10-things-ive-learned-from-working-in-it-I liked this article

Interesting read—

10 things I've learned from working in IT | TechRepublic

What has everyone else learned by working in IT?

I don’t work in IT yet, but I have learned so far by doing computer support jobs..

The customer will say its one thing, and it’s totally the opposite, or it’s more complex problem.

That’s it’s great you know how to fix the problem, but making sure the customer is happy with the results and how you treated them, is way more important.

Recruiters are almost never familiar with your skillset or the certifications you have.

Example..I told one recruiter that I reset a Windows 7 password on a customer’s home computer, and he asked me if that was in Active Directory.

Time is money and it is very valuable…. someone people get antsy, and want their problem fixed right away, even though the solution takes some time to implement.

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Comments

the_Grinch

I learned I should have majored in psychology. You'd be amazed at the things people decide to tell the IT people. I often just have to laugh and just smile because people will tell you every little detail when you're there troubleshooting. I've had new moms tell me about the pitfalls of nursing, sales people talk about wild and dirty weekends, and a host of other things that I dare not post here. People like to vent and when they know they've captured you for at least 10 minutes let the therapy session begin. Pretty soon I am just going to wear a shirt that says "Have a Hug!"

QHalo

No one cares when its working. They only care when it's broken.
No one will care about what you did to fix it, only that it had broke before.
If you're in IT for pats on the back, you're in the wrong job.

Number 2 makes no sense given that nearly every server that's built runs a third party application of some sort.
Number 9 is totally true. I have nearly half a head of gray hair to prove that as well.

ptilsen

There's some big truths in here, but I wasn't impressed by the article and the author. He's clearly a Linux evangelist, which is fine, but I don't get the impression he really has any real professional knowledge on Windows. The claims in #2 and #3 are pretty absurd -- no less so than the "FUD" from "those who rail against Linux".

I will say that anyone who thinks RAID is in and of itself a backup needs to get slapped. Hard.

Number 9 is completely outrageous. IT leads to male pattern baldness far more than to gray hair.

dave330i

#6 is true, but his reasoning is faulty.

Tackle

NetworkingStudent, I'm sure you know this already but not all recruiters are IT knowledgeable...the one that asked about AD on a home PC was probably just going from a list or something they had heard before.

A couple things I've learned:

-IT = anything that plugs into the wall you are expected to know how it works and how to troubleshoot/fix it.
-I much prefer someone to show me how they get an error or what the issue is than try to explain it over the phone, their terminology can be wild.
-Very rarely does a home user take backups or use online backup services even though they are free.
-There is no difference between logging off and rebooting to most users. They will also lie when asked if they rebooted recently.

VAHokie56

I think he should add that everyone's first reaction when there is an issue is to blame the network first ask questions later

NexusC

dave330i wrote: »

#6 is true, but his reasoning is faulty.

I disagree, I've totally bought into Google's vision of ubiquitous high speed internet in every home and cloud services as far as the eye can see.

I'd be willing to bet in somewhere between 10 and 20 years most peoples computers will just be front ends for cloud enabled services so you can access all your data from any terminal. There's no real reason for it not to be that way. Cloud services can do a way better job of backing up and protecting end user data then most end users.

I already store most of the things I access on a daily basis in dropbox so that I can access it on my desktop, laptop, phone, tablet, and work computer. I'm always trying to find ways of making more of my data on my pc storable online so I have it available all the time.

RouteThisWay

#9 is fact.

I started getting gray hair at 21 when I started getting into IT. As my positions have increased in responsibility, so have my grays. At 25, leaving my sys admin job.. most of the sides of my head are gray. People refuse to believe I am my age.

In my new Virtual Engineer job, I assume the gray matter will continue to consume to the top of my scalp.

hiddenknight821

@NexusC: So you decided to create an account just to disagree with a guy who specializes in VMware virtualization? If I recall correctly, I was unable to watch Netflix a month ago, because a storm knocked down the power in VA. How is cloud reliable if there is a single point of failure?

the_Grinch

LOL that's why I am glad I lost my hair in high school...nothing to turn grey! But have to agree most people believe I am well beyond my 26 years of age...sucks most of the time.

bdub

NexusC wrote: »

I disagree, I've totally bought into Google's vision of ubiquitous high speed internet in every home and cloud services as far as the eye can see.

I'd be willing to bet in somewhere between 10 and 20 years most peoples computers will just be front ends for cloud enabled services so you can access all your data from any terminal. There's no real reason for it not to be that way. Cloud services can do a way better job of backing up and protecting end user data then most end users.

I already store most of the things I access on a daily basis in dropbox so that I can access it on my desktop, laptop, phone, tablet, and work computer. I'm always trying to find ways of making more of my data on my pc storable online so I have it available all the time.

Maybe you havent seen this:

How Apple and Amazon Security Flaws Led to My Epic Hacking | Gadget Lab | Wired.com

QHalo

hiddenknight821 wrote: »

@NexusC: So you decided to create an account just to disagree with a guy who specializes in VMware virtualization? If I recall correctly, I was unable to watch Netflix a month ago, because a storm knocked down the power in VA. How is cloud reliable if there is a single point of failure?

To be clear, that wasn't because of an EC2 single point of failure. That was because of Netflix's own doing.

Netflix Pinterest Instagram outage is not Amazon’s fault | Colin McNamara - CCIE 18233 , VCP, EMCIE, NCDA, GEEK

healthyboy

one of the most important lessons i learned in i,t is that doesnt matter how hard yyou work, i.t is about who you know and who can kiss the ass the most and who is lazy the most will get more chances than you

Roguetadhg

Dirty Politics suck.

However, Politics - Rather, Handling People, is one of the major skills that I needed to have!

There's the right way of getting things done, but to get the money, you need friends.

BigMevy

ptilsen wrote: »

Number 9 is completely outrageous. IT leads to male pattern baldness far more than to gray hair.

Agreed. I can trace the thinning out of my hair right back to the day I started in IT.

Dead serious.

Brain_Power

"People come into the business with nice jet black hair and after only a year or so, the gray hair starts sprouting. Why? IT is stressful."

I have a few gray hair showing up on my scalp. Should I be worried? I am 35 years old...lol

dontstop

Two things that i have learnt

#1 - Most people don't really care about I.T. as much as you/i do
#2 - Most people don't really understand I.T/Technology deeply enough