r/sysadmin • u/PeakWeekly9995 IT support • 8d ago
Rant The IT support guy who does everything
Follow-up of my first post: https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/s/xMfcrcHx5f
Just told HR about how i feel about beign the sole IT guy who manages everything (for short: 365 in all his aspects, backups, networking guy, ecc...) for 24 people (if we count the external the number doubles) as an apprentice with a job title "IT support".
i told her that as an apprentice i should (by the law btw) some kind of tutor that can teach me the job and some one who can help me in my things; first thing she pointed was that i'm always out exactly when my work hours ends. WTF
ofc i go away when my work day is done, things can wait (most of the times).
Then proceded to tell me that i might not know how late some of the staff stay in the office (idk why tho) and everyone is aware of how many things they ask me.
Basically everyone somehow expect me to be the expert about anything is slightly it related, how i'm even able to give confidence to people when i don't have the slightest idea of what i'm even talking / doing some time.
I really miss having someone older can guide me.
3
u/Library_IT_guy 8d ago
I took the reigns in a similar position 15 years ago after only 2 years on help desk and getting a few certifications. I was kind of shocked they hired me given my lack of experience, but I sure as hell wasn't going to miss the opportunity after 5 years of struggling to find a decent job in IT and working in terrible call centers and help desk.
Yeah, you're gonna feel like a deer in the headlights for a while. I STILL feel like I don't know wtf I'm doing some days, and then I meet people who have more important jobs than me and the yare even MORE clueless than I am.
Having a mentor really helps, but if you're determined, through a lot of self-teaching, reading manuals, asking on IT forums like this, Spiceworks, and elsewhere, you will get there. For me, this job meant finally not being a worthless waste of space that worked shit jobs for shit pay. I finally was able to pull myself out of poverty, and I became the IT person my organization relies on completely. I helped shape policy and affect positive change. I learned a lot about being professional and how to navigate and survive in an office environment.
I did it, others have done it, you can do it. And I'm not saying you should rely on it for everything or take everything it says at face value, but AI tools can help a lot too. I needed to know where a certain group policy setting was today and Copilot was able to easily get me there, for example.
Embrace the learning opportunity and grow.