Feel maybe Im just not cut out for IT?

Today I been lookin back at my self and now Right now I have a pretty sweet job as an IT Field Tech working for the state government. I love it and love my end users but if I was laid off suddenly i think i would leave. Mostly because of the hours that demand my time. I have a sweet 8am to 5pm schedule weekends off holidays off and no on call. I just hate the hours so much that if it wasnt for this job I probably wont have a life in the private sector and change careers to something better. I orginally wanted to go into web development because I do like designing websites but not if such a job will take over my life. I thou instead of going into teaching because it seems most careers nowadays just require long hours and are not 8-5. Well i do like tech, but i want a 8-5 job im lucky but I always wonder or have doubt if i picked the wrong career.

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BGraves

cool story bro

xnx

LOL - do you want free money?

Armymanis1

Dude most jobs are long hours or 8-5 thats the world we live in. Be happy you have a job. I want to work but need to finish my degree. no one wants to hire someone who wants to work 8am-4pm. Be flexible. Social lives arn't everything.

VAHokie56

to be clear ... your current job is outside the 8am to 5pm range and you don't like this?

tkerber

Bchen22 wrote: »

Today I been lookin back at my self and now Right now I have a pretty sweet job as an IT Field Tech working for the state government. I love it and love my end users but if I was laid off suddenly i think i would leave. Mostly because of the hours that demand my time. I have a sweet 8am to 5pm schedule weekends off holidays off and no on call. I just hate the hours so much that if it wasnt for this job I probably wont have a life in the private sector and change careers to something better. I orginally wanted to go into web development because I do like designing websites but not if such a job will take over my life. I thou instead of going into teaching because it seems most careers nowadays just require long hours and are not 8-5. Well i do like tech, but i want a 8-5 job im lucky but I always wonder or have doubt if i picked the wrong career.

Bchen22, please specify what exactly it is you're trying to ask or tell?? Your 4th sentence states you work an 8AM - 5PM job with weekends off, holidays off, and no on-call. Your last sentence states that you want an 8-5 job, which you already have??

Most confusing thing I've read all day.

bermovick

That's what I was wondering too! He says he hates the hours, but then says he wants the hours he currently has. Very confusing.

[EDIT]
Oh! I think he said if he was laid off he'd leave IT cause he doubts he could find another job with those hours.

markulous

fredrikjj

BGraves wrote: »

cool story bro

xnx wrote: »

LOL - do you want free money?

Look, English is my second language and I understood his point just fine. What I suggest is practicing your reading comprehension instead of insulting people. He likes his current job in the state government, but he's afraid that if he lost that job, he would have to move to the private sector where the working hours seem to be longer.

I recommend taking this adage to heart:

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.

diggitle

fredrikjj wrote: »

Look, English is my second language and I understood his point just fine. What I suggest is practicing your reading comprehension instead of insulting people. He likes his current job in the state government, but he's afraid that if he lost that job, he would have to move to the private sector where the working hours seem to be longer.

I recommend taking this adage to heart:

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.

hahah i prefer the proverbs 17:28 version:
[h=2]"Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding."[/h]

fcp4life

Hell, I was working road construction 6am - 5pm, in a ditch or over hot asphalt!

Verities

Bchen22 wrote: »

Today I been lookin back at my self and now Right now I have a pretty sweet job as an IT Field Tech working for the state government. I love it and love my end users but if I was laid off suddenly i think i would leave. Mostly because of the hours that demand my time. I have a sweet 8am to 5pm schedule weekends off holidays off and no on call. I just hate the hours so much that if it wasnt for this job I probably wont have a life in the private sector and change careers to something better. I orginally wanted to go into web development because I do like designing websites but not if such a job will take over my life. I thou instead of going into teaching because it seems most careers nowadays just require long hours and are not 8-5. Well i do like tech, but i want a 8-5 job im lucky but I always wonder or have doubt if i picked the wrong career.

The more I read your post, the more confused I get.

Are you looking for sympathy or career advice?

Are you venting or just being dramatic?

You say you hate your hours then say you have a sweet schedule. Which one is it?

Have you ever worked in the private sector? How do you know a job change would alter your schedule?

Using "it seems" is like pulling percentages out of you know where....95% of all jobs have a 8 to 5 schedule...see it makes no sense and is unfounded.

I'm really looking forward to hearing answers to these questions from OP.

Heero

OP, I have several family members and friends that are teachers. The hours are NOT easy and they don't make very good money and they are very under-appreciated. The hours for a teacher are not just in class. They need to develop lesson plans, grade work, assist students outside of class, meet with parents (if K-12), etc. Maybe 10-20 years down the line when you have tenure you can sit back and put in the bare minimum effort, but then you would just be another shitty teacher with tenure and the hours would still be full time.

It honestly sounds to me like you just don't want to work. I suggest that you stay with public sector work in that case. It pays the worst, but it tends to be the most laid back and also tends to have reasonable hours.

Bchen22

I like IT you people are thinking wrong
I keep up with the technology and love learning
I been in the field for a while but i was a software engineer making 85k but where I used to work was the private sector and after 4 years I quitted that job and took a drastic pay cut to work in the public sector.
Now I make 50k I worked hard at my previous job and I dont mind hard work but I sure as hell had no life working long hours and being on call and no Im not lazy but I want to now be a 9-5er which is where I am now but as far as advancing I dont think im cut out for anything higher because most positions want me to be on call and work long hours and Im tired of that cuz now that I have a family i wanna come home to them and also my doctor listed me some health issues when i was at my previous job.
So let me explain it
I like Information Technology and I also like being a 9-5er or 8-5er.
Only say I might desire a career change because this job I love and if i lose it I would be hard press to find another job like that I do want work life balance

jibbajabba

Bchen22 wrote:

I have a sweet 8am to 5pm schedule weekends off holidays off and no on call.

Congratulations - this is similar to a lottery win in I.T.

Bchen22 wrote:

I just hate the hours"

Correction - you need a lottery win full stop ...

iBrokeIT

...so you want a higher pay check, less hours and less responsibility... good luck with that.

I don't see how that adds increased value to the business you are supporting.

Bchen22

I dont care about higher pay if anythin Im good with 50k I work hard at the current job Im at but I only say I may not be cut out because many IT jobs are on call and demand super long hours and I just changed my mind about my work situation I want there to be more work life balance and want to work to live not live to work.
My managers says I serve my end users really good and I thank her every day for the job. Because I now stress less have a life and love fixing computers.
I only ask if i should change my career if i lose this job because I no longer like the long hours and being on call 24/7 in the IT Field

TomkoTech

The whole premise of your post is whether or not you should look for a career outside of IT "IF" you were to lose your current job? How the hell is anyone supposed to answer that for you?

For one thing. Are you concerned about losing your job? If so, why? What makes you feel like your job is in danger? Work on fixing those issues so you don't lose it.

For another. There are plenty of IT positions that are 8-5. You don't have to take one that expects long hours. It's called asking questions during the interview process. Usually the job listing will state the expected hours, however you are always free to ask during the phone/initial interview. If they say the hours are outside of what you are looking for, you thank them for their time and move on. No one will force you to take a job that requires 60 hours a week. That is a choice.

Not many people LIKE 24/7 on call. But they do it for the trade offs. Some companies offer extra money for it, others offer extra vacation time. You need to evaluate what is important to you. The field of IT is irrelevant in it. You could work for Target as a cashier and be expected to work 60 hours a week during the holidays, or work at a garden center who expects 55 hours while ramping up for spring

The field doesn't matter. The specific job offers do. Figure that out when the time comes and take the job or not based on that.

Verities

Bchen22 wrote: »

I dont care about higher pay if anythin Im good with 50k I work hard at the current job Im at but I only say I may not be cut out because many IT jobs are on call and demand super long hours and I just changed my mind about my work situation I want there to be more work life balance and want to work to live not live to work.
My managers says I serve my end users really good and I thank her every day for the job. Because I now stress less have a life and love fixing computers.
I only ask if i should change my career if i lose this job because I no longer like the long hours and being on call 24/7 in the IT Field

My head is hurting from this thread, so here's my advice: get out of IT if you lose this job. You either can't handle the territory that comes with the $$ or you're being overworked wherever you go. I'm not able to determine which it is based on your posts.

Try a Myers-Briggs test to see what fields you might be able to transition into based on your personality.

Bchen22

TomkoTech
Thanks a lot your advise helped a lot.
So Ill take your advise and no Im not worried about losing my job because its government and theres more job security here and everyone here is nice even the end users.
I always work hard come on time and go home on time and thats the way I want to keep it.

So I realize in some jobs there will be trades and its not the field but the specific job offer.
I am not worry but in case you never know I want to keep my sanity and health in good condition. So yea work hours are now a big deal for now but yea thank you I hope to stay this company forever. Until I retire

bigdogz

Bchen22,

If you are looking for a teaching job. You may want to think about what you want to teach.
Teaching in IT for New Horizons on Microsoft, Cisco, etc you have to obtain high level certifications and maintain them every 2 or 3 years. You also need to have a decent lab at home.
Teaching for a college would require you to come up with a sylabus and labs which may take some time and the cost may not be worth it unless this is full time.
Teaching in a public school would require you to obtain your masters and although I love kids, dealing with them may be more difficult depending on what school district you decide to teach. YMMV.

Good Luck!!!

stryder144

I realize that my current schedule isn't exactly ideal, but it is pretty decent. I work Sun - Wed, 6a to 4p. I have my nights, I have three full days off, and no on-call. You can find jobs in the private sector that have fairly nice schedules that might take a bit of getting used to. As such, I wouldn't worry too much about it unless you find yourself in a position where you must change jobs and the hours on offer are horrible.

If you worry about the hours that might be available to you in the private sector, start looking at the types of jobs that have the schedule you are used to. Evaluate whether or not you have the necessary education, certification, and experience to get into one of those jobs. If you are lacking in any area, strive to correct those deficiencies. Otherwise, you will have to continue on in IT working less than ideal hours or move into another field where you will probably find yourself needing to get additional training, and with teaching, certifications. Invest now and you won't have as much anxiety in the future.

Cheers