Job Questions

[Wwadsworth]

Backstory, I used to work at geek squad moved states but couldn't transfer and with several months of working construction (guy didn't pay me on time/at all). After several months of searching for an office job got one working as a system administrator. Went through the interview process realized I didn't meet all the requirements for the job but said that I wanted to learn this field. Was offered the job on the understanding that I am learning. I have self taught and documented everything I do. 

 

The IT Manager said that he would train me but he hasn't done anything except belittle me, and my ideas, and constantly threaten's to fire me for not knowing what to do. I did find out the other day he didn't want me hired but he wanted two other guys to take the job. They just chose me because I was cheap, I told them up front I will be learning and got the job at $14 /hour (US). I took it upon myself to learn what to do and how to do it. My biggest accomplishments I feel is:

1. Set a process in place for backing up the server and restoring said server from backup (using what hardware I had on hand and freeware)
2. Creating and updating a wiki with guides and troubleshooters
3. Optimizing their hardware using processors that are rated at 6% workstation capabilities on CPU.Userbenchmark.com

I have done other things as well that saves them money and fail over situations.

 

Am I doing this right? The IT Manager doesn't give me anything good and just calls me a waste of IT that is just a really good "google'r." They only have me around primarily for fixing a printer or a scanner that has quit working. They don't give me any programming assignments (they are aware I'm going to school to get a software engineering degree) and yet they have people learning how to use C++. This is a family owned company no big corporation. What am I doing wrong/right? Is this normal for a System Administrator?

[Teddy07]

6 minutes ago, Wwadsworth said:

 What am I doing wrong/right? Is this normal for a System Administrator?

 

People don't act rationally in the business world. Admitting that you are not as bad as it seemed would be a personal defeat for the IT Manager and he probably can't or won´t take it.

 

So your best bet is to take the experience and leave at the first good option or wait until you go to school.

[samcool55]

IT work is rarely appreciated by the other deparments of the company but the IT manager himself not liking you, that's imo a step too far.

 

Also system admins don't really program. They make scripts sometimes but that's about it.

[Teddy07]

Another problem is that the company leaders hired the cheapest person so it is in the interest of the IT Manager that you fail. If you do well then the company leaders will pick again the cheapest person because it worked in the past. This is not in the interest of the IT Manager because he wants qualified people.

I don't see a good way to win for you there. Maybe talk to the company leaders but this depends on your situation and the country?

[Wwadsworth]

13 minutes ago, Teddy07 said:

People don't act rationally in the business world. Admitting that you are not as bad as it seemed would be a personal defeat for the IT Manager and he probably can't or won´t take it.

 

So your best bet is to take the experience and leave at the first good option or wait until you go to school.

I am already in school. That is good to know from his standpoint I didn't know that about his world.

14 minutes ago, samcool55 said:

IT work is rarely appreciated by the other deparments of the company but the IT manager himself not liking you, that's imo a step too far.

 

Also system admins don't really program. They make scripts sometimes but that's about it.

I know it's not really a appreciative work. The thing is the people that are programming aren't programmers they are salesman learning how to program. After 2 weeks of them studying C++ trying to solve one little problem I just walked in looked at the code and told them to add something then boom it fixed it. 

 

12 minutes ago, Teddy07 said:

Another problem is that the company leaders hired the cheapest person so it is in the interest of the IT Manager that you fail. If you do well then the company leaders will pick again the cheapest person because it worked in the past. This is not in the interest of the IT Manager because he wants qualified people.

I don't see a good way to win for you there. Maybe talk to the company leaders but this depends on your situation and the country?

I'm in the US and the company owners don't really like being talked to. 

[Teddy07]

 

31 minutes ago, Wwadsworth said:

 After 2 weeks of them studying C++ trying to solve one little problem I just walked in looked at the code and told them to add something then boom it fixed it.

 

That is fantastic news.

 

Once: The salesman are incompetent and don't know what they are doing which makes it easier for you to shine. Second: Show the IT Manager your programming skills and therefore show him that you are valuable.

 

You might be able to change his mind but it depends on his personality because some are just interested in saving face.

[BeefyMeats]

Usually there is Developers and the Sys Admins. Sys Admins usually will make scripts or automate process that are a chore to do manually; the scripts would be to make your life easier. Not sure how many servers you are in charge of but backups can be a powder keg. So can email if dealing with enterprise Exchange (Outlook). Backups, email, and database screw ups are the quickest way to get fired and the quickest way to develop stress.

 

Here are some common things a Sys Admin could learn how to do and be useful. Some may not apply, and a lot of these will have a dedicated person or team for the one role to be responsible for if its a large enterprise. The smaller it gets the more these overlap. And being good with Google is not a bad thing.

 

-Learn Active Directory / Group Policy / Domain controllers. Managing workstations and users.

-Print servers / DHCP servers / DNS servers / File servers

-Learn how to leverage cloud services (always on service) should the local servers be down. Azure / AWS / rack rentals off site..

-WDS/MDT for imaging masses of computers with windows. Wipe and install or upgrade.. 

-Exchange email server administration (on premise or in the "cloud")

-Camera systems?

-Advising upper management on hardware that makes your life easier (and keeps your ass safe) but still reasonably priced for the task

-Load balancing connections to servers

-Firewall management 

-Packaging applications to be installed silently and deploy-able. (SCCM / Altiris / other things)

-Ways to automate user creation and assigning rights

-Managing virtual machines and clusters. Implementing high availability / failover options. Vmware and Hyper-V or Xenserver

-Learning some basic SQL and how it works

-Managing a Storage Area Network for centralized file storage / virtual server drives / databases

-Keeping USERS HAPPY but being STERN about the policies in place.

 

 

To be honest everyone is constantly trying to figure things out; yes those with experience will find it easier to deal with and adapt, but tech will always be changing and things forced on us. Get some CERTS. If you dont know what do start with a Network+ cert can be good. I think if you were at geek squad than A+ is useless. Windows has the MCSA and more levels to get familiar with server stuff. Linux has the RHCE. Companies like VMware have their own certs as well as many other products. Than maybe a Cisco CCNA Exploration cert just to get even more familiar with networking. If things get bad there is always Education / GOV work that is not as unstable as the cooperate world because sales and revenue are not a driving force, but pay is less.

 

[grimreeper132]

I don't know why he's complaining about you using google, because as my boss puts it "the best solution is the one which works" meaning google is your friend if you don't know, as long as you read what your getting told and soak it in and remember what it all means. Also forums I have found can be a handy place to look as smarter people or people who have tried what your doing already can help you, as there is very little you can do which someone hasn't tried already when it comes to server management etc.

[Mamonos]

I guess you are young and into one of your first work experience, so you are kinda working underpaid and thanks to your skills, talent and curiosity you are performing good. This should be appreciated from the company owner (and on an ideal world, retrieved with a pay raise or something like that). On the other hand you have to understand that for some other company employee you are like a threat and they probably are trying to defend their job spots and rights they earned in the past. I had quite the same experience with my first job where people won't let me do even simple and basic task because I was the new one.

 

The next step is the one where you will start to get mad because you realize that you are underpaid but producing double of your colleagues...

 

My advice is keep performing good and you will get good references which, even if I don't know about the US, where I live is the only thing that matters. I had a couple of unpaied jobs and frustrating situations but I always maintained calm and devotion to the job. At the end when I was leaving the place everyone was sad (same will be for you because it will not be easy to find another guy like you) and they gave me pretty good references which allowed me to earn some best job spots.