Feeling tired of IT

XiaoTech

I know a lot of us here on the forums are career changers. I'm sure a lot of you have thought of the same thing. I've been thinking for awhile that I want out of my job, but I don't know what I really like with IT. Right now, four day work week, decent pay, health benefits, and 20 minute commute is what I like about the job...not really the job itself. It's just a job with a MSP dealing with smart phones. I feel like an underpaid actor more than I do a "IT Professional". It actually feels like my job teaching English in Korea. No real skill needed...just the ability to explain things well to "customers"/"end users"/"students" with a bit of energy.

The past year I've tried studying for Cisco, Microsoft, and CompTIA certs. So far I've only gotten A+. Honestly, I don't feel a burning passion or interest with the way technology works. I buy some books, read them, get bored with labbing, then move onto something else. I can't seem to grab focus on anything.

As a Asian Studies major who's lived in Japan (study abroad) and Korea (English teacher)...and one day hope to live in China for a short period of time...maybe I'm looking at the wrong career track. I feel suffocated here working with people who can't comprehend what I've experienced living abroad and my area of study.

As a kid, I was always interested in computers and video games. It still is true, but I remember family and friends used to say I should study to make video games if I liked them so much. I always responded it would take away the fantasy if I knew the under workings of the game.

I'm not sure what I'm saying right now. I don't think I'm asking for advice, but I just wanted to vent on what i feel. I haven't displayed my current feelings about my job or anyone. Everyone that knows me thinks I love my job and that I want to continue my career further. I know I've reached the point in my job where nothing is really a challenge, outside of following certain policy and procedures for special clients.

Thanks for listening to me vent.

JDMurray

There's more to IT than system and network administration. Have you tried systems or network planning and design? Break/fix operations and incident handling? How about programming and software development?

There also need for people who can blend IT and education by understanding both and teaching from it. Maybe you just need a specific project that touches a passion deep in your heart. Now you just have to be honest with yourself about what that passion is.

NetworkVeteran

XiaoTech wrote: »

I'm not sure what I'm saying right now. I don't think I'm asking for advice, but I just wanted to vent on what i feel. I haven't displayed my current feelings about my job or anyone. Everyone that knows me thinks I love my job and that I want to continue my career further.

Why? Try being honest with your friends and family. If they're truly friends, you don't have to impress them. They know you better than us and may have good advice.

XiaTech wrote:

I know I've reached the point in my job where nothing is really a challenge, outside of following certain policy and procedures for special clients.

Right. That's one reason many of us turn to certification. To improve ourselves. So we're capable of taking on more challenging and lucrative roles. As you say, that only works if you enjoy studying technology, since it takes many hours of studying/labbing to accomplish that.

Alternatively, that's one reason people enroll in things like college classes and network academies. A good instructor and group can help keep the motivation up.

XiaTech wrote:

I was always interested in computers and video games. It still is true, but I remember family and friends used to say I should study to make video games if I liked them so much. I always responded it would take away the fantasy if I knew the under workings of the game.

I'm familiar with that field. To get a programming job with a big studio, you'd need a CS degree. Those jobs can be fun, but tend to pay less and require more hours than other roles. There's nothing stopping you from working on a hobby indie game with a small team in your part-time if you have money, programming, drawing, or animation skills to offer. I will warn you that absolutely nobody in indie or pro game-making is looking for a no-experience "idea man".

RouteThisWay

I like what JD has said.

Honestly, I have been there man. There are times when I just couldn't stomach going into my help desk position a few years ago. It was boring, monotonous, repetitive, etc. I felt exactly as you did- I didn't feel like an IT professional. I had to knuckle down and get A+/Net+. Microsoft bored me to tears as well. Cisco was a little more interesting. I went through a period that I really questioned if this is what I should be doing. Fortunately, I stuck with it.

You need to find something that does excite you. For me, it was virtualization. It just clicked for me- I love talking about it, I love working with it, I love reading about it. For others, it is *nix OS. Others, it is Microsoft. Or networking. Or software development. Or project management. Or one of dozens of other fields. IT is a very broad field- it encompasses so many professions.

In your current position, is there anything you really enjoy? Is there any chance you have to move up?

Mrock4

I felt the same way about a year and a half ago. I went from working on my CCIE 3 years ago, to literally hating it. Infact, I won't share the details out of privacy, but I went through a year long hiring process with a great agency, and got selected for a VERY prestigious non-IT job. I turned it down- and while I still regret that to some degree, things worked out.

You see, a year and a half ago, I was with a different employer (the Army), in a position I didn't have a passion for. I THOUGHT I was sick of IT, but really I was sick of my position. As soon as I left there and got on with my current employer, the spark hit again.

The lesson is, you may not be tired of the career, but maybe the angle from which you're viewing things. Maybe a change is in order. IT is really a huge field.

And as a final note, at the end of the day, it might just not be your thing. If that's the case, there's nothing wrong with that. If anything, I'd admire someone who left a decent paying career to find what they really love.

drkat

+1 - I totally agree

XiaoTech

It's hard to say what I'm passionate about. When it comes to IT, I feel I'm interested to the Security side of things. I listen to a podcast called Security Now and always find the content interesting. I thought about studying for Security+, but it sounds like one needs to have at least CCENT or Network+ knowledge for it first. I know there are still some options I haven't explored and need to look into more. I want something that gets me away from the phone and actually develop real skills and not just someone who's available to pick up line. It's just as bad as being an entry level English "teacher" in Asia (the goal is just to be available for the students to stare at to interest them in English that this case).

I know my current problem is my job. My job is to wait for a call, pick up the phone, and solve the end users issue to the best of my ability. If not that, then work tickets with the same issues. There's only so much you can troubleshoot from Android, iOS, and BlackBerry, outside of learning more Mobile Device Management solutions. There isn't a real Tier structure at my work. If you're TII, you do the EXACT same job as TI, just get more money...and I'm not making that up. There are other opportunities, but I've noticed management here is full of empty promises. When they promoted half the team to TII three months ago, they said they did it based on a test they gave us at that time. I scored higher than 70% of everyone there (people who've worked there 2~4 years), yet they kept me at TI (granted, I only had less than two months exp when they gave out that test). So really they just gave a pay raise to their favorites and seniority...so why bother with a test is beyond me.

Anyways, thanks for listening. There is a lot more to IT than troubleshooting for end users. I need to find what I really want. When I went to college, my goal was to live in Japan, and unfortunately I reached my goal. I didn't aim high enough. I lived there for one year and it was great...but I didn't really develop any skills to go with the Japanese I learned, so that's when I went job hunting there...well, I'm back in the states obviously. I still get a lot of pleasure of being able to communicate in Japanese...communication will only get me so far.