Is IT just an endless grind? Or does it ever get better?
Posted by edward_ge@reddit | sysadmin | View on Reddit | 356 comments
Some days, I wonder am I actually building something meaningful, or am I just duct taping a sinking ship while everyone complains the tape isn’t good enough?
I wake up to a flood of emails, half of them marked URGENT (they never are). I log in, and there’s already a fire to put out because, of course, something critical broke overnight. By the time I fix it, there’s another problem. Then another. And another.
It’s like IT isn’t about solving problems, it’s about keeping things just functional enough for the next disaster. I don’t mind working hard, but I can’t shake the feeling that we’re stuck in a cycle that never actually gets better.
For those who have been in this loop for years, does it ever change? Or is this just what IT is: an endless treadmill of firefighting, underappreciation, and burnout?
Electrical_Stock8545@reddit
I worked in IT Support for years and then moved to IT Systems Engineering, where I’ve been able to have creative license and develop tools, automations, and actual solutions to problems that plague developers and customers. This is the way to go.
myutnybrtve@reddit
IT is not building a barn. It's pruning a bonsai tree and trying to shape it over time. Also the bonsai tree is trying to set itself on fire while being a dick to you.
willyam3b@reddit
Best. Sub. Comment. Ever. You got me with this one...
Think_Vehicle913@reddit
Also, sometimes you just gotta shoot the printer
space_nerd_82@reddit
If you haven’t contemplated shooting the printer, are you even in IT?
timbotheny26@reddit
I'm working part-time at a grocery store while I study for my A+ and frequently want to smash the 30+ year old POS systems we're forced to use.
Does that count?
space_nerd_82@reddit
Yes I can relate use to deal with old POS systems as well so i believe it counts
EVtruck@reddit
The last time we had a fire alarm go off, it wasn’t part of a test and we thought there was a possibility of it being genuine.
As we were exiting the building (short-walk as we had an exterior door for receiving in our section of the building) I suggested to our Director that I should push the MFP to wherever the fire was. I argued we couldn’t rule out the possibility of the printer extinguishing the fire and it was at least worth a try.
I was overruled though I could see the temptation in his eyes.
wavemelon@reddit
Far too humane. I was my printicide bloody, I want it to hurt and I want it to stand as a WARNING to ALL other printers. Do NOT f*ck with me.
triwyn@reddit
Either a shirt or a tattoo will become of this. I’m undecided. Perhaps both.
Robeleader@reddit
Center image of a Bonsai, maybe some light cyberpunk elements (LEDs, wires, etc.).
Text above arcing over the tree, "IT is like a bonsai tree and trying to shape it over time."
Text below the tree, maybe a smaller font, "Also the bonsai tree is trying to set itself on fire while being a dick to you" with maybe a lit match or with the ends of the text being burnt/on fire
timbotheny26@reddit
Saving this to ask for a price quote at a print shop.
port25@reddit
Take my money.
therealRustyZA@reddit
I feel this and sadly concur.
dabbuz@reddit
oddly enough , you will miss the fires when they are gone
therealRustyZA@reddit
Wish, I don't know hey. I started at a place that's stable. No running around putting out fires. I can plan projects and system improvements at a good pace and actually get to implement them when I plan to.
I doubt I will miss corporate with data centers of servers and standby every second week that I did for the almost 10 years at that spot.
Also, I work for a really nice guy now. So that helps.
x-Mowens-x@reddit
I feel like I am the only one that enjoys it.
therealRustyZA@reddit
Most people I know used to enjoy it. But myself, fter being in IT for just over 20 years and a sysadmin for 13 of them. The enjoyment just gets beaten out of you over time.
x-Mowens-x@reddit
25 years, still going strong.
MST3KGuyDC@reddit
25 years here too. I have a fancy title and still do Tier 1 work. It never changes. At least I’m out of therapy 😂
x-Mowens-x@reddit
First; love MST3K. Good choice.
Second; maybe that’s it. I work at a large enough place i’m an IT guy for other IT guys. I only do escalations.
MST3KGuyDC@reddit
I went from a large IT team where we had groups that specialized in certain disciplines to a team of 3 where we’re expected to cover everything. Quite a shock.
teksean@reddit
Excellent insights
MalletNGrease@reddit
IT is maintaining a running train that's on fire. The light at the end of the tunnel is also a train on fire.
CharcoalGreyWolf@reddit
BEING A SYSADMIN IS EASY.IT’S LIKE RIDING A BIKE.
EXCEPT THE BIKE IS ON FIRE
YOU’RE ON FIRE
EVERYTHING IS ON FIRE
AND YOU’RE IN HELL.
(Another one of my personal favorites(
twistedbrewmejunk@reddit
There are those that run towards the fire, some run away from it and then there are sysadmins/engineers who stop smile and take a picture with it with the twinkle that says I know exactly what's going on..
Arudinne@reddit
I prefer to grab marshmallows and roast them over the dumpster fire.
Lu12k3r@reddit
Everything is on fire and the water is needed yesterday.
MidnightAdmin@reddit
Management, ok, so you need water, let's open the dams in your area!
Fancy_Possibility_47@reddit
It's building and upgrading a jet plane while flying it.
notHooptieJ@reddit
and the jet plane is actually a cardboard cutout glued to the side of a beatup greyhound bus. and by building you mean picking up train rails so the bus doesnt crash into them
but alas somehow its flying and also on fire while barreling down traintracks..
You go to shovel in more coal into the boiler only to find this all a costume on a 3 legged goat pulling a turnip trailer with a bit of twine.
Also still flying, and on fire.
dracotrapnet@reddit
Usually bonsai trees don't have teeth and don't need toilet training.
ITguydoingITthings@reddit
Usually. But not always.
NeverLookBothWays@reddit
It's also like working on a passenger jet... sometimes while it's in a hangar...too often while it is in flight.
But it really depends on the culture of the company/department too, not all IT jobs are stressful all the time like this. Some allow room for investing into better tools, technologies, training, etc
Wheredidthatgo84@reddit
737 MAX - faulty before it even leaves the factory; reminds me of MS products!
NeverLookBothWays@reddit
Hah, that's like supporting Quickbooks, Sage, or Peachtree too.
Polar_Ted@reddit
Ladies and Gentleman. Welcome to flight 7609. Around midnight we plan to land in the middle of nowhere for maintenance. Please put your tray tables up and exit the plane till 6am.
Thank you.
wanderinggoat@reddit
Like the old EDS advert except they would be herding cats on a jetliner flying with parts of it missing
Polar_Ted@reddit
myutnybrtve@reddit
Ugh. Not a fan of AI art.
notHooptieJ@reddit
No.
Thats like we're building something beautiful worthy of reverence and respect.
We're diggin holes, and fillin em back up, just to dig em again tomorrow. Accept the reality and detach from it.
IT is work, the thing you do for money 8 hours a day.
do yourself a favor spend the other 2/3rds of your life NOT thinking about IT.
bryiewes@reddit
If IT = work, how can homelab = IT but homelab ≠ work
Now I'm not working yet, so please by all means correct me if im way off, but if you feel such a way, is IT truly what you want to do?
bob_cramit@reddit
Homelabs are fun, especially when you are young and learning.
The I.T stuff I do at home or would do, would be stuff I wouldnt do at work. Home automation, fun hacking stuff.
notHooptieJ@reddit
a better question is how many decades i already have been.
Dont get me wrong, i still tinker at home, but its usually tangetially related at best. (i have absolutely zero interest in a windows server or active directory, or domain joining at home)
I have the house wired for 2.5gb and wifi7, I run a home Nas-server and tinker with docker and virtual machines on it.
(and a streaming server for the tvs and music, and ssd storage for steam libraries)
But when i have a day off, im not interested in fucking around on the network setup at home(its more like a chore) i'd rather be playing games on the pc, or getting outside and playing with the dog.
jlipschitz@reddit
I commend you on your accurate description of IT.
Frosty_Protection_93@reddit
When someone makes this a shirt sign me up for one
myutnybrtve@reddit
Here you go: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1890371967/it-is-pruning-a-bonsai-tree
Frosty_Protection_93@reddit
Add a bonsai-tree-on-fire graphic and I am sold
myutnybrtve@reddit
making me work so hard. smh.
ohiocodernumerouno@reddit
and eventually run away and badmouth you
myutnybrtve@reddit
One can only hope.
amit19595@reddit
this guy IT’s
BrittonMittens@reddit
Amazing.
valmartinico@reddit
I like the analogy, but sadly, my IT-bonsai will never get the chance to look nice and inspire harmony to anyone
myutnybrtve@reddit
That's ok. Most IT-Bonsai are ugly skraggly looking things, just barely clinging to life. But they are atill alive. And thats sonething.
ManintheMT@reddit
Just like my IT ecosystem, it brings in the money so I keep patching her up.
hamburgler26@reddit
This should be enshrined as the motto of this subreddit. The description even. I want it written in fancy calligraphy and framed on my wall.
fcewen00@reddit
This is the way
kybog@reddit
This is the best analogy I've ever heard.
unix_heretic@reddit
You. I like you. Well-played.
MrHundredand11@reddit
O.u.c.h.
TheSh4ne@reddit
A poetic and apt description, sir/madam. Would that I had more than 1 upvote to give you.
myutnybrtve@reddit
Just mail me a bonsai tree and well call it even.
KJatWork@reddit
Well, there we have it, the new IT shirt.
myutnybrtve@reddit
I would like to have any proceeds donated to myself.
EsotericEmperor@reddit
Hands down the funniest comment I've seen on reddit.
Humorous-Prince@reddit
scytob@reddit
That’s brilliant :-)
Kuipyr@reddit
Add the axe wielding mob trying to cut it down when you're not looking.
L3TH3RGY@reddit
Exactly 💯
oyarasaX@reddit
so, playing Elden Ring.
myutnybrtve@reddit
I have found Elden Ring to be way kess rewarding.
steveatari@reddit
And everyone else is either admiring the person who bought the bonsai, hired you, or desperately pulling at it while you're gone to make it better.
uptimefordays@reddit
Our job is running systems—for the most part that means taking over and improving what we inherit from teams before us.
blofly@reddit
Oh I am Soooo saving this for future use. Absolutely brilliant.
smpreston162@reddit
been doing this crap for 18 years and this is hand down the best description
looncraz@reddit
And don't forget the hidden gnomes in the Bonsai tree trying to steal your shtuff, and the djinn trying to move the leaves all over the place until you give them a bucket of gold and a piece of your soul to put them back in place.
Wonder_Weenis@reddit
you are my spirit animal
unclesleepover@reddit
I look at it the same as my first job when I was 14. I’m putting up grocery carts. I’m never done I just keep doing it for paychecks.
JJaX2@reddit
While cobra Kai is trying to beat you up.
slopezau@reddit
Never have I felt so seen.
Mcgreggers_99@reddit
Legendary quote.
itsmematt88@reddit
Oh yeah, IT is 90% duct tape 10% wondering if the ship was even seaworthy to begin with. You’re not alone.
Wake up to a flood of “URGENT” tickets that were so urgent they sat untouched for 12 hours. Fix one fire, two more appear. The printer spontaneously combusts. Some exec can’t log in because they changed their password yesterday and forgot it today. And somehow, it’s your fault because “it worked before.”
The worst part? Half the time, you do fix it — heroically, under pressure, with no downtime and no one notices. But let one minor thing slip and suddenly its “why are we paying for IT again?”
Some days I feel like I’m just making this Rube Goldberg machine of spaghetti scripts and legacy systems slighlty less terrible until it finally collapses. But hey, we got a company branded water bottle last year so thats cool.
Does it get better? Sometimes. If you get a decent manager who knows how to shield you or a company that actually invests in tech lol, it can stabilize. But if you’re asking the question, you already know the answer
RMDashRFCommit@reddit
The only way out of the cycle is to overcome the depression and continue training yourself and getting certifications. Eventually, you will make enough money to make the bitching and whining worth it.
NotYetReadyToRetire@reddit
I spent 25+ years as basically the entire IT department at one of my past employers; there I did everything from building the servers and PCs to writing the software to doing Ethernet cabling to installing the 120V and 240V outlets we needed, plus the dreaded "other duties as assigned" - I never did figure out why I was in charge of raising and lowering the flag in front of the building or dealing with the vending machine company.
The good news is that eventually it does end - after 47 years, I retired 13 months ago. No more users for me! After retiring, I even outsourced tech support for my wife to my kids (Comp Sci degree for one, Comp Sec/Networking for second, third builds his own PCs), so now all I deal with are my devices - and sometimes I ask for help on those.
th3groveman@reddit
I see posts like this, and always want to ask 'how many hours/week did you work?' 'Did you ever get to take a vacation?' I'm on a team of 5 in a 250 seat environment (5 locations) and it still feels like there is way too much work to be truly proactive. And to see people who do it all themselves I just can't fathom it.
NotYetReadyToRetire@reddit
60-80 hours week was my normal load while in that position, and the work laptop was always going on vacation with me; most times it was used for up to 20-30 hours a week while on vacation. It did influence one particular vacation; for our 25th anniversary trip, I took the laptop along to the carefully selected destination - it was 50 miles from the nearest internet access, and 25 miles beyond the end of landline service, so the modem was useless as well.
A lot of it comes down to triage - what absolutely has to be done is often all that is done when you're the only one who can do it. Yes, it would have been nice to be able to plan things, but 99+% of my work life back then was just reacting to the disaster of the hour.
Christmas Day was the only day our call center didn't have shifts scheduled, so that's when the supposedly planned server upgrades were scheduled. I remember more than a few times working from 8am Christmas Eve to 4am Christmas Day, rushing home to be there when the kids got up to unwrap their gifts and then going back in to finish the major upgrades.
th3groveman@reddit
Wow, that’s incredible. I usually think I’m doing something wrong in “needing” a team, but this does provide that insight. I am able to work my 40, have an on call rotation, and work more proactively than reacting to disaster after disaster. I think if I were in a position requiring 60-80 with no vacation I would probably burn out within months.
Thanks for your comment!
NotYetReadyToRetire@reddit
It's all in what you're used to. My first job right out of school (back when I was young and stupid) started the last week of August. I worked 40 hours the first week (orientation), 80 hours week 2 (plus Monday was Labor Day), and that was the last time I worked less than 120 hours until January (see, I wasn't kidding about the stupid part!).
I got overtime back then; I was supposed to be making $9,600/year - I wound up making just over $14,000 for the 4 months that project lasted. We were way over budget, but the first production report was published with 17 minutes left before the FedEx deadline for shipping it to our clients; it made it into the box and down to our mail room just as the FedEx driver pulled up to the loading dock.
It was also my first and last project like that; those types of projects cost way too much in human terms. Out of our team of 7, 2 had heart attacks (1 fatal) and 3 others wound up divorced.
Cr0ssedPaths@reddit
Long time ago I remember seeing a job for a FT tech. First half was normal, 2nd half was a combination of every task no one wanted to do. Change/fix tires, change oil/filters, maintain the building, can’t remember if plumbing tasks were also listed but you get the idea.
The job posting was up for months, after a while I stopped seeing it. Not sure if they found a poor soul who needed the money, or realized they made a mistake.
I_Want_Waffles90@reddit
I spent 15+ years as the entire IT department at my past employer, and I also handled payroll and accounting functions. The company had 100+ employees and 3 locations in it's glory days, but the corporate office had maybe about 50 employees. I ended up as the admin because no one else knew anything about computers or networking, so I learned how to do everything else (cabling, building servers, database management, etc.). There was never enough money, which made things even more grueling. I knew I wasn't going to stay at this company forever, so I slowly convinced management to outsource some of the functions - especially when they cut half the staff and closed their other two locations which gave me even less time to focus on IT. I knew I wouldn't be able to leave with a good conscience until they had some actual IT infrastructure, so when they agreed to hire an outside company I knew it was time. I had documented as many work instructions as I possibly could, made sure that the new IT company was settling in, and then I bailed.
I moved out of the state, and I took a job that was NOT in IT (and for significantly less money, woe). Since my resume was mostly IT and accounting, word got around at my new gig that I could "do IT stuff." The only difference now is that it's just random end user stuff (with no server, exchange, web filtering, routers, etc.), so it's not bad ... especially because I miss the challenges that are specific to computer/tech. But, aside from retiring, working at a fully staffed/supported company, or moving out of IT in general, those are the only ways out.
ronin_cse@reddit
Username does not check out
NotYetReadyToRetire@reddit
No, it doesn't - but I don't want to start over with a new one, so I just go with it.
terraformist0@reddit
You can retire from IT, but can you ever really retire from "other duties as assigned"? I bet the wife still has you raising and lowering all of your domestic flags and stocking the home vending machine
NotYetReadyToRetire@reddit
No, grocery shopping today and loading & starting the dishwasher tonight were today's other duties, despite my (joking) protests that men aren't allowed to compete in women's sports!
HsuGoZen@reddit
I once had a boss say “there will always be something on fire, don’t stress about it”. At that moment I realized, I did not want to work in IT anymore.
Thankless, bottomless pit of problems, with everyone always mad that you aren’t doing your job.
shd0w2@reddit
So what do you do now? Is it rewarding, pay wise how does it compare, etc? Curious
HsuGoZen@reddit
This is probably going to be way more info than you wanted but..
I saved up enough money to live for a few years to dedicate myself to getting my life back. Took out my entire retirement early to do it, along with some investments I had made. (Only 30ish so wasn’t a crap ton but enough).
My focus has been on 4 things: health, family, purpose, and finances. In that order.
My health had deteriorated so poorly that I was having panic attacks along with being overweight. (Was getting out of breath just walking up my stairs). Immediately lost 50lbs within 6 months of quitting and have sense quit drinking and smoking.
Additionally I’ve been trying to rebuild my relationships, both with family and friends as well as myself. One thing that IT did to me, was it made me into this person that felt like everything was on my shoulders; thus I’ve had to relearn how to make mistakes and not be as hard on myself and to lean on friends and family when I need help.
For purpose, I’m still using my skills but in ways that I enjoy. I recently rebuilt my OS, (been distro hopping trying to find a nice daily driver and falling in love with linux again) and have been playing around with game development as well as CTF challenges. My hope is that within the next year I can have a beta for a game completed, as well as be able to do some bug bounty programs or land a pen testing job. I’ve also gotten back into reading (completed my 25th book since I quit), and have generally just renewed my passion for learning.
The finances…. well I hope that by the time the money runs out that I’ll have built enough skills and confidence in myself to do whatever I need to in order to make it. It’s a risk, but IMO it was far riskier for me to stay where I was. Addicted, overweight, and unhappy with a job vs. sober, in shape, and happy without a job… to me it seems like a no brainer but everyone around me acts like I’m crazy. But only time will tell 😅
shd0w2@reddit
Thanks for the insight! I think this will work out for you as long as you don't find yourself in a further hole life-wise, - not implying that you would. Sounds like it's going well so far! Hope the Pen Testing goes well, definitely a good field as long as you have the chops for it. Books are great, though I only seem to read them while sober on flights...
I read your comment a few times and thought about how it could be applicable to my life and direction. Did you quit smoking cigarettes, or some of that sticky icky? I find myself being a functioning addict at some level, in my early 20s, sort of ignoring pursuing relationships and self development, though still doing well for myself overall.
I am still in reasonably good health but I could see it slipping for sure, so maybe I should prioritize that even if it requires some more effort right now. Don't think my 30s will be very kind to me if I don't change anything reasonably soon
HsuGoZen@reddit
Lol it was the sticky icky. I was functioning too, but it didn’t make me less of an addict. In fact, I never viewed myself as an addict until I tried to quit and realized that the psychological dependency was much higher than I realized. I had smoked for 15 years (more or less).
If you want to smoke every once in a while, like a bday or whatever then I’d say it’s fine. But for me personally, it started taking away my joy when I wasn’t high. Even food had become a chore to the point where I wouldn’t get hungry until I got high; and I wouldn’t feel motivated to work unless I was high. (Not ideal for sys admin work but that’s what it had devolved to)
Your health is a cumulative effect. One of the mistakes I made was I kept telling myself I was still in pretty good shape. But then one day I realized I wasn’t, and by then it was so difficult for me to do anything that I just didn’t want to. Wrapped up in my own self pity. (Sticky stuff didn’t help that either)
Wish you the best brother and hope you avoid the mistakes I made! If you do just one thing, I’d say start working out or just getting some cardio in!
hardly_connected@reddit
Prompted ChatGPT 4o:
Finish this greentext. Do not hold back, be obscene.
> be me
> be sys admin
Got this:
TheGuioDude@reddit
It's always a grind, you just need to study and get enough certs to make yourself worth the money you want to make
Proper-Obligation-97@reddit
Working in IT since 2007... it never ends, what make it easier is:
- Documentation
- Automation / Scripting
- Monitoring / Alert
- Cut off time / Not responding while OoO (work this out with your employer or switch jobs when you can)
- Draw the line with supporting Shadow IT (work this out with your employer or switch jobs when you can)
As everything in life take with moderation, don't over do it.
Learn PowerShell and/or BASH to deal with major OS players.
Then learn to use AI as your personal assistance for Documentation and Automation relying on your foundations on scripting.
Disconnect from the job on a weekly basis for at least 1 day, switch jobs if you can't do this.
Honest-Conclusion338@reddit
I like to think working in IT has shaped me in a lot of ways. Been doing it since 2008 and in my daily life my problem solving skills, calmness under pressure stems from the day job
GiftAltruistic858@reddit
You maybe dealing with technical debt.
Seems the debt is keeping pace with your fixes
nicknacksc@reddit
Depends where you work and if they give you money to fix things
DarthtacoX@reddit
This is such a huge thing. If the company you work for doesn't support you then IT is horrible. Really any position probably isn't great at those companies. But if the company supports you and has your back and allows you to make proper procedures and provides you the funding to get things repaired properly then things can be awesome.
kidrob0tn1k@reddit
A company supporting you and having your back? Can you point me in the direction because my company is horrendous!
DarthtacoX@reddit
There are plenty of them just have to hop and not take the shit.
irrision@reddit
This, my current job started like this 15 years ago and it gradually got better as IT grew and matured to the point that there were enough people to handle the daily load AND make progress improving things.
reserved_seating@reddit
This was me. Then they outsourced us.
Sweet_Mother_Russia@reddit
Congrats! That means you won. Now you have to go do the same thing somewhere else for 10 years while your original stuff all falls apart and some middle manager gets a promotion for canning your whole department.
RoundTheBend6@reddit
Or create policies that help or hinder IT.
Immediate-Opening185@reddit
All I can offer is no money a strict ban on open source projects because of a reason nobody can actually articulate to any meaningful degree BUT pizza party once a month is in my power.
Carter-SysAdmin@reddit
Agree - I worked somewhere once where suddenly IT was actually given a budget to fix things - and we DID and then we won the next quarterly department/team award for the entire global company.
Felt great actually being acknowledged and it powered us going into 2020 where we were able to successfully roll out timely and airtight WFH policies to help everyone manage that year better.
unixux@reddit
It’s mostly about paying your bills and GTFO at first opportunity. You really don’t want to go steady at an IT helpdesk
Ok-Result5562@reddit
Computers are easy, it’s users that are hard
FabulousRecover3323@reddit
A lot of it is how you let yourself feel about the situation. Urgency will always be there, there is only so much you can do in a day. Learning to slow down and relax and not let the panic of the issues around me cause me panic took years. But once it finally clicked I was able to relax in that chaos.
You can only do so much a day. If more needed to be done they would hire more employees. Take that lunch away from campus. Get your break in. Go fill your water bottle once an hour.
imthatsysadmin@reddit
It definitely sounds like you're stuck in a tough loop, and I think a lot of people in IT can relate to the feeling of constantly fighting fires without ever getting a chance to step back and focus on long-term progress.
One thing that's helped me handle this type of environment is prioritizing work and setting clear expectations. When everything feels like an urgent fire, it can be easy to get lost in the weeds and lose sight of what really matters.
Set Clear Boundaries & Prioritize: Not everything that’s marked "urgent" is really urgent. I’ve learned to set boundaries by distinguishing between truly critical issues and things that can wait. Sometimes, it's just about triaging: tackling the most impactful problems first and letting others simmer until you have the bandwidth. Prioritization tools like the Eisenhower Matrix (important vs. urgent) can help make this more concrete.
Expectations: A lot of times, the issue is a mismatch between what people expect from IT and what we can realistically deliver. I’ve found that setting realistic expectations early on can reduce the stress and pressure later. Whether it’s letting stakeholders know about ongoing issues or giving them a clearer idea of timelines, having those conversations upfront can help set a healthier tone.
Long-Term Solutions vs. Short-Term Fixes: It’s tempting to just keep putting out fires, but I try to carve out time (even if it’s just an hour here and there) to look for the root causes of recurring problems. Building longer-term solutions might not solve everything immediately, but it can prevent those same fires from coming back over and over again.
Celebrate the Wins: It’s easy to get bogged down by the feeling of "I’m just fixing stuff," but when I take a step back and reflect on the impact I’ve had, whether that’s getting something working again or improving a process, it can be really rewarding. It’s important to remember that even if you're not solving the "big" problems every day, you’re still making things better.
Self-Care: I’ve learned the importance of balancing work and personal life. The grind of constant firefighting can lead to burnout, so it’s crucial to take care of yourself physically and mentally. Sometimes, stepping away for a little while can help you come back with fresh eyes and a clearer head.
As for whether this ever changes – there will always be firefighting in IT, but over time, you can get better at managing it. The key is learning to manage your work, set boundaries, and keep a bigger perspective on the long-term goals. If you don’t, the cycle can feel endless.
Stay strong and keep building! You’re making an impact, even if it doesn’t always feel that way.
CowardyLurker@reddit
This, truly. All solid and important points.
I'd like to add that #3 (long-term solutions) is one of those things that you'll have to have a little faith. Even when you agree that it makes sense, you may get that nagging feeling that you are wasting precious time.
Don't be fooled! Root cause analysis is never a waste of time. Finding out exactly what went wrong is a skill you need to develop for fighting fires and gaining ground. The more root cause sleuthing you can manage to accomplish the better you will become at finding the next one.
This is where determination and persistence eventually do pay off. Use #4 (celebrate the wins) to reinforce your faith in this methodology. If you keep improving it eventually becomes a superpower that can break that endless grind.
It did for me at least, YMMV.
Quietwulf@reddit
\^ Really great, practical advice. It is absolutely possible to mitigate some of the endless grind. You can make material differences in how things run.
teksean@reddit
Retirement is better.
ausername111111@reddit
I told my wife it's a bit like working as an ice cream taster. Day in and day out you are eating ice cream. Sometimes it's vanilla, sometimes, it's chocolate, sometimes it's strawberry, but it's ice cream all day every day.
You really get tired of eating the same thing all day every day, but being an ice cream taster is better than being a dog shit taster.
Own-Source-1612@reddit
People don't really appreciate IT because it doesn't produce money, only takes money. They only see the issues that affect them, not the 15 you prevented. I like to take a straight week or two off for vacation and not answer my phone if people start taking me for granted.
RenderBroken@reddit
Idk, I work for a decent sized edu IT dept and things are no where near as dire as I see on this forum constantly. This job is as hard or easy as you make IT. Are you picking and implementing smart solutions/products? Are you paying for support hours for those same products? Are you fully leveraging the tools you have at hand? IE: you need to upgrade from one Palo Alto firewall to a different one and want to make sure it's seemless? Bring in the support you have already paid for. Have them doublecheck your config and walk you through swap. Let them hold your hand if needed. Support hours are cheap and always forgotten about. Leverage them!!
Do you have a robust device/server replacement workflow?
If you are unsure about any of these questions, then you are choosing to make things harder on yourself.
Maybe you are the wrong fit for IT, or your coworkers, or even the higher ups. If you are at a place where the hire ups can't understand the simple things to keep everything running well, then it's time to leave. If it's your coworkers, then you need to get them on the same page. If it is you, then you need to look for a different career.
deblike@reddit
Yes and no. It's a closed cycle where only some part's names change.
Happy_Kale888@reddit
But even when you build your masterpiece and move on in a few years it will be a dumpster fire and you who was there today will be blamed for all the problems a few years from now.
If you want to leave a lasting legacy pick a different field. You can and will impact many peoples lives if you do your job well. Learn to appreciate that and don't dwell on the everyday stuff. As they say embrace the suck... A strategy of treating the hardships as friends, not enemies, and driving on.
Samatic@reddit
Endless until AI takes over I suppose and there is no more human factor involved. Unless humans ever get erased from the equsion it will be endless.
Ancient_Log_4371@reddit
I feel this so much. IT can definitely feel like an endless cycle of putting out fires while no one appreciates the fact that things are running at all. Some days, it’s like if nothing breaks, people assume you’re not doing anything.
But it can get better. The real game-changer is shifting from firefighting to prevention by automating stuff, pushing for actual fixes instead of quick patches, and finding a company that actually values IT instead of just seeing it as a cost center. Sometimes its just bad leadership.
SkyCoi@reddit
30 years into my career, going from an inventory guy, throwing PCs to now CIO of large company. Every day is a grind, some are better than others, but overall I couldn’t imagine doing anything different.
Gorthian1977@reddit
Depends.
If you're a lone fighter in a small or medium company it's exactly like this. Every. Single. Day.
If you're part of a functional IT team with there are rumors that's their is an other side of the job.
The_Comm_Guy@reddit
Yes, but you have to be willing to work for it. When a critical system goes down don't just get it back up, figure out why it went down then put something in place to prevent or solve if it happens again. Write up articles that show users how to fix things themselves, automate as much as possible. Be Proactive!
Oh, you do have to also work for a company willing to make the investment in centrally managed hardware, redundancy, and allow you the time to automate. If they don't then try and make a business argument for it, and if they won't listen be willing to leave.
Ok-Junket3623@reddit
It’s all about telling people no or not responding to people. If something is marked urgent but isn’t, I tack at least one business day onto my response time. If somebody tries to push me into doing something for them that they should be able to do on their own I will ghost them.
It’s all about telling the users no.
TargetFree3831@reddit
Over 25 years in...
It only gets worse as you lose the energy and gumption to keep fighting. Everything turns into a dark cloud and you constantly live under it, fearing the impending doom that you will have to fix, if u can fix it.
I'm strongly considering dumping IT entirely and living in a van down by the river, or at minimum downsizing responsibilities. I'm too old now to migrate an entire infrastructure by myself. This shit is for 30yo me, not 50yo me. Things are changing too fast with no time to learn, yet people expect you to just know.
Burnout is your future. Youre not going to hear many 50year-olds excited about their IT responsibilities if theyre in charge.
RNR1995-2@reddit
If you are an inside tech there is something very wrong with your culture and or your hardware You should not be a fireman
johnne86@reddit
Yea that's basically where I work. We are a small team so we are always grinding. Once I realized my supervisor and manager do not know anything technical or really care to learn themselves, I understood it's all bullshit and just a game of trying to keep things running. Without us, they are useless and things would collapse. Mentally, I just stopped caring. I do what I can and the issues keep my job in existence. We are powerful, so stop caring too much. Lol
Sollus@reddit
My response to these kinds of posts, or comments in real life, are that I would suggest placing zero self worth or meaning on a job. If it's bad enough to affect your own mental and physical health then you need to get a different job but outside of those qualifiers stop placing any meaning on it. Jobs are only there to fund your life at a rate that you find acceptable(hopefully). Otherwise, you're going to be let down or burnt out. Go to work, do what you are hired to do, leave. All of the other hero shit that goes on with some people in IT is literally never worth it. Maybe I'm cynical and if so then I don't give a shit. Watching the kinds of shit that have been going on in this country(US) for my entire life has brought me to this conclusion years ago. Life is extremely short and it's not all about making some piece of shit human being even richer at the expense of myself.
SaluteMaestro@reddit
Been doing it for 30 years same shit different day, the problem isn't the systems it's the morons that use them.
oyarasaX@reddit
Problem Exists Between Chair and Monitor
port25@reddit
Make sure they fill out their ID 10-T report.
RFLC1996@reddit
"am I just duct taping a sinking ship while everyone complains the tape isn’t good enough?"
I got this far - yes
No_Dot_8478@reddit
For me it’s always been hell until Iv been there long enough to fix the main problems. Which is normally only possible if they fund the team correctly. If I see they are cheap, then I dip. My end goal basically everywhere is to make everything a VM and all end users have VDIs. Once you get to that point imo basically any problem turns into a 5 min fix, whether it’s just restoring a snapshot of a critical server or resetting a users VDI. Patching? Update the gold image, then bam your 500+ user VDIs are updated. No running around for those 20 workstations that aren’t powered in on to push the update.
gumbrilla@reddit
Bit late to this, but yeah, if you are empowered with a bit of authority and money, and you bring a bit of vision and some skills to the table.
Things I find useful. The ability to say No is pretty key.
Management talking tosh, then telling them to jog on is also good.
Building everything in my domain to my specs so it's not complete rubbish. I rebuilt every machine in the desktop, and everything in the server landscape to standards which I specify, and monitor.
Where things can impact me, like our on product doing something stupid, I protect my OSs by ensuring they don't pull down the OS, I just kill their app and restart it, and send them the incident.
I'm at the point where proactive work is about 80% of my load now, and of the 20 open tickets most are requests, and maybe 2 or 3 are real incidents which are not blocking (patch failures on March patches)
Most of my work is spent validating things (for SOC2 compliance which I've automated mostly takes an hour on Monday) and hardening as between nessus, crowdstrike IOMs and AWS Security scores, which is all a bit of a chore, but
But, I'm the manager, so I get/take some leeway.
TableTopFurry@reddit
Is IT a new shorthand for "existence in general"....?
RepresentingJoker@reddit
Sorry, it won't get better.
TheMediaBear@reddit
All jobs are grinds, all jobs are just an endless production like, no different than a factory.
Shit comes in, shit goes out, more shit comes in. Doesn't matter if you're on the bottom or top of the ladder, it just means different shit :D
SomeoneRandom007@reddit
There will always be new problems. What can you do to fix things strategically? You can be so busy "firefighting" that you don't have the time to install "sprinklers"!
In my own setup, I have been learning Ansible, and that means I can rebuild my desktop from a bare Mint install in about half an hour, with just customisations like email logins.
WLee57@reddit
Whatever you do….Don’t choose the red pill
LForbesIam@reddit
One good thing that Crowdstrike did for the IT techs is turned us into noticed heros overnight.
Nothing like going from bottom feeders where the “talkers” in the company who don’t actually implement or fix anything ever, take the credit for our IT work and are first to pass blame and criticism our way when their bad decisions impact us.
I think being in IT you have to be comfortable living without praise or even acknowledgement because even 24 hours of “hero like fame” fades quickly.
I do spend a lot of time predicting and eliminating problems before they happen and coming up with automated improvements so it makes the job less intensive.
I build online company training and tools that reduce workload via automations and that helps.
clonehunterz@reddit
it does not change, ever :)
its like a fire out of control, it moves forward and leaves burned ground behind that nobody wants to clean up.
Dreilala@reddit
Endless? Yes.
Grind? Not really. Your Job is to make jobs easier. That includes your own.
Automate tedious work and build reliable solutions.
Value your own time. Demand a budget and use it to buy the professional software solution rather than building your own every time.
Use any spare time for self improvement. That includes studying up on new topics but also rest when necessary.
It is often difficult to get out of the support role, but you need to make sure only to give immediate attention to priority tickets. Everything else waits until you find the time in between doing your actual work (hardening the system, upgrading the system).
rearl306@reddit
The main thing I’ve learned over the years is to manage expectations. I post my entire to-do list on the outside of my IT Manager office door. If somebody sent me an email requesting me to do something, I reply and include that to-do list and ask where their issue should be inserted into the list and the justification why it is a higher priority than the other items it would push down the list. Usually people have no clue what we do all day long and seeing my to do list gives them that education
Emergency_Ad8571@reddit
Oh man, I don’t know if I’m more sorry to hear you’re in IT hell or reading that so many others are too and think this is just the way IT is. This is common - but not “normal”, you need to plot a course if of the rut.
You might need more man power, tools or possibly professional services - and dare I say it, maybe training at times. But most importantly you need capable management. One that sees where IT is, cares, and takes action to course correct.
You shouldn’t be constantly putting out fires. Most things should be automated, ticketing system and prioritization should be rule based (ITIL usually) and not “urgent” tagged emails. SLAs exist for a reason.
Start by carving out (by force if necessary) time at the end of every month to see where your time went, and solve the biggest time consuming items by automating or SOP-ing and delegating. Fight for your time and sanity, it’ll pay off.
saxmanmike@reddit
You didn’t ask for my advice specifically but I’m going to give it anyway.
Never stay at a job if you hate it. Find something you love. If the ideal of a perfect IT career isn’t your reality and you have no power to make it your reality, then It’s probably not the job for you. Find your passion. Life is too short to be miserable every day.
sporkmanhands@reddit
Is it work? Yes, it’s work. If it wasn’t work it’d be play or hobby. For some it’s both work and hobby.
Odd-Dust3060@reddit
I've been in IT for 20 years, progressing from deskside support to SysAdmin, then IT Manager, and now IT Director.
One of the biggest challenges in IT is escaping firefighting mode. The key is to invest in the right systems, eliminate inefficiencies, and ruthlessly replace what does not work. IT should not be about constantly putting out fires—it should be about preventing them.
If all you do is run from one crisis to another, you are not managing the system—you are just throwing water on a forest fire. The real goal is to implement strategic solutions that automate the mundane, optimize operations, and ensure that IT works for you, not the other way around.
IT systems are tools, and like any tool, the moment you spend more time fixing it than it does solving problems, it is time to rethink your approach. Success in IT comes from strategy, fearless execution, and a commitment to continuous improvement.
demonseed-elite@reddit
IT will be like that until you change it. That's "bad IT".
Bad IT being "cheap IT", technical debt, lack of procedures, and lack of training, etc.
Shovel out and fix the bad IT and the grind starts to dissappear. It's like losing weight. Do a little each day. Sure, some will require buy in from executives. Ask them how much lost days of production is.
The big questions:
Am I redundant everywhere that counts? Are all my software packages on some type of software maintenance plan for free updates? Are all my solutions understood by me and my team? Are backups functioning, secure and verified? Are good policies being followed for accounts? Can I remote into any computer quickly and efficiently if needed as long as it's talking to the internet? Can I install and configure every software package that would be found on an end users machine? Can I provision a machine from scratch? Can I spin up a virtual server from scratch? Can I take down a host during production hours without any users noticing? Can I reboot most every server during production hours without any users seeing any effect? Can I unplug a switch, or a drive, or a firewall without anyone noticing? If a server, host, firewall, switch, drive, etc had a failure, would I be alerted immediately? If every virtual host, server, firewall and switch was wiped clean, do I have the backups and knowledge to rebuild the entire network from scratch? Am I training users to not fall for scams - I mean REALLY training them beyond "watch this 15 min video about 4-year old scams"?
The more of these you can answer "yes" to, the less IT will be an endless grind of trouble tickets and fire-of-the-day.
Asheraddo@reddit
Yep, I feel a burnout coming aswell. Pair it with people who don’t like any change or new systems. And well…at some point you stop caring.
andrewreuther@reddit
In 40 years of computers, systems, and IT support. Hands down one of the most complete descriptions of what we do as professionals. Also we accept that there will be, no calls, written emails, or acknowledgements that when you do excel for rare periods and you actually keep all the plates spinning, that there will not be one damned soul that says thank you. We can never push the boulder to the top, nor fill the well with our leaky buckets. We fix everyone else's mistakes.
Polar_Ted@reddit
Claw your way out of the trenches and get into system design and architecture. I spend most of my time in research, design and implementation. I do get pulled back into the trenches quite often but it's not my day to day existence.
eleqtriq@reddit
It ended for me. I managed to make slow progress until I could make services redundant and resilient. I engineered for the expectation of failure. No longer mattered that anything failed because the backup instance(s) could take over.
Hefty use of VMs and then later, Kubernetes.
Then I moved on.
csuper@reddit
I wrote a rule in outlook to strip the urgent marker from all incoming emails.
Bullitt420@reddit
I’d like to disable the “high importance” feature for several of my frequent abusers.
GeriatricTech@reddit
After 27 years - it never gets better. It’s a never ending grind and I frankly hate this profession at this point. The first 10 years was amazing but the overall direction IT has went just sucks IMO. Azure and the cloud is the worst thing to ever hit the industry. I loathe tickets and just the whole thing at this point.
Bullitt420@reddit
Azure and Intune are the bane of my existence!
Mr_Dobalina71@reddit
A colleague of mine and myself created a forum called www.itburnouts.com from memory back about 2000 when at IBM.
It never really took off.
Anyways, in my view the grind becomes slightly less once you get away from 1st,2nd level support.
3rd level and if you can find a niche where you are a SME helps, people are generally nicer too you if they are reliant on you.
technobrendo@reddit
Because the mail never stops!
It just keeps coming and coming and coming. There's never a letup, it's relentless. Every day it piles up more and more and more, and you gotta get it out, but the more you get it out, the more it keeps coming in! And then the bar code reader breaks! And then, it's Publisher's Clearinghouse Day and!...
butter_milk_pie@reddit
I woke up one day and realized my boss and my employer was making things exactly how you described on purpose. My boss has been in IT for 30 years and has done literally nothing but fix what people complain about. She thinks that's IT.
Every day SSDI looking better
vermyx@reddit
It depends. The companies that have seen like this have been:
I placed then in this order because the topmost is the one you have the least control over going to the one you have most control over. If IT is properly funded and staffed, you would be dealing with fires pretty infrequently and it would be more maintenance more than anything else. This sounds like the first one though being in that situation.
fennecdore@reddit
I think I would have put bad IT management higher. You can reason with the startup mindset by showing them the benefits of having a stable environment, you can use the same logic to argue with the one seeing IT as a cost . You won't always win but sometimes you will and the more they see you as someone who actually is able to see their side and speak their language the more they will actually listen to you.
But there's no fix to stupid, a management who say yes to everything can't be reason with. I have tried an always failed.
vermyx@reddit
IMHO I placed prioritizing release vs stability over bad management because you can have bad management and still have stability. Start up environments that prioritize release over stability inherently have bad management to begin, but on top of that add bad dev decision making (release over stability), bad financial decision making (short term gains for short term financial stability which better planning and stability would resolve) and short sightedness (what I call broadcom mentality, because you want a big payout now vs a bigger payout long term), so I put it above bad management because more factors are involved in getting fixed.
TwinkleTwinkie@reddit
Poor Change Control is a big one, especially at companies that are growing. One day you're a 300+ Org with a skeleton IT crew and next thing you know it's 1000+ with a few more cooks in the kitchen, then it's 2000. If you don't have good change management in place it can be a major shit show.
Yellowterminal@reddit
This is the grown- up answer. Put out your markers and highlight "change control"
AgentOrcish@reddit
I found that the more my clients integrate cloud services, the more shit breaks over night. I despise most cloud models as I used to manage my client’s infrastructure. We never had downtime. We never had a security breach.
Now I spend most of my time chasing ms365 sync problems, fighting off email phishing that other companies are sending my clients because they were hacked and of course the random security changes that cloud services do.
None of it seems to work flawlessly.
immortalsteve@reddit
this was me a decade ago. I spent a lot of time since then changing my approach towards analyzing what was breaking and when, which lead me down the path of engineering solutions to those problems versus playing firefighter. Some food for thought, OP.
chandleya@reddit
Life is an endless grind. Do something you love or do something that loves you
sleepyzombie007@reddit
Does finance have endless monthly, quarter, year end closes? Does HR have endless onboarding/offboarding, users complaining, etc. other jobs and departments go through the same. Try to make the most of it and have fun. Hopefully you like your co workers and can make some work friends.
ohiocodernumerouno@reddit
endless as corporate greed itself
Zombie-ie-ie@reddit
Life in itself is an endless grind. If you’re worried about your career more than other things in life you probably have it pretty good right now.
thatwolf89@reddit
iT is fun 😁 and less stress if you manement team understands the profession and supports you.
changework@reddit
It gets SOOOO much better…
Just change fields. Instant upgrade, but you’ll be back. *evil laugh
neoslashnet@reddit
Really depends on the company and culture. Sometimes it can feel that way, but if you find a good place, it gets much, much better.
cla1067@reddit
I kinda just got use to it. When I have downtime I work on improving things and documentation. Sometimes I have to make downtime aka block off my schedule.
If the place you work at invests correctly and has the correct resources fires should happen less and less.
My background is MSPs though initially and now fires don’t phase me. They also happen a lot less. MSPs I have been at had multiple fires every day.
I always tell myself if you don’t finish something today it will be there tomorrow.
You can only get so much done in a day so don’t over work yourself.
Jellysicle@reddit
It never gets better. It's a constant battle against leadership that does not understand IT cost money or does not understand what you do on a daily basis to prevent problems they will never know about or comprehend. And you have to deal with IT management that thinks because they got lucky for 10 or 20 years with the way they did it that they don't need anymore security or firewalls or anything. It's really disheartening. All you can do is make recommendations, document their reaction, and wait to say I told you so. But there is no joy and I told you so because you still have to fix it for them because if you don't their entire business fails then you are out of a job.
DarthJarJar242@reddit
What you have just described is not unique to IT. Welcome to the working class struggle. The work is always there it never goes away.
The key is to not let it get to you.
Forgotmyaccount1979@reddit
Bingo, everyone is just barely getting by.
Not specific to IT.
gregsting@reddit
You are paid to work, you better wish the work doesn’t go away
suglasp@reddit
steveatari@reddit
We should be paid to participate in a fully functional society and any pay on top of basic life needs is a huge bonus to work harder, or do more specialized tasks for profit/capital.
We should not be forced to work to live to exist to die all while struggling.
Ashamed-Ninja-4656@reddit
"We should not be forced to work to live to exist to die all while struggling."
Does this just apply to you and your buddies? What about the people that make your food, take care of your health, provide you electricity, water, plumbing, roads, internet, enforce laws, put fires out? Do they get to say no to work as well?
When I hear people say this I immediately assume they're an elitist. Because, they're really just referring to themselves. You would like to not work, while others are force to provide your basic needs. If your plan is to live off grid while requiring no help from others, go for it.
At no time in existence have people had to work less than they do now.
ka-splam@reddit
Sorry Mr Slave Owner, does that concept offend your investment portfolio or something?
Says the person who just jumped in to complain about the very idea that workers might have some choice or leverage in the system.
a) untrue, b) not especially relevant when the comment is about forcing, dignity, reward, incentives.
Nothing like jumping in to defend landowners and royals while calling socialist ideas like "fair access to resources" "elitist".
Ashamed-Ninja-4656@reddit
"Says the person who just jumped in to complain about the very idea that workers might have some choice or leverage in the system."
How much "choice"? Are you talking about the choice to do nothing?
"untrue. for one very easy example, people in other countries work less than Americans, today."
Is that not the present time? Move to Europe. No one is making you stay in America.
"Nothing like jumping in to defend landowners and royals while calling socialist ideas like "fair access to resources" "elitist"."
So, I assume you're going to be signing up for a shift at the sewage plant soon? If this is for the greater good then you ought to be doing your fair part right? Or, is someone else going to have to clean your turds out of the water?
"Sorry Mr Slave Owner"
You should probably delete this. It's gross, unacceptable, and a slap in the face to people who actually endured slavery.
Delicious-Wasabi-605@reddit
Most accurate answer.
TerrificVixen5693@reddit
It never gets better. You just do a little better each time.
discgman@reddit
If you are constantly putting out fires then there is something wrong with the infrastructure and investment in updating it.
lardgsus@reddit
Sysadmin work is endless. Become a dev. When you aren’t jobless, it’s great.
My_Legz@reddit
There is another side of the ship as well, if you fix everything you can end up in a situation where hardly have to do anything since they hired you for a situation that just doesn't exist anymore. Then you are, on one hand, in a positive spiral where things get better and better but if you have a restless personality that can be its own kind of hell.
ITrCool@reddit
Until they look at your utilization data. Then suddenly they start talking about outsourcing your job because your ticket and project quantity have gone down since you fixed everything.
Former colleague of mine literally fixed and automated himself out of a job. He had everything so optimized, he barely did anything anymore except socialized and sat at his desk, monitoring stuff. Eventually the boss realized and while he was proud of him for what he did, the boss had a LOT of trouble justifying his position with the lack of utilization data beyond the point where he had automated things.
So my colleague went elsewhere because he knew what was coming otherwise.
My_Legz@reddit
Absolutely 100%
I have automated myself out of more then one position by now but the bore-out is real as well. I wasn't very upset in the end when I realised that and were happy finding new positions. Trying to look busy was way worse for the short time I tried to do that.
I ended up becoming a trouble shooter instead for organisations needing to fix their strategic IT for a while after that instead.
Different-Hyena-8724@reddit
So I'm one of those folks you just can't quantify with numbers but everyone knows my name and everyone reaches out to me (in a 250k+ user environment) for critical issues in my domain. So I've already made a name for myself and thus don't feel like I need to keep up with the admin side of the house of proving my worth anymore.
usa_reddit@reddit
IT is about maintenance (break/fix, upgrade) and being a security policy for when bad things happen.
The trick is to get good at what you do and steer the ship in a sane direction with proper resources for the journey. Companies tend to want the ship to go fast with as few resources as possible since you are considered overhead or a cost center and not something the contributes to the bottom line. The only people who contribute to the bottom line are marketing/sales & finance. Everyone else is just overhead cost in corporate America.
architectofinsanity@reddit
Spend five years fighting the incumbent processes with your decade of experience in better processes. Finally someone gives you an opportunity- you nail it and wholesale save the company millions and get a modern system that takes a fraction of the time to maintain, runs flawlessly, and and has 100% uptime.
Then the company outsources you, everyone you work with, and closes the doors on the office.
Then you get a call at 3am when someone fucked up and nobody knows how to fix it - and you get to pick two responses with no consequences:
Fahk off you bellend!
My rates are $300/hr minimum of six hours, double rates apply to after hours, weekends, and holidays.
Vortech03Marauder@reddit
Bottom line: In IT you need to learn to be at peace with the reality that all wins are transitory, the goal posts are constantly moving and nobody outside of IT, especially senior management, will ever see you and your department as anything but a cost center.
If you can find peace with that and relax about all of the things you cannot control then it can be a good career. If you cannot then you should probably find something else to do.
Not trying to be a downer here, but I've got just over 25 years in this field and it took me way to long to learn what shit to just let slide and how to not let it all chew me up.
LastTechStanding@reddit
Not entirely true. If you do it right you can show that you are not the cost centre using chargeback models. This way you can directly attribute the creation of a new virtual server to a business unit.. use finance for example.
If you automate things for your end users, or let’s say open the gates a bit for things like power automate, etc. you can get more valuable things done than just “the grind”. The question is, how badly do you and your team want to get better?
I have just over 20 years in the industry and have automated all the mundane stuff, we have a charge back model built up and can tell senior management what each business unit is spending on the stuff they “need” to get their work done. Overall IT spends less than every other business unit. The physical servers are a cost that is shared by all business units
Vortech03Marauder@reddit
With respect, don't even come at me with this "if you work hard and save the company money they'll love you" bullshit. I've taken more than one company I've worked for from 100% bare metal to 100% virtualized, reaping the stability and efficiency benefits as a result. I've automated tasks they never even knew could be automated. How much money have I saved companies I've worked for over the years? It would be difficult to calculate that total.
And you know what it all ultimately means to the capitalists at the top of the food chain? Zip. They don't even know enough to understand what I've done for them. I'm just expensive. The technology I've brought in is expensive. That's all they care about.
Don't fool yourself. Quit drinking the senior management coolaid. They don't care about you. You're doing work they don't understand and all they know is that all this IT shit is an expense they'd rather reduce by sending it overseas.
The best reason to do a good job, get things stable and automated? Not for the fat asshole at the top, but for yourself. So that you can sleep at night without phone calls waking you up to tell you that shit is down. So that you can go on vacation and not have to worry about them tracking you down for help with problems that came up in your absence. Because, of course, as sysadmins we're never not on duty. We're never not on call. That's the reality of IT, and that's the reason to do a good job. For yourself, not for The Man.
LastTechStanding@reddit
I think this rant needs to go to the correct sub r/antiwork :). I can understand being jaded after 20 years. I just choose not to go down that path, it’s not worth the anger.
Vortech03Marauder@reddit
You can call it anger if you like. I don't. I call it finally understand what the reality of IT is and learning to live with it, which was my entire point in my original comment.
Understand what IT is and find peace with it, or you'll end up as an alcoholic as several of my friends have.
Grrlpants@reddit
Endless grind
Newdles@reddit
Some of us have stronger tape than others.
ContinuousMoon@reddit
Yeah, that about covers it.
nitroman89@reddit
I think this is more customer facing IT vs infrastructure because if you are given enough resources you should be able to make your infra somewhat resilient so you are not constantly putting out fires which seems more of a helpdesk environment.
burghdude@reddit
Nope, endless grind. Next question.
jay8771@reddit
No, it never changes. Being an IT guy among meatware will always be hell and the nature of our work is always trying to fill a bag full of holes when we're working with them. If the bag isn't full of holes, some boss will see a trend on social media and will want you to implement it.
Users and managers are just like whiny babies. There is no hierarchy when the network is down. You'll be shat on by everyone equally, the cleaning lady, your boss, the office assistant, etc. They have to respond to their boss so when they have the chance to put pressure on somebody (the IT guy that's trying to help, for instance or any technician), they will do it fiercely in order to compensate their frustration.
It doesn't matter if you are in tech support, sysadmin, infrastructure, or the poor generic IT guy. Do your best, don't fry your head, put on a poker face, give muggles a cold shoulder, respond to your direct superior and specially, work your way out of this area. Nobody gives a damn about your well being or your health as long as you're solving their BS.
I'm not saying "give up IT". I'm saying go specialize and find your crew. IT guys, programmers, DBAs or anyone that's very technical, we don't belong with normies. Fortunately, I'm starting to see some light in my path.
DaNoahLP@reddit
Accept your fate and chill your base
Baedran04@reddit
I found this on a coffee mug somewhere
Baedran04@reddit
Start looking at systemic problems and planning to improve the future. As you make progress on cleaning up trends and repeated problems you can start reclaiming time to re-invest in doing this more and more. It takes time
Social_Gore@reddit
Everything is an endless grind nowadays because our comfort is money left on the table
Bib_fortune@reddit
It greatly depends on the customer you work for. Try to find a slow-paced one, maybe a non-profit or similar.
Overdraft4706@reddit
Welcome to the layer cake
https://youtu.be/FSborxD6avQ
Cincar10900@reddit
Same could be said for anything. I think its mostly what you make of it plus some luck as is with anything else.
whatzrapz@reddit
Lol thats why i contract. Do what im contracted to do then leave. If it breaks they can pay to have it fixed. I used to care until i figured put they dont care about me. Why should i care about their problem.
223454@reddit
I've thought about going that route. I get tired of poorly thought out plans (without IT input) not going well, then we're responsible for the mess.
The_Great_Sephiroth@reddit
Built right, everything you said does not happen. The problems start with bad ideas. I know people who believe that a static IP is a reservation in Windows DHCP and that person built IT around that. Guess what happened when DHCP died. No IP phones worked. The physical hosts? Who knows what addresses they were on. DCs, everything died. Days lost instead of using statics on critical infrastructure.
It can be simple things though. Fix problems by the book and for that user that believes they have the most urgent issue in the world? Unless it's your boss, go get a coffee and get to them when you can.
bi_polar2bear@reddit
Learn which emails to read. Any from your chain of command is read and taken care of now. Severity 1 is next, then Sev 2. No ticket, no work, because you can't prove your worth through emails. Any other emails are at your discretion.
My personal way is if an email comes without my name in the greeting or directly addresses me, I give it a quick glance, maybe, depending on the person. If you want my attention, ask. Otherwise, it's not important. One person tried to fight me on it, and nothing got done until they asked. If I provide the solution, you have to meet me halfway.
Ummgh23@reddit
Life is an endless grind.
Ivy1974@reddit
Endless grind.
The_Young_Busac@reddit
Technology never stops changing, and businesses become obsolete if they don’t keep up with those changes.
Generico300@reddit
This is usually the result of not actually having enough staff to allow for anyone to take the time to actually solve a problem. Instead, band-aids are implemented to treat the symptom of the problem, because that's all there's time and energy for.
But hey, at least you won't have to deal with "everything here just works, why do we even need IT?"
LeoTheBigCat@reddit
Depends on where you work. If you are a cog in a machine, your chances to just put in your 8h and go home are actually great!
If you are what I call a "one person IT department", your chances are slim to none. There usually is no money to prevent problems and even if there is money, it just generates more work.
So, to answer your question - mostly yes, it is endless grind and mostly no, it probably wont get better.
LeadershipSweet8883@reddit
It changes when you change your perspective and start making daily decisions with the long term health of your company in mind. Endless break/fix work is a feedback loop - more unplanned work means less planned work done which leads to more breaks. If users email in urgent issues, just forward the emails to the ticketing system. Working too much and stressing about it causes burnout and your burnout doesn't get more work done, so don't do it.
A good exercise is to break down your efforts into percentages by goal. My view of healthy is around 30% break fix, 30% preventative work, 20% new projects, 5% administrative, 10% meetings, 5% communication for an IT organization in crisis. If you can get out of crisis mode, you should probably dedicate 10% time to training or deliberate practice or networking. Come up with a percentage breakdown that you think is appropriate and then bring it to your boss. They may adjust it a little but they'll probably agree to the general idea. Then you take those percentages and set quotas for the week - 12 hours of break fix, 12 hours of preventative work, 8 hours of new projects, 2 hours of admin work, 4 hours of meetings, 2 hours of emails and phone calls. Make it into a daily / weekly schedule and just stick to the hours. If there are complaints, work with your boss to revise the percentage breakdown or decide together that it already makes sense and the reasons just need to be clarified back up the chain.
chodan9@reddit
Yes
But that’s because I retired so maybe that’s cheating ;-)
dude_named_will@reddit
The thing I like about IT is it feels like the more work I put into it, the easier the job is. Yes there are days where I struggle for air, but there are also days where I can't believe they pay me for this. It'll get better.
TheBigBeardedGeek@reddit
Even if it is a grind, you are the stone. Let the work course over you, until the groove is formed
techdog19@reddit
If your systems are crashing everyday you need to think long and hard about what you are doing. I have been a Sysadmin for over 14 years and after the first couple of years of cleaning up other people's crap my systems run. Yes sometimes things legitimately break but you should not have an emergency every day at most once a month.
SweepTheLeg69@reddit
It's a terrible grind that's gets harder and more of a stuggle every year. You need to know the truth.
hnaq@reddit
I had one job that was constant fires and then with some direction of leadership, started ignoring a lot of it. Of course, mileage varies on your actual responsibilities and so forth, but I stopped worrying about getting to every single email to fix little logon issues and people pinging me because it was easier than calling the help desk... and started concentrating on better processes, automation, and just overall making things better.
As you probably know, a quick favor to do the simplest thing can turn into 30 minutes of figuring out what someone actually needs done or dumb troubleshooting of a simple problem.. and it's hard to say you don't have a minute to do seemingly the simplest tasks.
It's obviously highly dependent on your department structure and your manager. At one point I felt like I was ignoring a lot of fires, yet one of the directors complimented me on really starting to get things done, so at least I knew they had my back if something got escalated or they got a complaint.
The main thing was pushing work down or to those who are most qualified to complete it, allowing your admins to do the work they're most qualified to do (easier said than done for a lot of reasons, of course).
finevcijnenfijn@reddit
It gets worse, and you get older too.
ncc74656m@reddit
Obviously there is a lot of this that depends on what your title is and level of ability to effect change, but if you can in any way get ahead of the curve on that, there's a lot of stuff you'll find that isn't just putting out fires.
I've always had a bit of a proactive mindset towards IT, even as a simple technician. Looking at the common issues, everything from drive fragmentation to extended uptime on shared devices, and trying to figure out how I can get ahead of those issues. I ended up in some places reducing our calls from 1-3 a week to zero just by not accepting "this is how it is," and some of those fixes were functionally no push at all.
As a good example of that, I noticed that our Operating Rooms (ORs) had their keyboards and mice constantly being accidentally disconnected by the users. After a couple recurrences and being told "Oh, that always happens, now that we know you're not scared of being in there you'll see all those tickets," I realized it was happening because we used PS2 devices and cheap, worn out extension cables that were too short for the maximum range of the keyboard arm. I convinced management to buy USB instead since they have a more positive engagement, longer extension cables, and buy me some extra wraps and zip ties, and in around an hour of work converted all the ORs and never had it recur.
The proactive mindset matters a lot, and while I know not every tech has it, or wants to deal with it if they do, or is just plagued by shitty metrics designs, at the end of the day it's up to you to start building a new proper dam, not just slapping more mud on the levee.
unccvince@reddit
Use the Pareto principle and automate the 20% of the stuff that takes 80% of your time.
And budget shouldn't be an issue while you start with automation, there are many FOSS solutions that work well on the server and network side.
ncc74656m@reddit
Obviously there is a lot of this that depends on what your title is and level of ability to effect change, but if you can in any way get ahead of the curve on that, there's a lot of stuff you'll find that isn't just putting out fires. You can do the computer equivalent of
USarpe@reddit
You are a firefighter in IT, the badest possible situation. IT should be proative searching for weak points and fix that, before something can happen. If your system already breaking down, you are doomed.
djgizmo@reddit
depends on the org
hippychemist@reddit
Lots of grind. Computers break, and people are totally reliant on them now. But, if you can get out of the hole, then you can spend your time thinking how things should be and how to get there
Gotta find what you want out of this job, and get there
Ok-Juggernaut-4698@reddit
You have to create the environment you want. If critical systems are going offline on a nightly basis, you need to figure out why.
When an environment is running and properly maintained, your days are much easier.
HugeAlbatrossForm@reddit
Build your wealth not another mans company. None of this is YOURS. It can all be torn down and will at some point
pycior@reddit
Embrace the journey :)
50PieceNug@reddit
It depends if you want to stay in your position then it might seem endless but i would focus on how you can advance. Give yourself a baseline and see how you can grow from that and give yourself little goals to achieve so it doesnt feel like you are working just to work at least youre seeing yourself work for something.
halxp01@reddit
Never ending. And always evolving. Replace desktops Replace servers . Replace storage. New OS. New Server OS. New software. Replace switches/routers etc. replace phones. Replace printers. List goes on and on.
Carlos_Spicy_Weiner6@reddit
IT is not a quick and simple game of checkers. It's a long game of chess. You wanna do stuff fast and loose, your life is gonna suck. You plan shit out multiple moves ahead, your life will suck a little less.
thepotplants@reddit
Since this isnt r/shittysysadmin i'll try and give a real answer.
It can get better, but it's hardwork breaking the cycle.
It takes a long time to shift the needle from reactive work to proactive planned replacement and preventative maintenance. But it can be done.
rcade2@reddit
Yes. Unless you change career paths in IT, this is how it is in support.
dented-spoiler@reddit
You burn out due to lack of resources (staff, systems, or both) and then at the next job they group bullying you into a deeper depression because you don't fit their clique.
Rinse, repeat.
dented-spoiler@reddit
You burn out due to lack of resources (staff, systems, or both) and then at the next job they group bullying you into a deeper depression because you don't fit their clique.
Rinse, repeat.
Backieotamy@reddit
The primary response I give people who ask me about getting into tech is that you can't be afraid to read.
To call it a grind would be misleading a bit, but the fact of the matter is that tech is constantly evolving and you can't stay complacent or you will become as obsolete as the technology you work on.
New/updated certs are almost a mandatory now, not just in tech but in ITIL, SOX, Fedramp etc..
Vmware, NetApp, AWS (and so many more) are all primary vendors to enterprise organizations and federal entities and have changed so much over the last 15 years have to remain at least partially hands-on with them to remain relevant.
IT to not be a grind is definitely for people who enjoy not just using tech but people who get excited for where it's going and the "cool shit" it brings with it, and we want to know how it works.
Ok_Prune_1731@reddit
Most places don't wanna put forth the money to fix things so yeah duct tape it is. That's why I look for a new job before it gets to bad.
Ok_Prune_1731@reddit
Most places don't wanna put forth the money to fix things so yeah duct tape it is. That's why I look for a new job before it gets to bad
thegreatcerebral@reddit
Well the truth is it is a bit of everything. The problem is that IT is generally regarded as just a department that does nothing but spend money. On top of that... A LOT OF MONEY.
There are a few companies that do not treat it this way and working for them you don't feel the way you are now.
That is what usually creates the situation you are in honestly.
I take it you are new and possibly too low level to really see the cost of IT: personnel, hardware, licensing costs, SaaS costs etc. It's never-ending. Even to get say a business class 1Gbps connection is $2,000/mo.
collectivedisagree@reddit
IT would be great if is wasn't for the users.
TranslatorCold5968@reddit
always a grind. Shit always breaks and you have to always be on the lookout for new tech. I hate IT. The money is good though...usually.
Gh0styD0g@reddit
What’s your change/incident ratio? At my spot we’re running roughly 50:50, stability requires a low change rate, it’s hard to maintain stability in an org with a high change rate. It’s bloody exciting though. 😁
edward_ge@reddit (OP)
50:50 is honestly impressive. At my place, it feels like 80:20
80% incident response, 20% planned changes that somehow still turn into incidents. Stability is a dream, but when the business wants ‘innovation’ at breakneck speed, you end up playing cleanup instead of building anything meaningful.
I totally get the excitement part, though. When things work, it’s a rush. But damn, does it ever slow down?
Gh0styD0g@reddit
Honestly, I wouldn’t beat yourself up about it, no matter how well you plan somebody won’t be happy, most times just because they don’t like change. Folk are fickle, just do the best you can and if you feel you did that, then don’t let the feckers burst your bubble 💪🏻
Working_Astronaut864@reddit
Yes. No.
Dopeaz@reddit
Most companies I worked for are a grind for a couple of years until you get all the fires out and remove the fuel and spark that created them. Then it's implementing new stuff that will catch fire for the next guy.
86yourhopes@reddit
I'll build a fire proof house. As soon as I put out all these fires
apple_tech_admin@reddit
Does it get better? Not really. I'm just finally paid enough that I indulge in retail therapy (heavily and often) and I cry in my office before the 8 AM abuse begins. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
oyarasaX@reddit
yikes
apple_tech_admin@reddit
Yeah. Not a fun time to be inside the beltway right now.
notHooptieJ@reddit
if it came to an end you'd be out of a job.
its being paid to dig a hole, then fill it up, then dig it again.
Do your 8 hours, then hit the showers.
this is a job, not your life.
you'll be much healthier mentally if you can separate what you do for money from who you are, they Arent the same thing.
Single facet personalities are unhealthy and unattractive.
iloveemmi@reddit
I think IT is fine. It's the state of modern business that is horrible (at least in the US), and sometimes it disproportionately impacts us.
Fine-Palpitation-528@reddit
My management always said "You know the reward for great work is? More work!"
It's cringe worthy but that's corporate America. The better you do, the more responsibility you get. Doesn't stop until you can stop working. Hopefully, you can find some cool people along the way that help make the corporate slog not suck too badly.
paleologus@reddit
The reward for competency is more responsibility.
Maximum_Bandicoot_94@reddit
eh, increasingly my job has shifted from "doing things" to "knowing things/analyzing things" as I climb up the IT engineering ladder.
bhones@reddit
Try working at an MSP where you’re literally only there because things break and in case things break. We free up our clients to plan and effectuate changes in the environment (usually with our help) but man… I had the realization after 13 years of MSP (sr voice engineer) that I’m really only here to unlock C Suite and Director voicemails, reset their pins and be available when shit hits the fan and the business can’t make calls or faxes or critical servers are down.
When that’s not happening there’s down time, but… it’s a grind and for me as a specialist in an MSP it’s the same issues day in day out just swap the company name.
phillymjs@reddit
I worked at an MSP that ran short staffed on purpose and took on any new client that was willing to pay, no matter how shit their network was. Downtime was a four letter word at that place. When the open ticket count got too high (and how could it not, with a shortage of techs and clients with janky infrastructure?), they held what was called a "blitz"-- the techs work on the desk until from 5-8pm for a week, closing as many tickets as they can, and the company magnanimously fed them dinner from the crappy takeout joint across the street-- to be eaten while continuing to work, of course.
At first these blitzes were voluntary and there was extra pay, but by necessity they became more and more frequent, and then the extra pay got stripped away, and then it became mandatory.
Small wonder that I burned out twice while I was there.
gotamalove@reddit
Yes
zeeblefritz@reddit
Sounds like you need to move up and out of your current position into one where you are building and not fixing.
meesersloth@reddit
Its like Sisyphus digitally pushing a boulder up hill.
PositiveBubbles@reddit
It's an endless grind if an org lacks any// decent/ documented processes and has more politics. If you work with a solid team and manager who shields you from the politics and manages resources and doco is decent you can escape the daily grind.
I was about to lose hope until my current manager and his manager and even counterpart offered me an opportunity after I interviewed well.
I was 1 of 3 that moved teams last year because being silod isn't great, and SMEs without sharing the tasks/loads/ skills and knowledge is a contributor to the daily grind and they shouldn't be
davy_crockett_slayer@reddit
It depends on where you work. That's why you need to jump every 2-3 years early on in your career. You need exposure to different things. And yes, IT is a grind. I'm always in courses and studying for certs or labbing things out.
EEU884@reddit
Companies will only abuse your good will if you have good will to be abused. If they wont fix things then get a new contract elsewhere. Loyaly isn't a thing in 2025 - if the company doesn't serve your needs and pile you with shite then march on and let them burn.
smoothvibe@reddit
Either get the funds to improve things permanently and thus reduce daily load or get another job. This is not the normal way how IT is handled.
steveatari@reddit
All of this, and I wager nearly all of the country's/world's problems, is due to money and profits. We live in a time where a quarter can NEVER BE DOWN and profits even, literal money, has to increase year after year after year.
Teams get smaller, companies buy out competition and integrate or gut them, corps fire entire divisions only to have to pay more or rehire after.
It's never the best interests of the company + the staffing. It's only profits always. And that leads to the nightmare hellscape of today we're in.
Some businesses or industries are better than others. Some places will be incredible. Try nonprofits, you matter, you affect change, and if nothing is broke/needing improved, you're on easy street.
I'd say seek Federal but in this administration it's the worst you could do.
denc_m@reddit
It depends on budget allocation. With sufficient funding, you can invest in resilient systems, streamline workflows, and hire skilled personnel.
This allows you to move from constant firefighting to proactive improvements, including automation and long-term solutions.
Without proper resources, IT often remains a cycle of quick fixes and reactive support.
Jazzlike-Vacation230@reddit
I wish IT evolved a bit more, the understanding needs to be, to an extent, if your IT systems are decent, it will give you the right setup to help the business guys do what they gotta do.
All the insourcing, outsourcing, lay offs, hire on processes keep focusing on cost control
But here's hoping with security being an increasing threat, the old school higher ups will start paying attention to the fact that for example: a 30 year old sedan can get you from point a to b, but a 10 year old one will do it a lot better, and you don't have to have the latest and greatest, but you need the right setup to take on challenges in security and business
giovannimyles@reddit
Whatever systems break the most is where you invest your effort. Had a gig where the VMware was horrible. All RDMs tied to individual hosts. Nothing could vmotion. It was several versions old. Something always had an issue. Same with their NetApp. Took me about a year but I rebuilt it all from scratch and the job was basically cake for the next 2 years. Had a job where the design of the supporting systems were bad and the thresholds for alerts were out of the box. Tuned the alerts, redesigned the support architecture and the job was cake for a year. Put the effort in early and the job becomes stress free.
ItaJohnson@reddit
Sounds like MSP work. Just one dumpster fire after another while responsibilities increase for higher tier people and escalating tickets becomes trivial to Tier1. Got something harder than a password reset? Just escalate it.
STGItsMe@reddit
I’ve been doing this since the mid 90s. It is endless.
There are things you can do when it’s quiet to help make fires less frequent. But shit happens. I had someone accidentally delete a critical database the other day. It was a major outage, but short lived because the way things are set up, it didn’t take much to bring it back.
RunAwayFromShame@reddit
TBH, none of it matters. You're a packet pusher. You assist in facilitating everyone elses ability to do their fake jobs on computers that produce literally zero net benefit to anyone except your CEO. Don't take your job so seriously and don't let stupid people make you feel bad at your job. It's not worth it.
wewe_nou@reddit
The beauty of IT, is that we are needed.
As for work, do whatever you want, there is enough work and not enough competent people.
PWarmahordes@reddit
Endless grind.
Odd_Secret9132@reddit
I've been doing this 20 years. It is an endless grind, but that's pretty much any job. The work is never done.
Sadly, I've found that IT is usually the most mis-understood thing, even in good companies. It exists in an almost quantum state, being a 'cost centre' and critical to operations at the same time. There's a constant push to cut costs and produce value, while demanding that everything operate with no interruptions.
Couple that with what seems to be an ever expanding ranges of duties that always seem to fall at ITs feet (primarily because 'they run on computers', but that's literally everything these day), you end up operating under a 'keep the wheels on the bus' mantra moving from one event to another.
The worse part for me personally. It's always been expected of me, regardless of job, to be 'available or reachable' 24/7 (usually without compensation), meaning work is also lingering at the forefront of your mind. You can never truly disconnect and I find myself always slightly on edge.
WantDebianThanks@reddit
Well, I sort of stopped caring about career advancement and have been working on an exit strategy (writing romance novels), so that's an option
dalgeek@reddit
I prefer "rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic"
Otto-Korrect@reddit
20 years. Slightly different fires every time, but always a fire.
And what you build today will be obsolete in 3 years.
jpsreddit85@reddit
I was in IT for 5 yrs before I moved into dev. From what I could tell, if you did an amazing job and everything worked perfectly, everyone thought you didn't do anything, if you had one thing go down, everyone thought you were useless and didn't know what you were doing.
jerf42069@reddit
you're supposed to sandbag: tell them it's gonna take longer to fix than it will, be lazy and complain about how busy you are and that you need some subordinates to help out, then when you get them, make them do most of the work
Tech_Mix_Guru111@reddit
You aren’t doing anything meaningful, you aren’t paving the way for future generations… you’re being burned out to make your company money and keep the social club members in place by trickling ideas up the chain in hopes you’ll curry favor and be allowed out of the peasant pit, but it never comes bc the social club doesn’t allow hard working members
Cheesedoff@reddit
Just when you think it is getting better, it gets worse.
jhaand@reddit
IT is like tending a garden via a ticketing service. But there's no end. Otherwise there could be a budget cut to the IT department.
See the book. Gene Kim and others. - The Phoenix Project: A Novel about IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win
https://www.amazon.nl/-/en/Gene-Kim/dp/0988262592
TheRealBilly86@reddit
I worked corporate for 15 years and pivoted to product support for a company that makes cyber security appliances for the federal government. HSMs key managers high speed encryptors and authentication. Now I get to find bugs in our products and replicate customer networks here in the lab. Its non-stop education, new skills, and troubleshooting. Finally, a company that completely embraces my Jack of All Trade Solo IT guy skill set., yet this place is forcing me to specialize all at the same time.
It's the difference between front of house and back of house. My work directly effects the people buying our equipment which equites to more money and product development experience. It's actually impactful work.
You might want to think about changing careers from back-office IT to front-office product support. Look for Sales Engineer or Product Support Engineer roles for companies the build things. If you're lucky you live close to some good ones.
TouristGloomy6342@reddit
When I started as the IT guy, we were 20 people in one building. We grew into more people, buildings in more states but still just me. I used off the shelf stuff so if I needed someone to go to BB to get a replacement they could and I would walk them through how to config.
Eventually i got the company to invest in Meraki to help me manage all these sites remotely. Now with a solid backbone I didnt have as much "urgent" issues with things being down. I could tell. If your life is fixing things then you didnt build it right.
Now, 20 years later, its still me, 375 people, 20 sites, 5 states, its getting easier as the years progress. Some weeks its cake, maybe 15 hours of "work". Im training a new guy thats 21 now, but never had to do that so its a new task for me.
IndividualStretch506@reddit
never changes really... only you change, learn to roll with it, maintain personal time etc etc, find exercise and activities to get your mind off it and stick to that for health
1a2b3c4d_1a2b3c4d@reddit
Thats what your hobbies and personal life is about. Work is about getting skills and getting paid. Then, when you have enough new skills, you move up or out to get better pay. And you repeat the cycle.
I could care less if the company I work for gets any meaningful benefit from my work. I work to get paid. And get skills at the same time.
Valkeyere@reddit
No. It will never get better. Whores in Denmark have a union but we don't. Or maybe it was Belgium.
You're going to be expected to do things you're untrained to do constantly, and there is no recognition of a job well done 364 days of a year, only a reprimand when there is an outage the 1 day a year. You're facilities, HR and PA to basically everybody. Why should Susan learn how to set an out of office, that's what she has you for. While you're here can you also build this IKEA cabinet.
That outage was also caused because either you've had to work with dated equipment that needed to be replaced when you started, or was bought at half the cost and a quarter of the spec you recommended and it couldn't cope.
If you're lucky, your direct report will understand the handcuffs you have, and shield you from nonsense. More likely is they are someone with a business degree and no technical knowledge and all they're doing is padding their resume so they can apply for a Director of IT role somewhere and show how much work they got out of you and how much money they saved.
If you're unlucky, you're being hired expected to fail. They just need someone to blame.
The industry is this way because greybeards used to be paid WAYYYYY more than greybeards now, but locked IT staff into a race to the bottom to prove how good we were at our jobs. We love what we do, and so it's a badge of honor to show just how much work we can do for some reason.
Noone else in the business is doing 2 or 3 things at a time if they can help it. We do that routinely, probably because we are all on the spectrum somewhere and the idea of watching a bar go up drives us mental, so we multitask.
Different-Hyena-8724@reddit
Such an eloquently described way of explaining the circling the drain with the race to the bottom problem.
lamark80@reddit
Endless grind
Whoa_Bundy@reddit
Replace IT with life and yes, if you make it that way internally.
ballzsweat@reddit
Why shit this person? YES! Endless grind! Regardless of money or leadership.
ILikeTewdles@reddit
Depends on how you architect things. If your IT systems are built right, it's pretty smooth sailing. I ran 3 data centers across the US basically by myself for 10 years at my last org. I'd have the occasional issue but fire fighting was minimal during to the ay I built redundancies.
It sounds like eh org you work for needs to take a look at root cause and start fixing things. If it's end user issues you need to empower them to find solutions and fix things by themselves. Self service password resets for example, automated permissions approval for access to files or software, Automating user onboarding and off boarding. Stuff like that to free up your time and stop users from coming to you with "urgent" requests.
zenjabba@reddit
I find it's about getting that crazy bush slightly under more and more control every few growing seasons till you have it "managed". Just watch out for the weed that appears to grow overnight that you didn't even know you had!
TotallyNotIT@reddit
This is highly dependent on the organization. Being a consultant was awesome for this because I got the clients who were actively looking to make things better, more efficient, more resilient, etc. I rebuilt lots of environments and made shit better for a great many people.
I'm now an internal IT manager at a technology company and we're all in on doing all of those same things. I'm currently driving multiple initiatives to revamp large parts of our infrastructure and processes and it's fucking awesome.
A common problem around this sub is that there is a disconnect between the business and IT. IT blames the business for not giving them money but the business has no idea what the fuck IT is trying to do with it because no one is translating it into a language they can understand - risk and value.
Very simplified example - just saying you need to replace something because it's out of support means fuck all. Aren't you support? Instead, this piece of hardware that is responsible for $x of revenue which we lose if it fails, it costs us $y to maintain but will cost $z to replace. You might still get a no but at least they understand better what they're saying no to.
If you have no one who is doing this, you either become that person or look to leave. Some people enjoy grinding, some people are able to just shut their brains off and disassociate. I am not one of those people and it sounds like you aren't either. Feeling like your work is meaningless is one of the biggest factors leading to burnout according to piles of research spanning decades.
bdunk17@reddit
Life is a seemingly endless grind. It’s no different.
BonezOz@reddit
It really depends. If you stick to support, or SysAdmin roles where you're responsible to put out fires, you'll always deal with fires, just eventually you get really good at putting out those fires.
If possible throw your name in the ring for some project work, break away from the admin side of it for a while.
kerosene31@reddit
Sadly, always like this. Back in the old days, it wasn't this way. IT used to be respected. I joke that back in the 90s, we were kind of the "rock stars" of the org. I remember being all of 22 years old and sitting in on high level executive meetings.
Something shifted slowly over time. We're now the IT janitors. If you're looking for a metaphorical pat on the back or "good job", this is the wrong line of work. IT is a necessary evil and a big cost.
Back in the day, e-mail went down for an hour, and they thanked you for getting it back so fast. Now, someone tries to log in at 4am during a scheduled maintenance outage, and we get yelled at for the system being "unreliable".
New_Set7087@reddit
IT is about solving problems. Is there ways to enable users to empower themselves? How about automation for yourself to make toil and menial tasks somewhat easier or have less steps?
It’s a constant refinement of process until the process can’t be refined any further, or the process is replaced entirely
NoSellDataPlz@reddit
Sounds like you might need to make a play at arguing for help. Maybe a part-timer who can handle low hanging fruit while you figure out the underlying cause of some of these problems and either fix them better or create automated scripts to fix them. You can more quickly execute 4 different scripts than manually fixing each issue.
th3groveman@reddit
You are stuck in the “reactive cycle” where when you only work putting out fires, you don’t have time to actually address underlying issues, develop better processes, etc.
It is possible to dig out, to address those issues, improve processes and start to work proactively, but it takes additional manpower. It will all depend on your management and other leadership recognizing the problem and being willing to invest in the solution. It’s worth it, as working proactively also cycles, and it’s possible to get to a point where things are stable and you are focused on future projects: working on next month’s problems instead of last month’s problems.
Many people in your position will work OT to keep things going, which often backfires as the organization does not “feel” the effects of the understaffing until you inevitably burn out. It’s not worth it. I hope you have some supportive management that can be made to see the problems.
BrainWaveCC@reddit
Every job has those moments of reward and futility.
Sometimes, it is about the industry or the role, but most times, it is more about the specific employer...
Automatic-Evening-61@reddit
From someone who has worked in IT for 30 years I can honestly say it’s an endless grind. Technology changes every 4-5 years and if you are not willing to re-learn all of your skills then you’re immediately obsolete. As such, long term experience is mostly irrelevant in IT as most roles and openings prefer younger candidates or even fresh graduates.
FierySunXIII@reddit
It will never end. There are various reasons, sometimes because user refuse to learn( taught them one thing BY THEIR REQUEST, forgets it the next day ). Sometime it's because of higher ups wanting things they don't fully understand ( wanting fast internet for the company but refuses to pay the ISP for faster speed ). Some are stuck with the past on how things work (Before, my department was an EDP which prints out report for user. They wanted us to become IT support. But because they don't pay us enough to do 2 workloads, management pushed EDP responsibilities to the staff instead and we mainly focus on IT support. But guess what? They still think of us as EDP, so still do 2 workload with same pay ).As long as people refuse to understand IT, it will never end.
Worst part, some of my friends in IT received a ticket to FUCKING.CLEAN.THE.TOILET
blueshelled22@reddit
25+ years in IT here. We are very blessed in our field because it pays well, and can be a bit of a black box to most people. It allows you to develop expertise as a go-to. Sure it’s painful at times but imagine the folks in other professions who are struggling to get by.
After 20 years in the enterprise, I moved to consulting, where I get paid for my time and expertise. Not just a “cost center”. It is not sunshine and roses but it is far more rewarding.
BAdinkers@reddit
Yes.
"We've duct taped so many holes our entire ships made out of it at this point"
ajrc0re@reddit
That’s an issue with your job not the career. My job isn’t like that at all, we have level 1 help desk staff and a ticketing system taking care of “urgent requests”, we plan out our goals and deliverables every two weeks, when emergencies happen or surprises take priority, original commitments are shifted to another resource or shelved until the next coordination meeting. I don’t have any of the issues you described and have built an awesome environment because of it.
GhoastTypist@reddit
Depends on your environment.
My place is pretty crazy, when I started we were a small staff of 30 with very minimal infrastructure setup.
Now we're 100+ employee's in our main company as an internal IT department, we have 3 other companies that we support. I'm also apparently a consultant because my top levels keep giving my contacts out to people they meet at conferences like "here's our IT guy, get your IT guy to reach out to him, he knows his stuff, he can help you out".
There is a mountain of project work that I have to deal with, my helpdesk staff though they just stay in their own lane and its pretty routine. Sometimes they might get an email or message that is not something they can deal with so they just pass it along.
crimesonclaw@reddit
Keeps you busy at least. That's a good thing
Though from how that sounds like, seems to me that there's something fundamentally going wrong at your place
accidentalciso@reddit
25 years in, still waiting.
Glass_Call982@reddit
This is what working at an MSP is like. Add on top of it some old boomer hassling you about timesheets and threatening to not pay you because you didn't track every 15 minutes of your day.
jetcamper@reddit
Any job is a grind. What do you mean gets better? You’re literally getting paid so other people don’t do it
Superb_Raccoon@reddit
And then you learn to script.
Zealousideal_Ad642@reddit
I'm sure you'll build meaningful stuff. It wont be meaningful for very long however.
Guyver1-@reddit
IT is a journey that never ends. things you 'fix' are just toilet stops along the way
jaydizzleforshizzle@reddit
It sounds like you don’t have any backup and are a sole point of failure, I’ve done this, it kills your body. Need to get some help or find a new job OR the truly hard one, don’t give a fuck, if you can in your own head say “I’ve done what I can with what I’m given”then you can find some peace. These are the only ways to soothe your issue.
sssRealm@reddit
It's a mirage. Once you achieve the destination you saw before, the goal is now further ahead.
jamblia@reddit
So true. Ive been in that loop, ive been able to dig companies out of that loop - with a good team and the boards backing with cash! But how did that end? With me on fire instead. Im 20 years in and on my second time at an MSP! Its one client focused so more like internal IT thankfully. I do what I have to now and no more. I earn more than I did as an Inf manager and have a lot less stress now Ive leared to chill. Im going for a nap now as I have been in since 6 am sorting patching that the Night Shift didnt do :D All the best :)
Phlynn42@reddit
That or you just made the scope of your problems bigger and more critical
False-Ad-1437@reddit
IT is a services industry more than everything else. If you are sitting around doing nothing all the time then you’re probably not giving good service. (There are exceptions, and those are likely exceptional people)
What you provide is a multiplier for the business unit to make money. So they will always be coming through you to bring in that revenue. In that sense it will feel never ending. You’re always in their way at least a little bit, even if you’re giving them 1000x productivity. That’s where managing expectations is really key, because they are always going to have pressure on you. I could go on for a long time about that aspect.
Cybersecurity has one of the largest direct fully outside pressures to IT, and this drives a lot of the device churn, OS churn, etc. that makes it seem never ending as well. Between the attackers and compliance, it can make that existing treadmill a little harder to deal with.
Old_Acanthaceae5198@reddit
That's called work.
It's an easy job sitting in front of a computer.
soulreaper11207@reddit
Ticketing systems with priority levels are a good send when working as a one man team. Though you need the management to back you on it. If not, jump ship cus they will never respect IT or anything you have to say.
bindermichi@reddit
If fhat is your current company environment, get out now!
Find a more professional place to work at.
niceoldfart@reddit
Work on ticket system, and reporting. You need to create one process for all, and communicate time you work on each issue, nobody cares about you when you don't expose your problem.
fdeyso@reddit
And the “duct tape supplier” runs around with a state-of-the-art SDS hammer drill making new holes.
chefnee@reddit
Yes to all three! Management needs metrics if you want to improve your department. You might need another resource to reduce your workload. Many companies run lean. By doing this it keeps the labor within budget. If they find that you’re working too many overtime hours, then they may have a use case to bring in a new hire. Before they do that, manage needs data or metrics of what’s currently happening.
For example, you have X amount of minutes you spend on emails. Fielding these requests and the time spent triaging and actually fixing said issues. Build these metrics and present them to your leader and they will have a case to get you some help.
As far as your question? Grind baby grind!
rhubear@reddit
IMO, the problem is that your users, even in management, are idiots, & unless you are the IT decision maker, you have no control over what happens.
Now if you were either Head of IT, or ran & designed your own shop, you could have much better control of WHAT systems to run & HOW to run them..... This in the end is what it takes for an IT pro to actually enjoy the task of maintaining an IT system.
Not the reality for most engineers.
mautobu@reddit
Automation, a ticketing system, and adequate monitoring can help, but it's a lot of putting out fires.
StormSolid5523@reddit
The work is always there and it’s “Job security” and when people say it’s Urgent my take is I will decide if it’s Urgent or not , I write a lot of documentation and even then people ask dumb questions or don’t read email instructions at all , I force them to read
UnrulyThesis@reddit
There is only one thing you can be sure about in IT: something will break at some point.
phjils@reddit
Be careful not to automate all the things, then the most exciting part of your day can be spinning in your chair. Some days I get home utterly mentally drained because I’ve spent 8 hours of my day doing absolutely nothing of worth or value.
Lord-Of-The-Gays@reddit
Depends how you look at it. I recently automated a lot of our processes and it has taken a lot of the workload off my hands, especially the stupid ass tickets that they submit nonstop. So now I can concentrate on other meaningful things. I was so burnt out that I was about to quit. Now I have more free time to learn new things and improve my skills. But again, automation comes with its own risks. One day you might wake up and find out that you’re getting laid off because almost everything is automated now and they don’t need you anymore even tho you’re the one who automated everything 😂
CollegeFootballGood@reddit
Always a grind, it’s nonstop but such is life.
Unless you can truly be free, life is relentless
djaybe@reddit
Identify common help desk issues and address the source.
ThunderGodOrlandu@reddit
It totally depends on the type and size of the company you work for. If you work at a regular small/medium size company, constant problems is not good and might be a sign of a poorly established infrastructure. When do you get to work on regular projects if all you deal with are fires? One question I always ask during an interview with a new company is "How many fires have you guys had to put out this month?" And if their answer is "Man we put out fires on the daily", then you have to realize you are probably walking into a shit-show. I currently working for a medium sized finance company and we maybe have a fire a month at most. 90% of my work time goes towards projects.
DaNoahLP@reddit
Except your fate and chill your base.
SnooMachines9133@reddit
Is work and life an endless grind?
I'd say there are moments of joy. But RFN is not one of them.
Though for IT specifically, I'd suggest finding the few things, systems, or people you care about; make sure they're well taken care of, and have pride in that. For me, that went a long way. And they'll likely be appreciative as well.
ThimMerrilyn@reddit
It never gets better. At best it’s a case of: Same shit, different laxative.
Delakroix@reddit
you wait for thenext big thing, be smart enough to know how it works, and solve the problems that come with it.