How do I get a better, more engaging job?

heretoday · December 2013

I strongly dislike my job. I'm working as a contractor for a company to complete a company-wide Network upgrade. Because of reasons I am unaware of, the project has been slowing down recently, so the company has been having us work the help desk because of lack of work. We aren't actually trained for the help desk and we're supporting proprietary software and industry-specific hardware - stuff I'll probably never see again in life unless I work at the same or a very similar company within the same industry.

I'm sure if I committed to learning their help desk I'd be able to work at this company indefinitely. However, I honestly have no desire to. I don't enjoy working their help desk. I was hired to work on completing the network project - that is how I'd rather spend my time. As of now I'm bored out of my mind there because of lack of work (both for the project and because of the limit of the amount of tickets I can work on/close, combined w/ the fact that other contractors in my similar position snipe the easy tickets), and also dislike the work environment there. It's not a bad work environment per se.. it's just extremely dry. And boring.

How does one get a job where you can apply some of the skills learned in certs? I would love to work w/ servers and/or Cisco in a junior admin position or even a NOC/MSP/Datacenter. I'd love to get a more server/networking centric position rather than supporting proprietary soft/hardware where the skills wouldn't carry over to subsequent jobs.
I understand that companies are businesses and that the IT dept is supposed to support their business functions. But how could one find jobs more server/networking centric - or at least where I'm supporting Windows itself instead of some random in-house application the company uses with known glitches and bugs that simply haven't been sorted out yet due to time and monetary constraints?

When interviewing, or even during 1st contact, how do I gauge a company's work atmosphere and the extent of exposure and experience a job will provide to me? I didn't think my role would be like this when talking to the recruiter or even after my face-to-face interview at the company. I was excited because I thought I'd be getting valuable networking experience - not wasting away at my desk everyday.

And how do I even land one of those jobs when I'm lacking the skills/certs/experience? I'm specifically looking for a job where I can learn all these technologies. I feel like reading books and attempting to lab on my own will only get me so far..

CodeBlox · December 2013

I started on the helpdesk with my current employer and am now doing admin work and majority of it is Cisco or network in general related. For me it was always chatting with the Sr. Network guy about things and taking on some of his task (We are a small shop). I went the extra mile on tickets that would ordinarily be escalated and I'd seek advice from the engineers instead of just passing it along.

heretoday · December 2013

Unfortunately, there's no one like that in the company I'm at right now. They'd all be outsourced and/or contracted on a temp basis.

devils_haircut · December 2013

This sounds exactly like what I'm doing right now. I was hired on to do desktop support for a large company. They wanted certs, 2-3 years experience doing desktop support (which I don't have), experience with a ticketing system, and so on. They have us replacing old computers with new ones. There is no technical skill needed for this job, and you can tell by the general lack of IT knowledge in the group I work with. There are a few techs that are pretty sharp, but generally inexperienced. I feel like I was lied to. They just offered to extend the contract with me for up to a year, and only a handful of people were offered that opportunity. But I'm pursuing other jobs, and already have an interview lined up for a much more technical position.

Not trying to derail or anything. I'm in the same boat as you, and I chose to cut and run. I have the benefit of living in a large metropolitan area with plenty of other IT jobs and companies to move into, and that's the choice I made.

tprice5 · December 2013

No job you find will ever line up 1 to 1 with the job description but most of the time it will be in the general ball park. That is to say that your current situation is not a good indicator of how things truly are. Just find job listings that interest you and apply for them.

Shdwmage · December 2013

tprice5 wrote: »

No job you find will ever line up 1 to 1 with the job description but most of the time it will be in the general ball park. That is to say that your current situation is not a good indicator of how things truly are. Just find job listings that interest you and apply for them.

I couldn't have said this better myself.

LarryDaMan · December 2013

The biggest and maybe hardest thing to do is to look at a potential position with a different mindset. Compensation is usually all anyone wants to concentrate on; but studies have shown that compensation is not the most important factor in terms of job satisfaction. Are the people and the company compatible for you? Will you enjoy doing the day-to-day tasks? Is there room for growth? Opportunity to learn? Will you have the right amount of responsibility? Is the new position a step-up in these areas or just a lateral move?

I follow this guy Lou Adler on LinkedIn and he has some excellent articles about interviews/prospective employers/hiring/firing/job satisfaction.

Here is one that relates:

https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20131111062210-15454-why-working-in-zone-1-is-inspiring

the_Grinch · December 2013

The first thing I will say is do not go work for an MSP you'll hate it. While we had specialized people at the MSP I worked at, if the crap was hitting the fan they'd grab whoever and get them on it. Also, you will support specialized applications you know nothing about and will never see again on the outside. Thus if you don't like doing that, just skip the MSPs.

You should know that any form of troubleshooting is helpful with every other form. While true it might not transfer completely, the fundamentals are always the same. In IT everyone is support and a troubleshooter. A big wig comes up to you and only knows you're in the IT department. He/she doesn't care that you're actually the server guy or network guy or security guy. The other thing is, when you don't know something it forces you to research and learn. Those are skills that will serve you in any position that you have in your IT career. At my MSP, I was the only guy on night shift and they carried a ticket over from the day time to me. No notes, no contact number, and I had not clue about the storage device. I had to call the data center to get them to plug in the console cable and then phone up HP.

The support tech there couldn't figure out why I couldn't console in, so I Googled while on hold and found an obscure website on the 10th page of the results. Made the needed changes and bam I was in. Tech came back on about to say he'd have to escalate when I told him I was in and he asked what I did. Then all his commands were incorrect and again this website had the right ones so I start typing and reading results to him.

I give these words of "wisdom" (if you can consider them that) after years of thinking along your lines. My first job, I was told I'd only work on their new ERP system and not do any support work. Two weeks after I started, I fixed something for the VP of Operations while he was waiting for their MSP and he got rid of the MSP leaving it all to me. I quit a few months later, but that set the mind frame that in IT you go above and beyond all the time. At each job I got progressively better at looking into things that perhaps were beyond what I should be doing or were able to do. And what did that get me? A. A lot of respect. B. Increased my skills 10 fold C. When I was actually stuck, no one questioned what I said (because I was the guy who only said it when it was true).

For now, hunker down and be on the look out for a company that at the very least has a department where you'd like to end up. Then as others suggested, take those tickets and push yourself...you'll go far with that method.

LarryDaMan · December 2013

the_Grinch wrote: »

...but that set the mind frame that in IT you go above and beyond all the time. At each job I got progressively better at looking into things that perhaps were beyond what I should be doing or were able to do.

I get this rah rah advice on the surface and maybe it fits for a junior or generalist position; but this matches the definition of scope creep (continuous growth or uncontrolled changes). Although an individual position is not a project, I don't want my Oracle guy taking time away from databases to help the network team. In terms of career advancement, I don't see how this advice helps either. Not a hot market out there for a guy that is just decent at a lot of different things. Find what you enjoy and be the best at it and don't worry so much about what you shouldn't be doing.

the_Grinch · December 2013

Well, considering that he's at the beginning of his career (as far as I can tell from this post) I tend to believe this would be the best advice. I'm not saying he shouldn't specialize, but when you start the chances of working in a role that serves just one purpose is slim to none. Most people do a year on help desk doing everything before they get the chance to move to the area they'd prefer to work in. I am confused by your statement that you don't see how my advice would help with career advancement. I've moved progressively from desk side support, to engineering, to now a security role. Each move came with more pay, new skills, and improvement in areas where I was lacking. If you read the countless post on this board, most followed a path much like this to where they currently are.

LarryDaMan · December 2013

As I said, maybe the advice was spot on for a junior or generalist. I guess it is just hard to break free when you get pigeon-holed into a jack of all trades role; so, in my opinion it is better to focus on and be great in a specific skills set.

the_Grinch · December 2013

Ah, you definitely make a very valid point there.

heretoday · December 2013

Normally I don't have any problems going over and above to do extra work. I usually also love learning new things. However, I dislike the environment of my current job and don't enjoy the the work. On top of that, there's a general lack of work to even be done; I struggle staying awake during the day and the lethargy carries over even after I leave work, hampering my self-study.

Especially because there is no "Networking Team" or "Server Admins" or anything similar to that, I'm sure the only fix is to work on my resume and start looking.

However, I have very limited experience and only entry-level certs. There's a limit to the amount, type, and scope of jobs I can land. And even in that small pool, I'm not sure exactly what to look for to prevent me from being just as unhappy w/ the next role as I am currently.

Ultimately, I just want a role where I can learn a lot in, and would benefit me moving forward. I'm sure if I could just learn a lot now, the compensation would follow later, so that's not the most important factor to me just yet.

WafflesAndRootbeer · December 2013

I would focus on getting as developing as many skills as you can so you can find something that suits you. A lot of companies no longer employ dedicated staff so "jack of all trades" keeps you employed in today's world of MSPs and contractors.

Orion101 · December 2013

I started working in IT 7 years ago as a technician having only the A+ cert, working for this company every day I was miserable having all these guys with so many certs talking over me, telling me to do this and do that, I also had to be answering phone at times like a receptionist so yea it was hell for me, it got worse when I started doing help desk telling people how to fix their issues on the phone, so many times I planned to just go through the door but I said to my self that if I want a good job in IT I need more certs, so I went on the journey and got my ccna, took some more comptia courses also and got a job as a junior Admin, from that I kept at it and now I'm up to CCIE status. So if you want a job in IT doing what you like you must get more certs and don't stop most of my certs I got the materials online for free and just paid for the exams so its not that hard. make a time table and stick to it each day, give your self a few years to complete them all and in no time it will reward you.

DoubleNNs · December 2013

I'm in the same exact boat.

I see you have your CCENT and are interested in networking/servers. I recommend taking the ICND2, completing your CCNA, then applying.

Your day job might suck the life out of you so that you're less motivated to open a book when you get home, but you need to power thru the lack of short-term motivation and think of the long-term.

Good luck.

heretoday · December 2013

Thank you. I will do my CCNA.

Bryan0530 · December 2013

I think a lot of people are in the same boat... I look at it this way , you have a job, and you're getting a pay check. Use your time wisely and study for school or certs, it will pay off. Allmost everyone has to do entry level work/helpdesk/desktop support to move up, in all career fields. good luck

kohr-ah · December 2013

Yep, I am actually in the same boat and I just got a new job. It wasn't close to anything that I was told it would be but here is how I have been taking it. I updated my resume and kept it online (Never know something better may come along) and I have been HAMMERING the CCNP. I want a better job I need to show I can get it.

During downtime I study anything I can touch here. They have an F5 load balancer I asked for access to just see it. How does it work. What is the product documentation on it etc.

Nexus 5 in the basement I asked the same thing. Can I have entry level access to see the commands, how it works, got documentation, etc.

If something better comes along that looks like it is what I been dreaming of. I am going to go for it until then like Bryan0530 says I am getting paid well to be here and study.

Keep going with your CCNA then look for the job you are wanting to be in and make sure when you interview to ask questions that way you know it is the job you are looking to get experience in.

If it takes you a bit after you finish your CCNA, dont stop. Keep studying and better yourself.

How do I get a better, more engaging job?

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