IT Career advice on a service desk... Should I quit?

solado

solado

solado

Associate
Joined
23 Dec 2010
Posts
276
Location
Uk
I wanted to get back into IT for some time. I worked as a computer technician for a small firm from 2007-2012 while doing my college courses and Cisco. I loved the physically taking apart machines, running network cable and installing hardware for businesses. I wasn't exactly amazing at it but I knew enough to get me by and comfortable in doing so.

I had a period of health problems that caused me to leave IT and I worked basically administration jobs in offices. Nothing IT related just pushing paper and spreadsheets, in my free time I tinkered and dabbled with networks, computers and thing as a hobby. Due to being out the IT loop for a while I had to start at the bottom as no where would entertain me.

I just started a job on an IT service desk for the NHS (4 weeks ago) and iv'e never hated a job so much in my entire life. I feel chained to the desk with a call logging screen at the front of the room where everything is timed. (breaks, toilet, call length, admin time etc.) The training is none existent you're basically expected to know how every clinical system works and the documentation on how to fix certain problems is poor to non existent. By the time you fix it and go to write notes the phones off again.

Users are rude and demanding - I live life by be polite and it will be returned but this just isn't the case. Staff are stressed and when I ask for help as I am still new with some areas people sign or just give very short answers which doesn't actually help.

The "service desk" also processes other departments such as the clinical systems and mobile devices. Users want their IPADs configured (fine) but when they want to collect it you spend 20 minutes looking for someone from the mobile devices team only to find they're no where to be found.

The tier 2 & tier 3 guys are always first to comment when tickets are raised incorrectly and super picky about minor details. Yet these guys leave off contact information for staff, leave off departments and other critical information and it's not a problem or ever mentioned.

I was called into my managers office because I left work at 5:05 when I was scheduled to finish at 5:00 and it was commented that "I didn't look dedicated enough to impress tier 2". My manager comes into the service desk office and shouts about how "poor quality work" is happening even though she doesn't know the process herself or any technical knowledge.
She has openly shouted at people on the service desk for things which aren't even falling into the criteria of their job or doesn't have the decency to take them out the office for a quiet word.

I don't know if this is just my experience of a service desk in the NHS but I feel like I should simply quit this job and go back into some low stress line of work while learning Cisco / Networking in my free time. Sit my CCNA routine and switching and try leap frog over the service desk route? Has anyone managed to leap frog over the service desk because I know many recommend that this is the "entry" to IT but I just can't stand it.
 
DomBruv said:
Why would you even want to work for the NHS, they don't know what organisation means in any area of there doings.
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It was the first job that came up for IT in the are that gave me an interview.

Clinical side of work they're exceptional.
Administration or logistics it's in tatters.
 
I am the manager of the IT Service Desk in a large Healthcare trust and your scenario just sounds horrible. I have made it my mission to eliminate any them and us attitude among ALL of IT and I have pushed to remove most of the boundaries of 1st and 2nd line responsibilities. So our 1st line guys will regularly rotate on a temporary basis to 2nd line (or even 3rd line) teams. This way everyone gains familiarity with how other teams work, and with their colleagues.

We also take the opinion that as long as the work is getting done don't treat people like little kids. Everyone works hard for each other and contrary to what others in this thread say, the NHS can be a great place to work.

It makes for a much friendlier and easy going department.
 
I feel for you. My advice would be stay, at least for a year as it's good for the CV. Study hard. Use your weekends to study. Still go out partying but maybe 3/4 weekends is study.

Your be on the move sooner than you think.

It's easier to get a job in IT, when you work in IT. If you leave you might find another but it's easier to move up when your already on the inside.

Plus it doesn't look good on a CV when you keep job hopping.

It will get easier. Your learn the systems and protocol. Just do what they say to stay in their good books.

I would say as soon as you pass your CCNA, start applying for junior roles whilst working current job. You might find your be able to move on sooner.
 
Yeah, doesn't sound lovely or at all professional.

Instead of Service Desk you could look at entry level positions at schools etc, they're quite good for learning the curve in a slightly less hectic environment.
 
Yeah mate find a new job

I've worked for the best diesel tuning company in Europe... we built the fastest diesel cars you'll ever.

I then worked self employed doing something called Aquascaping

then I was a driver for a Merc delivering cars



Now i work in IT and I definitely prefer this over my other jobs but I guess it's personal opinion :)

My point is, don't give up on IT just cause you unluckily found the worse IT job in the UK by the sounds of it xD

Good luck buddy
 
Don't quit - but don't stop searching for something better.

Experience is experience - even if it is of how to deal with being managed by bossy technical dinosaurs with a power trip.

I had to suffer it for a number of years before a better opportunity came up. :(
 
Yeah, stick it out, even 6 months will be good enough to pick up enough info and find a new job at the same time. See it as a necessary evil - if you know it's for the short term you can try your best to not let things get to you... after all, you have a plan and you can flip the bird on your way out soon enough! You also then don't need to give a **** about impressing Tier 2 :)

It'll give you something to talk about during your next interview - "it was really tough working with such poor systems/documentation but I stuck it out and had to learn by myself" etc... that's far better than "I gave up after 4 weeks because it was a mess" - the former shows so many of the qualities that any role demands.

I know it's easier said than done but one day you'll be able to look back and think about how **** it was :)
 
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Well I am back after another week in the job. My shifts have been altered so I am working late half of this week and half early the rest so I am prepping my body to be out of whack.

Since last week the following has happened:

  • One of the contractors threatened to beat someone up over a disagreement in training me, he threatened that he was going to basically beat the hell out of him when his contract ends.
  • My manager came in and shouted at everyone over a toner, basically someone forgot to mention a minor detail in order a toner to a department and this was enough to cause her to come in and shout at everyone like school children.
  • The tier 3 team basically told me to F&@K off after I told them there was a problem with one of the GP surgeries and needed an update on the server status. Turns out the tier 3 wasn't aware of this and took his frustrations out on me.
  • The mobile devices team have not been calling staff for IPADs and the workloads out of control so we have staff shouting at us as 1st line demanding IPADS configured when we can't do anything but pass messages on.
  • I was told that I was too white to work in IT, not even as a joke but called a white monkey.
  • Had multiple phones slammed on me by Doctors / consultants / nurses and administration staff because I can't fix their problem "right now" because my boss is shouting at me spending >10 minutes on a call.
  • I had tier 3 rush into the office behind me and asking if I was ok because I was on a call 15 minutes configuring network printers at a GP surgery but my boss was monitoring call times remotely and complained that people were taking too long per call.
  • I had to stay behind an extra 20 minutes due to a problem call and I wasn't allowed to claim this time back...
I really am tempted to go back to basic office administration because I am getting borderline depressed.
 
I'm going against the general consensus here and say leave this toxic environment. No job is worth staying if it's to the detriment of your mental well-being. Things won't improve as it sounds like the place is just badly mismanaged, so it'll be the same crap but different day.

Unless your current financial situation is dire or you have other significant commitments, I would be out of there pronto.
 
Yeah I once was in a company that merged, I stayed in that merge for two weeks, it was just horrible.

If it's that bad, and quite frankly the way you describe it, it doesn't sound lovely, then defo look elsewhere.

Honestly, look for another IT roll, be it a different service desk, a school, or something larger.
 
solado said:
Well I am back after another week in the job. My shifts have been altered so I am working late half of this week and half early the rest so I am prepping my body to be out of whack.

Since last week the following has happened:

  • One of the contractors threatened to beat someone up over a disagreement in training me, he threatened that he was going to basically beat the hell out of him when his contract ends.
  • My manager came in and shouted at everyone over a toner, basically someone forgot to mention a minor detail in order a toner to a department and this was enough to cause her to come in and shout at everyone like school children.
  • The tier 3 team basically told me to F&@K off after I told them there was a problem with one of the GP surgeries and needed an update on the server status. Turns out the tier 3 wasn't aware of this and took his frustrations out on me.
  • The mobile devices team have not been calling staff for IPADs and the workloads out of control so we have staff shouting at us as 1st line demanding IPADS configured when we can't do anything but pass messages on.
  • I was told that I was too white to work in IT, not even as a joke but called a white monkey.
  • Had multiple phones slammed on me by Doctors / consultants / nurses and administration staff because I can't fix their problem "right now" because my boss is shouting at me spending >10 minutes on a call.
  • I had tier 3 rush into the office behind me and asking if I was ok because I was on a call 15 minutes configuring network printers at a GP surgery but my boss was monitoring call times remotely and complained that people were taking too long per call.
  • I had to stay behind an extra 20 minutes due to a problem call and I wasn't allowed to claim this time back...
I really am tempted to go back to basic office administration because I am getting borderline depressed.
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That sounds disproportionately bad. Like every one is super stressed and taking it out on everyone else.

If you do leave, how confident are you of finding another role in IT?

If you do decide you cant take this job any more tho, I'd say dont just quit. Start getting your CV out there and going to interviews whilst employed here. Use leave and or doctors/dentist excuses to go on interviews.
 
opethdisciple said:
That sounds disproportionately bad. Like every one is super stressed and taking it out on everyone else.

If you do leave, how confident are you of finding another role in IT?

If you do decide you cant take this job any more tho, I'd say dont just quit. Start getting your CV out there and going to interviews whilst employed here. Use leave and or doctors/dentist excuses to go on interviews.
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If I walk out of this job where I live IT jobs are pretty rare. They do come up as there was a tier 2 engineer at a local school but i'd need to step into a basic office job until another opportunity came out.
 
solado said:
If I walk out of this job where I live IT jobs are pretty rare. They do come up as there was a tier 2 engineer at a local school but i'd need to step into a basic office job until another opportunity came out.
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Stay where you are. Study then move on. Money and a stable job is important. Also easier to move on when in an IT role than coming from the outside. You wont be there for long.

It sounds like where you live there isn't that many IT jobs. What makes you think if you passed your CCNA you'd have better luck?
 
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