Work is just so messed up

[NoBanStan]

I take about 40 calls aday.  It is amazing we support about 22,000 people and it seems like it is the same 500 people that keep calling over and over. 

 

Sometimes I look at previous tickets and the same person has called in the last 10 times to have their password reset or unlocked.

 

Last night, a co worker had an IT person at home that didn't know how to connect to his own wifi.  I have had the same call many times.   

 

If I were you, I would run some reports from your ticket system, figure out what those call drivers are and then propose ways to mitigate them. If you discover that 100 people call for password resets a month.. propose using a self service tool like Quest (Dell) Password manager, so the users can reset their own password securely. Of course, that all depends on your environment, your level of access, security, etc. but if you have the capacity to do stuff like that... I would.

 

You can't automate them all, but you can try :)

[NoBanStan]

I was told that there was a "study" that showed that if you didn't change employers every two years, (average), then you miss out of 25% of the income potential during your worklife. I'm finding out that that's VERY true - seeing what lesser capable people are being hired in at where I work. You just have to make sure the grass is really greener on the other side. A friend of mine left where I work to go to work for a competitor at higher pay, but now complains that the insurance and 401k sucks. He is now looking to come back after 1.5 years, and if he succeeds he will be hired back at much more than when he left.

 

I've doubled my income in the last 3 years switching jobs. Yes, literally doubled.

[MacGyver]

One of the first bosses I ever had gave me a piece of advice that I've never forgotten, and have passed on to people who work for me.  It's especially relevant for those of us who work in technical fields.  He told me, "whether you wind up staying here for a few years or your whole career, figure out something that you want to become an expert in and then figure out how to get us to pay for it."  That sounds blunt coming from a manager, but it actually really serves you and your employer really well.  You get to build your expertise, and they get to benefit from having a more informed employee.  If the relationship is healthy, you might stay forever.  But, he recognized that they'd likely get more than their money's worth even if I only stayed for a few years.

 

From your posts, it sounds like you need to figure out something you'd like to be an expert in and figure out a way to get there.  Whether it's certs or school or something else entirely.  Desktop support doesn't have a career path.  There are plenty of folks who start there, but they shouldn't stay there.  Some advance to managing other people.  Some build their expertise in something else and move on - networking, servers, virtualization, security, etc...  But, in most companies, desktop support is seen as a completely commoditized support position.  Recruiting agencies typically have a funnel full of people they can move into a position the day someone walks out the door.  There is exactly zero reason for a big company to even lift a finger to try to accommodate the needs of those employees - because most of them are going to wind up walking out the door anyway.

 

The previous paragraph sounds pretty gloom and doom, but on the flip side, there's never been  more opportunity in the field than there is right now.  I know for a fact that as of this morning there are more that 860 full time tech jobs that are unfilled in middle Tennessee right now.  So, the beauty of the situation is that a person with skills can literally take their pick of positions.

 

Isaac Newton's laws often seem to apply to people, too - namely that an object at rest tends to stay at rest unless acted upon by some outside force.  It seems like you've got some outside forces starting to apply some pressure.  If you were my employee, I'd encourage you to really spend some time thinking about where you'd like to be or what you'd like to do, next.

 

One of my favorite sayings is, "visualize what it looks like to really kick ass; then figure out the next physical action to get your kicking foot in motion."  That one's a close second to my favorite personal motivational saying that, "it feels great to suck less."

 

Good luck.

[E4 No More]

I've doubled my income in the last 3 years switching jobs. Yes, literally doubled.

Actually, I am about to make a move too, and by making this difficult move with my current employer it will open many doors for me in as little as a year. I am interviewing for an outside technical sales position next week. My current role is as an inside technical salesperson. I have been frustrated by having Networking Sales Engineers, (the outside position), coming to me with questions that they shouldn't have when they get paid literally twice the income as I do. By making this move for only a short while it will open doors with resellers/competition that would offer me much more money. The irony at my employer is that in order to get paid what they are offering others hired from the outside you must leave them and come back after a year or two.

[NoBanStan]

One of the first bosses I ever had gave me a piece of advice that I've never forgotten, and have passed on to people who work for me.  It's especially relevant for those of us who work in technical fields.  He told me, "whether you wind up staying here for a few years or your whole career, figure out something that you want to become an expert in and then figure out how to get us to pay for it."  That sounds blunt coming from a manager, but it actually really serves you and your employer really well.  You get to build your expertise, and they get to benefit from having a more informed employee.  If the relationship is healthy, you might stay forever.  But, he recognized that they'd likely get more than their money's worth even if I only stayed for a few years.

 

From your posts, it sounds like you need to figure out something you'd like to be an expert in and figure out a way to get there.  Whether it's certs or school or something else entirely.  Desktop support doesn't have a career path.  There are plenty of folks who start there, but they shouldn't stay there.  Some advance to managing other people.  Some build their expertise in something else and move on - networking, servers, virtualization, security, etc...  But, in most companies, desktop support is seen as a completely commoditized support position.  Recruiting agencies typically have a funnel full of people they can move into a position the day someone walks out the door.  There is exactly zero reason for a big company to even lift a finger to try to accommodate the needs of those employees - because most of them are going to wind up walking out the door anyway.

 

The previous paragraph sounds pretty gloom and doom, but on the flip side, there's never been  more opportunity in the field than there is right now.  I know for a fact that as of this morning there are more that 860 full time tech jobs that are unfilled in middle Tennessee right now.  So, the beauty of the situation is that a person with skills can literally take their pick of positions.

 

Isaac Newton's laws often seem to apply to people, too - namely that an object at rest tends to stay at rest unless acted upon by some outside force.  It seems like you've got some outside forces starting to apply some pressure.  If you were my employee, I'd encourage you to really spend some time thinking about where you'd like to be or what you'd like to do, next.

 

One of my favorite sayings is, "visualize what it looks like to really kick ass; then figure out the next physical action to get your kicking foot in motion."  That one's a close second to my favorite personal motivational saying that, "it feels great to suck less."

 

Good luck.

 

Big thumbs up on this. I was one of the lucky ones who worked in a small shop so I was prompted from a helpdesk guy to an server admin role. That's very uncommon, especially if you work in a large business where they can afford to just hire a guy with the skillset they need. A lot of people in our field still have the mentality that tenure and institutional knowledge will help them climb the ladder. On some occasions that may be true.. but unless you're type of person who helps the business improve, simply doing your job won't be enough to get you a promotion.

 

Personally, I stick with a business until i'm vested. If you're not learning anything new, it's time to go somewhere you will. A stale tech is a worthless tech. It never fails that an IT department always has that guy who knows how to work on the old tech... and that's their job. There's nothing new for them, there's no promotions, no raises... their job is the same and has been the same for 20 years. Then later, that tech is phased out and so are they.

[tnguy]

PC Tech support. 

As said above, it is my choice to continue showing up, they do pay me OK for the area.  But talking with them, feels like talking to a wall.  I have actually ask for a half day off with 3 weeks notice and was told it would an attendance issue.

 

either way I just needed to vent this morning some.    I did look into trying to get my old shift back, told not none but maybe in a month when they reorganize it might open back up.

 

BTW, they did ask me if I would stay on the late shift if they let me work from home.  I have and can work from home but in that job I really don't like working from home so I don't see that as a benefit.  (I live very close to work).  

 

In short, I want to stay with the same company, just need to look for other positions outside of my current job.  They have opening from time to time. 

 

Regardless of the pay, that job sounds like an accident waiting to happen. One flat tire and you have black marks against you. I'm not sure I would be happy to keep working under that kind of implied pressure.

[tnguy]

I had been working at the same job doing IT for over 14 years and amassed a nice set of benefits myself. Mostly in the form of 4+ weeks of vacation. A new job opportunity presented itself a few months ago, and I thought, "Why not, let me take a look." Turns out the (non-vacation) benefits were much better and the job was a lot less stressful. Someone told me to ask if vacation was negotiable, so I did, and it turns out it was and they gave me 4 weeks without even flinching. I talked that story around to my circle of IT friends, and they all said that is a very common practice these days in the IT world.

 

Man, good for you. I tried that but got told vacation was a status thing. I'd jump ship in a minute for another two weeks even if it involved a significant pay cut (I actually tried to get them to effectively make it unpaid vacation). I suspect if you already have it, it's easier to get it again.

 

One thing that helps is that we moved to PTO which, since I rarely get sick, means extra days. I also managed to wrangle a work-from-home day which really breaks up the monotony of the commute.

Edited January 30, 2015 by tnguy

[justinjr21]

All of these reasons above are the reason on why I am working where I am at now. I have almost an hour drive to Franklin every day but I get to do QA's, ETL work and even some tech sales parts. I am treating this job as expanding my experience into areas that I did not want to work in before. A year ago you could not of got me into a software company but now that I am I am learning more and even though I have not got a raise since I have started (over 6 months) I am still willing to stay for the time to get more experience doing IT stuff that I am not used to doing. It is kinda amazing that I am now being asked to do things that even the VP of the company won't do. This hopefully will make a mark and I will stay there if not then I will have the experience that I need to move on and get a bigger and better job.

[MacGyver]

A $10/month subscription to Safari Books Online and $10/paycheck towards taking an exam every year is one less pizza a month towards a better career in less than two years.

If you're a better auditory learner, sign up for some Coursera or EdX courses. They're free. And, some of them are really pretty good. I've taken a couple of Stanford ones that were amazing.

Seriously. Life is way too short to work somewhere where you've got no opportunity.

Update your LinkedIn profile. I hate saying this, because I'm conflicted as to whether they really add any value into the equation. That said, I can't dispute experience with where the market is right now. Truth is, a lot of recruiters sit and troll LinkedIn all day, and that's how the game is being played right now. More than a handful of my grad students have gotten dream job offers a few months into their respective masters program after simply listing their new status online.

Next, establish a relationship with a recruiter or two. Wash your hands afterwards, but get to know a few good ones. They don't get paid unless they find you something. You, being currently employed will suddenly find yourself in a position of strength. "This candidate is currently working somewhere else, so we'd have to incentivize him to leave. He's indicated matching his current 4 weeks of vacation..." sounds different when they say it. And, as someone with a job, fair or not, you'll generally float to the top of the stack.

Finally, look out past the breakers for your next opportunity. You never see a pro surfer paddling to catch little whitewater trash. Nope. They're always paddling towards the horizon for something you can't even see yet. Just because you've got a job now doesn't mean you shouldn't be looking for a better one. Your company has shown through their behavior that they don't owe you anything. May as well return their favor.

[JohnC]

A lot of good advice here.

 

So let me as a specific question.

 

What do you recommend someone with a masters degree in information systems and a minor in business administration do that wants to get in to web design but did not intern in their college years (has after graduation though) and lacks real work experience in the field? 

 

That'd be my wife fwiw... She is studying on on every language folks are asking for in interviews to be sure she knows her stuff. But it seems no one wants to hire anyone without real experience that needs to learn up a little. She just needs to find a place that will give her a shot, but doesn't seem like anyone is looking for someone that doesn't already have 5+ years exp, etc.   :shrug:

Edited January 31, 2015 by JohnC

[btq96r]

The conference table at the Chamber of Commerce would be raised by about 6" if they read this thread.  The very woes discussed are what their "pro growth" policies were all about about.  Advantage, employers.

[vontar]

If I were you, I would run some reports from your ticket system, figure out what those call drivers are and then propose ways to mitigate them. If you discover that 100 people call for password resets a month.. propose using a self service tool like Quest (Dell) Password manager, so the users can reset their own password securely. Of course, that all depends on your environment, your level of access, security, etc. but if you have the capacity to do stuff like that... I would.

 

You can't automate them all, but you can try :)

Reports are run very often.  It is well known what the call drivers are at time.  However at my company is a contractor to the one we support, they provide the date.  There are self management tools out there,  However most of the end users call for help with the simple self help systems including password resets that they have full ability to do.  System is easy to find from their home page as well.  Even if they can't get passed the log on screen there is even a password reset option there as well.

 

Regardless of the pay, that job sounds like an accident waiting to happen. One flat tire and you have black marks against you. I'm not sure I would be happy to keep working under that kind of implied pressure.

They actually seem to just hold attendance as an idle threat.  Some people seem to miss a day at week or late twice a week with nothing ever said.  Over 10 years I have only seen I believe 2 people ever let go for not showing up. 

I often joke it seems like a job were showing up is an option.  

 

I do have 4 weeks vacation as it is as well.   Benefits and a very short drive to work has probably been what's kept me there.  I have been talking with HR about trying to find something outside of the direct support role.  Plus we have several new contracts that should be on-boarding this summer/fall.