1

Would you stay or leave?.

I’m currently working in a position in IT for a Utility. I applied for the job after arriving back home almost 6 months ago. I was told this was the best place to work in the IT industry in this island nation (my country of origin). In the job description the role seemed challenging, it included Network Administration tasks, virtualized server and network infrastructure, AS400, Linux and etc. The pay was peanuts but the benefits to me was the ability to learn some new skills specifically AS400 and Virtualized networks. I hold a double major degree and MCSA, CCNA, MCP, CompTIA A+ and Network +.

Instead I’m stuck supporting a system that’s on it’s last legs and that’s spitting out errors every now and then, there’s no longer any support from the vendor. I have to be the face that these customers see every-time something happens with this system. My face gets associated with this bad service since I’m the only one who’s job is to go around to each client if there’s an issue with the system. The only tasks related to what I’ve learnt in the past is having to repair laptops and install some printers and do some basic network troubleshooting.

There’s also a lot of bad practices that pisses me off and makes me wanna bang my head against the wall.

16 Spice ups
2

Take it up with management. If they won’t listen or do anything then start looking elsewhere. Just try to not burn any bridges unnecessarily on the way out.

4 Spice ups
3

If not happy and lots of bad practices I would leave. First find a new job though.

2 Spice ups
4

You seem overqualified for the job. Find a new position where you care continually challenged and learning new skills. Unfortunately, you may have to move to keep advancing your career.

3 Spice ups
5

You can get experience elsewhere too if you desired…do not get stuck especially pay-wise.

I always tell my guys that every job is a stepping stone…for better pay or for experience. I will always be glad for my guys if they found better jobs. I still have meals with those staff that left for better pay (some did came back after like 5 years).

cheer up mate… …it is a big world out there…

1 Spice up
6

With all those certs and degrees you’re overqualified. Also leave that place, they won’t change and you won’t get your time back.

2 Spice ups
7

I would have thought with all those qualifications, you are in the right place to recommend and install a replacement solution. Maybe that’s what the company is waiting for you to propose rather than bitch about it breaking all the time.

2 Spice ups
8

To me it really depends on the relationship you have with management. If they like you and are open to your ideas my vote would be stay and try and work it out.

If on the other hand they won’t listen to anything you have to say it may be a good idea to move on.

9

Are you hired to monitor or fix things? if you are hired to fix IT things, well then get to fixin the IT thing that makes you bang your head against a wall. show a bit of initiative be proactive.

10

If you are not happy then find something else or get used to the current job.

11

I don’t think I would leave my first IT job with only six months experience. That won’t look great on a resume. At least get a year there, unless it is truly unbearable.

12

The real questions here are can you afford to just up and leave? And is it that the job you find yourself doing maybe isn’t what you thought it was going to be. If the job isn’t what you thought then the first thing to do would be to make sure you know exactly what your job description is, following that (assuming the job is what you though it would be) you go to management and you ask them what gives? You need to remember that your first job means no experience which is probably the most valuable thing for you to gain at the moment. Show some initiative and fix the problem, or draw up plans and present them to the management telling them exactly why they need to do it. If the system is failing and it’s giving the company a bad image tell them that it needs to be updated etc. All the best in whatever you end up doing, just be careful, jobs aren’t easy to come by, especially with little experience.

13

According to OP’s profile, they have 11 years of experience. This shouldn’t be first job.

14

Well I have pointed out flaws in design and the process to my superior since I started here. As for designing a new system that’s totally out of the question, this system is far too complex with 50-100 tables so designing it would cost in the millions if not hundreds of millions. Proposing and installing a replacement solution would not be a problem to me if that was part of my job and was what I get PAID to do. I dont like working environments where people think they can extract as much value from your skills while paying you peanuts, I think the relationship should be fair and the work mutually beneficial, that is I get paid a fair amount for the work I put in. If it’s not mutually beneficial then it wont work…and thats issue at hand. Anyways when I started I was notified that they were sending out tenders for a new system. I think the main issue I have with this role is that it has very little to do with Network and System Administration, basically I have wasted my time studying and acquiring these Certs only to do very basic IT stuff and Database Admin type work. Databases is the area in IT I like the least. Another thing is as a manager you should be aware of placing the right people in the right areas doing the right job, one is they would do better in it because they’re interested in the job and love it and two as a result of enjoying their job they are more likely to stay in it or at least in the company, low employee retention rates is a sign the company does not have a good working environment…

2 Spice ups
15

If you already have it in your mind to leave, then you should leave. Once you have the idea in your mind, sometimes subconsciously the quality of your work and ethic will reflect. Its better to leave on a high note, than to leave on a low one.

If you think that this position is salvageable, I would recommend coming up with solutions to resolve these issues. Put your business hat on and provide a cost benefit analysis to leadership, so that they can make an informed decision. Many times leaders look at things in terms of upfront costs to the organization, and not the long term gains of their spending. This is where you should step in and give them the information they need to see it your way.

16

I understand that management tend to view things financially, the costs and the gains, the risks and the payoffs. If I want to get something done and approved by management I would always use money as a way of getting it heard or looked at, money is a sure way of getting their attention The problem is how things work “here”, its a developing country. It’s hard to get a point across without being viewed as being a smart ass, take for example the WannaCry Ransomeworm, even discussing the need to have machines patched up, because not a single device on the network even gets an update because it’s considered “too costly”, my superior has only shot down my attempts to try and get things patched up, there’s no sense of urgency or any fear of the potential consequences. It seems as if the cost and the risks of having to update the machines on the network and the hassle is less than the cost of the entire network going down. I don’t know how to put things any better since being a manager you dont need to be told which choice is the best in the long run. And if thats too hard for the manager to understand then I dont know how things are going to get any better.