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Don't enjoy my job. Advice?

baseball1988baseball1988 Member Posts: 119
in IT Jobs / Degrees
  • I work in IT Helpdesk call center and I don't really enjoy my job.
  • Reasons for hating my job include but not limited to: low salary (below 40k), micromanaged, far from home (total of 3 hrs commute time each day), extended work hours (work on holidays, night shifts), limited career opportunities within organization (will take 3-4 yrs to move into another department), being monitored (internet, phone recordings, cameras), heavy workload, no official lunch breaks (eat while talking to customers over the phone), proprietary systems (can't utilize knowledge in other organizations if i resign), get blamed (management trust customers more than employees), strict policies in non-sense areas, and don't have a personal desk.
  • Recently, I over-heard rumors from management saying that our department will shrink. Limited budget. Might lay off people in the next 6 months to 1 year.
  • I've been working here for about 1 year. Should I be looking for opportunties now? I'm still fairly new to the workforce but will it look bad if I resign around the 1 year 3 months point?
  • I still work hard at my current job. But, less motivated as each day passes by. Manager can tell but I don't want a bad reference. Don't know how to stay motivated?
  • Any advice/suggestions/comments for me will be accepted. I have about 19 months of experience in total (a mix of contract positions + current job)
  • Thanks
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    cyberguyprcyberguypr Mod Posts: 6,928 Mod
    Wow, the crappiest job I ever had looks like a dream job compared to your environment.

    Here's my take on your issues:
    - Micromanaging, heavy workload & extended work hours: come with IT sooner or later
    - Unhappiness, lack of motivation: life is short. Not worth working in a place like this
    - Eat while talking to customers: ridiculous + unacceptable
    - Downsizing rumors: may be true or not, but makes you think

    Verdict: time to move on. Do you have any certs or education? What are you strong areas? You definitely have something to work with. Do provide more details on your skill set so we can provide recommendations.
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    mikej412mikej412 Member Posts: 10,086 ■■■■■■■■■■
    If you don't enjoy your job, it's time to look at moving on. What have you done during the last 1 year to prepare yourself for your next job?
    :mike: Cisco Certifications -- Collect the Entire Set!
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    ChooseLifeChooseLife Member Posts: 941 ■■■■■■■□□□
    baseball1988 wrote: »
    will it look bad if I resign around the 1 year 3 months point?
    Moving on to the next job after 15 months should be okay, especially if the current one is a helpdesk position (Wes Borg: I'm a vet. I'm a pro. Hell, I've been here 8 months!). Just a word of advice - don't resign and then look for another opportunity, rather try to keep your current job until you find a better one.

    The environment you described does not sound attractive, but makes it easy to explain why you want the next position - simply converting the list into "i want the opposite" (room for career growth, relative independence, job security) should make HR people happy :)
    “You don’t become great by trying to be great. You become great by wanting to do something, and then doing it so hard that you become great in the process.” (c) xkcd #896

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    knownheroknownhero Member Posts: 450
    Sounds a lot like my place. I've been at my place for 4 years and you can see the downward spiral it is taking every day now. Best thing to do in your position (like me) is just do your job while looking for a new one.

    Good Luck!
    70-410 [x] 70-411 [x] 70-462[x] 70-331[x] 70-332[x]
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    N2ITN2IT Inactive Imported Users Posts: 7,483 ■■■■■■■■■■
    baseball1988 wrote: »
    • I work in IT Helpdesk call center and I don't really enjoy my job.
    • Reasons for hating my job include but not limited to: low salary (below 40k), micromanaged, far from home (total of 3 hrs commute time each day), extended work hours (work on holidays, night shifts), limited career opportunities within organization (will take 3-4 yrs to move into another department), being monitored (internet, phone recordings, cameras), heavy workload, no official lunch breaks (eat while talking to customers over the phone), proprietary systems (can't utilize knowledge in other organizations if i resign), get blamed (management trust customers more than employees), strict policies in non-sense areas, and don't have a personal desk.
    • Recently, I over-heard rumors from management saying that our department will shrink. Limited budget. Might lay off people in the next 6 months to 1 year.
    • I've been working here for about 1 year. Should I be looking for opportunties now? I'm still fairly new to the workforce but will it look bad if I resign around the 1 year 3 months point?
    • I still work hard at my current job. But, less motivated as each day passes by. Manager can tell but I don't want a bad reference. Don't know how to stay motivated?
    • Any advice/suggestions/comments for me will be accepted. I have about 19 months of experience in total (a mix of contract positions + current job)
    • Thanks


    Look for a new job. You are clearly crying out for help and rightfully so.

    My brother you need to find a new job, plain and simple. Even if you have to start at the help desk again.
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    flash23flash23 Member Posts: 24 ■□□□□□□□□□
    LOL I used to work tier 1 tech support for a well known telco company easily the most stressful I ever had it seems like all they cared about was performance and the customers were the worst. The thing about these jobs is that you feel like a number not an employee luckily I got a way better job
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    LoMoLoMo Banned Posts: 84 ■■□□□□□□□□
    Start hunting for something better.
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    VAHokie56VAHokie56 Member Posts: 783
    ugh that reminds me of my first IT job doing help desk for an ISP. When I look back at it and think how poorly it was managed it makes me cringe. All that said , it was a stepping stone to where I am today icon_cool.gif
    .ιlι..ιlι.
    CISCO
    "A flute without holes, is not a flute. A donut without a hole, is a Danish" - Ty Webb
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