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Morning Spicefolks,

So I am now on my last week of notice in my current role and have my first day at the new job next Thursday. It’s a senior role at a much bigger university than the one I currently work at. Much better salary, comparable benefits package, bit closer to home, it’s ideal really. I’m really looking forward to getting started, albeit with a heavy heart as the place I currently work at is fantastic. I’m going to miss the place and people.

So, aside from the larger campus to get lost on, I’ll be moving from supporting around 200 staff and 2,000 students, to around 2,000 staff and 20,000 students. Any of you guys got any tips or things to think about when scaling up in this way. Are there things I should do differently? Also It’s been a while since I’ve had to do the whole “first day” thing so any advice is gratefully received :slight_smile:

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Congratulations on your move! It is scary do the first day thing, I only move jobs 3 years ago but I slotted rather quickly to where I am as my colleagues enjoy beer and bacon as much as I.

Scaling up? Those numbers sound daunting , but look at polices and procedures that drive efficient working and if you can automate as much as you can.

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All I can say is congratulations and good luck!

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As mentioned, policies and procedures already in place are key. I would also see if the previous person left a “hit by bus” manual.

Take a walk around, identify hardware locations, get the list of existing software and licenses.

Make a checklist of things you think you would need to know and create a little manual for yourself (Onenote is invaluable here).

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Congrats. Pray that there’s good documentation.

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Congrats on the new role.

You know how higher ed works already, it seems - (in the US anyway) BS means literally BS, MS means More of Same, PHD means Piled Higher & Deeper. My experience was that the students were no real trouble when compared with faculty and administration.

Listen to the veterans there and you’ll learn fast what’s what.

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Congrats and good luck in your new venture!

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I would just say keep doing what you’re doing and just be prepared for what could be a much heavier workload since you’ll be supporting a significantly larger user base. Good luck!

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Don’t change too much. Clearly you’ve done something right to make it as far as you have and the new place hired you because of who you are currently - not who they think you can become with change.

Other than that, now you should have a bigger budget and can afford to pay for WinZIP!

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WinZIP! YESSSSS!!! :joy:

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Congratulations on the new job! Good luck!

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With that much of a scale up, get to know your staff. I found asking them what they like to do best sometimes makes transitions easier and delegation for the initial learning curve a little less painful.

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Congrats on the new job. Hope the first few days or weeks go well for you :slight_smile:

The only thing I can think of, which other spiceheads have said, is to do what you have always done. If you have done something right then there is no need to change.

It might be an idea to keep hold of any vendor contacts in case you may need then at the new place.

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Congrats on the new job. It should be the same as what you are doing now but only more of it and less time to do it in. The users will be the same just different names and hopefully give you less problems.

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Congrats on the new job!

As you get your first day underway I’m sure you’ll get a brief rundown of the procedures currently in place as well as a rough layout where the hardware is physically. If there is any documentation, ask for it. If there isn’t, it’s time to create some. I’ve found what helps me most is going to where every piece of hardware is, making a note, & creating a network map. Creating that leaves a deep imprint on my brain to let me know I definitely know where that hardware is & what it’s purpose/function is.

As far as the scalability with the end users, I can only hope they are in a good habit of submitting tickets, instead of trying to email an IT staff member directly. And if there is a KB available to staff, make it known & make it great! Letting others know that they can resolve their issue by looking at the KB will save you tons of time. Good luck!

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Well hopefully more people to support means more IT staff. Other than that, should be about the same. Give yourself time to adapt to it before you make any “big changes” I go through bosses every “few” years here, and each one has “big plans” that seem to either get crushed over time, or enforced while they are here, and make a bigger mess for when they leave.

(Example: First boss had an in house app for all troubleshooting info, second wanted it on shared network drive so all new documenting went there, then it was a wiki on our intranet, then sharepoint, then the NAS… we have years of documentation… scattered all over and no one can actually find the stuff we need. I want either a) Convert everything to this, or b) stop changing it…!)

Get to know the business, the IT people, the systems and the “leadership” expectations before you try to start changing anything, even if the change seems good and IT all agrees on it. :slight_smile:

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Twenty THOUSAND students! With a group that big, you just know there will be several ‘janitor supply closets’ on campus with couches, TV’s and full cable. You’ll know you’re accepted on the team when they show where the unofficial IT lounge is located.

Good luck with the new job.

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I agree with this. My last big move was from MSP Engineer to datacenter sysadmin. I was pretty overwhelmed (info-wise, not workload wise) when I arrived. Integrate first, even though it can be painful, but then once you get into the role and understand it better, then work on changes incrementally. It is harder to steer a ship from the outside than it is from standing behind the steering wheel. Now that I have earned my stripes here, I have begun correcting things that needed to be corrected and I have buy in from users, my team, and IT managers. Good riddance Server 2003.

Congratulations!

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Congrats on the new job!! Exciting! I know you are a hard worker but always keep in mind - There’s only so much you can do in a day. Meet the new staff and students with a smile. Learn something new and enjoy.

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Congrats. Don’t forget to still bang on those drums.

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