Struggling with new job [long rant/advice?]

Smeghead

Smeghead

Smeghead

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6 Mar 2010
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I'm sorry for this humongous wall of boring text.



> >BACKGROUND

I'm fairly decent with computers, and do enjoy the hardware/setup aspect of it. I've built my own PCs, set them all up, rooted my Android phone and all that jazz and I'm basically the IT guy in my family, all of which is completely normal and unimpressive on these forums, but I guess you could say I am above average with computers and tech.

For the past 5 years or so, I've worked in a warehouse for a pretty big company. I was doing physical stuff (packing) at first, but then after about 2 years, I was on the computers myself, using the warehouse software to prepare jobs for the packers and other tasks. Over those years, I did pick up a bit of knowledge/experience of what to do when problems arise within my department, and I could use the software on what I deem to be a "surface" level, i.e. I could press the buttons I needed to press to do what I needed to do, and didn't bother with anything else. It's a pretty complex program with tens (maybe hundreds?) of popup windows and sub screens within screens which frankly I didn't need to know about to do my job. Truth be told, it was a bit of a braindead job, and there was no progression left for me at that job.

Being quite "techy", I did do things which made me stand out a bit to the managers. When we were given Excel reports, I would tinker with them. Things like conditional highlighting with formulas and stuff, a tiny bit of VBA (which mainly involved going on Excel forums and asking people how I would do what I wanted to do, because coding has been and continues to be of little interest to me).



> >THE PRESENT

So with my experience within the warehouse, having used the warehouse software for a few years, coupled with the tinkering, I was asked to apply for a proper IT role in the company, to help set up a brand new warehouse software which will be replacing the current one in the coming 2 years or so, which I got.

However, I'm now 2 weeks into it, and even though it's a really short amount of time, every day is a real struggle to keep up, and it's getting a bit overwhelming. I'm constantly hearing acronyms and terms in the office being tossed around casually which have absolutely no meaning to me. I'm looking at the helpdesk portal, and 95% of the requests I don't know how to help. While some are from the warehouse, they're from people in different departments who use screens which I've never used or have little experience with. Certainly not enough to confidently alter without knowing if it'll have an affect on something else. And then there's all the other requests from non-warehouse people (offices and stuff) who have problem with report X or report Y, which I don't know what to do about.

Now if my sole responsibility was to focus on the new system, get to grips with the hefty documentation for that system, then I might have a better feeling. But I've been told that I'm expected, in addition to help configure the new system, to eventually help provide support for the old system simultaneously. That means I basically have to get up to speed with both systems at a level that I can provide in depth support for them.

Of course with any new role there's going to be a transition period, I know that. But the biggest thing working against me here is time. My supervisor has as much as said to me I'm in a difficult position, and they'd rather have had me in that role a month or so earlier. This is a big company with already-established ways of doing things. It feels like the only way I'm going to be able to learn what all the acronyms means, and how to fix all the various issues is by having someone mentor me a lot, or by me constantly asking people "how would you fix this", but of course everyone else is busy too.

My impression is that my abilities and experience are being massively overestimated. I pressed a few buttons day-in day-out at my old job and built a few PCs in my spare time. I'm working with people who have been in the company for, in some cases, decades, or have proper IT backgrounds with at least a few years of helpdesk experience and configuring servers and how to find errors using SQL databases and stuff (which is another thing he said he wants me to learn (SQL), but as I mentioned before, coding is not a strong point). It feels like my arms and legs have been chopped off, I've been thrown into the ocean and been told to swim back to shore.

To be honest, I really enjoy creative things far more than this sort of stuff. Photography, image/photo editing, video editing, these are things which would be dream jobs for me, but I've only pursued them on a hobby level, and I know they can be very difficult to get a steady career out of, with IT seeming a far safer option to build a career. I'm 26, and it feels like I should have laid the foundation for my career long ago, but I'm as unsure as ever now.

I know I'm being a whiny little girl, but I'm also wondering if I should have a serious talk with my supervisor and nip this in the bud, for their sake as well as mine, as I just don't feel like I'm ready for this.
 
So what is it you actually want to do?

It sounds to me like you've landed into this job with probably not realising what is actually involved. Was there an official job spec for this role? Did you have to interview for the role? Sometimes the problems with internal roles is that you can transition across roles without actually realising what's involved with them.

Do you not have access to any training? Have they paired you up with someone else who already does your role? At the end of the day you're going to need to learn how to do regular tasks in one way or another.
 
There's a difference between tinkering with a home PC than actually working in an IT environment day in day out.

Did you over sell yourself in the interview? from experience always be as honest as you can. Have a chat to your Supervisor and explain you need guidance and possible training. If it's a good company they would offer to help.

You've probably done them a favour taking the role, saves them advertising and paying the going rate for someone more experienced.
 
Who installed the existing system? What is it? Sage L500, 200, 1000, SAP? Is there a maintenance contract on it?
Who looks after the general IT? Can they help?
 
Most proper jobs are like that. Very little hand holding. You sink or you swim. While large established companies have 'training programs' to induct new employees, the reality is that it's usually run by the project admins or HR flunkies with no interest to do a decent job.

My 2nd job in NZ involved working for one of the largest financial and insurance companies in the world. I had 4 interviews, contract issued, told to report to admin on a certain day/time. I was picked up by the team admin support. Taken to my desk where my car keys, phone and laptop waited for me, all set up already. She practically ran me through the office introducing me to 50+ people. Made a vague promise about 'some IT and systems training some time' and disappeared. My manager dropped by, made some small talk and dropped a stack of work on my desk and also disappeared with a promise to meet up later in the week. And that place ran on acronyms and shorthand speak. IT systems were indecipherable and nobody really had time to hold your hand. Lots of new starters around my time just didn't come back in or silently disappeared after a few weeks., as if taken to the basement and shot :p

I learned to swim and very fast so. Now I run my own place contracting to said company and invent new acronyms myself.

I know it's all new and strange to you. But just hang in there. Google the acronyms and terms you don't understand. Study at home on your own time. Don't give up when someone opened a door for you but you're finding it hard going.
 
regulus said:
Most proper jobs are like that. Very little hand holding. You sink or you swim. While large established companies have 'training programs' to induct new employees, the reality is that it's usually run by the project admins or HR flunkies with no interest to do a decent job.
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this, quite standard in application support really... including the lack of documentation.




@OP: Do have a go at trying to solve things for yourself - do you not have test environments you can use to try stuff out in etc...?

Do ask questions, ask for help.... however make sure you take notes, don't ask someone to help with something you've already asked about previously and were too lazy to pay attention/take notes. Ideally do have a go at figuring out at least part of the problem - don't approach someone simply asking how to do X... do approach them saying "I'm attempting to do X so far I've done Y I think I need to do Z too though this is where I get stuck". Or if you think you've got a solution to some configuration issue either set it up first in test or run it past an experienced team member - they're going to be much more happy looking over something you've put the effort into than they will be if you expect them to hold your hand the entire time.



Basically, switch on, learn all you can, don't portray yourself as an idiot by asking for help when you've not attempted anything yourself or asking the same thing twice, take lots of notes and try not to pester people too often. If people have useful documents relating to configuration, common issues etc..ask for a copy of them! Competent people won't mind sharing that sort of stuff - they're good because they have good analytical skills... it is incompetent people who get protective over that sort of stuff and you probably don't want to deal with them too much anyway.
 
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I think the fact that I'd been interested in computers, and the fact that I was going no where in my previous role made me jump at the chance to apply for this, but I wouldn't say I oversold myself per say. During the quick chat where my now-supervisor initially asked me to apply for it, I did stress explicitly that I had no proper IT experience which was a concern to me, but he was more bothered about the attitude of the candidate. To be honest, I think I was pretty much the number 1 candidate, whether I was qualified or not. There were only 3 applicants inc me, but it sounds like they're desperate for someone with experience in the actual warehouse. Also he himself was like me and started in the warehouse and worked his way into IT, so there's probably a bit of "sees him in me" thing, expect he's been here for about 15 years.

I'll stick with it, but I'll raise some concern if prompted. Probably not a good idea to lay it on add heavy as my first post though :o
 
It doesn't matter that you've had no proper IT experience... it is domain knowledge that is more important initially in these sorts of roles, especially when it comes to configuration - you need to know that what you're configuring makes sense from a business perspective.

It isn't like some generic IT support bod is going to have any experience of warehouses or this particular bit of warehouse software - they'd be just as lost as you presumably. You've just got to keep cracking on at it, they're probably well aware that it will take a while to get up to speed. It used to take people about a year or so to become vaguely useful at my old place. Don't let it get you stressed, work away at it, take notes and it will start making more sense with time.
 
Decent advice here.

I myself don't mind explaining something twice or three times to a new starter but after that I start thinking you're either lazy or an idiot. As Dowie said, ask questions but preface that by showing what you've already done to try and solve the issue yourself. Nothing irritates a manager more than someone that takes no initiative themselves before coming to you for a diaper change. At least have a go yourself unless you feel you're about to break something. Although any smart company will keep you well away from that level of responsibility and let you play in the kids pool only. Even if you don't realise that at first.

But it's a great sign that you have a manager that's rooting for you and wants you to succeed. That can be quite rare.
 
Dowie's advice is sound. IT, like many specialist fields, is full of acronyms that you only pick up over time. When you don't understand, ASK AND WRITE IT DOWN. You say you build PC': try and imagine a newbie trying to understand a conversation with CPU, GPU, DDR3/DDR4, SSD, HDD in it.

Bear in mind you have key knowledge the other don't - you have been there and done that when it comes to the day to day activity in the warehouse. That is going to be massively helpful when the new system is set up because you know what will be helpful and what won't.

Two weeks in is practically nothing, I'd be more concerned after 3 or 4 months.
 
give it time and ask for training/ help where required.
I'm 6 months into my job, in the first month i did very little apart from grasp the concept of whats going , few months later doing work on our test systems and now being left fairly to my own devices working on production systems, completing migrations etc etc
in another 6 months no doubt i would have learnt a lot more. after 2 weeks of this role i was still lost. so yeh give it time.
 
Acronyms/abbreviations exist in all industries (cross companies) and in all professions, and in all companies. No one will ever start a new job and know every new one from day one.

I remember starting a job and trying to work out what BSE was, I kept seeing it listed but couldn't work out what the hell it was. Turns out it was Bury St Edmunds, the job I was doing just happened to be based in Bury St Edmunds, maybe I missed the obvious clue. I worked there about 6 years and over those 6 years many people asked what BSE was so it wasn't me being an idiot its just sometimes these things click and other times they don't.

Just ask is my advice.
You may think your being silly not knowing, but if you don't know you don't know.
Its far better to ask than pretend you know when you don't

The best company I knew for handling this sort of thing was an insurance company (no longer exist as they were bought out and merged into AXA group). On the day I started at my desk was a book (no word of a lie) containing all the abbreviations and acronyms. Within a day i was still finding ones they hadn't listed.
 
Bare in mind that while it might look like everyone knows way more than you/has all the answers its likely many are only a couple of months on down the line from you.

Might be worth approaching your manager and asking if they have documentation on the system(s) you can read up on to increase overall familiarity.
 
dowie said:
Ideally do have a go at figuring out at least part of the problem - don't approach someone simply asking how to do X... do approach them saying "I'm attempting to do X so far I've done Y I think I need to do Z too though this is where I get stuck". Or if you think you've got a solution to some configuration issue either set it up first in test or run it past an experienced team member - they're going to be much more happy looking over something you've put the effort into than they will be if you expect them to hold your hand the entire time..
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Completely agree with this, you may feel like a spare part in the early weeks but if you can demonstrate some initiative people will be much more receptive rather than you coming across as someone who needs to told how to do every single little thing from start to finish.
As always ask to see any documentation around the systems as if nothing else that gives you a good lead in to asking for help, e.g. "So looking here in the manual it says I can access this screen by clicking the X button, but there is no X button, has the system changed since this was published?"

Regarding acronyms I have similar issues in my job which I've been in for over 18 months, there is always something new comes up. My advice (which sadly I don't heed myself!) is the first or second time you hear a new acronym, ask at that point in time what it means. The problem is if you wait too long before asking, you feel like you can't ask at that point because it will highlight that you've spent the past 6 months not knowing seemingly 'basic' information. To use an analogy, it's kinda like asking a person's name; if you ask them to repeat it the first time you meet nobody bats an eyelid, if you do it in a meeting 3 weeks later / on the second date it looks a bit weird.

It will get better over time, most people face this type of scenario at some point in their careers. I remember when I made a similar move into a support office role there was a whole raft of mainframe screens where I didn't have a clue where to start (and potential to **** things up if I made an error). I think the way I got through it was by showing initiative in areas where I could make a difference so although I needed help for some tasks I was also delivering value in other areas nearer my comfort zone. You mention not understanding 95% of the helpdesk calls so my advice is (if possible) clear the 5% you do understand and then try to work through some of the others.

If your boss wants you to learn SQL then I would jump on any training that can be provided for that because it is a transferable skill that would likely stand you in good stead for future jobs, compared to some proprietary / customised warehouse software.

Finally if you do find yourself still struggling in a few months time then remember that not all IT jobs are like this, the impression I get is this is the sort of organisation with relatively proprietary systems with a lot of long-standing staff so there will be a culture / way of working fairly specific to that organisation that relies on a lot of tacit knowledge. My first employer after uni was similar and I stuck with it for far too long (nearly 5 years) before jumping ship because I didn't know any better. The first 6 months or so were 'hell' in terms of hating going into work and when my co-worker was on holiday it was a real nightmare because I had a huge amount of responsibility. After a couple of years I was much more confident but the skills/experience I had gained weren't really that transferable into the wider job market.
 
Smeghead said:
I think the fact that I'd been interested in computers, and the fact that I was going no where in my previous role made me jump at the chance to apply for this, but I wouldn't say I oversold myself per say. During the quick chat where my now-supervisor initially asked me to apply for it, I did stress explicitly that I had no proper IT experience which was a concern to me, but he was more bothered about the attitude of the candidate. To be honest, I think I was pretty much the number 1 candidate, whether I was qualified or not. There were only 3 applicants inc me, but it sounds like they're desperate for someone with experience in the actual warehouse. Also he himself was like me and started in the warehouse and worked his way into IT, so there's probably a bit of "sees him in me" thing, expect he's been here for about 15 years.

I'll stick with it, but I'll raise some concern if prompted. Probably not a good idea to lay it on add heavy as my first post though :o
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So lets get this straight, you have landed a job in an area you are interested in with no real skills or experience... and are now going to raise a complaint or issue about this? :confused:

Many people purposefully oversell themselves to get their ideal job or career. Get your head down, learn the stuff you need to, and ask (and remember or write down the answers to) the right questions.

Don't self-destruct your own career before it's even started unless you want to be sent back to a life of manual warehouse labour. Maybe the issue is your own fear of being inadequate or that you are setting yourself up for failure? Have some self-belief and don't let others see you crack.
 
Best thing to do is have a meeting with your line manager, explain that you are concerned, ask if there's any training documentation he could email you, he might turn around to you and say "we didn't expect you to be a wonder kid, you are progressing how we expected you to, there's nothing to worry about".
 
Smeghead said:
...To be honest, I really enjoy creative things far more than this sort of stuff. Photography, image/photo editing, video editing, these are things which would be dream jobs for me, but I've only pursued them on a hobby level, and I know they can be very difficult to get a steady career out of, with IT seeming a far safer option to build a career....
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I came from a creative background, design degree and worked at it few years, before switching to IT, computer graphics, then development, then support & development.

The salaries in IT are higher in than in the creative industries. Unless you are absolutely amazing in your creative field, and have a serious head for business. Otherwise the vast majority of IT careers will pay better, and have a better career plan.

Working in something creative, like your hobby is soul destroying unless you have creative freedom. Which is hard to achieve. A lot of the time you will have to do work the client likes even if you don't like it. Consider that.

If that doesn't put you off you would need a an extensive portfolio of work, to compete for creative work, until you have that together, keep the day job.
 
Jamesyboyjim said:
say "we didn't expect you to be a wonder kid, you are progressing how we expected you to, there's nothing to worry about".
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This is a massive thing, you'll almost certainly be giving yourself a hard time and holding yourself to much higher standards than those any reasonable manager would actually expect.

I was guilty of that in my first job out of uni, almost didn't go back after the first week as I felt totally out of my depth but they didn't expect me to be a wonderkid straight out of uni even if I did.
 
Smeghead said:
...My impression is that my abilities and experience are being massively overestimated. I pressed a few buttons day-in day-out at my old job and built a few PCs in my spare time. I'm working with people who have been in the company for, in some cases, decades, or have proper IT backgrounds with at least a few years of helpdesk experience and configuring servers and how to find errors using SQL databases and stuff (which is another thing he said he wants me to learn (SQL), but as I mentioned before, coding is not a strong point). It feels like my arms and legs have been chopped off, I've been thrown into the ocean and been told to swim back to shore....
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This is actually normal. Learning IT is like climbing Everest. You climb Everest in tiny steps, not big steps. Just lots of them. and it takes ages. You don't realise how much you've learnt till you look back.

Make your documentation, notes, and look up terms yourself. Build up your own library of FAQ and cheat sheets. I don't remember most of the stuff on our system, but I have a my own documents I can look up common issues within.

Then do courses, SQL isn't really coding. There a few basic courses that will get you from zero to hero very fast. The basics are easy, the advanced stuff is a bit harder, but its still a lot easier than development.

I think you are trying to run before you can walk to be honest. On our system it takes 6 months to a year before you get comfortable with it.
 
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