workers that would belittle me and discourage me because they were more experienced. 2. i only had a CCNA and well i couldnt open my mouth or demand anything higher because i did not have much job network engineering experience nor did i have the certifications to back me up.

In the end i came down to this theory, you will need at least 3 to 4 years plus experience and a respectable professional level certication to certainly feel set. Even as i have my CCNP and about 3 years experience i know i need to broaden my network skills by getting more experience with ASA firewalls, network monitoring utilities, and eventually my CCIE in 2010/2011. By then i should be very skilled with ASAs, CCNP, CCIE certified with about 5 years experience. I think i wouldnt have to worry about finding a networking job after that.

Just my opinion, sorry if you thought this IT was easier than you thought, but if it were, the market would be saturated. It really takes time , job experience, and dedication. Things wont happen within one year, two years if your lucky.

tiersten

No. Obviously I'd like to be rich and be a rock star or something but eh can't have them all :P

dynamik

I have my moments. Not that there's really anything else I'd rather be doing, but sometimes burnout hits hard. I just take the cue to back off and relax a bit, and I'm back on track before I know it. It's difficult juggling school and other life events as well. I think if you can stick with things for 3-5 years and gain some experience and other credentials, you'll be able to boost yourself to a much more enjoyable role.

qcomer

I like what I do, but I would be much happier doing some type of Law Enforcement.

binarysoul

I know how you feel. I too like some reconsidered my decision to be in IT. But the dreadful fact that I go and study something else from scratch stopped me from pursuing something else other than IT. I really don't want to be an intern at an age when I'm supposed to be a senior manager

But I also think other professionals be it doctors, engineers, police and even celebrities (some of them real losers) regret their profession. Unfortunately, few key life decisions such as career and marriage are like rolling the dice. Once you roll, it's a done deal.

Of course, one can get very visionary and think that they can start all over again at any age to get a new career or have a new marriage, but what are the chances you won't regret it again. Isn't better to be an expert in something you suddenly disliked than to be a newbie in something you suddenly liked at a later stage in life?

In all honesty, sometimes, it's lift that sucks not our careers or marriages (where the heck this marriage thing came up here )

I hope I made my point.

the_Grinch

Thanks guys, lots of good advice there! I'll just have to kick myself in the arse and start moving. Not too many NOCs or Data centers by me (wish there were), but I'll keep searching and working on completing the CCNA. My only fear of moving onto a Professional level cert is the lack of experience. Anyone run into any issues having the CCNP and no real experience? Thanks again!

Pash

the_Grinch wrote: »

Thanks guys, lots of good advice there! I'll just have to kick myself in the arse and start moving. Not too many NOCs or Data centers by me (wish there were), but I'll keep searching and working on completing the CCNA. My only fear of moving onto a Professional level cert is the lack of experience. Anyone run into any issues having the CCNP and no real experience? Thanks again!

I wouldnt panic Grinch, there are people out there with CCIE's in R&S with no real work experience.

I cant speak with any experience about the US job market regarding experience in IT, but experience is still the deciding factor on job positions in the UK. Certifications just help HR filter candidates out using a bunch of acronyms when scanning CV's.

You are technically well skilled (we know this), you have experience and you have well earned certifications. If you want to continue your certification progress, you will not look out of place with a professional level certification.

Do I personally regret we are I am now? Yes. Do I regret the decision up to now to be in IT, no.

veritas_libertas

If your getting burned out than take a couple of weeks off to remove a little bit of the stress. I am taking time off from studying till my Bachelor degree program starts in February. I didn't realize how much I was stressing myself out till I did. We all need little breaks to think clearly, and be able to prepare for the next steps. Good Luck!

GAngel

I don't regret it it's what i enjoy doing. I should have gone into another field that pays more especially for the amount of time we have to spend learning. Besides that well I don't really care what i'm doing it's just a job and my life doesn't revolve around my work at all.

I have no plans to change the world just to make enough to retire at 40 and live a quiet existance with friends and family. Just depends on your version of happiness.

knownhero

the_Grinch wrote: »

Thanks guys, lots of good advice there! I'll just have to kick myself in the arse and start moving. Not too many NOCs or Data centers by me (wish there were), but I'll keep searching and working on completing the CCNA. My only fear of moving onto a Professional level cert is the lack of experience. Anyone run into any issues having the CCNP and no real experience? Thanks again!

Not to sound like a douche or anything. I'm in a NOC role now and it is boring as hell. I mean all I do is tell people its their exchange that is stopping their mail and not Mimecast. I cant even setup a server. Maybe its just were I work, but its not fun. Plus paid very little.

DevilWAH

the_Grinch wrote: »

Thanks guys, lots of good advice there! I'll just have to kick myself in the arse and start moving. Not too many NOCs or Data centers by me (wish there were), but I'll keep searching and working on completing the CCNA. My only fear of moving onto a Professional level cert is the lack of experience. Anyone run into any issues having the CCNP and no real experience? Thanks again!

Ok my job is labled helpdesk. And i do still do a lot of helpdesk work. There is no actul network department in my current company (dispite having over 1500 users across 17 sites) We also ahve little routing/ WAN work as this is all 3rd party handled.

I got fed up about 2 years back with the helpdesk and started to just play ariound with stuff. Got hold of Packet tracer from cisoc, GNS3 and purchased a few old routers. Its amazing the things you learn playing around.

I would say 80% of what I learnt in my CCNA / security are things that are nothing to do with my job, But its still expericne. You are going to be very lucky to find a job that lets you get experince in every area of IT. The thing is to use you job to get experince in the areas avalible (even if you have to put in extra time out side of work to learn them) and your certificates will show you have knowlge and ability to learn out side these areas.

At the end of the day i dont work in IT becasue I like working in IT, I work in IT becasue I enjoy IT, I spend a lot of time out side of work playing with it. I woudl also suggest taht taking time to learn about things outside the helpdeask that would be usefull for your company and pushing you managers to be able to implement them. I dont mean suggest they spend 50K on a new server. But look at the DNS severs maybe , see if they could be better configured, or maybe upgrade the print server. etc etc. Small things that should you are intrests. Once your manage to get your managers to see you are worth investing time in, you will find more intresting work comes your way, as well as finding you levely of experince in different areas starts growing.

And keep up with the certs, they are a great way to open your eyes to how to improve you IT systems.

Ahriakin

I've never regretted being in this industry - being in certain positions and under certain managers definitely but not IT itself. There is so much to learn, so much diversity and it's only increasing over time. If you are prepared to put in the work (at the job, study and making taking some risks with relocation) you have a uniquely large range of fields you can move to if one doesn't suit.
The only downside for me is I know this is ultimately unsustainable. The effort it takes now to be where I am is worth it to me but at some point in the future it will become too much, none of us are getting any younger. Then again one of the brightest guys in our company just turned 75.

keenon

not really, i admit sometimes i get weary but then i think of what i could be doing and that option doesn't look as good.

NetworkingStudent

the_Grinch wrote: »

In the past few months I've begun to kind of regret my decision to get into IT. There are a bunch of reasons for this, but the biggest one has been being naive. I always thought that once I had the degree (and some certs) that I would be set. Only to truly find that I am doing the same thing I was doing prior to the degree. I really dislike doing end user support and at this point it's the only thing I get calls for. It's actually getting me depressed since about 90% of what I do involves people complaining and bad mouthing the department I work in.

I use to have a passion for technology, but I feel like that is all gone at this point. I knew I'd need experience before getting a security related position, but I thought I'd be doing a lot less support. I've slowly loss my drive to study for certs and just want to come home to veg (and try to block out the crappy days I continue to have). What do you guys do when you hit a slump? Sorry for the whining, but had to get it out

I hit some road blocks here and there, and it hasn’t been easy to bounce back. It’s kinda a bummer that there are not more people aren’t in the IT program at my school. Also, I I’m not happy with the Comptia situation concerning certification renewal policy. However, I keep pressing on knowing that my ultimate goal is to work at a job that requires more brains than braun. Currently, I work at a printing plant, and I love the people, but I hate my job, and that has been my biggest motivator to keep moving forward. You wouldn’t believe how many people at my work ask how school is going, or when well I graduate? I know in my mind that they wish they would have gone too, but they’re stuck in the same position at a factory for ten years plus years.
Here are some things that I do to keep myself sane..
Hit the gym( working out gives me a lot energy) ..I try to go at least once a week
Play video games, but as I get older I have less appreciation for them
Talking to family and friends, it does help to share you frustrations and feelings
Finally, I like to watch this show it gives a renewed appreciation for my job every time I watch it.
Dirty Jobs : Discovery Channel

Paul Boz

dynamik wrote: »

I have my moments. Not that there's really anything else I'd rather be doing, but sometimes burnout hits hard. I just take the cue to back off and relax a bit, and I'm back on track before I know it. It's difficult juggling school and other life events as well. I think if you can stick with things for 3-5 years and gain some experience and other credentials, you'll be able to boost yourself to a much more enjoyable role.

These are very valid points.

I think for me, burnout occurs due to the rat race of IT. It's a flooded field so if you're not willing to put in 60 hours a week for a 40 hour a week job the next guy will be. There's only so much you can put forward to validate your employment when there are so many cut throats out there that will do your job for less. The struggle with IT is that you have to balance your day to day job but supplement that with constant certifications to validate your competency. I love pursuing certifications but there's only so much time in the day to do so and it contributes to burnout as well.

I think another problem is that for most people in IT, it's not just what you do for a living but it's also the hobby, interest, or inescapable facet of your life. I like computers and technology but when I have to deal with that stuff all day every day I just want to go home and do other stuff. I don't even have a desktop PC at my house because IT has ruined that for me. I'd rather just check my email and surf the web on a 13" laptop than have a big gaming rig.

apena7

Paul Boz wrote: »

I like computers and technology but when I have to deal with that stuff all day every day I just want to go home and do other stuff. I don't even have a desktop PC at my house because IT has ruined that for me. I'd rather just check my email and surf the web on a 13" laptop than have a big gaming rig.

That's why I recommend finding a hobby that's as far away from technology as possible. A little gardening and cooking does wonders to prevent me from IT burnout.

DevilWAH

apena7 wrote: »

That's why I recommend finding a hobby that's as far away from technology as possible. A little gardening and cooking does wonders to prevent me from IT burnout.

This is very true as well. always remember work it work and home is home.

I do spend a lot of time playing with IT stuff out side of work but always because i'm interested in it, and if I have time.

there's lots of things that come much higher up the priorities than it. The worse thing you can do is sit and vegetate to much, that's sure to bring you down. (I speak from many years of depression)

Keep busy with various things you enjoy.

disi

After 11 years in IT as professional and private for another 11 years, I still enjoy it

The advantage I see in my work is, that you get your hands on hardware/software I don't have at home. It is exciting connecting to machines all around Europe or in my former Job all over the world.

Sure you might have difficult people to handle, but if you fix something and know your stuff they tend to like you. I screwed a few things up, but at least my colleagues and manager were always behind me. work environment is very important...

My hobbies differ from my Job, I use software/hardware I like and drink beer

I work currently desk side support and find it cool. An advantage is, that nobody really looks at your fingers. The IT Manager has mostly no idea what I am doing anyway, he does more contracts and paying stuff...
You are the one with Internet bypasssing the proxy server. You can pimp up your workstation with stuff you find. You are the first guy testing new software/hardware before it goes live. You have the access to everything, which enables you to fix problems easier.
The last couple of days, I was studying 80% of my work time for a certificate
Everybody is very kind to you, if they want something...

rsutton

Things I would rather be:

Food taste tester - I used to work for Dryer's grand ice cream and we had a very well paid taste tester who would travel around the world tasting different kinds of ice cream. Not bad!

Wine reviewer - I already enjoy wine, I think I could dig this job.

Other than those, I enjoy IT. I knew I was going to work in IT since I was 12 and I haven't looked back since. I've hit the burn out periods but they come and go. I am fiercely competitive and that is one thing that keeps me going day after day, I try to be better than everyone else (rarely happens).

Things may look better in a few months, if they don't maybe you should try to go for some higher level certs or do something to change the scenery a bit.

mikedisd2

Last year I was system admin of a medium sized company. After a buyout, I was forced to another office far away and all I do now is helpdesk. Now I'm applying for level2 desktop jobs again. sigh.

What can you do? Keep studying and actively pursue technical challenges in your job for experience. There's always going to be something broken or that be improved.

darkerosxx

Paul Boz wrote: »

These are very valid points.

I think for me, burnout occurs due to the rat race of IT. It's a flooded field so if you're not willing to put in 60 hours a week for a 40 hour a week job the next guy will be. There's only so much you can put forward to validate your employment when there are so many cut throats out there that will do your job for less. The struggle with IT is that you have to balance your day to day job but supplement that with constant certifications to validate your competency. I love pursuing certifications but there's only so much time in the day to do so and it contributes to burnout as well.

I think another problem is that for most people in IT, it's not just what you do for a living but it's also the hobby, interest, or inescapable facet of your life. I like computers and technology but when I have to deal with that stuff all day every day I just want to go home and do other stuff. I don't even have a desktop PC at my house because IT has ruined that for me. I'd rather just check my email and surf the web on a 13" laptop than have a big gaming rig.

Quoted for truthiness!

That's so true for me that I'm actually working my way out of IT and into medical school.

I want my hobby back.

darkerosxx

Paul Boz wrote: »

These are very valid points.

I think for me, burnout occurs due to the rat race of IT. It's a flooded field so if you're not willing to put in 60 hours a week for a 40 hour a week job the next guy will be. There's only so much you can put forward to validate your employment when there are so many cut throats out there that will do your job for less. The struggle with IT is that you have to balance your day to day job but supplement that with constant certifications to validate your competency. I love pursuing certifications but there's only so much time in the day to do so and it contributes to burnout as well.

I think another problem is that for most people in IT, it's not just what you do for a living but it's also the hobby, interest, or inescapable facet of your life. I like computers and technology but when I have to deal with that stuff all day every day I just want to go home and do other stuff. I don't even have a desktop PC at my house because IT has ruined that for me. I'd rather just check my email and surf the web on a 13" laptop than have a big gaming rig.

Quoted for truthiness!

That's so true for me that I'm actually working my way out of IT and into medical school.

I want my hobby back, although I won't have any time for it in the next 8-10 years. Anesthesiology, here I come!

L0gicB0mb508

Some days I wish I would have went to school to build classic cars. Then I really think about it, and I'm pretty happy where I am. I think everyone gets a little burnt out once in a while. You just need to find something to disconnect from work.

networker050184

The grass is always greener on the other side. One of the truest statement I've ever heard.

laidbackfreak

networker050184 wrote: »

The grass is always greener on the other side. One of the truest statement I've ever heard.

+1 for this.


I've had a few jaded moments over the years, but those I've attributed to the current situation I've been in. To counter that I've worked hard to move my career along by a change in job\direction as needed.
I've also stopped supporting anyone outside of work, that includes friends and family. I used to do a lot of private work on top of my full time job and found I'd be constantly on call by anyone who knew I worked with computers.
These days if anyone asks I just tell them straight I don't work on PC's anymore. I will point people in the right direction to fix things themselves. I just make it known it's not my area of expertise.

And while I do a lot of home study, I leave that all in my office and don’t let it spill over to anywhere else in the house.
The kit in my house elsewhere is just the usual gadgets and boys toys that we all love and use. Heck I have enough trouble supporting the remote control for the mrs lol

If you're feeling low\disheartened with IT look at the reasons why, it's usually not the industry more often than not it's the people. If it is the industry then it's time to look elsewhere for a new career imo.

ElvisG

I don't regret it. I can honestly say I love waking up and going into my work. I know the other side of the coin as well. When I was in the Navy I started waking up and hated going in. I loved the ship-life just not the asshats who thought they were God and made peoples life miserable just because they didn't like them.