BS in IT with 6 years experience. Started in tier 1 and moved to tier 2. Was a sole tech at a highschool for a year and a half and recently pivoted back to tech support in an enterprise position. Got burned out and wanted back into corporate IT.

It was HARD to get my current job. Never fought so hard in my life. A year of burnout, I almost lost hope. Thankfully my current role is more laid back.

I've questioned my career a lot. Honestly about two times a year since graduating id shift interests. For the first couple of years it was Web dev or data analytics. Id stay in either for a bit, but then fall back on IT.

I couldn't stay consistent. Id drop the CCNA after a couple of months. I did get the Sec+ but it recently expired.

I started a very simple windows server homelab and learned very basic powershell.

One thing I've learned over the last 6 years is that what I keep hitting my head against is when things get more technical. I don't enjoy it after a certain extent. I don't relate to my coworkers who have genuine interest in IT.

So what have I become interested in now? Something maybe more coordination, business analysis, implementation related. Honestly though I'm considering outside of IT altogether.

Because if I wanted to be a IT coordinator, for example, I would have to become more technicalw anyway.

But then I see people on LinkedIn almost everyday announcing that they have been laid off and are looking for work. People with job titles I was potentially interested in.

Then my boss recently told us the company would pay for certs.

So I got a clear path forward. Learn GPO - AD DC management with a homelab, maybe get tht md-102, learn more powershell, take advantage and see what certs I can get.

Yet why? Because it's the "easiest" path forward. More like the path that makes the most sense on paper.

Yet I'm not sure. I like helping people. Having something to help fix it improve, doesn't research, collecting information, talking to stakeholders, work out solutions, etc. But once things get real technical I struggle.

Looking at the job market I'm just torn.

Any advice?

I'm a little worried that I’m going to get in trouble at work, and I’m trying to get some perspective on how serious this situation is.

I was working with a contractor for a task at work (I was in charge of working with him on this). He needs to use a drive for his work. One of the IT teams here required a change to the drive’s password (it's part of policy to do this if we are using an external drive), so I changed it but I forgot to tell the contractor about it (I was looking at the machine when I handed him the drive. I was on the other side of the machine and for some reason, my brain thought this would just be a plug and play and I totally forgot there's a password on it). He ended up typing the old password enough times and it got locked out. As a result, I had to get the IT team involved to reset it, but they said they couldn’t reset it without wiping the drive.

Now the drive has been wiped. I spoke with the contractor, and he said he has a backup drive elsewhere, but I need to get that backup drive figured out for use now with the IT team, and I don't know how long that'll take. I'm worried that I made a mistake that could get me in trouble professionally. I'm literally set to start a new internal role next week..

I work for an MSP(sighhhhh). I am the director and essentially I feel that I am grossly underpaid and overworked. Any advice or guidance would be appreciated. I’m already in a pretty dark place so if possible try to be somewhat civil if you feel I’m totally wrong as I’m open to that possibility.

Basically I have been the director for the last 1.5 years here. I was handed a complete and utter mess. No real policies, no structure just people doing whatever they want. Things like projects weren’t even being billed for and there was no tier system in place so basic help desk tickets were sometimes going for 4+ hours with no escalations. Just to give you an idea of the kind of place I was handed.

Since starting I have righted the ship and everything is running a million times smoother to the point where me or the owner can go on vacation for weeks without having to ever really check in. This being said, over the last 1.5 years I have been given more and more to do. Basically the owner/ceo doesn’t want to be involved in the operations at all. This means I need to do all of the things an owner or CEO would do for an msp operations while also doing my normal director job.

There’s also a severe restriction on labor. So on top of my job of director, and covering my bosses operational responsibilities (for instance I was out on Friday and a client called and complained and instead of talking to him he just sent me a teams message to deal with it when I was back) I am also the lead project manager (I have to scope, quote, meet clients, meet with engineers), the only account manager (60 clients, all questions, complaints, emails, calls come to me), and I do the monthly meetings with the clients (vcio role really). There’s an endless list of other stuff I do such as hiring and firing, P&L for operations, making sure clients are profitable (wasn’t being done before me) and cutting/adding tools to save money etc. it goes on and on.

For this role I am awarded a wage of $45 an hour with no benefits, a few dollars more than the top help desk person who has 1 simple responsibility. Recently I compiled an entire report in the form of a PowerPoint complete with metrics and numbers showing massive increases over the last 1.5 years (for instance our response times have increased over 90%) as well as a variety of increases in revenue. When I showed him these metrics it was brushed off as “well we don’t have enough data to know if you are why this increase happened” even though I am solely responsible for operations.

I also compiled a full report of my duties and what I do vs what’s expected from director of operations and pointed out at this point my role is more like COO. It was quickly dismissed and was told what I do isn’t COO because if I was COO then the owner/ceo would never have to think about operations or be here at all (not true by all standards I could find online).

He said he would never be able to pay a COO salary anyway. At this point I offered taking a salary at my current earnings and taking back pay in the form of a % of operating profits. A pretty standard compensation package I thought for an executive role. I was told that he’s never heard of anything like this before.

The biggest part I’m confused about is that he says I am not doing a COO job but at the same time expects to not have to be involved in any of the day to day work meaning that he expects me to do his executive duties? This logic doesn’t make sense to me.

Anyway this is a common theme. I point out accomplishments or job expectations or titles and I’m just told you didn’t do that or you don’t do that. Then not paid properly. I genuinely can’t figure out if he actually believes this or if it’s a negotiating tactic to pay me the bare minimum.

I guess I am just looking for advice or feedback. Have I been led wrong and am not doing COO responsibilities? Is this normal to do like 6 full time jobs and be paid so low? Is this guy absolutely fleecing me? The good thing is because of the lack of benefits and pay I could literally get almost any t2 or higher job with benefits and it’s the same pay so I’m not that hamstrung right now and my resume is pretty solid I think.

Hey i'm a 25 year old who I recently got scheduled an interview for a technician I position for a school district. It pays 16.28- 20.25. I'm honestly confused as to what to ask for or negotiate or if I will even be given a the chance to.

The only qualifications say high school diploma/GED

I have no background in IT experience, other than studying for my CompTIA A+ ( I put in my resume i passed core 1 and currently working on core 2). Though I have a degree, its a B.S but in writing/ technical communications, so no help really because I have no actual job experience. If asked how much should I ask for, I truthfully need this job and am willing to take even the lowest amount (though I don't want to lowball myself).

any advice on the pay rate or just working in school district? (I know I haven't gotten the job yet but trying to think positive)

As the title says, i’m an IS major graduating this december and i’m just curious as to how everyone’s job hunting experience has been? experience wise i did one system administration internship this summer , i have my CSA cert and i do plan on working on my sec+ once i graduate im just currently really busy with the workload to graduate early . i’ve applied to some positions so far but ive been receiving the generic thank you for your time we’ve decided to proceed with other candidates etc. i know this post is probably coming off as a run on sentence but do any of you have any advice that would be useful to a young person graduating soon? i’m in texas if that’s relevant information for the market

So I have roughly 6 years of level II helpdesk experience. I have no college degree, only an A+ that expired in 2018 and an RHCSA cert. I've applied to hundreds of job postings for Sysadmin/Network admin, and didn't even get a nibble. Obviously the market is in a tough spot, so not having a degree is putting me at a huge disadvantage.

I am about to sign up for WGU and if everything goes well I'll be able to graduate in 1 year, and if not then it will take 2 years. Currently, there are 2 areas I would want to branch into. Data Analysis or Cybersecurity. I am trying to plan for the future, so I would want to get a degree that can be used to apply for jobs outside of the focus.

So I'm wondering, if I choose to get the BS in Data Analytics because that is my main interest, and 2 years from now Data Analytics jobs are no more but for some reason the Network Engineering field is booming, would a Data Analytics degree get my foot in the door?

Or I guess a better question would be: before the job market got crazy, if someone applied to a Network Engineer position with a CCNA, BS in DA, and an interest in networking, would there application get sorted to the trash?

Wondering what your take is on compensation vs stimulation when it comes to jobs. Obviously, we want to be paid a livable wage. So lets assume youre in a role that has decent work/life balance and compensation. The caveat is it offer very little stimulation and growth opportunities. Do you think that would bother you at any point? If so, how much (if any) of the work/lfe or compensation would you sacrifice for a more stimulating role?

So i am 21-years old and just started my Bachelors in ICT. I've quite enjoyed my studies so far, but truth be told, i am a bit afraid of what the future holds..

I've heard hundreds of horror stories from people in this field, where they can't even land an internship, let alone an actual entry-level job. I personally like my studies mostly, although there are some courses i despise.

I'm just wondering, did i make the wrong choice, and how bad is the situation ACTUALLY right now? I do have a chance to switch my degree to another Engineering field, or even possibly something entirely different.

I am hopeful, but truth be told, also scared for my future. I just don't want to spend 4 years and graduate into a field where i can't even land an interview.. Any thoughts on this :)?

I have my CompTIA trifecta and a CCNA, along with three years of Level 1 IT experience. At my current job, I also have some experience with racking and stacking, creating Visio network diagrams and rack drawings, configuring and provisioning UniFi switches, and handling Cat6 cable installations and patch panel terminations. Additionally, I have set up security rules on our Fortinet firewall and frequently configure DHCP reservations through it.

I became the on-site "network guy" at my shop, even though all the network stuff I do is basic. We mostly handle password resets, computer setups, basic Microsoft 365 troubleshooting, and account creation in Active Directory.

For the past two months, I have been applying for any position with the word "Network" in the title, such as Network Technician, Network Analyst, Network Engineer, NOC, and Network Administrator. However, I have had little luck, landing only four interviews so far. The consistent feedback I receive is that I interview well, but they ultimately decide to go with someone who has more experience. When asked, I always request a salary of $70,000 and mention that I am flexible.

Is there anything I am doing wrong? Since there is not enough networking work to do at my current job outside of documentation, should I make up for the experience gap by creating labs in Cisco CML or GNS3?

Hey all, looking for some advice from people who've worked service desk at a bigger company.

Some background: I've been doing field hardware support for a large school district for about 9 months. I support 18 schools by myself due to over half my team leaving with no backfills. Mostly break/fix on Chromebooks, MacBooks, iPads, and Windows laptops, plus PXE/USB imaging, pushing SCCM packages after imaging, and domain/Entra joins. Before that I spent about a year in UCaaS/telecom support. I have my A+ and the Google IT cert.

The thing is, my job is pretty narrow. The default fix for almost everything is reimage it because I am constantly in triage mode from the very second I step through the door at a school. I mostly work with schools that cannot afford their own tech coordinator. I don't really touch AD beyond joining machines, and I have almost no real experience troubleshooting the Microsoft side of things like Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, Exchange Online, or mobile devices.

I just went through interviews for a service desk role at a F500 company (around 500 main HQ users, small team, onboarding, conference room checks, walk-ups, lots of tickets). I was upfront about my M365 gaps and honestly expected it to hurt me, but the hiring managers didn't seem concerned at all. They seemed more interested in how I work with people and whether I can learn. They were really interested in my sales management background and how I currently manage 18 schools by myself.

So for anyone who's been there:
-What M365 stuff comes up the most day to day? What should I learn first?
-Any good free resources or labs for getting hands-on with the admin side?
-What surprised you most going from hardware/field work to a desk role?
-Any tips for handling a high ticket volume without getting buried?
-Anything you wish you'd known your first month?
-I've been told that once I clear the queue, I can ask to help with project work. That seems like the best way to prove myself beyond the service desk. How do you figure out how much extra to take on without overloading yourself?

I'm starting a Junior position at a company in the area of tech support but while I know my basics and did get the job, I'm a bit nervous about how much data I'll have to learn and retain which has never been my strong suit.

Wanted to hear from others to know how much in your day to day do you simply know how to do after much repetition and how much do you have to look up (because you don't know or simply don't remember).

Hi, I have been looking at online courses for Entry Level IT Engineer and see that Comp TIA+ is a good one but now I am finding out that these courses are funding chasers and not good. I saw bad reviews for netcomtraining.

Can you recommend any reputable online courses, preferably funded or cheap.

I have an MSc Computer Science design related degree and good technical skills so everything I have seen on Comp TIA+ course seems very basic. I know computer building, software and driver installation, setting up printers, CMD line scripting. I just really need the networking content.

Unfortunately, I got let go from another msp because I was getting too expensive (running out of money) and now I’m stuck with the other msp that is demanding with less pay as helpdesk that travels on-site. Nearing a year at this location and wanting to jump ship. Honestly, my end goal is to be a sysadmin but I need to find a good middle-ground before I lean into that position. What do you guys think I should invest my time into so I can be good enough as a sysadmin or at least, the runner-up position? (Making a linux-based homelab as a starting step btw)

Almost 600 applications since August, around 11-12 interviews, 0 offers. I apply the same hour/day pretty much the job is posted. I really don't know what else to do, this is way depressing and tiring, getting an entry level internship role right now feels like a nightmare and it's draining my life energy. And I'm not even being picky, I'm literally applying to every IT/Dev area, and even finance/sap.

I wake up thinking about applying to jobs, my whole day is looking at my phone at my e-mail and applying to more jobs, I barely focus at college because I'm thinking I could be missing out on applying fast for a recently posted job, I go to bed thinking about jobs, I used to be way more healthy and went to the gym 5x a week, now I'm only doing fullbody 2x a week because sometimes I have to schedule interviews or screenings during the day.

I've tried minmaxing my resumee and Linkedisney, I've practiced interviews of all kinds with AI and even friends, I've tried networking on Linkedin, I have 500+ connections, I've tried reaching out to recruiters, I've done bootcamps and any kind of program that could land me an entry lvl internship, I've begged my teachers for jobs aswell, I've tried networking with my colleagues in college. THIS IS ROUGH

Hello, I am trying to figure out a good plan to get my career back on track.

I’ve had a lot going on in my personal life the past few years so have not been able to devote enough time to improving my skills, and feel like I am stagnating. I am currently in a dead end job, which pays well but is extremely unstable and will absolutely end in a layoff in the near future.

I was fortunate enough to get into the industry in the 2010s when the market was way less competitive, and have a ton of work experience but no formal training, degrees or certifications. I’ve learned a ton on the job, but the lack of formal training can become painfully obvious in technical interviews when I don’t know the answer to a relatively basic question any person with an IT degree would know.

I have over 13 years experience in enterprise software support, all types of databases, cloud platforms, and containers. I’m an expert at a very specific type of NoSQL database that barely anyone uses (lol) and beginner to intermediate with all other databases. Kubernetes and Linux skills intermediate at best, probably closer to beginner.

My experience ranges from L1 to just shy of L3 support. By “just shy” I mean that we do not do bug fixes but go pretty far in the weeds analyzing logs and stacks written in C, Java, and JavaScript.

I like software support and am open to opportunities similar to what I have experience with. However, good paying support jobs are few and far between these days, so trying to expand my scope. I’ve always been particularly interested in database and system administration, Linux, and networking but unsure how best to build upon my skill set to get there. Not at all interested in a pure development type job, as I’ve tried to learn programming countless times and just can’t.

Looking for constructive feedback on specific learning paths (courses, certifications, degrees, etc.) which would help me build valuable skills in the areas noted above. Also interested in suggestions for career paths beyond those I’m already considering: Software Support, DBA, SysAdmin, Network Engineer, DevOps/SRE, etc.

Thanks in advance!

Looking for some career advice from people who've been in IT for a while.

I've been working in IT for well over a decade, with experience across technical support, application support, infrastructure, and operations. I'm at a point in my career where I'm trying to prioritize long-term stability, career advancement, and quality of life.

I'm currently working as a contractor for a large company, but I've been interviewing for a permanent position at another large organization. I'm having a hard time deciding whether making the switch would actually be worth it.

Current Position – IT Operations (Contract)

Pros:

- Short, easy commute.

- Standard weekday schedule with no on-call responsibilities.

- Relatively low-stress environment.

- Good relationship with management.

- Comfortable with the work and responsibilities.

- Recently started taking on more technical responsibilities outside my original role.

- Potential opportunities to move into a more specialized infrastructure or administrative position.

- Possible opportunity for permanent employment in the future.

Cons:

- Contractor with no guarantee of long-term employment.

- No paid vacation or holidays.

- Required unpaid time off throughout the year.

- Lower salary than I'd like.

- Limited benefits.

- Potential advancement opportunities are speculative and depend on management approval.

Potential New Position – IT Production Support (Permanent)

Pros:

- Approximately 25–35% increase in base salary.

- Permanent employment with full benefits, PTO, and paid holidays.

- Large organization with established career paths.

- Potential for internal advancement.

- More traditional corporate structure and potentially better long-term stability.

Cons:

- Significantly longer commute, potentially close to an hour each way.

- Earlier start time requiring me to wake up much earlier.

- Regular on-call rotation, including backup responsibilities.

- Position is classified as entry-level despite my experience.

- No clear timeline or guarantee for advancement.

- Additional commuting expenses.

- Less flexibility for personal commitments and outside income.

The Financial Side

One of the biggest factors is that I currently earn additional income outside of my regular job, and the schedule of the new position would likely interfere with that.

I'd potentially have to give up a portion of that income, which would offset some of the salary increase.

Between that, the additional commuting expenses, and the extra time spent traveling, the actual financial improvement wouldn't be nearly as significant as it looks on paper.

I'm also concerned about the additional stress and time commitment associated with being on-call, especially when considering the impact on my personal life.

Long-Term Career Goals

At this point, I'd like to move toward IT operations leadership, systems administration, or a more senior technical position rather than continue cycling through entry-level support roles.

My current employer has recently given me additional responsibilities that could potentially lead in that direction, but nothing is guaranteed.

The prospective employer offers a more established corporate career structure, but I'd essentially be starting over in an entry-level position and hoping to advance internally.

I've been through enough corporate environments to know that internal advancement isn't always as straightforward as companies make it sound.

I'm also married and thinking more seriously about long-term financial stability and family responsibilities, so I recognize the value of permanent employment and benefits.

My Question

Would you leave a comfortable contract position with a great schedule, short commute, and possible advancement opportunities for a permanent role offering roughly 30% more base pay but significantly worse work-life balance?

Is the stability of permanent employment worth potentially sacrificing flexibility, side income, and personal time?

Or would you stay where you are, continue developing your technical skills, and hold out for a better permanent opportunity that aligns more closely with your long-term goals?

Interested in hearing from anyone who's faced a similar decision, particularly those who've transitioned from IT operations or production support into more senior or leadership positions.

I am currently a project engineer at a pretty decent-sized MSP. Been there a few months. Only thing I’m doing technically is 365 migrations, tool implementation. Upgrading old networking equipment. Standard PS work, doesn’t feel challenging and almost like I’m going backwards technically. Boss is incredible and very flexible. Have a current offer for a senior networking engineer/technical project manager for a local big MSP to me. Can’t really make a decision easily. If I knew the new place was going to be super flexible and lenient like current place it would be a no brainer. From strictly a technical position what would you all did?! I do have a family and house.

We just updated the Wiki with this, but it's worth a post as well:

This is an employer's market, obviously. They have their pick of people, and they're being flooded with resumes. This means that job postings are generally UP and ACTIVE for a very short time.

Applying to as many jobs as you can find is no longer a good strategy, since the majority of those jobs are already stale, and your resume is going into a black hole, never to be seen.

In this market, you must be strategic about your applications, and the #1 top most important thing to get a resume in front of the hiring manager is to apply immediately - the same day the job is posted, if possible.

For popular postings, they could get 50-100 applicants per day, so they're going to stop looking at new resumes long before the posting closes. The timeline looks similar to this:

Day 1 - 50 resumes come in.

Day 2 - 75 resumes come in.

Day 3 - resumes are still coming in, but HR and the hiring manager start going through the resumes they already have. They'll separate them by whatever criteria are important to them, but it'll look something like:

50% are totally unqualified, live in a different country, or are otherwise ineligible

30% have some experience, OR a degree, OR a relevant certification

15% have 2 of the above

5% have all three

Logically, they're starting with the people who have experience, a degree, and a relevant cert - that means ~8-10 candidates who look great on paper 3 days after the job is posted. They spend the next week calling, setting up interviews, doing phone screens, setting up 2nd interviews, etc. If they're in a hurry, a week after that they'll be ready to make an offer and take down the posting.

MEANWHILE - they've still been getting more resumes every day while they work through that initial batch. They only looked at resumes from the first 2-3 days, and had more than enough to make someone an offer. Meanwhile, hundreds and hundreds more came in that no one ever looked at.

They're not being filtered out or stuck at an AI or ATS screener - it's just that they already have more than enough resumes, so they stopped looking at the new ones coming in. This is why you sometimes never hear back even though your resume is a "perfect" match - they're already talking to the other perfect matches who applied before you did.

So check job boards every day, and apply as soon as you see a new posting. Each day the post is up, it's less and less likely that they'll need any more resumes, so you must be in the initial batch they look at for a chance at a call.

TL;DR: Apply FAST, not frequently.

Hello so I have a friend who works security ( as in security guard) . So through his company he obtained a security clearance as he works security for a government contractor.

So I myself I work at a government contractor a good size one (Think etc SAIC, Leidos, BAH, CACI etc) and there is a lot of job openings that I can refer him to like security related ones similar to Soc analysts where he would monitor the network and I see that they require Security+ and a clearance which he has.

Basically they don’t list X years of Exp or degree needed, just recommend. My company gives me a large referral bonus for cleared work ( and I get to help my friend out to lol) , so I was wondering for any seniors or hiring managers would he be taken/ considered for the role?

He doesn’t have his Sec+ yet so I am trying to find out if that’s the right path to take for him.

Hey Everyone,
I’m currently attending WGU for Cloud Computing and Network Engineering.

I just received my A+ and currently studying for Net+

I have 2.5yrs experience at a Technician at AT&T (installing/Repairing Fiber, Copper, POTS, VOIP)

My OG plan was to get Net+ by end of year, and start applying to NOC Technician Jobs at the start of year when everyone is back from Vacation.

My friend who a Sys Admin (at two companies) says I need to just use my A+ and get a help desk job today.

Looking for thoughts, advice, suggestions as the end game goal is cloud engineer but you gotta start somewhere

As in the title mentioned, I have to select a specialization for my degree program by next year. So I need to know that what stream is worthy for the future IT career. I am no matter of selecting either one of them. But I need to know is what do you guys perspectives of these two career paths in the future. Hoping your responses..

Pretty new to the IT game, have about a year and a half of experience at a NOC MSP. My resume isn't impressive but I get a lot of interviews.

The interviews always go really well, laughing it up with the interviewers and always emphasize my willingness to learn anything that's needed of me and develop new skills.

Hold for a few days to a week later, rejection email.

I think i'm about to lose my goddamn mind, I'm taking lots of time off of work to go in and speak with someone (lots of lunch break/early off shift interviews) and they always end the same.

How are you guys coping with this? My mental health is going down the drain because of this, just wanted to vent.

Rumors swirling that my team will be laid off next week. I’m a simple NOC technician, no certs but confident I could at least pass net+. I know the state of the IT sector is horrid right now, especially for someone with no degree/certs to their name. However, I do have 6 solid years of NOC experience. Any roles or ideas on what I could jump into next?