Where do techies go when...

[Firestar_3x]

Seems like a lot of peoples lives in IT don't get very much further than supporting the internal end users of some company or other. Not surprised people get sick of that, i know i would.

There are lots of other roles in IT, some of which don't put you within a thousand miles of Johnny Mallet Fingers and his constant printing problems. Probably fewer in number than the usual support roles but they are out there.

Not me and i still got cheesed off with it, regardless of how far away from the end user, you still end dealing with problems in one way or another.

No matter how many domains / servers / AD / DNS / DFS / DHCP / IIS / Firewalls / Backup solutions / New offices i rolled out i still got cheesed off with it all, lots of IT roles go un-noticed and unappreciated with very little job satisfaction, that's my experience and that of many i spoke to during my 5 - 6 years in the industry.

 

[The Dread Pirate]

Heaven

 

[Stolly]

Not me and i still got cheesed off with it, regardless of how far away from the end user you still end dealing with problems in one way or another.

Regardless of how many domains / servers / AD / DNS / DFS / DHCP / IIS / Firewalls / Backup solutions / New offices i rolled out i still got cheese off.

Still a support role then in an internal end user computing environment.

What i meant by thousands of miles away (I probably wasn't very clear) was one of the many roles in datacenter environments where the end users (if there is even such a thing) don't even know where the servers are, and wouldn't be able to bother you even if they wanted to, other teams deal with that blah.

Actually for me the interesting work in that environment is infrastructure design, global exposure on huge multi million projects for environments that provide services such as payment card processing which doesn't really have users as such.

 

[randal]

Both on and offshore all over the world, I’m personally trained in anything from HSE cases to full blown QRA's and CFD, love the job, can push 80+ hours some weeks, but it’s worth it.

I honestly thought I’d spend all my working life in the IT industry, it's all I’d wanted to do since being 10, but it only took 5 years of IT work to figure it wasn't for me. Love IT, hate being unappreciated and that was the crux of the problem.

See I don't mind the 80 hour weeks if it's something I enjoy doing, and if I get to travel at the same time then all the better. Especially if the company are paying. Appreciate it's not all sightseeing and R&R, actually from my experience in O&G it's anything but that. Normally you're on your own, and there's only so many times you can ask for a table for one or order room service before it gets boring!

Like yourself mate, I knew from a young age that I was going to be doing something in front of a keyboard. At the time I thought it was going to be for the rest of my life, now the thought of answering to people and fixing stuff in this bureaucratic, process driven, imagination-less downward spiral of an industry seriously depresses me.

Wouldn't mind if companies invested, but IT is an overhead not an enabler and as such it's meticulously bean counted into the ground making life very difficult. I speak from my personal experience, and I would hope this is not the case elsewhere.

Anyway, you hiring?

 

[Deleted member 77746]

The worst one in IT I would have to say is supporting end users especially when there is no appreciation and its all now now now, me me me.

 

[randal]

End users I can deal with, happily.

It's mico-managing clueless managers hell bent on process that I can't abide. Instead of delivering good service in a timely fashion in line with what the company needs to keep it's promises to it's customers.

I was born into this industry with JFDI stamped on me, it works. Trust me.

 

[Deleted member 77746]

JFDI?

 

[randal]

Just ******* do it.

 

[Narj]

JFDI?

Just ******* Do It, I guess.

That doesn't really work well with a change management process!

 

[Firestar_3x]

Actually for me the interesting work in that environment is infrastructure design, global exposure on huge multi million projects for environments that provide services such as payment card processing which doesn't really have users as such.

I can see that being much more interesting and more rewarding, depends what the job variation was like, I’d hate doing a rinse and repeat process for the rest of my days!

See I don't mind the 80 hour weeks if it's something I enjoy doing, and if I get to travel at the same time then all the better. Especially if the company are paying. Appreciate it's not all sightseeing and R&R, actually from my experience in O&G it's anything but that. Normally you're on your own, and there's only so many times you can ask for a table for one or order room service before it gets boring!

Like yourself mate, I knew from a young age that I was going to be doing something in front of a keyboard. At the time I thought it was going to be for the rest of my life, now the thought of answering to people and fixing stuff in this bureaucratic, process driven, imagination-less downward spiral of an industry seriously depresses me.

Wouldn't mind if companies invested, but IT is an overhead not an enabler and as such it's meticulously bean counted into the ground making life very difficult. I speak from my personal experience, and I would hope this is not the case elsewhere.

Anyway, you hiring?

Travel is enjoyable, and it's usually what makes up the long working week, when offshore it's a case of grabbing people when you can so 15 hour days aren't unusual, but you end up with lots of downtime between meetings.

Luckily usually two of us go away at a time, so you have someone to enjoy the evenings with, if safe have a walk around enjoy the weather, if not enjoy the hotels spa etc.

For example the other week I was spending the evenings with a lovely young girl from the clients office at one of the local Kazak restaurants, and as part of the trip we took a two day 4x4 tour of the sites in the middle of the desert.

Sometimes I sit back and think it’s a shame IT never worked out for me, but in the same breath I think I’d never be doing what I do and experiencing the things I am without a career change, it was a smart move for sure.

Currently look for people all around the world, what’s your experience?

 

[ToxicTBag]

McDonalds.

OH NO I DIN'T

Yeah you did and its still so very wrong

 

[randal]

Just ******* Do It, I guess.

That doesn't really work well with a change management process!

You raise a valid point. Thank god and the other deities for the emergency change process.

I can see that being much more interesting and more rewarding, depends what the job variation was like, I’d hate doing a rinse and repeat process for the rest of my days!



Travel is enjoyable, and it's usually what makes up the long working week, when offshore it's a case of grabbing people when you can so 15 hour days aren't unusual, but you end up with lots of downtime between meetings.

Luckily usually two of us go away at a time, so you have someone to enjoy the evenings with, if safe have a walk around enjoy the weather, if not enjoy the hotels spa etc.

For example the other week I was spending the evenings with a lovely young girl from the clients office at one of the local Kazak restaurants, and as part of the trip we took a two day 4x4 tour of the sites in the middle of the desert.

Sometimes I sit back and think it’s a shame IT never worked out for me, but in the same breath I think I’d never be doing what I do and experiencing the things I am without a career change, it was a smart move for sure.

Currently look for people all around the world, what’s your experience?

I'll drop you a trust.

 

[mothermachine]

start a small render farm business with remote access for clients to manage the job themselves and charge 75% of the lowest that the competition is offering. cover all the major software packages and renderers with plugin support.

seriously. you'll do well out of it.

 

[phil675]

I work in IT because I find it very easy and varied. Wouldn't want to be doing the admin jobs of the various people I service that anyone with half a brain could do well, they must be the REALLY soul destroyed people.

 

[s0ck]

End users I can deal with, happily.
It's mico-managing clueless managers

I'd say that epitomises my working life in IT thus far

You'll never get away from end users, imo. The 'end user' just becomes another noob inside the company instead of out. CTO/CEO/HR, whoever.

Maybe it's a people thing, I really don't know tbh.

As an aside, anyone moved from tech to sales?
Went on a sales course run by some IBM chaps who were absolutely brilliant. Rightly or wrongly, I believe you probably have to sport an element of 'daahmunnd geyzah' to do well in sales which aint me.

I do recall a BT guy telling me once they have a 'pre-sales' department where they basically have techies wandering around telling people what they could use and getting a commission out of it? Sales but... not?

On another note, I'd like to be a racing driver. I'd happily race cars around for peanuts. Peanuts and cups of tea