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So I nabbed a job in IT as the young help desk whippersnapper. It's my first job in IT, and I'm pretty excited about it. Though I'll probably hate help desk in 6 months or so.
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Oct 19, 2014 01:37
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dogstile posted:It took me a week before I found a client who yelled at me for having to investigate their problem. I hated helpdesk after that, 6 months is a very, very long estimate Right, I figure I'll work on getting some sort of cert that can help me become maybe a junior sys admin or something like that while I'm on the desk. I certainly don't want to be stuck on help desk forever, I'm just happy I got my foot in the door and out of retail.
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Oct 19, 2014 04:04
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Yeah, this will be for a company that according to linked in is around 50 people, and the role that described to me was "help desk, remoting into people's computers, and repairing/reimaging people's computers that we bring in from the field". So basically help desk with a side of desktop support I'm guessing. The company supposedly supports small to medium sized businesses. chocolateTHUNDER fucked around with this message at 15:47 on Oct 19, 2014 |
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Oct 19, 2014 15:44
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Started my entry-level basically help desk/desktop support role yesterday. It's for a small company (like 5 people) that supports local small and medium sized businesses. I can tell their process seems a little all over the place, and can understand why people only spend 6 months - 1 year in a help desk role. I'm still glad I got my foot in the door, it seems like there's some downtime to study certs, and already seems better than retail hell! My main question is, with a help desk role and A+ under my belt, what cert should I get studying next? I think I wanna try and make a jump to jr. sys admin in a bigger company or something like that.
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Oct 22, 2014 17:05
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Sheep posted:Depends what you want to be adminning. For Windows you'll probably want to head for the Microsoft certs, for Linux an RHCSA/RHCE wouldn't be a bad start, etc. I'm of the opinion that everyone in any sort of hands-on admin role should, if they don't have the cert itself, at least have knowledge roughly equivalent to what is required for the CCENT and probably parts of ICND2 as well. Thanks, what MS cert should I aim for first? And yes, dealing with users is part of the reason why I'm aiming to go more "behind the scenes" so to speak  Plus that poo poo just interests me way more than "This website won't load, my printer won't work" etc.
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Oct 22, 2014 17:34
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Sheep posted:MCSA is a good one to aim for if you want to dive into Windows and Microsoft's certification overview page is pretty comprehensive. Also keep in mind that the evaluation version of Server 2012 is something ridiculous like 6 months so you get plenty of time to practice before you have to flatten and reinstall. Great info, thanks. Enrolling in a CC to take courses or something similar is something i'll definitely consider when I graduate with my 4 year degree (in a field completely unrelated to IT) in May
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Oct 22, 2014 17:46
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b0nes posted:For those of you who said A+ was bullshit gently caress you! This is the hardest i've worked in school in a long time. I think the term people use to describe the A+ is "mile wide, inch deep". The hardest thing about it is they just jump around to all sorts of different poo poo, and once you pass the test you probably won't have to know the specifics of how DDR ram works or whatever. But who am I to talk, I just got my first help desk job so
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Oct 23, 2014 15:21
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Docjowles posted:I'm not holding my breath for it to be a radical departure. "According to Foley’s sources, Spartan will use both Microsoft’s Trident page rendering engine and its Chakra Javascript engine." So it's the same code still doing the heavy lifting, just with an (arguably) nicer UI and support for extensions. Although apparently it IS going to be enough of a departure that as of right now they're planning to include this new browser and a classic version of IE so it'll work with people's lovely corporate pages/apps...
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Dec 30, 2014 21:34
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Drunk Orc posted:Adjusting from retail is hard, I almost feel guilty for not constantly doing something. Downtime is a strange and new concept. Hah, this was my exact thought also. Landed an entry level helpdesk job about 2 and a half months ago and it's definitely weird sitting in an office chair reading for certs online/browsing the internet during downtime instead of having to walk around aisles aimlessly trying to look busy.
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Jan 6, 2015 16:37
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Drunk Orc posted:I'm glad it's not just me! I should've brought my Sec+ study guide. Maybe I can get away with watching LabSim videos. I should really find a way to turn my desk around so I have my back to a wall. That way I'd never feel guilty when other people pass me by I don't really feel guilty anyway because I do my work
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Jan 6, 2015 16:57
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FISHMANPET posted:I moved from a position where I was working all tiers of support to one where it's basically impossible for anything to be escalated to me. I don't even do anything for users, I'm just working on systems that another group uses to provide services to users. It's such a weird shift for me. This is my next step in my career. To get out of user-facing support. Basically, to just get out of helpdesk I guess
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Jan 6, 2015 17:01
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dox posted:I created an MDT Post-OS task sequence system with scripts to remove HP/Dell bloatware after getting sick of setting up Windows OEM desktops... it works really well. I work for an MSP supporting loads of small businesses so "just make an image" wasn't really an option for a variety of reasons. I should really do this.
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Jan 13, 2015 23:51
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22 Eargesplitten posted:When people say helpdesk, that's usually a 100% phone type thing, isn't it? I'm interviewing (thank god, gently caress 12 day weeks) for a position that is described as helpdesk, but the job description seems more like a mix of phone-based helpdesk and desktop support. Here's the job description: Sounds like help desk with a bit of desktop support. Some context is really needed - is this in house IT, or working in a remote office for a company that manages other small businesses etc? If it's the former and you'll be in the same building as the people you're supporting, it's all but guaranteed you'll be dragged to people's desks.
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Feb 25, 2015 21:01
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If the interview goes well and they offer you a job, why the gently caress not. You won't really be doing anything more intensive than processor/HDD repair on a users desktop anyway if you get stuck doing that sort of stuff.
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Feb 25, 2015 21:22
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Dick Trauma posted:I know there are a few other oldsters on here so I wanted to talk a little about age in I.T. Eh, you can correct them in a joking manner if you feel like it's the right thing to do. It's a little harder to answer this since they think you're younger than you are, not older. I'd say just roll with it, if they find out how old you are you can just go "See, us old geezers can know about all this cool poo poo also  " and you'll turn into that "old guy at work, but he's actually cool as gently caress" when they talk about you to their friends.
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Mar 25, 2015 18:01
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Frank Viola posted:Hi IT goons! I have some basic questions that can't really be answered by googling, so I figured I'd throw a few out here in the thread if that's alright. First off I attend a University ABET certified Engineering curriculum tailored to working in Information Technology fields after graduation. I've taken classes like: Linux Administration, Network Security and Firewalls, Object Oriented Programming, Java, IT concepts, Etc. It's basically a combination of IT and Electrical Engineering coursework. Most of these classes like Network Security are essentially just the corresponding vendor cert, with the exception of the EE classes. I'm currently pursuing internships, but I have the following questions: Honestly, I would look to find an entry level help desk job right now while you're in school. If you live near a major metropolitan area, or even a bustling suburb there are a ton of small-business IT companies that hire part-time help desk. Couple that with a cert or two, and by the time you're out of college you could probably land something above help desk pretty easily.
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Mar 31, 2015 15:29
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bull3964 posted:My favorite is the call saying "I just wanted to confirm that you received the whitepaper I forwarded over. Oh you didn't? I can certainly resend that, what's your email for confirmation?" As someone new to IT, how do I handle poo poo like this? A few times a week, my office gets calls like this and I'm usually the one to answer. By the time I sort out if they're a client that actually needs help or not, they're usually into their whole spiel already.
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Mar 31, 2015 20:06
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So I should probably assume that if I'm seeing NOC tech job listings that require only previous help desk experience, I'm probably gonna be one of those button pushing monkeys that gets talked about in here right?
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Apr 1, 2015 14:18
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Internet Explorer posted:That and remote hands. If all you have is Helpdesk experience it may not be a bad thing. JHVH-1 posted:Those jobs can be sweet though. Like if its some place that pays well but you don't have a lot of work. Depends on the company really. I moved up from that to sys admin. I know people I have worked with that once did that and then moved up to managing the team before switching jobs. So you can use it to climb the ladder socially and use any free time to grow technically. Yeah, I was just poking around job listings around my area since I'm getting bored with helpdesk (but have no certs other than A+, and no real experience with stuff like Windows Server or whatever) and noticed that the only requirements a few companies that wanted NOC techs had were previous helpdesk experience. I'm planning on getting a MSCA in Server 2012 and trying to move into some sort of jr. sys admin or sys admin role. SIR FAT JONY IVES posted:One thing I learned is that there's good experience to be had in helpdesk in dealing with people. A lot of techs get moved up to better jobs because customers like them and they have good relationships with them. The majority of a job hiring decision isn't really based on technical skill, but on the ability to fit in with the team. In helpdesk, you can elevate over the typical Mike the IT Guy character, and get noticed for the better. Not to sound "cocky" or anything, but I feel like I'm a pretty drat good people person, and can get along with almost anyone. I don't really worry about being able to "fit" into a team, because it's never been a problem in the past wherever I've worked. The place I'm working at now though, there's almost no room for advancement whatsoever. It's a small (4 person) small business that supports other small businesses in the area - you probably already know the deal. This means that most of the time I'm the only one left in the office, and get relegated to basic helpdesk duties. I'm grateful they've given me the "foot in the door" so to speak, it's just that I'm getting bored with my responsibilities and the way they have things set up, it would be hard for me to get any more than I have now. chocolateTHUNDER fucked around with this message at 14:50 on Apr 1, 2015 |
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Apr 1, 2015 14:46
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Docjowles posted:There's two kinds of NOC jobs. Truly awful ones where you literally just sit around waiting for something to turn red on the dashboard, do minimal troubleshooting and then call someone to fix it. Then there are gigs more like what Rafikki is talking about that are almost more of a junior sysadmin role. You're expected to do more in-depth troubleshooting before you escalate, and take minor projects or "grunt work" off the plate of the admin/engineering team. Usually with a data center and remote hands component, too. You're still responding to alarms and trouble tickets but in between, you're allowed and expected to work on more interesting poo poo. These can be really great entry level jobs, better than help desk in my opinion if your goal is to get into more of an operations role vs user-facing internal IT. Got it, thanks. Guess I should update my resume! E: also yes, I would like to get into more of an operations role because, you know, gently caress users. chocolateTHUNDER fucked around with this message at 18:27 on Apr 1, 2015 |
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Apr 1, 2015 18:22
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Tab8715 posted:Curious, how much do NOC jobs generally pay? It obviously depends on area, but the ones I've seen listed around me (Long Island, NY) seem to be in the 40-50k range, which to me seems fair for what is essentially an entry level job according to indudstry vets in here. A full time help desk position pays similarly around here. I currently have a part-time help desk position, and also go to school (graduate in May for...Marketing  ) so I'm preparing to  as May rolls closer.
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Apr 1, 2015 18:54
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KillHour posted:Where do you live that 50k is standard for helpdesk? It's around that on Long Island, NY. Of course, because of poo poo like this: http://www.newsday.com/classifieds/real-estate/group-ranks-nassau-no-1-in-property-taxes-1.2840397
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Apr 20, 2015 22:17
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ElGroucho posted:My trajectory in the hell desk so far has been: Yup, this was my trajectory also. This is why I'm looking into getting my next cert so I can move to Jr. sys admin somewhere or something like that.
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May 4, 2015 17:18
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Dude....
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May 6, 2015 01:16
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So, I've grown pretty bored in my current job. It's helpdesk stuff, my first IT job that I got a little over 6 months ago. I don't get a chance to touch much of anything beyond basic desktop support (if I'm lucky, I get to setup a mailbox in exchange and an AD user, that's about it). How much do companies look down on someone with certs, but not much actual experience? If I get a CCENT, but haven't actually touched any CISCO stuff, wouldn't most companies just scoff?
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May 13, 2015 15:08
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Happiness Commando posted:Can someone who works at a sucessful MSP talk about how you manage documentation? Right now much of our institutional knowledge is locked up inside our heads, and in fact, we recently had a new hire quit because he was expecting a corporate-like (single) environment with a fully populated knowledgebase instead of multiple discrete environments, each with their own quasi-, poorly-, or undocumented quirks. I'm also interested in this. I work for a small MSP, and right now we resort to throwing everything into the tickets that we do as notes and such. We use Autotask, and then search function in that sucks pretty bad, so it's a real pain.
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Jun 29, 2015 23:58
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I think Office 365 is having problems again. This hasn't been a good week or two for Microsoft on that front, huh?
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Jul 21, 2015 16:47
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mayodreams posted:I love when Service Health Dashboard won't load. Looks like admin/management portal's are having trouble. I haven't heard anything from our users either (we don't have a lot on 365, but we do have a few) so looks like that portion is fine for now. Whatevs.
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Jul 21, 2015 17:08
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rafikki posted:This should be fun: Yawn. Another day, another exploit. It'll never end.
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Jul 27, 2015 19:38
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BaseballPCHiker posted:Am I the only one that has no problem with contract to hire or hasnt had a bad experience? A few jobs ago I did a contract to hire and the employer was very up front in the fact that they do it to make sure that the new employee is a good fit culture wise and knows how to do their job. I think it can work well for employers and employees. It's hard to get a good feel for a company through interviewing alone. If you can work there a few months get a feel for the place and then decide to stay all the better. Saves you from feeling stuck in a job you may not like and saves the employer from having lovely employees. I could imagine it being a little off-putting to people who have to worry about families and mortgages and stuff. The idea that you COULD be back in the same position that you're already in 3 months from now (if you're already unemployed) or possibly without a job at all in 3 months (if you do already have a job and are switching).
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Jul 30, 2015 15:20
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I think a lot of it is dependent on how large of an organization you're in. I know, for example, that Autotask (what we use here in a 3 man MSP) is very popular among small MSP's because it combines easy billing and stuff also.
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Sep 2, 2015 18:18
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Lord Dudeguy posted:Has anyone started getting some rather... emotionally aggressive cold calls? Didn't someone here have one of their vendors send them a cake or some poo poo after they stopped responding?
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Sep 9, 2015 21:23
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How much would I want to kill myself if I took a help desk / desktop support role at a hedgefund in NYC? I'm guessing by the stories I've heard here, I'd want to die almost immediately.
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Sep 24, 2015 00:47
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Welp, I got a call from a job I applied for yesterday. Overnight NOC position .I've got to set up an interview time with them. Not to get ahead of myself, but on the one had overnight NOC sounds boring as gently caress (I can't imagine I'd be able to get in on any projects or exciting stuff on the 12-8am shift) and would interfere with my sleep/social life something fierce. On the other hand, I could do my time there and study for my CCNA.
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Sep 29, 2015 18:49
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Docjowles posted:There's two kinds of NOC jobs. One is boring as gently caress, do nothing but call someone when the dashboard turns red, and you are not allowed to touch or learn anything. The other is more of a very junior sysadmin role where in addition to waiting for alerts, you're allowed to help out the more senior folks with projects or even propose improvements of your own. Try to find out which you're getting into during the interview. The latter can be a pretty great learning experience and foot in the door for a sysadmin/ops career. Yeah, I've seen people say this in this thread before. I have an interview scheduled for Friday at 3pm, so I'm going to ask all my questions there and try to find out what exactly my responsibilities would be.
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Sep 29, 2015 20:15
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CLAM DOWN posted:He must have no friends, family, or social life. I did find out that this would be a midnight-8am shift Monday-Friday. That's pretty cool because it would leave the weekend open for things like actually being able to see and interact with my gf.
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Sep 29, 2015 20:20
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The cool thing about working in IT on Long Island is that the job market is great, I guess. I just started my job search on Monday and already have two interviews lined up.
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Oct 1, 2015 20:48
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Vulture Culture posted:Lots of hiring here, especially from huge companies like Cablevision and Verizon. Doesn't hurt being a train commute out of Manhattan either. I don't actually have a linked in. I should probably fix that. I've only been working in IT for a year (help desk bitch) so I never really needed one.
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Oct 1, 2015 23:40
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Alder posted:What do you after getting A+ certs? Just curious as I've been searching for help desk work but I don't see anything available here (NYC) Uhh, where are you searching for stuff? Because I live on Long Island and have recruiters calling me about help desk jobs in NYC all the loving time. I just do the normal sites like DICE, Indeed etc. E: to actually answer your question, usually it's network+/ccent/ccna/Microsoft certs are your next step depending on which way you wanna go with your career.
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Oct 12, 2015 00:37
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Last week I went on a good set of interviews with a company located in my area. Yesterday I got an email from the recruiter that they thought my interviews were "very positive engagements" with them and that they're awaiting on the hiring manager to make the final move. That's the good. The bad is that I just got let go today from the small MSP that I currently work at. Boss man said there simply wasn't enough work to justify it - which tbh he's right on. A good 50% of my time there was sitting around nothing. Still kinda blindsided me though. I'm currently at the gym 
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Oct 15, 2015 20:12
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