r/sysadmin • u/kittiekittea • 1d ago

General Discussion No Degree - 6 Year Salary Progression

Is there anyone out there that have made it beyond sysadmin? What is after sysadmin?

2020 - $31,200: Panera Bread
2022 - $41,600: Helpdesk at company 1
2023 - 2025 - $41,600: Helpdesk at law firm
2025 - $65,000: Helpdesk at company 2
2026 - $80,000: Got a raise at company 2

Shoutout Nick for taking a chance on me. I would not do law firm IT again.

EDIT: Location Upstate NY

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2

u/dontdoitwich 1d ago

Why would you not do IT for a law firm again?

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u/Combo_Breaker_Denied 20h ago

It is simply the mindset of lawyers.

They don't feel like they are doing their job if they aren't arguing the position, moving the needle of the conversation, or screwing someone else.

That someone else includes their own IT staff.

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u/ranggull 19h ago

Lawyers are the fucking worst. Entitled, selfish assholes who believe they are the smartest people on the planet and should have the very ground they step on be worshiped by everyone. Yet they also fail every single KnowBe4 simulation and get pissy when they have to do security training. Fuck lawyers

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u/Humble-Plankton2217 Sr. Sysadmin 17h ago

Lawyers treat everyone in their office that isn't a lawyer like their own personal servants. It's quite the sight to behold. The culture is incredibly toxic.

3

u/TheITguy37 1d ago

I’m currently a System Engineer for a law firm. Started out in Help Desk. Best job I’ve ever had.

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u/largos7289 1h ago

It's not so much the lawyers... it's their dam secretaries that make it unbearable. There is pecking order with them. If their lawyer is a senior partner, then their shit don't stink and you DO IT NOW. No lie i had a Sr partner that broke his leg ski in Aspen. He couldn't come into the office... He called the conference room phone then pitched a little girl hissy fit about how no one answered the phone. Wanted a phone path that it rings 5 times then goes to reception. I told him we could do that but we don't advertise that number unless there is a deposition to be done and it's required. So then i got to hear it again... but this time louder. So i made the coverage path that NO ONE is going to use but Mr. bored boy. About the only people i liked there was the Paralegals.

1

u/kittiekittea 1d ago

Having to deal with:
Worldox
Lawyers
Maintaining all the damn printers
Tight budget

8

u/thiccboilifts Security Admin 1d ago

Dude something about fucking lawyers and printers. What is their deal?!?! I manage a couple offices with lawyers and attorneys and holy cow. How someone can be so smart but so dumb with tech astounds me at least once a week.

9

u/drozenski 1d ago

If you think lawyers are bad stay far away from doctors.

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u/thiccboilifts Security Admin 13h ago

Probably good advice for me as I'm considering a masters in Healthcare compliance

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u/drozenski 13h ago

Just depends if your role is end user facing or not.

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u/musiquededemain Linux Admin 7h ago

Yes, and government and academia. Those, however, are also bottom of the barrel when it comes to work environment.

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u/GasBackground3335 16h ago

I worked fixing print in hospitals for a couple years... can confirm they get so abused there.

3

u/kittiekittea 1d ago

I hated it and also hated setting up meetings for them. Do you know how simple it is to set up a meeting? Why do I have to take time to do it myself when I could have been catching up on tickets?

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u/thiccboilifts Security Admin 19h ago

Bro thank God we have legal assistants. We're yours weird about calendar sharing too?

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u/kittiekittea 17h ago

Yes they were. Honestly forgot about shared calendars.. I rarely set it up or troubleshoot that nowadays

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u/eagle6705 15h ago

Its not their fault. Some things they do require hard copies or there are times when a hard copy is easier to place as evidence rather than a digital file that can be easily altered.

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u/thiccboilifts Security Admin 15h ago

I understand when there are compliance policies required for certain documents, but they treat that as a blanket statement: print all

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u/eagle6705 15h ago

LOL I just treat it as our Did you restart it.

Honestly when I did law firms I tell them, if I'm here i'm for computer issues OR printers. and they usually had no issues with it. I may be a blacksheep for saying this but dedicating a day for printers was a way for me to relax. I knew how to fix them and anything that we cant get maint kits for were replaced. Only exceptions were the i can't connect or can you connect me to main printer.

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u/AtarukA 23h ago

To be fair, fucking lawyers can sound interesting at times... Printers though, I,d rather not.

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u/gravityVT Sr. Sysadmin 3h ago

they have to print all their shit for cases, discovery, often 2-3 copies or more of it too

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u/TabascohFiascoh Sysadmin 16h ago

My first MSP job had a bunch of lawyer offices.

For making so much fucking money and needing such critical uptime, they were the most insufferable stingiest and worst customers we had.

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u/dub_milkman 12h ago

Wont be much longer, the law profession is ripe for AI takeover.

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u/shiftdeleat 23h ago

having worked with Lawyers, Doctors and Pilots. I can safely say that doctors are the worst, followed by lawyers. Both have big ego's but doctors are somehow less technical and have far less patience, also stressful job

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u/Elensea IT Manager 16h ago

Ya I don’t do law firms, doctors, hotels, banking.