Job decision, advice ?

GOZCU

Hello guys,

As i happily declared from here before, I got my first IT job 3 months ago.(i was an Air traffic Controller before) I love my company and team here. And people do love me too I am a Network/system admin , and i am the only guy who is not a programmer,except account and the project manager.

But,

for last 1 month i am doing share point admin, web programming, sql database immigration and IIS services. Today my boss asked me if i know python and ruby on rails. He has a new project for me i guess.

because the company is small or semi-medium, everyone is doing everything.first 2 months: I have implemented whole network solution from the scratch.(it was in an unacceptable situation), whole NAS backup plan, vlan(s), vpn(s)-ipsec,l2tp-, firewall configuration, dell idrac installation(s) and remote management, load balancing. (network is quite big, there are other 2 sites more). ( we moved to a new building, guess how time consuming it was, but i loved the thing i did)

AND

It is probably because they didn't have a system admin before, boss is not able to see the difference between programmers and non programmers in case of work principle. I feel he expects me to work like a programmer (always in a project, writing code, if not probably network should be reconfigured...)

DUE to this,

i wanted to talk him 15 days ago and wanted to say that ,"it is time for me to leave because i cant learn about networking so much here and expectations are different, I can't develop my skills as much as i want, they need a system admin for the support maybe, but not full time for everyday"

However,

at this day he came to me and said:"I am afraid of thinking about your leaving, hope you will not leave one day"

SO

I didn't say anything...

What are your opinions ? Should I stay because this is my first IT company, and it will be bad in case if i leave with 3 months of experience. (hmm, this may look bad at cv). Or even maybe you think that, this is normal and it will be okay after a while because we are The Network Guys working like that too ??

Or you support my idea - i am feeling that my goals are becoming more far away each day i am staying here, and time to leave..-

share your ideas pls

Zorodzai

Is your boss approachable ? It may be worth approaching him with some of your concerns - better still, draw up a plan of what you would like to do (obviously emphasizing the benefits to the company) and see if you can get him to buy into that. From the sounds of it you are working in a relatively small company and, to be honest with you, in most small companies roles are not always strictly adhered to.....one of the first jobs I had I was the Sys Admin/Techie/Web Dev/Stock Keeper/part time driver/phone repair guy all rolled into one. I suggest talking to your manager first then, based on the feddback, take it from there.....

GOZCU

Zorodzai wrote: »

one of the first jobs I had I was the Sys Admin/Techie/Web Dev/Stock Keeper/part time driver/phone repair guy all rolled into one.

that is almost me

My boss is very approachable. we go to cinema as a team, barbecue and so on. friday 1 hour board game time. I will talk to him tomorrow about my concerns, but i also know that he will say :"everyone makes everything here, as you know a micro controller programmer who is dealing c and assembly for whole month then jumps to .net web programming, we don't have separated departments. I will be happier if you can do the same"

nevertheless, i will talk before i give decision... I am just concerning about its reflection to my cv...

NetworkVeteran

You're working at a small company. In a small company it's typical to wear many hats. If you have little experience with programming, I wonder why you are set against it? If you try a small project, you may discover you actually enjoy it, and that sort of role also pays well.

Should you leave or talk about leaving?

I would only have that discussion if you have a clearly better job lined up.

The early years are called "paying your dues" because you often don't get precisely what you want. You are right, leaving your first I.T. job after three months over having to do something you don't want to won't look good on your C.V. and would also likely burn your bridges with this team. But if you already have a new and better job lined up, you don't have much to worry about.

networker050184

If the job isn't what you want then find a new one. Life is too short to be miserable just because your boss hopes you don't leave.

I'd start looking for the job you really want and just suck up whatever resume building experience you can while you are there. Don't leave until you find something better though. Any job is better than no job when you are trying to build the needed experience.

GOZCU

I am feeling like : I want to leave, because i cant focus on my certifications, or anything related to networking so much. And if i stay here, i will be a web programmer soon

Job: I haven't looked for something yet, thinking to get my CCNA:Sec and RHCSA in 6 months and willing to work for a medium size company.

on the other hand; quick decisions as u said may burn a lot of good things. a lot of guys are more experienced at IT here, i am eager to listen every word from you.
I am also considering to offer them to work 2 days in a week as a support for their system and network. This will keep my cv better (at least i can write i worked for this company 3 months full time + 6 months part time). And this will let me to study CCNA Sec, and RHCSA.

just an opinion...

the_Grinch

I would approach your boss and explain how you feel currently. You'll need to use some tact when doing this as you don't want to come across as whiny or not being a team player. I'd also ask that you look at it from his point of view. Perhaps there is not as much IT related work for you to do and that is why he's asking you to take on special projects. Also, perhaps look at this as a chance to combine skills that will help you in the long run. If you are going for RHCSA, then I'd assume you'd probably go for RHCE at some point. What's a great language for Linux? Python. On a final note, be very wary of leaving after three months. Burning bridges is the worst thing you could do. Take it from someone with a resume filled with short term stays at companies, it will come up and they will expect an explanation. Your only choice when asked is to say that they were giving you work outside of you job description and no employer will be happy to hear that. Good luck and I think you should stick it out at least a year.