Getting out of IT

Hello all,

Forgot my old login, but I've been a proud member of this site for many years. This site has helped me get MCTS, ACMT, and A+ certified. I started in IT in 2006 and in the past years I've worked as a retail tech, one medium sized business, Microsoft, and two MSPs. I got into IT has a hobby, and it will always be a hobby to me.

A few years ago the fire to keep learning and getting better was fizzled out by a sort of existential crisis that's been on-going ever since. I'm now trying to get out of IT and transition to anything that doesn't make me a glorified plumber like I currently am.

Has anyone here failed or succeeded in getting out of the IT field? Or know anyone who has?

Thank you

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xD Lucas

Why the transition? What are you interested in as a career? You're the first person I've seen that's wanted out of the field.

Bchen2

iamerror wrote: »

Hello all,

Forgot my old login, but I've been a proud member of this site for many years. This site has helped me get MCTS, ACMT, and A+ certified. I started in IT in 2006 and in the past years I've worked as a retail tech, one medium sized business, Microsoft, and two MSPs. I got into IT has a hobby, and it will always be a hobby to me.

A few years ago the fire to keep learning and getting better was fizzled out by a sort of existential crisis that's been on-going ever since. I'm now trying to get out of IT and transition to anything that doesn't make me a glorified plumber like I currently am.

Has anyone here failed or succeeded in getting out of the IT field? Or know anyone who has?

Thank you

Are you sure its the job/career? Not the company or people you work with? Some places are more laid back in IT and not as hectic and even some areas like Business Analyst or Programmer jobs. Im feeling its the company you work for that makes it hell for you

iamerror

Bchen2 wrote: »

Are you sure its the job/career? Not the company or people you work with? Some places are more laid back in IT and not as hectic and even some areas like Business Analyst or Programmer jobs. I'm feeling its the company you work for that makes it hell for you

It's been the last two jobs really. I know the MSP I currently work for is turbo bad; but I really am tired of fixing printers and dealing with stupid users and things breaking. I would probably be fine managing a help desk or something. I just no longer want to be the person who has to fix things. I couldn't care less if your web portal works in "mozzarella firebox" but not in I.E.

Looking to do something creative or something that does good or matters in the least bit.

Bchen2

iamerror wrote: »

It's been the last two jobs really. I know the MSP I currently work for is turbo bad; but I really am tired of fixing printers and dealing with stupid users and things breaking. I would probably be fine managing a help desk or something. I just no longer want to be the person who has to fix things. I couldn't care less if your web portal works in "mozzarella firebox" but not in I.E.

Looking to do something creative or something that does good or matters in the least bit.

Well Im pretty sure there are plenty of routes you can take IT has a lot of options depending on what you are willing to tolerate
If you want to be creative you can try to get into programming ( Web Developing, Software engineering etc)

Desktop Support isnt that bad in my opinion at least where I work at its laid back but MSP are always stressful places to work at. I may like IT but i won't work for a company like that they will decrease my career sastisfaction

N2IT

"mozzarella firebox" but not in I.E.

Pure amazingness

How about you list your top 10 skills in IT and we can work down from there. I owe you for that quote!

EDIT Top 10 skills that apply to work in a reasonable capacity.

f16jetman

I work for a MSP right now and I have considered getting out of IT. Maybe MSP's just suck!

iamerror

f16jetman wrote: »

I work for a MSP right now and I have considered getting out of IT. Maybe MSP's just suck!

Oh man! Don't get me started about MSPs. I'm sure there are some that are ok, but they are the worst of both worlds for techs IMO.

They're great if you want to learn a lot really quick I guess. Overworked and underpaid, you also feel like you have ADHD and get to record every second of your work all day every day.

E Double U

I gave up on IT before, but just when I thought I was out they pull me back in.

f16jetman

I see nothing wrong with getting out of IT. If there is something else that you would enjoy doing and make close to what you do now I would jump at the opportunity. The thing is though IT is so broad that it usually has something for everyone. Just my two cents.

For what it is worth I am looking to leave the MSP after on 5 months, it is making me hate computers and users! lol

snapdad

At times I think I would like to get out of IT as well, but I don't have any other real skills and I don't want to take a massive pay cut.

Blackout

iamerror wrote: »

It's been the last two jobs really. I know the MSP I currently work for is turbo bad; but I really am tired of fixing printers and dealing with stupid users and things breaking. I would probably be fine managing a help desk or something. I just no longer want to be the person who has to fix things. I couldn't care less if your web portal works in "mozzarella firebox" but not in I.E.

Looking to do something creative or something that does good or matters in the least bit.

Im sorry that your burnt out. But this just killed me lol.

Blackout

You never really know what horrors are in IT until you go to TAC. I know what your feeling, but I just keep thinking that there is always something better down the road.

ImThe0ne

I have worked for two MSPs, one at the beginning of my IT career and the second I was at for 3 days, then remembered why I left the last MSP and left that one as well.

I have enjoyed the corporations employment better than MSP employment. MSP is a different beast altogether and is easy to get so irritated and pissed off because it seems utterly pointless.

If you think you still have a hint of drive to remain in IT, I would suggest finding a job that is for a corporation/non-profit/etc where you can find meaning for your career. Typically when the "I really couldn't careless about X" starts, you're burnt out on the people you work for and with and sick of what you are doing in the current position. If you don't, that's great too and I wish you the best of luck!

InfoTech92

I think I'm the only one on these forums that likes working for an MSP, lol.

TheNewITGuy

We all get burnt out I think, but it's the special MSPs out there and the rigorous demands that make it utterly impossible to disconnect from work. I'd like to hear about some transitioning tactics as well.

Bchen2

TheNewITGuy wrote: »

We all get burnt out I think, but it's the special MSPs out there and the rigorous demands that make it utterly impossible to disconnect from work. I'd like to hear about some transitioning tactics as well.

I would suggest the OP to change companies not careers.
Based on what im reading MSPs are not the definition of laid back

ImThe0ne

Bchen2 wrote: »

I would suggest the OP to change companies not careers.
Based on what im reading MSPs are not the definition of laid back

Yep, not laid back. Non-stop "This needed to be down 3 days ago, even though I am just now telling you about it". I know that happens everywhere, but it seems like MSPs live by that rule and thats the only way they know how to get things done. No planning, awful time management, and tracking your hrs used per job and location, etc might as well be another 40hr job you do, but don't get paid for.

N2IT

^^^^ It's what I experienced as well.

gespenstern

Plumbing actually isn't a bad choice, by coincidence I'm not a bad plumber and usually do plumbing at home DIY style and often fix things at my relatives' and friends' homes.

From what I can tell, plumbing isn't going to be outsourced any time soon, neither it goes to the cloud, lol. And arguably the best thing in plumbing, it's not a blazingly fast developing field so you can pretty much use the same basic knowledge about pipes and wrenches for about a century and it doesn't expire every five to ten years.

Also, I can't say that plumbers don't get paid, with enough experience, connections and working for your own corp you can get paid enough to buy a house and invest some bucks for your pension.

And on top of that you can easily find a job in plumbing virtually anywhere, including a small barely accessible town somewhere in Mississippi.

I won't deny, there are some caveats, like it's necessary to deal with literal **** periodically... But it's creative and every other house is a little bit different, every day something new!

I would give it a shot.

Thacker

I complain about MSP's every chance I get on these forums. I literally have hundreds of stories over the 4-5 years I invested in them showing how god awful they are as do all of my tech friends that have worked at others before.

From the owners wife who also did HR and accounting adding time to all of my work sheets in which I had a client stop and question me about one day ("hey... we only spoke for 30 minutes in regards to that issue... do you know why I am getting billed for 1.5 hours?") basically accusing me and losing my trust to work on his equipment because he thought I was the one adding time to make myself look better... no it was the greedy owners wife who didn't like how fast I was getting work done and was adding time so she could bill the clients more....

To the owner of that company would ask us to be in at 7:30... maintain 80% billable time.. then at 5 o clock in the afternoon when the phones finally calmed down he would come out of his office for an end of the day meeting and recap of the billable time that would cover another 45 minutes to an hour (of course he had this position listed as exempt so I wasn't getting overtime)

To the position I accepted last year where two days into it I saw the dispatch person get up from her desk and say she had an emergency and she had to go... she never came back. Four months into that position we still didn't have a dispatch girl so all of the engineers were responsible for answering the phone. 2 hours into a major migration or project and you needed to be focused and the phone rang? Too bad... pick up the phone and then stop EVERYTHING you are doing to fix this new idiots problem and then try to get back in the mindset of finishing the project you were working on. When I told them I didn't have enough time to do help desk and project work I was told "well the phone only rings until about 4-5 in the afternoon so why don't you just get your project work done after hours?"

To not being compensated for using my own laptop, cellphone, equipment, car... mileage...

blah. MSP's are all scum. ALL OF THEM.

echo_time_cat

Mozzarella Firebox <-- this sounds even worse when it's said by a Tech Support Agent, and not even an end user...

LeisureSuitLarry

I got out of IT many years ago, and have just recently been trying to get back in. When I started working in IT in the 90's, it was much more difficult to acquire knowledge on certain things. The internet was not anything like what it is now, and there was no plethora of older cheap enterprise hardware available on eBay. I became very discouraged in the field because every job I got was just another place where I felt stuck and where I couldn't grow in the direction I wanted. I really wanted to learn networks and cisco routers, but I never found a position where I could even touch a router. Books and learning materials were much more expensive in those days as well, if you could even find them. Couple these things with the fact that many of the IT folks I worked with did not have college degrees, and thus saw their knowledge as their only form of job security, so they were not inclined to share it. I didn't have a college degree at the time either, and in retrospect, I should have accomplished that before anything else.

Knowledge flows much more freely now, and it's easier for anyone to learn anything with a little effort. One thing I love about computers and networks is there's always more to learn. In current times, this seems like much more of a positive thing as far as jobs go since that information isn't as closely guarded by a few elite individuals like it once was. I think if I can get back into IT now, I'm more likely to enjoy it as I know I can keep learning, regardless of what kind of people or environment I end up working in. If the environment is toxic and a hindrance to learning, I can just self study and then move to another job.

I don't know for sure how things will go, since I've just started in my efforts to work my way back in. But my hope is that I won't feel trapped under the whip anymore like I did years ago. Yes, there are still many bad companies to work for, I'm sure, but the nobles can't keep the serfs ignorant any longer.

To the OP, I'd say don't get out of the field unless you're absolutely sure you don't want to be in anymore. See if there's some other aspect of IT that interests you and start learning about that.

the_Grinch

It's definitely the MSP environment! The 18 months I worked at one was almost the worst experience in my life. Coworkers were amazing and it kinda felt like a shared hostage experience. I think the biggest thing for me were the tiny clients we would pick up. We'd pick up the ones other MSPs had either gotten rid of or said no to. We'd do a site survey and the engineers would list all the major issues that would have to be overhauled. Client would say no, sales people would say no problem, and then on-board them. They promise the moon and then rip us when we didn't deliver on promises we knew nothing about. We even got to the point where sales people would say "try us out" and we'd have to take calls from potential clients before those who were paying us. The litmus test was a 7 year old pc that was running slow. Never had a defrag run, never had the temp files cleared, and probably had more spyware then anything I had seen previously. So slow that it took me three hours to launch and complete the defrag and clear the temp files. It definitely was running better, but did they sign? Nope service took to long to complete.

I thought about leaving IT, but when I looked at the schooling I would need and the amount of time I would spend making less it just wasn't viable. Leave the MSP and branch out to a position you'd really enjoy. When you're doing something you enjoy it becomes less painful to deal with. You'll still have bad days, but they'll be fewer and further between.

--chris--

iamerror wrote: »

They're great if you want to learn a lot really quick I guess. Overworked and underpaid, you also feel like you have ADHD and get to record every second of your work all day every day.

I work at an MSP now and chuckled out loud at this part. Very true.

paul78

iamerror wrote: »

Has anyone here failed or succeeded in getting out of the IT field? Or know anyone who has?

I assume that anyone that has succeeded in getting out of IT is no longer hanging around these forums.

I do know a few people that have switched - mostly to product management or sales. So it's possible, these were people that worked in industries where their IT skills correlated to the industry that they were supporting. The grass isn't necessarily greener but they wanted to be closer to the business side.

Me personally, I've thought about it. And I even tried it once - but the reality is that I'm good at technology and I enjoy it. What I don't enjoy is the same things regardless of whether I was in sales, business development, or whatever. It really is all the same after a while imho. I guess that's why it's called a job and not play.

TeKniques

OP - I would say you should change your environment first. MSP world isn't for everyone so perhaps start looking at corporate IT, you may find it is better suited for you.

I feel sorry for some of you guys that have experienced a poor MSP environment. I am a Director of Projects at an MSP currently, and I would never work my team the way some of you describe. For example, if my guys are past 40 hours before Friday I give them Friday off without deducting any PTO because that is the right thing to do in my opinion as a boss. However, if there are deadlines or deliverables that need to be met, the team knows this and gets the work done. I have the full support and confidence of the owners to run this division of the company, our project margins and profitability have increased 35% in the past year due to refined processes that are mature and putting the customer experience first ... like I have told my boss (which is one of the owners) time and time again - quality, not quantity will be our biggest asset. My biggest gripe with the MSP model is the "if we can sell it, we're going to sell it". It is without a doubt a recipe for disaster and pissed off customers. I also understand though that the business is about sales, but they have to be smart sales that align with the defined expertise of your personnel. I'm sure some of you at MSPs have gotten a project that was sold that you've never done before wondering "What the heck is this?" ...

The service side of the business is definitely tough, I feel for the guys in those roles. Pretty much on par with what has been said in this thread. Understand though, it is not a career position, but a stepping stone to a more career-like role. Excelling in that role and showing your value goes a long way to moving up. I know there are those impossible MSPs, but there are good ones out there. The best advice I can give you OP - don't give up, there are many career paths in IT and I'm sure there's one out there that you will enjoy.

Lenniusce

Another person here who couldn't hack the MSP longer then 2 years. Way too fast paced and way too much expected for the pay/lack of time off.

pevangel

No offense but why you're still a "glorified plumber" after 9 years in IT is not your employer's fault. I don't know your entire story so I'm giving feedback based on the things you posted. You started 9 years ago in IT. Since then you've gained three entry-level certs and you're still fixing printers. From where I'm sitting it doesn't look like you've really done much to get out of being a "glorified plumber". You should always look at yourself first since that's the only thing you have complete control of.

You no longer want to be the person that fixes printers and deals with users. That's great! What have you done to get out of that role?

UnixGuy

OP you sound exactly like me (except that I've never actually worked in Helpdesk..)

Do something creative after work. That's what I do and it consumes my life. It's awesome.

I still haven't figured things out but I'm close...I'm not sure how viable it is for me to juggle three passions/hobbies (IT, creative thing after work, and another creative thing). To excel at something you need to give it your all but the downside is that you get sick of it or you become emotionally invested (like taking users comments personally...it means you're emotionally/ego invested in what the users have to say...)

I find that having a significant hobby/activity after work to be very important because it helps shifts your brain/mindset. You're no longer an IT guy, you're someone who make a living using IT (or whatever), and you don't derive your self-worth from the job. It took me years to figure this out...but..

MordyIT

I transitioned from Electrical Engineering in 2010. My last job was with a Managed Sweatshop Provider aka Many Stingy People too for almost 3 years so I know the feeling, but I managed (no pun intended) to keep learning, earning a few certs, and GTFO of there after looking for 2 years found something much better.

Since 2006 you haven't obtained anything above Pizzatech certs? If you're in a city with low amounts of techs, I'd sign up on one of the many IT contracting platforms. There's many pizzatechs there that get jobs as a hobby. You can skip the fix printer stuff, most of the work are setups and part swaps.

IMO Plumbing is a very respectable, well paying job, ask Joe. It's much more respectable than break/fix IT desktop support so good luck on the plumbing career -be proud of it.