IT interest fading; stuck at help desk

Hello, everyone. It's time I sought help for my situation.

I've graduated with a BS in Information Systems in May 2012. Before that, I started a help desk internship at a non-profit social working company in February 2012. I've been at the job since. Along the way, I got the A+ certification in October 2012. I'm not sure if it helped me, however.

It didn't become a full-time, permanent position until last November. Essentially, I've been their underpaid "intern" for 1.5 years. I'm making more now, but it's still only a little over 33k, in one of the most tax-heavy states in the country. I still live with mom. If not for the low salary and student loans, I would have moved out a LONG time ago.

But it gets worse. I've been doing the same thing for the past nearly two years. I honestly am starting to think that not only am I not learning anything, but the very little skills I have now are wasting away. It's nothing but resetting passwords, setting up home offices over the phone, and correcting coworkers' mistakes. (Seriously, these so-called "social workers" treat the 4-person IS department like manure.) Sometimes, I think that getting this degree was nothing but a 6-year, $30k mistake.

The worst thing is... I'm not sure what I want to do next. To be honest, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do in the field while in college, nor do I currently. I took the degree because in year three, I found out the hard way that Engineering and Computer Science were too hard for me (a combo of physics being too hard, and unlikable, unapproachable professors), and Information Systems was my last option.

I have study material for CCNA, Network+, and Security+. I've tried self-studying because classes were too expensive, but it just isn't working. The material is overwhelming. Neither work nor college prepared me for them.

I'm constantly being told to be patient, but it's getting a bit tiresome. I'm not making enough, I'm not learning enough, I hate living where I live, and... it just seems like I've reached a dead end... and I'm only going on 26!

Everyone here seems to have years of experience. I could really use some guidance. Am I stuck here?

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Comments

anoeljr

Way to go FortKnight! Great news!

Itrimble

Congrats FortKnight!!! It just goes to show that determination gets you far in this life.

FortKnight

Thanks everyone. I'm looking forward to this opportunity.

30% rise in pay when I start. Maybe I'll finally be able to move out! Baby steps toward leaving Maryland for good.

coffeeluvr

Great News@ Good Luck!

cwshellhamer

Glad ot hear it keep truckin through...

PS your pro pic make me laugh a little when i look at it lol.... good.... good

nascar_paul

Great job!

xnx

White Wizard wrote: »

In my opinion the certs only get easier, prepping for them that is.

Yes, some are much more difficult then others but once you get in the habit of perfecting your test prep skills, I feel that reading a 500 or 600 page book and pulling what you need from it becomes easier with each cert.

I feel its almost a necessity in IT to be passionate about what you do.

I would sit down, re-evaluate what you are passionate about in life, then make a decision.

No offence, but someone can only say such a thing when they've at least done the CCNP and or MCSE..

FortKnight

Speaking of certs, it looks like this place specializes in Red Hat Linux, rather than Windows. During the interview, I asked if there was anything about my current skill set that they were concerned with, and they said lack of Linux experience (at work).

I am very willing to learn, which is good since they offer lots of training. I'm looking forward to the new challenges.

techfiend

That's great and RHEL is very good to know. With the little admin type things I've done linux has always been more enjoyable than windows to work with but I'm a cli junkie and powershell is such a pain.

lsud00d

Head first is the best way to learn *nix

Do you have any linux experience up to this point?

After 6 months to 1-1.5 years of RHEL experience, the RHCSA should be no sweat.

joneno

Congrats Fortknight! I was wondering what you were thinking when you said you had an interview in Ohio. DMV is the place to be son...it is expensive I know...but it's a sea that never dries.

BJ4IT

joneno wrote: »

Congrats Fortknight! I was wondering what you were thinking when you said you had an interview in Ohio. DMV is the place to be son...it is expensive I know...but it's a sea that never dries.

That or NY is where I plan to go once i'm all "cert'ed up".

McNinja

FortKnight wrote: »

Hello, everyone. It's time I sought help for my situation.

I've graduated with a BS in Information Systems in May 2012. Before that, I started a help desk internship at a non-profit social working company in February 2012. I've been at the job since. Along the way, I got the A+ certification in October 2012. I'm not sure if it helped me, however.

It didn't become a full-time, permanent position until last November. Essentially, I've been their underpaid "intern" for 1.5 years. I'm making more now, but it's still only a little over 33k, in one of the most tax-heavy states in the country. I still live with mom. If not for the low salary and student loans, I would have moved out a LONG time ago.

But it gets worse. I've been doing the same thing for the past nearly two years. I honestly am starting to think that not only am I not learning anything, but the very little skills I have now are wasting away. It's nothing but resetting passwords, setting up home offices over the phone, and correcting coworkers' mistakes. (Seriously, these so-called "social workers" treat the 4-person IS department like manure.) Sometimes, I think that getting this degree was nothing but a 6-year, $30k mistake.

The worst thing is... I'm not sure what I want to do next. To be honest, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do in the field while in college, nor do I currently. I took the degree because in year three, I found out the hard way that Engineering and Computer Science were too hard for me (a combo of physics being too hard, and unlikable, unapproachable professors), and Information Systems was my last option.

I have study material for CCNA, Network+, and Security+. I've tried self-studying because classes were too expensive, but it just isn't working. The material is overwhelming. Neither work nor college prepared me for them.

I'm constantly being told to be patient, but it's getting a bit tiresome. I'm not making enough, I'm not learning enough, I hate living where I live, and... it just seems like I've reached a dead end... and I'm only going on 26!

Everyone here seems to have years of experience. I could really use some guidance. Am I stuck here?

You HAVE to figure out what you want to do with your life, and you have to figure out ways to get the certs/experience you need. In my personal experience self study because you HAVE to is a whole lot harder than self-study because you WANT to. What drew you to the field in the first place? Some people do help desk their whole career, although that's not the best route.

1. Figure out what brought you into IT in the first place.
2. Apply to jobs you think might be interesting on Indeed, Bowman Williams, Dice, etc. I mainly use Indeed.
3. Figure out who you know that knows somebody in the field. I'll be honest, my current job and my hopefully-future-job both came to me because of my dad - he's been working in IT since '78 and knows a ton of people. Find out who you know. Make connections. Even people you work with.
4. Sharpen up your resume. You have more experience in IT than I do, but once you narrow your focus from "I don't know" to "Sys admin" or "Network Engineer" you'll have a direction to go. I chose Cybersec as my field and now I'm dead set on finishing my CASP this december and the CISSP in March 2015!
5. Either take classes or learn how to self study. I am forced to self study because I have no way to pay for classes! It may be overwhelming, but if you take it slow and learn at your own pace then it gets easier.

joneno

BJ4IT,
It's tough when you're starting in IT, I was once there. All you need is someone to take a chance on you and the rest is history.

FortKnight

joneno wrote: »

Congrats Fortknight! I was wondering what you were thinking when you said you had an interview in Ohio. DMV is the place to be son...it is expensive I know...but it's a sea that never dries.

I'm currently in Baltimore, and I hate it here. The rest of Maryland ... well, it's nice to work here, but the cost of living is so high. And the drivers (for the most part) are too aggressive.

Why Ohio? There were a couple IT companies in Columbus, so I gave them a shot. After driving through that city a couple times, it was a lot more laid back. Money goes further, family's nearby. Not all that exciting, but then I'm not all that exciting myself, so that's perfect for me!

Once this project is done, I'd love to get out of Maryland. Thankfully, this company has branches all over the country; maybe that'll be my chance...

McNinja

FortKnight wrote: »

Thanks everyone. I'm looking forward to this opportunity.

30% rise in pay when I start. Maybe I'll finally be able to move out! Baby steps toward leaving Maryland for good.

That's awesome!

BoneSpur

Reading over this entire thread and there really is some great advice here. I won't re-hash all that has been said so I will add to it. Google motivation - Watch some Tedx events. There are some really good self-motivational videos out there. Also, start getting as healthy as you can. Gym memberships can be expensive, so just work out at home or with a buddy. If your body feels better, the mind feels better. Life is too short to be stuck in a job you hate - the stress that come with it can take years off your life. I will leave you with this thought, if you are not moving forward, you are moving backwards. Learning never stops, so you never stop.

FortKnight

BoneSpur wrote: »

Reading over this entire thread and there really is some great advice here. I won't re-hash all that has been said so I will add to it. Google motivation - Watch some Tedx events. There are some really good self-motivational videos out there. Also, start getting as healthy as you can. Gym memberships can be expensive, so just work out at home or with a buddy. If your body feels better, the mind feels better. Life is too short to be stuck in a job you hate - the stress that come with it can take years off your life. I will leave you with this thought, if you are not moving forward, you are moving backwards. Learning never stops, so you never stop.

Thanks. I'll definitely take this advice.

chickenlicken09

McNinja wrote: »

You HAVE to figure out what you want to do with your life, and you have to figure out ways to get the certs/experience you need. In my personal experience self study because you HAVE to is a whole lot harder than self-study because you WANT to. What drew you to the field in the first place? Some people do help desk their whole career, although that's not the best route.

1. Figure out what brought you into IT in the first place.
2. Apply to jobs you think might be interesting on Indeed, Bowman Williams, Dice, etc. I mainly use Indeed.
3. Figure out who you know that knows somebody in the field. I'll be honest, my current job and my hopefully-future-job both came to me because of my dad - he's been working in IT since '78 and knows a ton of people. Find out who you know. Make connections. Even people you work with.
4. Sharpen up your resume. You have more experience in IT than I do, but once you narrow your focus from "I don't know" to "Sys admin" or "Network Engineer" you'll have a direction to go. I chose Cybersec as my field and now I'm dead set on finishing my CASP this december and the CISSP in March 2015!
5. Either take classes or learn how to self study. I am forced to self study because I have no way to pay for classes! It may be overwhelming, but if you take it slow and learn at your own pace then it gets easier.

if you dont mind me asking what is your plan to get an infosec job or are you already in that area?

FortKnight

Some bad news...

The background check is still ongoing. The problem is the program I was to be part of lost a bunch of funding. The position I accepted, Linux Sys Admin, was gotten rid of.

Another program got hold of my resume. They have a help desk position available. They say it's a service desk that's different from the typical help desk, but ... I don't know.

The interview's next week. Before I say "no", I just need to find out more about it. Maybe there will be room to grow.

Itrimble

I'm pretty sure the service desk is the same as the help desk. I should know as that's what it was branded in my company. Keep on studying for the Linux +.

FortKnight

I had the interview yesterday. It went well, better than I thought it would. Found out a little about the program and the position. It looks like this program is more stable than the previous one, so this position may not be at risk.

I'm looking at it this way; yes, it is another help desk. Unlike the one I'm at now, this one isn't anywhere near "other duties as assigned" heavy. There's also opportunities to move up. If these guys want to hire me (once the background check is done), I'm joining them.

In the meantime, it looks like these guys use Red Hat, so RHCSA might be the next cert.

H3||scr3am

FortKnight,

I hope they give you a call for the position. And RHCSA is a great follow up after the linux+ it'll lead you right into it

Best of luck on that path if you choose it.

robS

For the benefit of anyone else in a similar situation, the only other thing I'd have done right at the start is measure your performance (customer satisfaction, first call closure rates, #re-opens, total tickets opened and closed (in that order)) compared to the higher paid members of the team and if you can evidence you're outperforming them and they won't give you a raise then you know for sure it's time to go.

Make it easy for your boss to justify giving you a payrise to the budget holder.

Good luck btw fortknight

FortKnight

Unfortunately, a pay raise is not up to my boss. About two years ago, he was fighting just to make my position a salaried position. I like my boss and supervisor (both IT guys), and they are fully 100% behind me, but the company just doesn't care about IT; they're like "You should be happy we're paying you this much at all; as long as our stuff works, we may not yell at you".

On to good news; the new company contacted me, and decided to bring me on board when I get the clearance. They say it'll start off as phone support, but I'll have plenty of opportunity for hands-on experience with the MULTIPLE departments (network admins, system admins, even some software developers). I cannot wait.

FortKnight

I should have mentioned this earlier, but I put in my notice last Friday. Only one week left, then I start the new job. Higher pay, (supposedly) greater opportunities. Looking forward to it!

Dakinggamer87

FortKnight wrote: »

I should have mentioned this earlier, but I put in my notice last Friday. Only one week left, then I start the new job. Higher pay, (supposedly) greater opportunities. Looking forward to it!

Congrats!! That's awesome

FortKnight

These past six months have been a roller coaster.

First, the new job I got back in April. Turned out to be a 24x7 call center, and I worked every shift (no choice). High turnover rate. All you were doing was answering calls and filling out tickets. I thought that, maybe if I stuck with it for a month or so, maybe I'd advance a bit. Turned out to be no redeemable IT skills to gain here. On-the-job training was awful; I had to ask for help constantly. Most of the people that called in were insufferable. Half the people I worked with were worse (they were fairly smart, but difficult to get along with). The boss micromanaged; that's all I'll say about him. The actual manager didn't seem to show much concern for us, but he was kind of new, too. In August, I had enough and became the sixth person to leave under his management.

One week later, I got a new job at a new company and became a Jr. Sys Admin, the very thing I wanted in the first place. I've learned more in the past two months than I have in the previous 3 years. Everyone here's using Linux, which I am starting to get used to. Everyone here has been incredibly helpful. The manager is very laid back. The bosses here are okay, for the most part. The only issue is job security (contractor); we're guaranteed jobs until the end of next year. The higher-ups seem confident, but anything could happen between now and then.

Over the past couple months, I learned a couple things.

I never lost interest in IT; it was the help desk that I hated
Linux actually isn't too bad; it's actually interesting to use the command line. I haven't decided on becoming an RHCSA (don't think I have enough experience yet)
Systems administration is not too bad either, and it is definitely something I could stick with in the short term (assuming all goes well with this contract)
Long term plans are still up in the air; I'm starting to become interested in programming again
Last but not least, I never liked living in Maryland; my next task is to save up some cash over the next year and get out of here!

aderon

Hey congrats man! It's really nice to see how you've turned everything around for yourself. And yes I agree linux is fun! haha. My first linux-only job (current job) is probably the most enjoyable thing I've done in IT yet! :P

Let us know how things continue to go for you. We're rooting for you man

zcarenow

Have you thought about being a Business Analyst? Also, setup a home lab and practice....then embellish your resume a bit. Otherwise, you might get stuck in help desk for quite some time.