Lost my sysadmin, now I'm solo. Could use some advice
Posted by Intrepid-Flamingo-55@reddit | sysadmin | View on Reddit | 215 comments
Long story short - Small business of <200 users. My boss / IT manager was let go back in December. We have a SQL guy / Python developer, and we have a MSP who manages the firewall and on-prem AD server patching. I now report directly to the VP of HR/IT as a "help desk II".
In January after he left, I asked for better pay and my manager's old office. I was denied on both requests. The office remains empty to this day.
Since my boss left, I now have access to our entire Entra P2 tenant and can activate Global admin for myself whenever I need it (which is rarely). I issue HID cards for the front door, provision camera access, and approve various IT related bills (Spectrum, Adobe, 365 services). We are in the middle of changing ERPs, and I am in the calls with the consultants and various department heads.
Essentially, I am wondering how to leverage my situation in order to find a better position. While the work environment is good, the pay is low even after the raise (10% to $25/hr). I feel like I'm learning bad/outdated habits. There is no Intune set up, laptops are domain-joined and all apps installed by hand. There are no Azure/cloud resources, although there is a PowerBI workspace which looks at our local SQL server VM.
I've been at this company for two and a half years, already have my bachelor's degree but no certs. Appreciate any perspectives on this!
trutenit@reddit
It's time to move on. Leave the VP setup the new ERP him/herself.
Intrepid-Flamingo-55@reddit (OP)
They're moving from on-prem ERP to an Oracle cloud product. The consultants are doing most of the work, but it's been interesting to watch. Mostly been on the calls as a resume bullet point.
Pork-S0da@reddit
Lmao. Hope they enjoy Oracle, they deserve it.
Excellent-Chemist-69@reddit
I had to work with a national hotel chain during their transition to Oracle's hotel software. It was an absolute nightmare, and their post salespeople were absolute dog shit at their jobs. Project was quoted to take 3 months and it ended up taking 2 years.
Stonewalled9999@reddit
Oracle;s revenue comes from prolonging (not finishing) projects
mountain_bound@reddit
Hospitality is where there shit shines.
Stonewalled9999@reddit
LOL Oracle bankrupted 2 companies I worked at. Thing is, the Oracle apps were slower and less features than the stuff it replaced
skyxsteel@reddit
There are 3 names that immediately give me the chills: Miktrotik, Meraki, and Oracle
NotMedicine420@reddit
Mikrotik is dirt cheap for what you get.
NBD_CS@reddit
It's a nightmare to get around, to configure, troubleshoot, understand. But it's helluva school, and a great piece of hardware if you actually do know what you're doing.
Cooleb09@reddit
Mikrotik is pretty good if you know your networking and don't mind being cyber-bullied in Latvian.
They are also designed/made in Eu.
Having said that I do like the anti-tik memes.
TheRealLambardi@reddit
lol love this … and fair
Drakoolya@reddit
Why Meraki? They are overpriced for sure but shit easy to maintain.
skyxsteel@reddit
To be fair, from the stuff I’ve seen (with firewalls), I think they were being asked to do far more than what they were designed to do. At some point in my career I had to do a lot of VPN buildouts. Clients that had Merakis were always the worst ones.
pspahn@reddit
It's crazy some of the money that gets spent on their stuff.
One of our suppliers (a national brand, privately held) spent like two years and somewhere between $8-15mm over a couple years and the parts of it that I've used just seem like janky SharePoint tools.
Windows95GOAT@reddit
It's not. At the top they regulary only think about not upgrading hardware etc. and thus "saving" tens or even hundreds of thousands because obviously the cloud is only 200$ a month!
And then the consultant fees + yearly sub costs + yearly price hikes roll in.
But hey, the C suite most likely had a few nice diners / golf sessions with Mark from their sales whos just the right kind of dude.
burnte@reddit
In 30 years I've never met a company happy with Oracle. Including some really big Oracle customers.
CeC-P@reddit
That's why they don't have any money left to pay him lol.
NeedAmnesiaIthink@reddit
Ya our company backed out after 4 years of prep to get their ERP in place. Total disaster, we lost so much business and employees before we decided to just use our old system.
Scurvy-Jones@reddit
Just wait until the migration is complete.
"You were on all of the calls, you should be able to manage and administer it."
Intrepid-Flamingo-55@reddit (OP)
I was actually waiting for the go-live in September, but this thread has me accelerating my own timeline.
1z1z2x2x3c3c4v4v@reddit
Waiting for what? Having ERP experience is a plus, sure, but not Oracle experience.
Intrepid-Flamingo-55@reddit (OP)
I wanted to stick around and see the entire process, we're on Sage right now which is super old school. Barring that, I can spend the next few weeks tightening up the resume and memorizing Entra from top to bottom.
1z1z2x2x3c3c4v4v@reddit
Good. You have a plan. Get skills and experience, and move on as soon as that stops.
pabskamai@reddit
Which version of Sage?
Intrepid-Flamingo-55@reddit (OP)
Sage 100
MajStealth@reddit
I bet still in access, its slugish but atleast it works.
zanthius@reddit
There will be no go live in september, I can guarentee it.
skyxsteel@reddit
OP will be the whipping boy too.
Scurvy-Jones@reddit
Sorry, when I said "Just wait until the migration is complete", I meant that as in... you think you're doing everything now? When the migration is complete you're going to be doing a lot more!
But I think you're taking the right message away from this thread. The best time to look for a new job is when you have a job.
Good luck!
Geminii27@reddit
"Great, put that in writing, I'll use it as proof in my applications to other employers."
PDQ_Tarabyte@reddit
Ew, consultants. Also, yes, as stated above-PDQ Connect is amaze balls. But, I work here, so I might be just the teensiest bit bias.
AdventurousInsect386@reddit
it might be a matter of time before youre made redundant.
you should be updating your resume
Wild-Pie4145@reddit
> Mostly been on the calls as a resume bullet point.
Be careful with this. Fluffing your resume a little bit is fine, but I can't tell you how many folks I've interviewed where their inability to answer basic questions about expertise they claim to have on their resume results in their immediate disqualification.
Intrepid-Flamingo-55@reddit (OP)
Still figuring out how to phrase this. "Part of ERP implementation team conducting internal discovery". The consultants come in with questions, and the departments come back with answers to help create a diagram of how a particular process should flow through the ERP.
I definitely don't want to claim I'm in charge, but I'm seeing how our existing warehouse software and e-commerce platforms are being integrated. I will be upgrading the shipping label application for sure, it is 8 years past EOL.
qualx@reddit
Assisted with ERP migration moving from Sage to Oracle
You can expand on that during the interview
Wild-Pie4145@reddit
My advice is to focus on the value you're bringing to the table - something along the lines of understanding and dissimenating relevant business processes. The value you're bringing to that project is your ability to understand what they're asking for and why they're asking for it, and being able to get them the answers they need to make the necessary decisions. You don't have to be the one making the decisions, but demonstrating that you're a trusted and integral part of process is good.
AcidBuuurn@reddit
I posted about exactly that 2 years ago- https://www.reddit.com/r/ITCareerQuestions/comments/1c165t5/please_dont_lie_on_your_resume/
So many people saying they have 10 high level certs and can’t explain the basic idea behind DHCP.
UninvestedCuriosity@reddit
I didn't think it could be anymore perfect. Thanks op. I needed this today.
hexadeciball@reddit
RUN
uninspired@reddit
I would stick around through the ERP migration and learn all you can. I was laid of from my role as IT Director and it seems almost every job includes a bullet point requirement about ERP (I unfortunately wasn't all that involved when we moved to Oracle NetSuite - my counterpart headed up the project since he had a background in finance and accounting)
landline_number@reddit
One of our biggest clients left us for Netsuite 5 years ago. After 5 years and only one store converted, they gave up and are back with us 😊.
Intrepid-Flamingo-55@reddit (OP)
This is the main reason I haven't left yet (well, plus the global situation). It's genuinely interesting. Right now there is a heavy logistics focus, end-user training and SSO implementation will come later. Moving to the same ERP as well actually.
ImCaffeinated_Chris@reddit
You will learn a TON during an erp switchover. Embed yourself in it. Learn it all.. Be prepared for a horrible go live. Then be ready to leave with more on your resume.
6stringt3ch@reddit
This right here is enough reason to bail. Stay away from anything Oracle.
tdhuck@reddit
You should just stick to doing help desk ii tasks. Be nice, don't blow up at anyone, work your 8 hours and go home. Look for a new job if you want better pay and more responsibilities, but don't quit w/o another job first, because the market is not great right now.
Knight_of_Tumblr@reddit
I did this exact thing 3 years ago (overworked in a classical IT role with too much access because of org instability but participating in ERP conversion), I now make ~130k. The way you’re talking about this makes me think you will be on a similar trajectory too. Keep it up!
Intrepid-Flamingo-55@reddit (OP)
Thanks! I'm picking a heck of a time to jump ship, but staying here until 202 7 doesn't seem like the right answer either. This thread has been the kick in the pants I needed.
zeptillian@reddit
Get out while you still can.
maxtimbo@reddit
Time to bail.
3DPrintedVoter@reddit
oracle cloud?
Apprehensive_Bat_980@reddit
Correct
Hebrewhammer8d8@reddit
The VP will probably mess up and beg the MSP for help?
IamHydrogenMike@reddit
Denied raises and now basically the boss without the authority and only the stress. Time to peace out...
Inn0centSinner@reddit
$25/hr is criminal when I saw that. What in the world?
AgenticRevolution@reddit
As others have said, you clearly deserve better and I will echo that.
Something to consider before just looking for another job though. What do you actually want to do? Not what can you get or what will pay better, but what do you actually enjoy and WANT to do?
Figure that out and use this time to get the skills (if needed) to go do that. When you enjoy what you do life is so much better.
rootj0@reddit
Hire me part time, will make your money's worth
masterofrants@reddit
Okay everybody wants you to change the job but think about this for a second you are now in the middle of our entire Enterprise lab environment i'm not telling you to go crazy and Destroy stuff but spend time learning each and every process get some laptops and perform in tune join on them understand how the Microsoft licensing Works what you need to make that happen and you will in 3 months build such a strong skill set that any job in it and even in cyber security will become open for you
Do not just walk away from this lab because somebody is offering you five bucks more..
think long term here, setting up a lab environment to do things like these takes up a lot more time and won't teach you what you will learn in a real environment with users so please make the most of this spend at least 3 months into really devouring everything you can in this environment especially the Microsoft Entra iam and azure stack.
Once you get a few laptops into in tune and learn the process you can just tell the next interviewer that you migrated all of them on your own and led the project.
Intrepid-Flamingo-55@reddit (OP)
Honestly, I never thought about it that way. No one is stopping me from buying Intune. I'll see if there is a way to buy a single license as a demo. For Azure, I'll check into a Sandbox. Those are the two components we aren't really using at the moment. Thanks for the feedback!
masterofrants@reddit
You probably already have intune licensing in business premium if you are using that. Learn the licensing devour all this portals and concepts and what goes where.
Intrepid-Flamingo-55@reddit (OP)
Sadly I'm issuing from a pool of Business Standard licenses which don't come with Intune from the looks of it. It seems like I can get Intune Plan 1 on it's own: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/microsoft-intune-pricing
masterofrants@reddit
You can also use the M365 Maps website to give you a mapping of everything. Business Premium is the best license to have right now. Maybe you can tell them that or maybe you can ask them to do a demo laptop modernization and move one user to Intune and then test all the auto pilot, auto deployment of software, push software, Windows updates settings, stuff like that.
My point is don't jump on changing the job. At this job you have admin rights. You might go to a next job at a big corporation and you will always be stuck with access control and not be able to do anything. These small companies with stupid processes and policies which give you all the admin rights are a great place to test everything out without putting anything at risk and no one is going to ask you any questions. I kind of have done that in one of my previous roles as well.
Look for an old unused server or something and take it home with you to make your own lab server or tell them that you want to buy it off of them. Maybe they will just sell you one. That's a great way to learn stuff as well.
Intrepid-Flamingo-55@reddit (OP)
Thanks, we have some new hires coming up actually. I will grab a Business Premium and see how that works. I was in Intune today and despite having an Intune Admin role, a lot of items were greyed out. Might need to do some more tinkering. Even just auto-deployment of Chrome and the network printers would be a dream.
I can spin up a server VM in Hyper-V Manager under the guise of application testing easily enough. Appreciate all the help, I think I am heading in the right direction.
masterofrants@reddit
If you want to go crazy then do it with the CIPP tool and learn that one as well. That's a big one with the MSP space. They all love that tool. Great for the next job.
masterofrants@reddit
Look at all the entra iam policies learn how to secure those and create those.
Look at vnets vms anything else you can.
Ask Claude it'll build you a list on how to secure a tenant.
Intrepid-Flamingo-55@reddit (OP)
Will do, seems Entra + Azure focus is the way to go. I already have the on-prem experience, just need practice with the parts I'm not utilizing.
jimboslice_007@reddit
I stopped reading at "VP of HR/IT"
Get out.
HSuke@reddit
JFC that's appalling even for a 200-person company
ThatNerdyRedneck@reddit
Leave.
M365Expert@reddit
Go here: https://m365admintools.com
unstopablex15@reddit
Time to skate on outta there. Idk where you live at, but even in a LCOL area that pay is a hair above what a McDonalds worker makes in some places. Refine your resume, upskill on a cert, create a home lab, and start applying everywhere. Good luck!
Unique_Inevitable_27@reddit
Honestly, it sounds like you’re already doing far more than a typical Help Desk II role. One thing that could really help is moving toward a proper UEM setup so device provisioning, app installs, and policy management aren’t all being done manually anymore.
Nox_31@reddit
$25/hr? I wouldn’t bother giving 2 weeks notice.
Comfortable-Bunch210@reddit
So it you have your own prod environment to build an exit ramp. I would encourage you to build or upgrade solutions that would align with your ideal next job. Then immediately start submitting to the job boards. The JBs use algorithms like other social media platforms. You post i.e. apply eventually the recruiting firms will start soliciting you instead of you chasing them.
goatsinhats@reddit
It all depends where you live, where I am $25 an hour is zero experience walked in off the street help desk.
You could use the time to get certs (if you are not busy) or better yet look for something else.
spin81@reddit
Linux person here with a genuine question. Are laptops not supposed to be domain joined?
therankin@reddit
I domain join mine for Active Directory, Group Policy, and network drive purposes.
I don't think there's a single good answer, it depends on how you want to use it.
AgainandBack@reddit
They can be domain joined automatically during automated OS installation and setup, if you have the right tools, rather than manually.
fluffh34d420@reddit
Get everything into intune it'll make your life so much better.
Best-External-4207@reddit
You didn't lose your sysadmin. You are the sysadmin. Sys admins don't necessarily get offices.
You say you asked for extra pay but didn't get it. Later you say you got 10%. What's up with that?
Sounds like your boss IT manager guy was canned. Any details on that?
Also sounds like the VP took over that position. Leaving his office empty is kind of symbolic.
So many people are waiting for someone to hand them a title on a silver plate. You got to go out and get it, son.
Why no certs? Pro tip: get some certs. CBT nuggets is good. They'll probably pay for it.
You can make this whatever you want it to be. You put a couple years in and you say the work environment is not bad. You're going to have to have a real conversation with this VP. He is an IT manager in name only and he knows it. Ask him what it would take to get in that office. Find out what happened to the last guy. Just remember a job is just a job and there's a reason they pay us to do it.
It's not going to be sunshine and rainbows all freaking day. It's going to be IT.
You're not learning bad habits. You're working with what you got. It's a manager's job to identify what needs to be changed. The difference between a manager and a sys admin is that managers have hard conversations. Managers manage change. They manage people's expectations above and below them. You're in a good spot to start doing that. It's really your only option from moving forward. Don't kid yourself.
Personally I'd look at setting up an MDT server for imaging, which is free, it's a little bit of trouble to set up but a good challenge. If you can do it, you will save yourself a lot of grief. And PDQ Connect for all those apps that you hate installing by hand. It's pretty slick it will make your life a lot easier.
Let us know how the conversation goes.
the_syco@reddit
Get a cert, and then a new job. It sounds like they don't have the money to give you a raise, and probably expect to save money by going to the cloud.
LawGood8195@reddit
Have you considered suggesting a power saving measure that shuts down all computers at 8pm?
mehdi890222@reddit
Solo ops on a small fleet for the past few years — VMware host, prod containers, DB, the works. The raise conversation that actually worked for me: I wrote a one-pager called "what breaks in the next 30 days if I leave." When the VP can see it in writing, the empty office suddenly feels expensive.
On the career side: the breadth you're getting right now is the thing. EntraP2 + ERP calls + camera provisioning in the same week? That's a weird mix but it reads well on a resume as long as you document it properly. The trap is staying too long without certs to prove it. CompTIA or even just a cheap cloud associate cert gives you something to point to when you interview out.
Don't wait for them to offer the office. They've already decided what you're worth to them.
False-Truck-8697@reddit
running prod containers and a db solo is where silent failures live. had a cron job quietly die on me for like 12 days once, found out when a client complained. statusmonkey caught that kind of thing before it became a call.
mehdi890222@reddit
cron silently dying is the classic — happens to everyone solo. I run gatus pointed at health endpoints plus a daily watchdog cron that pings a dead-man’s-switch url if it doesn’t fire. If the url doesn’t get hit within 25 hours, something broken. both free, both run as containers. never used statusmonkey, but the principles the same: every important job needs an external signal that it ran.
Intrepid-Flamingo-55@reddit (OP)
I might not touch all of these systems in the same week, but almost certainly in the same month. The ERP calls are every week now, while the Ring camera is only shared with supervisors if a situation arises.
Sounds like I need the extra paper to back up my claims. When you write it out, it's really a lot of different systems and functions. I appreciate your help!
mehdi890222@reddit
Glad it helped. One more thing for that doc: put numbers next to every system. “Sole admin on EntraP2 for \~200 users” reads very differently than “I do Entra stuff.” Same for the bills you approve — list the dollar amounts. It reframes the conversation from “what does this person do” to “what’s exposed if they leave,” which is the conversation you want.
Przeklenstwo@reddit
Italian sysadmin here,
unfortunately your situation is not very different from what we deal with in my country, with the difference that at least they pay you a bit more decently.
My only advice is to get certified in whatever is most in demand in your country, because I might suggest something that is in demand in Italy, Switzerland, or Germany but not over there.
Once you have proof of what you can do, fire off applications in bulk and leave them behind, they do not deserve anything.
One thing I am curious about: what was the reason for the previous sysadmin leaving?
BorcoDio@reddit
Any suggestion about the certs? I'm looking to take 6 months finish my degree with the end of my actual job contract, after that I was curious about any RHEL or Linux sysadmin certs.
366df@reddit
Setting up Intune and Autopilot isn't too hard, I suppose the hardest sell is pricier licenses. I've learned a lot with our ERP project, but I would advice you to be careful, you could end up being the firms ERP support which is the hell I currently find myself in. Somehow I'm always in charge of its development. Only redeeming quality about this gig is that the pay somewhat reflects the fact that I'm the only in-house "expert" for our flavor of ERP. Still, it absolutely sucks dealing with our vendor (consultancy and it development is a hoax i tell you) and I don't get exposed to the "normal" sysadmin stuff as much + there's nobody to spar with or learn from.
Ginsley@reddit
Honestly these are the signs of a company does not value their IT Department and will continue to under invest in it. It’s time to polish the resume and move on. I get it’s hard especially if you like the working environment but people like this won’t suddenly be like “oh I see you’ve taken on a lot and improved your skill set, let’s do a salary adjustment. Time to take the next step
Drakoolya@reddit
"There is no Intune set up, laptops are domain-joined and all apps installed by hand"
Yeah, doesn't sound like they invest much in IT and you are just starting out. I would be looking.
nydroxide@reddit
As a person who have gone through a similar situation, I’d say start looking for a new job. I got stuck for 3 years waiting maybe things would change in my previous job and it never happened. The moment I got a new job, they offered me a raise but I told them now it’s too late.
skyxsteel@reddit
Certs at your stage arent important; experience is. You’re being asked to do a lot- far more than a T2 would do. If I were you, I’d be looking immediately. There will be nothing gained by staying until the non-launch in September. I guarantee you will face the worst stress of your life.
Yo_Babe@reddit
Your "official" internal title may be "Help Desk II," but you're the IT Manager now, babe. Put that on your resume along with any relevant skills you've acquired since the previous one was canned, including overseeing the ERP implementation. You're the sole IT person for nearly 200 people and you manage the ongoing relationship with your MSP. That makes you an IT Manager. You better believe I labeled myself as the IT Director on my resume when I assumed leadership of my team during the almost 6 months my boss (the IT Director) was out on maternity leave. I also don't have any certs and am now the Senior IT Manager for my current org. Don't sell yourself short; if you're already doing the job, then you're already doing the job.
FounderShift@reddit
Solo sysadmin at an under-200-user shop is very manageable once you stop trying to own everything. Your MSP is already handling the heavy stuff: let them. Your job is to be the translator between the business and the tech. Start with documentation: what runs, where it lives, who owns it. Without that, everything feels like a fire. With it, most things become routine.
koyuki112@reddit
Whatever you do, do not try to leave a two week notice. Do not officially quit. Let them fire you only after you have another job and have been actively going to that job.
ItsANetworkIssue@reddit
$25/hr? you're being fleeced bro
tapwater86@reddit
Act your wage
Decantus@reddit
My friends say I should act my Wage
What's my wage again?
What's my wage again?
razaeru@reddit
Snatched it right outta my head!
zeptillian@reddit
That's great advice if you want to keep your wage where it is instead of getting new skills and being paid more elsewhere.
tapwater86@reddit
Practice new skills on your own time. Lie about your salary when applying to new jobs. A business is not your friend. They’re not loyal. Once you start to give them a free sample of your increased skills and labor that becomes the expected norm from you and you’ll be lucky to get a raise that beats inflation. Why buy the cow when you get the milk for free already?
Intabus@reddit
The reward for doing good work is more work!
zeptillian@reddit
Yeah, you're right. Why would you want to get paid to learn new skills at work when you can spend all your free time learning instead?
While you're at it, maybe you can spend tens of thousands of your own hard earned money building and running a home lab with enterprise hardware so you can make yourself a better worker for a future job you don't have yet.
Nothing says sticking it to the man quite like spending your own time and money improving your skills for them.
/s
reserved_seating@reddit
This is the largest red flag to me out of all of this. That’s after a 10% (which is a great percentage wise) raise! I would start to wonder if the company is gonna be around in the near future…
2milehigh@reddit
Like others have said stick it out and gain the knowledge of the ERP cutover. But also start looking now too . It might take you awhile to find a job and you might be missing out on some clutch positions.
If you really want to be a dick and force them to the negotiation table, don't do any of the work your sysadmin did. Just mention it wasn't in your employment contract. If they fire you, there's probably a bunch of lawyers ready to take your case for a wrongful dismissal
Professor-Potato281@reddit
Build what ever experience you can or are allowed to develop there. But yes, leave.
Cave24@reddit
Not going to lie it’s time to go
TheOGUncalibrated@reddit
Quit tomorrow. That’s crazy low pay, zero title recognition, etc.
Get out ASAP
Purple-Path-7842@reddit
yeah it's time to leave for sure
fwambo42@reddit
while I agree with everyone's advice to pack up don't underestimate your opportunity here to learn some stuff and improve your marketability. you have learning opportunities here you may not have at home
Dyson201@reddit
My advise to anyone working in a dumpster fire.
Knowing how bad things can get. what goes wrong, who's responsible, how it happened, etc. Is all valuable life experience. This is a "3 years of experience in a single year" type opportunity.
Not good for you, you're being fleeced, get out. But take as much knowledge and experience as you can while you're there.
In future interviews, try not to talk bad about them, but rather highligh how bad it is, and how it shaped you as a person. "At least I know what not to do. Or how quickly things can go downhill if the wrong person leaves."
Ferretau@reddit
Time to prep the CV/Resume and move on, sounds like they will either move the work to the MSP or when needed get you to do the work without being compensated for it.
800oz_gorilla@reddit
25 an hour is criminal
GangstaRIB@reddit
I would advise you to start looking for a new job. Apply to a lot of them it’s rough out there
Wonder_Weenis@reddit
leave
purawesome@reddit
Go to them with a title change request as consolation for no increase in pay. Update your resume with the new title and start applying elsewhere.
They already screwed you, they won’t hesitate to do it again.
hankhillnsfw@reddit
For $25 an hour I’d be showing up on the dot and leaving on the dot. Not answering my phone after work. Looking full time for a new role. Doing the bare minimum.
Difficult_Salary8309@reddit
Start searching but I would say get the heck of experience implementing ERP. This would give you leverage when you move out, ERP Administrator with certification will probably give you better chance of success.
bacvain@reddit
Dude time to move on. You can't keep beating a dead corpse.
carcaliguy@reddit
Your rate should be 50per hour minimum, give them 4 hours of effort per day. Get another remote IT job and do it until they let you go.
Lunixar@reddit
Document the responsibilities, turn them into resume bullets, and start applying.
They already gave you the sysadmin workload without the title or pay. Use the experience, but don’t wait around for them to value it.
Assumeweknow@reddit
Domain joined is the way. Azure joined just creates chaos everytime microsoft hiccups.
Gaming_Wisconsinbly@reddit
$25/hr sucks. Update the resume and start looking. If work is deadly slow and you work remote, then take on a second remote job if you want. Working for a small company as the only IT guy is hell in my experience.
redittr@reddit
You need to take a 2 week holiday for them to appreciate you. Somewhere uncontactable.
And if they decline your leave request, you need to have a family emergency thatll take you out of work for 2 weeks unexpectedly.
BatemansChainsaw@reddit
I had a job with all of these duties and then some, but was easily making double your salary.
You're being taken advantage of here and they need to make it right.
Secret_Account07@reddit
Look for jobs while you learn. Doesn’t hurt.
Ask for a raise in a few months after demonstrating your skills: if they say no then bounce
They have the most to lose imo
McGrizzly@reddit
It sounds like you know you should leave, which yeah you should, but I think there's some juice you can still squeeze to put you in a better position.
Your post says you asked for a raise and an office. I think what you probably should have done and what's probably not too late to do is flag those issues and associated risks/liabilities/inefficiencies you've identified to the VP, say you have a plan to remediate them, and that taking on that responsibility necessitates changing your title and scope which comes with a re-evaluation of your compensation.
Right now it looks like they're outsourcing stuff that it doesn't really make sense to outsource while leaving your role in-house which almost makes more sense to outsource or redistribute to other departments/employees. Why isn't the MSP doing helpdesk while you're managing the network and servers?
Intrepid-Flamingo-55@reddit (OP)
I believe they've had this MSP for 4 years or so. Help tickets are billable, and they are kind of slow. It's more of a culture thing, the company likes having an on-site tech (with 2 WFH days per week). I use them for advice and second opinions, end users aren't supposed to be contacting them directly.
Full disclosure, my networking knowledge isn't the best. It's been 5 months and the place is still standing which I'll take as a good thing. There is some merit to your idea, but I'm just so tired of this place. I will give it one more shot before I leave.
McGrizzly@reddit
For an org that size and seemingly 1 physical location, it really isn't rocket surgery. I'm confident you'd be able to figure it out with a degree. Obviously if a decent job opportunity actually materializes then yeah whatever just leave, but with the job market being what it currently is the ability to demonstrate growth like that and a new title could be the difference between a lateral or downward move and an upward one. If you're dead set on leaving anyway, think of it as learning in the test environment!
Intrepid-Flamingo-55@reddit (OP)
I am based in the main office, and there are two warehouses with a few PCs, Zebra label printers, Unifi APs, etc. I'm visiting those locations maybe once or twice a month. Things aren't so dire that I need to leave next week, but the thought has been creeping into my mind for a while now.
ncc74656m@reddit
N+ is so easy to pass if you have good basic networking knowledge, can test well (CompTIA tests are so easy), and do a lot of prep and basic reading.
IIRC, this is the practice test I used. I think it limits you to some set number of questions in a certain period, but you're not taking it for a score, you're taking it to learn. Use different browsers to get around that limit. If you get a question you don't know, stop and read about the topic. Just open up a new tab, do some research and reading, answer, and then study why the answer was what it was.
I scraped by on the skin of my teeth on my test, but I was rushed on mine bc I had a voucher I forgot about until it was like two weeks out from the due date. If I'd had another month or two to really brush up, I should've been able to do a lot better.
A+ is also stupidly easy, though it's not really worth a lot, esp if you have an N+ or Sec+. Don't bother with the Google test, either, that's purely entry level and not worth your time.
https://lognpacific.com/free-certification-practice-tests/free-network-plus-practice-questions/
HabitAltruistic5648@reddit
You should be making $10k/month range
NotAnOwl_@reddit
They are hoping you quit. You are slowly being removed from operations because you are not valued. You should be earning more; if they can't make this happen for you, the smartest advice here was "act your wage".
The only way you might save this is by asking for a pay increase again, without the office (cause for them it's probably more a mental thing; what if your remaining colleague also wants it?). Also, how is working with that guy? What does he think of the situation? You might have an ally right next to you.
Intrepid-Flamingo-55@reddit (OP)
The developer has a special arrangement - he is remote 4 days a week. He works closely with e-commerce and makes sure tracking and order info keeps flowing. Great guy, he knows I'm in a tough spot.
If he were to leave, the business would need to find someone pretty quickly. I might ask him to show me a trick or two, our duties don't really overlap thankfully.
C8kester@reddit
You’re already under paid just by having you’re bachelors. Plus you’re decent experience. Want a better raise get a better job offer. Like actually apply and prep a resume. Go interview and when you have an offer for what you want go back in and let them know you’re quitting. I’d give them a week. Be semi professional. But tell them if they don’t match or exceed what you’re being offered you leave. In the end you win either way. Make sure though you get everything in writing including them giving you a raise. They sound pretty shiity already.
countsachot@reddit
Get outta there! I would put system admin on my resume too. Because you are one.
PuzzleheadedTop4836@reddit
Keep getting some strong experience from there. Plus get you a certs especially managing certs if you want.
G-Style666@reddit
Doesn't hurt to look! You have a degree and over 2 years experience..... you should be able to find something. Then when you find something and give your notice, they will either beg for you to stay or they won't care. In the case they don't care, its good you found something as your company may be either downsizing or closing up shop.
Ellimis@reddit
When I asked for a raise in a similar situation, it was for literally double the pay and I got it. Either you're legitimately not up to the task, or you're being undervalued and should leave. There aren't really other options.
pegz@reddit
Brush up on your resume and start looking but do just enough to not get dumped. They need you more than you need them right now; so try and stay under the radar as you hunt for a new position then delta out of there.
Livid_Strategy6311@reddit
Write a letter to whomever is over you that explains what you do every day, the accomplishments, and where you specifically provide value. Ask what more do you need to do in order to make and get the office. Then just shut up. The silence will be deafening. Just wait and watch.
Let your value sink in.
If they just ignore you or deny it, find a new job somewhere else, then submit your 2 weeks notice.
If they suddently want to give you a raise counter with your willingness to perform a short term contract for X amount (over double your gross income before, because you'll be responsible for taxes, retirement (Roth IRA or Traditional IRA) and all medical/dental/vision/meds).
If they go for it, contact your new employer and ask if it's possible to delay your start date because it's creating a hardship on your prior employer. If they say NO then start the new job. If they say yes, ask how long. That's the term of the contract with your prior company.
DO NOT lose the new job. Your old company will only contract with you until they find a replacement at which time your contract will immediately end.
CeC-P@reddit
The head of IT is also the head of HR? I haven't seen such an abominable hybrid against science and God since General Mengsk made a Protoss Zerg hybrid in his secret lab.
Anyway, that's just a bad environment all around. It's typical to not automate app deployment and refreshes at companies that size. But I was promoted to head IT manager at a nearly identical company twice with a weaker resume than you probably have. What exactly is their problem not basically giving you the job AND the pay? That's a sign they're going bankrupt or something. I'd let a couple failures and outages past my 40 hours and 9-5 to see if that changes their mind. Seriously, zero free overtime because a system is failing because you have no manager.
cyberman0@reddit
It's amazing what companies think about people in IT. Meanwhile the IT guys keep all their stuff running and have a lot of responsibilities in keeping somethime millions processing monthly. Yet they want us to accept all the responsibility for 25 an hour.
ultradip@reddit
The best time to look for a better job is when you're still working.
spyingwind@reddit
This is pretty much the same thing that happened to me. In the end the company replaced me with the MSP.
Stay on, but look for other jobs.
Linuxmonger@reddit
It's not easy to get raises in IT - and partly, we're to blame for that; when the workload increases, we usually just put forth more effort, because we can, and overall, IT folks strive to be helpful (except for that one dude in shipping, he just breaks everything).
Moving to a new company has always gotten me a raise, including moving back to my current one.
Library_IT_guy@reddit
Was there a good reason for them letting your boss go, or just trying to save money? If it's the latter, and you're now asking for money, chances are your job will just get outsourced. This is one terrible time to be looking for employment in IT though. Good luck.
Intrepid-Flamingo-55@reddit (OP)
I'm not privy to the entire situation, but he was making the other managers unhappy in some way. Otherwise, he was knowledgeable and was giving me access piece by piece over time.
1z1z2x2x3c3c4v4v@reddit
You only work to get skills and experience. If you are not getting any new skills, then it's time to move on. Seriously. Use your free time to get some certs and find a better job at a better company that is willing to pay you what you are worth.
Downtown_Look_5597@reddit
Leave now and get a more appropriate position before one of the following happens: - You end up the sole admin for a system you're not paid well enough to administer - Your boss outsources your job to an MSP and you get laid off
They don't value your time
cthetech@reddit
Underpaid quit quit
no_your_other_right@reddit
$25/hr???
Run, my dude.
OverallApartment6354@reddit
Leave bro
MunchyMcCrunchy@reddit
Do you have a good relationship with the MSP? If so, see if they are hiring.
yawnnx@reddit
You're definitely doing a lot for only $25/hr. Where are you located?
Good experience though like others here have mentioned which you can use to your advantage.
Intrepid-Flamingo-55@reddit (OP)
I'm in SE Wisconsin, little north of Chicago.
Pin_Physical@reddit
You need to be sending resumes out on company time.
fdiaz78@reddit
WAIT Did you just tell us you make just shy of $25 an hour for all of that?
Antique_Grapefruit_5@reddit
Based on your job duties, I sure hope you aren't an hourly employee. Not sure that would be legal in the US..
Regardless, it's time to have a conversation with the VP and demand a title/salary change.
RhymenoserousRex@reddit
Well the fact that the VP of HR is in charge of IT is a big stupid red flag.
AegonsDragons@reddit
Lead sysadmin here without the title and the pay, dust your resume off and go. Sounds like you some experience and a degree, get a cert or two and bounce.
Lukage@reddit
Leave. They already told you that they aren't going to negotiate.
Nonaveragemonkey@reddit
Hr and it... in one...
No. Burn it down.
EViLTeW@reddit
As I see it, you have 2 options. I could see myself doing either one depending on my mood at the time.
Lastly, unless you have a bunch of PTO banked and a policy requires some amount of notice to get it paid out, they get to know your last day is Friday at 5pm. Whether you accept your new position on Monday at 8am or Friday at 4:45pm. Your last day is Friday at 5pm. Let them figure it out. Yes, you'll be burning a bridge and it's unprofessional. Abusing a "help desk" role with all the responsibility and none of the pay/benefits is also unprofessional. The only chance (however slim) they have of learning the value of loyal staff (and you've proven to be quite loyal for sticking around and doing what you can after getting shit on) is to feel pain.
huntingboi89@reddit
Underpaid, bad setup, over tasked, under titled, and your company has shown no intentions of making a change on any of those fronts.
If you have your Bachelor’s in (hopefully) IT, are competent, and can articulate the experience you got at your current position well, you should be able to pull a 65-85k USD position in a way better environment (assuming you’re in the US) with relative ease.
Intrepid-Flamingo-55@reddit (OP)
Yep, BS in Info Science and Technology. Thanks for the reality check. I'll be looking at IT manager, junior sys admin, IT analyst roles. I feel like I can tell a good story of perseverance and balancing internal / vendor teams.
huntingboi89@reddit
Gonna be honest from what I’ve heard IT Manager would be a bit much unless you have an impressive rest of your resume. You could easily pull an IT Analyst or Jr Sys Admin role, and if you can impress some places a full Sys Admin or IT Engineer role could be attainable. Vendor management and overarching business IT decisions have become baked into a lot of Analyst/Engineer/Admin roles at companies smaller than 500 people.
Intrepid-Flamingo-55@reddit (OP)
Thanks for the honesty. Right now I'm trying to lean away from individual help tickets and get closer to organizational processes. I don't think it would hurt to have Powershell skills and Azure 104 in my back pocket, even if I don't actively use them here.
Previously I was interning at a mid-sized bank presenting application retirements to the change advisory board and getting them removed from the service catalog / Okta.
thewunderbar@reddit
do this
_infiniteh_@reddit
Like many others have said, it's time to brush up that résumé and leave.
I had this exact same thing happen to me. Boss was pushed out, team was reassigned to VP of HR and the whole team quit a few months later.
UserProv_Minotaur@reddit
Yeah, you're probably next on the chopping block for lowering in-house IT costs due to increased operating costs from the outsourced/cloud resources. I'd start interviewing outside your company if they're not going to promote you or pay you commiserate with what you're doing.
braytag@reddit
To give you an idea, I just got an intern that I pay 20$/hr CAD(Montreal Canada). Programming sure, but he has 2years post highschool education and that internship is required for his diploma.
I've hired a sysadmin at 85k/year 2 months ago. About 46$/hr (CAD). Less than 5 years experience.
Even with the exchange rate, I think you are grossly underpaid.
False-Pilot-7233@reddit
Update your resume and start planning your exit.
They want all that for less pay. Let them figure it out once you have a confirmed offer of employment from somewhere else.
GoodlooksMcGee@reddit
Dont even try staying OP, they’ll likely remember how to hire but only for your position
SoggyGrayDuck@reddit
Careful, this can be a time when your skills expand OR you get so absolutely swamped you end up with bad habits because you didn't have time to do things properly. Example, setting up distribution groups vs listing email addresses every time.
I had a situation like this and on one hand, because I got to touch everything, I was able to land some nice titles BUT I'm scrambling to learn the "proper" way to do thing. Although I'm really not that far behind, it's more about organizing it and using tools that automate what I used to spend time on. We'll see if I can pull off this dev lead position or not.
I'm going to try to pry and get some insight into how I'm doing in 20 min. I get the architecture but I need to get into the code and start seeing how things connect and learning/memorizing where to find the answers.
radraze2kx@reddit
Contact the MSP and see if they have an open position. Seems like you care about the employer at little bit but don't want to be stuck there.
DaftPump@reddit
Yeah, do the needful and never light your life on fire to keep this company warm. I get why your admin left the company.
You might become a boiling frog. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_frog
Sllim126@reddit
Sounds like you can just move into the office without anyone caring…
Nakenochny@reddit
My advice would be to look for another job. Once you find and secure one, go to your new supervisor/manager and tell them you’ve got a job offer you’re planning to take unless they can either match the new offer (if it’s not better I’d honestly tell them my goal pay and benefits) or you’re putting in your two weeks/whatever interval you choose.
You have to be ready for them to say no, though.
DarthJarJar242@reddit
What are you talking about. Domain joining is still the standard for most environments.
Synbred@reddit
Sounds like a bad deal! I'd use your remaining time (if you choose to leave) as an experience boost to a lot of things:
Look at this through the lens of a learning experience you're getting paid for and definitely lean in to the job hunt during your WFH days.
All the best to you and good luck out there!
Thriven@reddit
You have a lot of people telling you to leave because we have all been in this position and we have all wasted years trying to avoid getting a new job and get the promotion at the company we already work for. We waste 2-3 years working somewhere and when we finally leave we get a pay and title increase. We look back at those years as completely wasted time.
I know it seems like a reddit knee jerk reaction but it's because most of us feel so strongly about it in hindsight
kona420@reddit
Just be honest about where you are skills wise and professional about the reasons for wanting to leave that environment. It's entirely about your growth, and this industry is looking for people who want to continually grow so that lines up just fine.
If you stay, best case scenario you get some input on who they hire in on top of you. If you ask to be included in the meet and greet and technical evaluation, keep it succinct and professional they probably aren't looking for a long-form opinion.
Maybe they would be amenable to you going over to the MSP?
Intrepid-Flamingo-55@reddit (OP)
Funny enough, I got offers from our current MSP and the company I work at the same time. I did have a good time here, it just feels like I outgrew my original role and now it's simply too much for one person.
They aren't expecting miracles of me, but any longer and I'll fall behind in terms of skills/current tech.
Elensea@reddit
You should be around $50 an hour minimum.
ncc74656m@reddit
I would write up a detailed and carefully written description of all the additional work you've been doing, paralleled with existing matching positions elsewhere, then use that to update your resume you've been using to apply elsewhere, and then submit that to your boss.
Be like "Look, economics aside, you have me doing a job well above my pay grade and title. I need both changed." No threats, no implications - just facts. If they claim they can't make you IT Mgr bc they laid off the last one, don't argue that, tell them you'll be fine with SysAdmin as a title, though make it sound fancy. "Systems Manager" or whatever. Shop around for good titles.
If they still won't do it, see if they'll let you start spinning up an Intune/AP environment, and migrating away from the local domain if you can. Those will be useful experiences to have. You can also work on certs while you're at it. At least look at like a Net+ or something simple. Plus, if you get another job offer mid-job, you can really leave them hanging and maybe even get a sweet contract offer to finish the work. 😛
Walbabyesser@reddit
BY HAND?!?
MeatPiston@reddit
They’ve shouldered you in to new duties and are denying you compensation.
I’d start looking for new jobs.
TheOzarkWizard@reddit
Guess that makes you next up to the block
VineMan77@reddit
that's a LOT for $25/hr... Leave - and they'll have to pay someone $250 /hr until the find someone that's not permanent.
Tr1pline@reddit
The good news is you're learning new things. You ask for 75k/yr or you leave. You need to commit to the leaving part though if they don't give you the raise.
genxer@reddit
It is time to run. I made that in 1999. I know the market is bad, but this is well below market.
NapalmNorm@reddit
Start applying for new jobs now. If you are being asked to advise on an ERP implementation as a Help Desk 2 as the IT resource the company either doesn’t know what the fuck they’re doing, or is intentionally fucking you over.
What you should do is get some offers from else where you can present, and document your Job Description vs Tasks you actually do and build a legitimate case for why you need a much bigger raise.
monkeyboy107@reddit
Apex Systems would be a good place to apply to.
They pay really good.
AKLU is ok too.
The computer merchant also is good
Alkraizer@reddit
Same thing happened to me last year. They worked the piss out of me covering for those 2 managers they let go, then let me go for "budgeting" reasons 6 months later.
If you can, start looking now.
Curious201@reddit
Start documenting what you’re actually responsible for: Entra, Intune, vendor negotiations, involvement in the ERP migration, SQL/BI/PowerBI, the firewall, users, projects, and overtime tasks—just list them out.
Use that list to formally request a promotion or a raise. I wouldn’t just quietly take on the duties of the former sysadmin while everyone pretends everything is fine. If they turn you down, then go get certified in the areas you like best from your list and move on.
Academic_Taste663@reddit
Move on, wait for old company to hire you as a consultant on the weekends and charge x10 = profit
ArSo12@reddit
They won't. He doesn't do anything essential that msp they already have can't do
VNDMG@reddit
That is a crazy hourly rate and I’m shocked that’s even a thing in this industry still.
boolve@reddit
Get me job and after then make a part time contract to help with the stuff thei will need as no one will do. But then you will charge them as high as you wish for any hour spend.
viking_linuxbrother@reddit
You are an underpaid and under-titled IT Manager. You gotta leave, you are being abused.
Jonny_Boy_808@reddit
Apply around and use that to leverage a raise if you actually want to stay. Doesn’t sound like they value you there though, so for me personally it better be a good raise offer.
patmorgan235@reddit
Learn a bunch for 3 months then leave
groundhogcow@reddit
You my friend have a business problem.
The higher ups hold not value for technology and will not reward you for it. It's a dead end.
Use your position to leverage for a new job someplace else.
Make basic documentation for everything but don't kill ourself one one will ever read it.
Get a new job. Take a copy of the documentation home then quit this one.
The current company will fall apart and blame you. If they come at you legally you tell your layer where in the documentation they can find the answer then charge them a consulting fee for double the cost of your lawyer.
konoo@reddit
If I were in your shoes I would go find a headhunter to setup some job interviews for me and the take all of my vacation and not answer my phone while on vacation. Interview with potential new employers during the vacation and then when you get back to the office you have some options. You might get an offer, you might realize it's tough out there, you might be in a position to demand a promotion.
I think the point is to do SOMETHING about the situation. I see people complain all the time about their job and then never do anything about it. You dont need to make some giant rash decision today but you should start working toward something that will better your situation.. And keep doing that for the rest of your life.
maxou2727@reddit
Leave and wait for them to call back 😂
SpotlessCheetah@reddit
Honestly leave. They are going to bleed you dry. You're not even making a good enough wage to stay at this crummy place.
Humble-Plankton2217@reddit
This is not seem to be a salvageable situation. Greener pastures await.
RyanMeray@reddit
Get an offer and give them a chance to beat it by 30%.
Dry_Inspection_4583@reddit
If you need leverage to get what's owed you need to leave! Don't do shit for them and gtfo of there
ElectionElectrical11@reddit
Make sure you list all the stuff your having to do when you update your resume.
Especially if your having to babysit a hybrid entra system.
51l3nc@reddit
Polish up your resume and start looking, but don't quit until you've secured a new job. Its rough out there right now, but yeah they are screwing you.
rsands@reddit
Follow your bosses lead and gtfo they won't pay you.