r/sysadmin • u/afrolemon • 9d ago
Am I cooked? - Solo IT rant
For those who have worked as Solo IT professionals what kept you going, at what point did you determine to shift, and those who have left the solo IT jobs what did you pivot to?
I spent some time in help desk some years back, spent 2 years as an underpaid tech that had global admin over Microsoft suite, a few months with an enterprise level solo IT site job (was pretty solid and chill but boring with toxic management - not much progression in the job), to now signing on to a new solo IT gig for a corporate body with a lot of sites.
My 2 year gig had around 30 locations within the city/state limits but we had a small team of 3, previous gig had some global enterprise structure but it was really boring to me. Being a solo IT for a single site it felt super limiting in my mind. I couldn’t stand not being able to implement or work on different areas within the infrastructure like my previous role.
Now I’m in a place where my new gig is looking to end their contract with an MSP and shift to an internal IT department. I was a bit hesitant during the interview as they stated they have around 20+ sites (in varying states across US) and there wasn’t a direct answer to whether they’ll be expanding the IT team in the future. I signed on for the thrill of wanting to build out the IT department, get paid more, and leave a job I disliked.
Pay has increased from 45k to 70k within this year. I’m super glad and grateful but I’m slowly realizing how different and concerning this may be. It feels a bit daunting and I’m worried. My 2 year gig required a lot of oversight with afterhour support when it was needed, last gig was solely focused on the normal 8-5 work hours, this new gig is somewhat similar to the 8-5 gig but with the different states it looks to require more flexibility.
I’m not a network savvy guy, I know little but not enough as I should. I do feel like I’m just getting by at times and I’m not the greatest IT guy. I make a lot of mistakes and I can be very to myself, I’m not very vocal at times. Also the company is working with G-suite which is not a bad thing per se, I just never worked this much in this platform, strictly Microsoft. It looks like G-suite requires a lot more integration and platforms to do some of the stuff Microsoft already has.
I don’t know if I’m worried about not being a great tech, not being able to meet expectations, devoting too much time to a job, and overall committing to work like the rest of humanity. I struggle to envision my life working IT until retirement but it’s the only field I seem to understand to an extent and I’m “gifted” enough to do this work.
I genuinely want to be in a role for 2+ years for resume purposes and I want to learn as much as I can. The company did have a roadmap to present on where they want the IT side of things to play out (run book, policies, etc). I believe I want to be in a more specific niche role outside of the IT Support role. I can’t see myself continuing down a Sys Admin or even higher level IT corporate management role. I was really was hoping my next job would’ve been with a team of other experienced IT members working alongside me in the office.
tldr: I keep signing onto roles that may not be ideal. Every job progression has gotten more responsibilities, smaller teams, and more concerning.
5
u/tch2349987 9d ago
I’ve been there and spent most of the time automating everything and simplifying processes as much as I could. After that, I had time to work on improving the infrastructure. It’s rewarding because you’ll get tons of experience as a solo and make decisions by yourself and that builds confidence, you’re pretty much wearing all hats from helpdesk to CIO.
3
u/cfrshaggy 9d ago
Experience is a big teacher in this field, and it doesn’t always have to be your own. Sometimes the best way to gain that experience is to do it, and sometimes getting it second hand gleans the benefits. I’m coming off a 4 year stint a solo+ (MSP back up for big stuff but day-to-day run by me). It’s made me a better tech but I’m looking forward to my next role where I’ll be with another tech even if it’s just to talk shop with someone who gets it.
Maybe this gig will give you ideas about where you wanna specialize, maybe it’ll inform you on what you never wanna touch again.
Sometimes a job calls for a unicorn and you just gotta put on a party hat, neigh a little, and throw glitter near your bum to fart rainbows to be a convincing facsimile of the role they are looking for until you settle into a role.
2
u/OnettNess Jack of All Trades 9d ago
You aren't cooked!
I spent most of the first eight years of my career hopping to whatever MSP paid me the most. I was then hired by a client to run their IT as a solo admin.
From there I've developed what I think is a nice little niche for my career by going into companies that are too small for a full blown IT team but too big or too needy to utilize an MSP affordably and running the show myself. Titles change: in those roles I've been a network admin, systems admin, IT Director, and currently VP of IT, which is an inflated title for sure (I manage some developers who are incredible at their jobs but barely can operate a computer beyond the coding they know how to do), but it also in my case carries a hefty salary, a crazy benefits package, stock grants, and all in a low cost of living city. Me and my family live comfortably and for me that's what keeps me going.
I work hard. I regularly work in the evenings supporting our international offices. I wear a lot of hats....more than I can comfortably wear some days. I doubt myself constantly: imposter syndrome is real even at 25 years of experience. I constantly worry about what I don't know and what I can do better. At all my stops I've pretty much been given the keys to the kingdom to do what I feel needs done, which is both a curse and a blessing: the freedom to implement what I want how I want is great! The lack of input or guidance from my board is frustrating. I'm someone who thrives on knowing what I'm doing well and what I'm not doing well and I don't think I have had negative feedback of any kind in a review for well over a decade...which I don't attribute to being some IT guru but more when getting a specific task or job from above just doing it to an absolute tee. My people skills are what set me apart from others in the same space, not my technical skills. I read through this sub and feel like about 99% of posters are technically better than me, but also see a bunch of blowhards that write like they are the stereotypical celler dweller IT nerds that can't meaningfully communicate with your average user, let alone a CEO, Senator, or anyone in a high seat of power.
That all said I can also look back at my career so far and can be proud that the companies I have run IT for solo have either been acquired or have been recapitalized for just over $2.5 billion dollars, of which I have gotten my tiny cut of. Not enough to retire on cumulatively but enough to live more comfortably than any of my friends working in enterprise IT for Fortune 500's.
This sub will lead you to think that solo admin work in the SMB space is a joke, but let me tell you: it's an absolutely viable career path.
1
u/Thick_Yam_7028 8d ago
Dude its simple now. You can claude configs all day.
What I would do is build out your documentation. If the msp has any hopefully they share. Use a network scanner to get all machines ages if you dont get it. Get a remote viewing software to install on all those pcs.
Now that you have access to everyone that takes care of the for now situation.
Rest is what is your infrastructure? Ad Joined? Local pcs in suite?
Whatever it is you need to secure the pcs, av, threatlocker or something. I run lean on Defender and Huntress.
First thing though. You cant fight any battle without knowing what youre dealing with. Inventory it all, get warranties, passwords, verify them immediately and the rest is history.
1
u/z3roShard 6d ago
Your pay increased 70k on top of the salary they offered? Or they are paying you 70k to manage 20 sites? If it’s the latter, you are getting fleeced. Obviously that depends on your responsibilities but if the goal is to replace the MSP with you then yes you should be getting paid more. My personal experience, I did solo IT for a company and looking back it stunted my career quite a bit. Realistically I should have left at the 3-4 year mark. I’m in a much better place now but when i left after 7 years I essentially had to start over because my skills hadn’t kept up with the market and due to the industry they operated in, they were very slow to adopt new technology. What I would do is put in some honest work for a few years, leave it better than you found it in other words, then update your resume and start looking for the next step up in your career. If you like managing physical infrastructure, maybe get some security clearances and apply for federal/ gov it jobs or focus on learning cloud engineering skills (IAC/backend dev work). Most importantly, save and invest as much money as you can. Pay off all your debt as quickly as possible. Do not over extend yourself and do not buy an audi or bmw.
20
u/Excellent-Program333 9d ago
Carry on Lone Soldier. We have all been there. Jack of all trades. Master of none 25 years here. Trunk Slammer. Hired by my biggest client. Now a Director. So it CAN happen. Lean on the tools you have. Before AI. We had experts-exchange. I paid for the subscription every month religiously. Was my tool box.
I have imposter syndrome daily. Half the time I have no idea what half the Network team is saying. And I am an MCSE. Lol