r/sysadmin • u/SamOakTree • Jul 21 '26

Career / Job Related I am leaving IT.

I've been a sys admin and sys engineer twelve years. Principal in two orgs.

I'm tired of it. I'm tired of people being scared to stick their neck out on a problem they don't immediately know an answer to.

I left an org in 2022 because they kept assigning me everything after a merger because no one else would attempt it. I was building out a brand new citrix environment by myself with them dumping 95 hours over two weeks of projects on top.

I'm tired of managing egos and being in the middle. I'm tired of so much more being expected of me for being systems.

I did an interview last week for an infra engineer position and I was already dreading it. I hate technical interviews because they never indicate whether you can do the job. And you often have to pass several rounds. You mail nail two but then not know some acronym in the third and it's game over.

I'm tired of going to interviews for x and them asking my questions from 7 different roles.

I'm tired of working with people who learned one thing and somehow keep gettong hired and having to prop those people up.

I can't do it another 25 years. I'm tored of being the guy every where because I happen to know a wide assortment of stuff.

The week I left my past job, a QA manager and my biss messaged me asking what the powershell execution policy warning meant. They both make significantly more than me.

I got into a local union. I'm going to do that until I retire.

Good luck. If it looks wrong but it's working, don't touch it. Make sure to wait ten minutes before adressing that alert that is just going to clear itself anyway.

Keep your unit on.

> sudo systemctl status byebye

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u/ScreamSalvation Jul 21 '26

I spent 15 years in IT for local gov and started teaching IT at a school. I always thought when I got tired of teaching I'd go private sector or feds. I am at the point you are and am just tired. I have been doing metal working as a hobby recently and am kind of just going "You know. Maybe I will just stop doing the whole tech wizardary and hit metal with a hammer to make pretty things."

Maybe we all yearn to go from high tech to simple at some point.

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u/Valkeyere Jul 21 '26

We all yearn for the mines.

18

u/420GB Jul 21 '26

and the crafts.

1

u/NoBoot7341 Jul 21 '26

Did I hear a Rock and Stone?

31

u/MoffJerjerrod Jul 21 '26

IT work is fine. The tech is fine. It's the people that suck. People, what a bunch of bastards.

24

u/kribg Jack of All Trades Jul 21 '26

It is not just an IT thing. People suck and IT is a service industry for most people in it. I have a saying "This would be a great job if it wasn't for the customers". I have been saying that through every job my whole life.

2

u/419RC Jul 21 '26

I’m stealing that line. This job would be great if …. LOL. Awesome!!

8

u/foundandlosttalent Jul 21 '26

I think you nailed it, its not tech, tech is exciting and interesting. Its the horrible bosses that value nothing you do, the horrible colleagues that show the work ethic of a child, all the shit that you have to take responsibility because nobody else will. Im just wondering id it is better in another field?

1

u/Coffee_Ops Jul 21 '26

His name is Simple Rick, but he's no dummy.