Not feeling joy anymore

Dracula28

This is a huge issue. If you do not enjoy working with IT, then its very hard to continue working in the field, because there is always something new to learn, and if you don't feel any kick to learn it right away, then you are in huge trouble.

And thats where I am at right now. I feel very depressed at the moment. This has been my life for the past 12 years, and I've always felt huge pride in knowing as much as possible, and its always been very fun to learn the new technologies. But at the moment, for the past few months, I've not been feeling any joy.

Has anyone else ever felt the same? I do not know where these feelings stem from. And yes I am being very serious here. I guess it could be taken as a joke, for those who have not experienced the same, but for anyone who can related to it, should know how saddening this can be.

What now, is the question stuck in my mind. I'm going to take the 680 exam tomorrow. Am I ready? I don't know. Should I be ready? Yes. Have I made an effort to be ready? Well, I've always put a great deal of effort (and pride) in being ready for the exams, but I can easily say that in this case I have sadly not.

I should be enjoying it, but rather it has become a chore.

Paul Boz

Are you having problems with motivation at work? How long have you been employed where you are and how static is your job? do you do the same thing all day every day? Perhaps you need a change of pace or a new concentration. I started getting a little bored with networking so I got into security. I'm sure I'll get tired of security and move on to something else later, too.

odysseyelite

I know what you are going through. I've been doing this stuff for 12 years and have had a rough time since getting my BS. I did the desktop support, helpesk, network admin roles. I've been laid off twice. I went back and got a Masters in Business thinking I would change fields. I started looking at how to break into another field and its hard in these times. So I looked at why am I not getting the jobs I would love and found this:

1) Did not stick with getting higher certs
2) Did not actively look for jobs properly.
3) Did not specialize

I like IT, just not the roles I have been getting stuck in. I feel unchallenged and hurts my motivation. I am in the process of researching jobs I would like to do and creating a plan for the certifications needed to get to the next level. I may not be challenged at work, but I am challenged study for the certs.

See what area you want to be in and research. Check jobs boards, and on here. I researched different certs and then would see what jobs were looking for them. I decided Networking and Security. So Cisco, SSCP, CISSP are in my plans.

Good luck

Hyper-Me

I've only been doing this for a handful of years but I go through bouts of apathy myself. I don't really know what I do to fight it, because the knack to learn something just kinda returns.

I find that I get "burned out" because I put effort into learning lots of things and then suddenly its "not enough" again. There is always something I DONT know and it frustrates me. Although this is probably what makes a good IT pro (always knowing you need to learn something new) it can be frustrating to no end.

Silentsoul

I can relate to you, I am working in a job where i am sort of a 'one man show' no one to help and management just makes things harder and harder. Lots of great new ideas that just put me farther behind. I stopped working from home recently and I am so far behind i'll honestly never catch up. I am just trying to keep things running and get my CCNA and get out.
If you are not happy where you arem and you know things will not change, get what you need to get and move on to something better.

brad-

Learning for learning's sake is MUCH more satisfying than 'learning' for a cert exam - and it is easier to stay upbeat and motivated. Exam studying always feels too forced and impractical to me, so I dont like it for the most part. I havent done an exam in over a year and i dont feel like i've missed a thing.

You might also take a look at your life outside work. I feel like the more I improve my life outside of work, the better it is for me when I punch in. Give yourself something non-technical to look forward to or strive to. Sky dive, get a motorcycle, excercise, build a space shuttle...

jasonboche

It sounds like you are burned out. Are you burning the candle at both ends as they say? Do you work in your lab after work hours studying or training?

veritas_libertas

odysseyelite wrote: »

See what area you want to be in and research. Check jobs boards, and on here. I researched different certs and then would see what jobs were looking for them. I decided Networking and Security. So Cisco, SSCP, CISSP are in my plans.

This is exactly what I am doing. I have a plan, and I sometime revise it depending on my situation (I have it in a Word document.) I know that if I play my cards right I have a good chance of moving into security, and SysAdmin work like I want. Knowing what you want to do and putting your full energy into is essential. This is my plan...



College BS in IT --> MCITP:EA and CWNA --> MS in INFOSEC--> (More Certs...)

######Look for SysAdmin work###########Look for Security work#####

chrisone

I have been there before, mainly it was due to ex co-workers at a previous job acting as Gary A. Donahue would put it, "The computer Jerk." The type of characters that are cocky, rude, no personality, and they try to down play you. I met a couple people like that awhile back but now im a bit older and experienced enough to help others in a higher position that i am now. Although that was some years ago, boy was it frustrating and depressing. Anyways if there is someone being negative to you at work, i feel you pain. Its better to just use it as motivation like i did, to study and move on.

If your just bored with the technology or frustrated with your job role, use that as motivation to study harder to move on. I also try to look at other peoples jobs and see how frustrated they get with theirs, it helps to remind me why i got into IT in the first place. You could be at a bank dealing with customers, working in contruction doing hard labor, or any other job, where else can you really sit on your butt and play with computers?

Dracula28

Thanks for the feedback guys. I think it could have just been exam nerves, but generally speaking, this hit the nail right on the head;

jasonboche wrote: »

It sounds like you are burned out. Are you burning the candle at both ends as they say? Do you work in your lab after work hours studying or training?

I was just doing too much at once. I set the bar way too high, and even though I managed to reach my goal, I don't think I'll make the same mistake again. I'm thinking of completing my MCSE. I have three exams left (293, 294 and 297/29. I think I'll use rest of the year to complete these three exams. Then upgrade to MCITP:EA next year. In the mean time, I'm going to push my employer to give me more server related tasks. I've just been working way too much on the client side, and not been able to really utilise the knowledge I have gained by getting the certs.

Piers

It's funny, but I felt the same way, unhappy with the job etc, UNTIL I started finding an interest in expanding my knowledge base and gaining more certifications (far beyond what was required of my employer). Certs renewed my feeling of employment-worth, and perhaps because I do 90% of my studies during quiet times at the desk, it keeps things moving and my brain going when before I was satisfied to to my job well and know the things I needed to know just for it.

elphrank0

I can relate and fully understand. The problem with IT is that we get burned out real easily! I have been doing my current job for 5 years, and 5 years in IT is like a lifetime in other professions. Hang in there, find a renewed interest in a hobby you liked, but stopped for some reason. Go outside and take a walk around the neighborhood. Donate some time to a charity that may need your expertise. It seems when we give, we achieve a greater happiness!