For those not in tech support, what's your average day like?

z3r0cool

I've been in TS too long. I've dabbled in quite a few different fields, but for those of you that are in say, networking, what's your average day? I mean switches can't die every day, requiring replacement or reconfiguring for instance. So what's your specialty and what's your average day?

I just hope that IT isn't putting out endless fire, after endless fire, like tech support is. Thanks!

NetworkVeteran

Tech Support can be forward-thinking. You know what users are struggling with! You can help them find products that better suit their needs, provide training or documentation to reduce their issues, or push for change if you have no products that satisfy them. Constantly putting out fires is a cycle many organization strive to avoid--at some times more successfully than others.

z3r0cool

My role is sort of psuedo-IT. My company sells a computer-controlled revenue control product to various facilities. My role is not only to support the things that are in the IT realm (user account admin, software installations, patches, updates, I analyze our software's log files for problems, simple DB queries, server monitoring, etc ad nauseum) but also in the electronics/mechanical area as well, so I have a lot of ground to cover.

CodeBlox

I'm a sysadmin and day to day is very different... From completing projects to taking on side ways tasks and putting out fires is a normal day. Take today for example:

1) Came in to work a little early as they are creating a new office and moved some desk further back into the larger room. Spent some time moving cables on patch panels to accomodate the new trunk location.

2) Spent some time chatting with a few coworkers

3) Started working on a server build checklist

4) More conversing

5) Lunch for an hour

6) Began working on another project I have been assigned where I need to make new phones auto register and tell the user to call IT to have it setup (Almost done with this one!!!)

7) Some Cisco Call Manager maintenance

8 ) Did some CCNP studying

9) Continue working on the projects

10) Go home

Today was a pretty quiet day with not to many requests.

z3r0cool

Thanks. On a sort of different note, should I be looking at Help Desk positions or aiming a little higher. I have an AAS in Computer Technology from ECPI, but I've been in my current role for a very long time. I was comfortable and didn't keep my skills sharp. Now I want to move on and I've having the problem where a lot of postings for Help Desk jobs would mean taking a considerable pay cut; something I can't do at the moment unfortunately.

CodeBlox

I would aim higher than helpdesk if you have been doing this sort of thing for a while. Are there internal posting for higher level work with your employer? Is there an opportunity to take on higher level work with potential to advancing there? You don't want to get stuck in the helldesk... Trust me. I was fortunate to do my time and get promoted within my current company. My total IT experience is 11 months doing helldesk work in a call center and then leaving and coming to my current workplace and doing 6 months here and getting promoted to systems admin. I have been in this role for 6 months. It only happened so quickly because I kept my skills sharp and took on higher level work outside of my comfort zone. I made it known that I was willing to do the work. Network with as many people as possible. I only have my associates too so it may be enough for some employers.

z3r0cool

CodeBlox wrote: »

I would aim higher than helpdesk if you have been doing this sort of thing for a while. Are there internal posting for higher level work with your employer? Is there an opportunity to take on higher level work with potential to advancing there? You don't want to get stuck in the helldesk... Trust me. I was fortunate to do my time and get promoted within my current company. My total IT experience is 11 months doing helldesk work in a call center and then leaving and coming to my current workplace and doing 6 months here and getting promoted to systems admin. I have been in this role for 6 months. It only happened so quickly because I kept my skills sharp and took on higher level work outside of my comfort zone. I made it known that I was willing to do the work. Network with as many people as possible. I only have my associates too so it may be enough for some employers.

Unfortunately, because I'm in a contracted position, and there's only 2 of us on site, so there's really no where to go from here. My role is very broad and does involve work beyond desktop issues, so I guess I could sell myself in that way to potentially get a better position. Thanks for the idea about looking at my current company. They do have a presence in other facilities in my area so maybe a transfer could work.

In have no certifications, but I live in an area with a very large DoD presence, so my plan was Sec+ and Net+ first since that's a DoD requirement for most IT jobs.