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Hi all,

This has probably been answered a million times already on spiceworks…

So I went to college to get into “IT” around 10 years ago. I got hired at the college I went to.

I am still here. I have been promoted and gotten raises etc over the years and am now called “Onsite Technical Support Tier III”. I have now moved on to supporting 4 different locations on a set rotation basis. This would encompass many hundreds of students and probably a bit less than 100 Staff/Instructors. At the start, the college branches all had local servers, local admin controlled WiFi etc… I had admin access to the router and managed switches but for the most part never really needed to touch those. Basically I was charged with making sure it all worked. Since then, the company was bought out and they have move to a centralized management of all systems. Basically what I do I now is desk side support, help desk tickets, deployment etc. I have recently come to the conclusion that I have forgotten lots of “stuff” as I am not using it anymore. Some days I go to work and feel like I am rotting there. I did have a bunch of certs (server 2003 era) but they have all expired.

Sort of looking to re-invent myself. It should be said that I am in my early 40’s now.

Problem is, I don’t really know what path to take. I keep looking at job boards and I see lots of Programming and/or Database jobs. I am neither of those. Going to another “Help Desk” style position does not seem like the right move.

I keep racking my brain with the thought of "what do I really like to do with respects to “IT” but I cannot come up with an answer. lol Deployment is fine (but boring), AD work is fine but also boring. I am a Linux guy (not expert level… but I know my way around) and CLI does not scare me in the slightest.

I guess what I am looking for are people who have been in that same scenario and what they did? How did it work out for you?

Edit: I should state that I while I do make a pretty good wage, whatever I do next would need to be the same or better for wages. Even though I am only early 40’s, retirement planning ($$$) keeps popping up in my mind.

Thx

Michael

83 Spice ups
2

Update your MS certs to 2012(and or Linux) and go from there.

The common path from your type of role is to server/system admins or IT manager.

Stay positive and Good Luck!

Andre

24 Spice ups
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I know exactly how you feel; I’ve been in a similar situation.

However, you are in a good position; you have a paying job, a great amount of experience and relevant knowledge. All of that will stand you in good stead when you move on.

I say that because it is clear that you are no longer satisfied with your role, and emotionally and mentally, you have already started to make a move.

As for what you do next; the world is your oyster. It may be necessary for you to move, but it’s probably better to look for something where you are to begin with.

Join the Microsoft Virtual Academy, start to update some of your knowledge about OS. Find out about virtualization. Maybe start a test lab. These things should cost little or nothing.

Some colleges offer free or reduced price tuition. If your college offers business courses, accountancy, HR, other soft skills, sign up for couple. These will always be worthwhile.

And with your Linux skills, maybe consider doing some web development work or app development; something you can practice on and maybe start a side business. If nothing else, that will give you something to keep your interests fresh.

10 Spice ups
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I so know where you are coming from… only difference is that when our ‘national’ took us over… I went from the CIO to an ‘IT Lead’ (whatever the hell that is!)… and the environment was toxic. Wages weren’t the problem, but you touched on a bunch of the others…

You are in a good position… your not in a bad situation. You have time to explore your options. Don’t let your age ( I left when I was 48 ) deter you… look into other disciplines… don’t shy away from Programming… or Database if they interest you. If not, explore whatever you think you could do… then learn. There are tons of learning opportunities out there for you.

Another option? Have you considered becoming faculty? Teaching others can be very rewarding… and you have practical experience. Teaching also gives you the opportunity and drive to learn (and your student’s questions will keep your skills sharp!)…

Good Luck to you!

10 Spice ups
5

Thx all. Some good suggestions there.

“Have you considered becoming faculty?”

Just after school finished, I was hired to be the IT Instructors assistant. Very shortly after that he was let go and I became the IT instructor. Did that and supported the campus’ IT needs for about 2 years. While it helped me sharpen my skills and quite frankly, I probably would not have passed my certs without having that instructor experience, teaching ultimately was not for me. Too much “babysitting” (of adults) required.

" And with your Linux skills, maybe consider doing some web development work or app development; "

That’s a good thought. I really enjoy the Linux environment and working in CLI when required and the challenges that pop up every once in a while. Often thought I should make a career out of Linux administration. If I was looking to learn some form of programing, what platform (or language) do you think would make most sense to start leaning? I basically have zero programming knowledge right now.

“Update your MS certs to 2012(and or Linux) and go from there”

This is basically what I keep arriving at as a decision. Although I wonder if it would just end up being more of the same that I am experiencing now after a while. Or perhaps I am expecting too much from my career as far as meaningful work is concerned. lol IDK.

1 Spice up
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I always say when you do what you like, it really does not seem like work or a job…

Big data is hot right now and probably will get hotter in the next few years…

Mostly that is some dev and some DB and some client server computing…

SQL DBAs get paid a good salary too…

Mostly what you know from your earlier certs can be applied to newer OS’s that SQL may sit on, so that might be the route to go…

And Big Data and Hadoop like to run on Linux and Unix…

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Have you thought about moving on from IT? Not to become a gardener but move slightly sideways and upward. Learn some project management, budget handling, financial skills and so on.

3 Spice ups
8

I started in computers in 1984 at the ripe age of 15 or so. Seemed like no one else could understand them at the time. Had to RTFM back then big time. I have done pretty much everything in IT that I was interested in learning. However I have been considering a change for a long time. I have gone on to several different careers and everytime I get a different kind of job. Someone tracks me down and gives me a better paying job in IT. So recently I have decided to expand my knowledge by updating and getting new certs in area’s I had not considered before. Maybe food for thought?

1 Spice up
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You will have to identify what you want to do and head in that direction. If you want to be happy do something you enjoy.

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I assumed I wouldn’t want to be on the front lines troubleshooting forever and have built up years of “IT Manager” experience as steps up from Desktop Support, Network Engineer, and IT Administrator. I always keep looking to move to bigger or more complex networks, building up that resume and someday maybe shooting for IT Director or CIO. I’m not shy about it. I don’t enjoy managing people, but I do enjoy the decisions and scale associated with it. I’ve also thought I might want to get into Network Security more as a specialty, and may refocus on that some day and push into a management role there.

I expect that by the time I retire, I’ll still be managing some aspect of some company’s infrastructure with a team of talented folks under my name in the Org Chart, and explaining to the guy above me why it’s in his best interest to invest in his company instead of trying to scrape barnacles off the bottom of the barrel to keep it afloat.

1 Spice up
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Unless you wanna just be a desk jockey for the rest of your life I would highly recommend you look into consulting.

1 Spice up
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Run a team. Then run a department. Then run a region. Then run a division. Seriously, managers who aren’t just managers are in big demand. If you can do the manager job AND help with a ticket once in a while, you’re golden AND you stay ‘mostly’ unrusty. Because at some point all that experience you have is needed to tell the C-Levels to piss off. (Seriously, the only thing they listen to is demonstrated experience.)

3 Spice ups
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I guess it’s a good problem to have, eh ?

I would support the idea that many have suggested - use the time to update your certs, explore things you’re rusty on and take a good look at all the areas involved in IT to define what you like and detest. Do you like challenges, large business, small shops, routine, helping people, new technology?

As zuphzup suggested, perhaps consulting or working for a high level IT employment agency. Some Spiceheads have even suggested in other areas the joys of running your own IT business.

Lastly, there is always government work.

14

What about looking for a job in a SMB? In those types of roles, you are generally responsible for everything in IT with a small team or just yourself. It’ll keep you from getting bored since every day is something different. SMBs generally don’t care about certs either, unless your boss knows a thing or two.

1 Spice up
15

If you’re wanting your skills to be exercised on a daily basis, go work for an MSP. You’ll still be doing a lot of helpdesk work, but you’d be doing so much more. Upgrading/replacing servers and network equipment, cloud based services, sales and support, remote and onsite work. You never know who the next customer to phone in will be, either… it could be a company who’s server is down, or it could be a little old lady who forgot how to Yahoo Mail, or anything in between.

I worked for MSPs for years before I went to where I am now. I had all kinds of fun projects, including XP end of life, Server 03 end of life, Windows 7, 8, and 10 rollouts, sharepoint projects, office 365 migrations (so many of these), network upgrades, wireless AP deployments… you name it.

And most MSPs do want you to have current certs, but they usually pay for these. I don’t see any reason one wouldn’t hire someone with 10+ years experience who just needs their certs renewed.

1 Spice up
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Sounds like you get pretty bored with the day to day helpdesk stuff so maybe seek out a position that is more Systems Administrator on a project team somewhere. You would of course need to refresh your knowledge first, maybe take some new cert courses and update those (as mentioned above) or even build yourself a home lab to get that good hands on exp. It would suck for you to move to a helpdesk or SysAdmin position somewhere else and you are doing things that “get boring” to you very easily because you will just start to feel like you are rotting again and quite quickly.

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You can look at advancing in automation/system configurations. That’s a hot field these days, usually within the dev ops field.

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Apply for my current job: System Administrator - Newburgh, Indiana

1 Spice up
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Consulting might be a good path. So might SMB. It sounds like you prefer to be in charge of what you are doing so look for management or single man IT roles in industries that interest you. Depending on the industry you land in you might ride that desk off into the sunset, or you might be thrust into all manner of different roles. A manufacturing plant will have vastly different needs than an Accounting firm, etc. I landed in Agriculture some how after stagnating in my last role and now I’m responsible for everything from automated pump houses and networked temperature gauges to more mundane server/workstation stuff. Its very exciting for me because a lot of the non-standard IT stuff I have had to learn on the fly and that’s a lot of fun. We’re also expanding the business so I have 2 separate low voltage wiring projects in different parts of the state I’m managing at the same time right now. I went from burned out and getting ready to switch industries to falling in love with IT again. Stick with it, you have the luxury of being chosey at this point so make the most of it and find that perfect role.

1 Spice up
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Talk to your manager and let them know you want more projects and responsibility.

3 Spice ups