Trying to break in to IT infrastructure field

[opethdisciple]

To me, systems engineer sounds better than IT Manager. It sounds more focussed, as opposed to a "Catch-all" title that could include everything. I've known people who purely replace toners in printers and handle the photocopying, they were still listed as an IT Manager.

You know what thats too funny, as in my old job after 8 years my manager came up with an ingenious plan to get me to to monitor nagios alerts to change ink cartridges.

I eventually refused to do it as I told him this was not appropriate use of my time.

Suffice to say that was the beginning of the end and hence why I've moved on.

In this role, every day I'm learning. In that role, my job was just utter crap. I was just used to do the crap no one wanted to do.

 

[opethdisciple]

I'm a systems engineer and I'm fine with changing ink carts...

If it needs doing, just do it.

Yea. I agree if an ink cartridge needs changing because you need to print but not when your frustrated as the boss gives you nothing to do then one day turns round and says I want you to monitor nagios alerts and change ink cartridges around the company. Which would include traveling 45mins each way to other sites to change an ink cartridges.



Especially when the other guys come and go as they please and doing higher level work to you and getting paid twice as much.

They never let me build up any experience in the job as they literally gave me nothing to cut my teeth on. So coming up with a scheme to get me changing ink cartridges was the straw that broke the camels back.

After 8 years of service, that was the best 'project' they could get me to do?

Pff... I've got a degree and a masters. I'm smart. Let me do something.

On top of that I was suspicious that the other two guys on my team where manipulating the situation to suit their needs. Basically, they where saying we can get me to do more and more of the basic tasks thus freeing them up to get on with the more interesting projects, which pay more.

My ex manager would give them lists and lists of stuff to do, while I'm sitting them twiddling my thumbs.

(P.s - I'm not in the role any more)