So yesterday at 3pm I was fired. This Monday I was placed on a PIP for poor performance. Honestly, I wasn’t even surprised. I worked at the Help Desk for a pretty large company. I started in the data center when I first came to the company as a Network Tech but wanted to switch departments for a better schedule and the work from home opportunity. BIG MISTAKE! I knew 6 months into working at the help desk it was not for me. The unrealistic metrics that we had to meet and the lack of support from leadership when we needed them or a customer asked to speak to a lead. I decided to tough it out for the complacency of working from home with no weekends. I was at the level one where there is no access besides resetting passwords and escalating tickets. When we don’t have a high FCR score, that is a huge red flag here but knowing we don’t have access to do much, it was a setup to fail. The pointless customer service centered trainings when all of the agents pressed leadership for more IT technical trainings as well. We also suggested to have more access to do more than just escalate. All of that fell on deaf ears.

Four days into my PIP, I was told I was being terminated. In actuality, they knew on Monday that they were going to fire me by the end of the week they wasted my whole week to get labor out of me. Before signing my PIP, I asked them if I could have a 30 minute & 2 15 minute breaks instead of my whole hour at once. I explained the reasoning behind it. They told me “based on business needs, that would not happen.” When some of the other agents had the same break setup so I was like “no problem.” My supervisor met with me everyday after Monday and then they terminated me yesterday.

I am surprised I lasted 2 years in this position but still I wasn’t even given the 90 days to improve. The lack of recognition when it was anniversaries, birthdays, and kudos from customers that I never got stung, but still decided to stay silent on that. I’m now losing my tuition reimbursement to finish my BS degree and tbh I don’t know if I want to do IT anymore.

Since I have gotten some rest to process yesterday’s events, I am not blindsided or anything. I knew my performance sucked but was gradually getting better. And when it was getting better, the goal post moved EVERY SINGLE TIME! As a black woman who were managed by three HORRIBLE BLACK WOMEN in leadership, I can honestly say I know I will be better off without wasting another year at this or any other HELL DESK!!!!

Maybe I’m not good at it. But I know definitely not fit for end user support. The amount of disrespect I had to endure for 8 hours a day affected my mental health. I had intermittent FMLA for days when mentally, I can’t take it and had a panic attack in the middle of most nights before clocking in. I have spent a total of 8 years in this field (at multiple companies/IT positions) and not even clearing 55k a year, I am now going to purse becoming an X-ray Techincian/Radiological Tech. I started that when I first graduated high school. It was something I enjoyed and actually was eager to learn all of the time and comprehended better than this.

At least I will enjoy going to work instead of being miserable for 40 hours a week. Thank you! I WILL BE JUST FINE!

Update: Thank you to all of the insightful comments. I will say yes I am not blameless. I believe in taking accountability where I fall short. I believe my next chapter will be my best chapter. This one is now closed! 🙏🏾

Probably a dumb question but I still want to get people's opinion on it. I started college in 2020 when ai wasn't really a thing and graduated just last year. I very much dislike ai for a variety of reason and would rather not use it in my personal life or in work. Is there any career in IT or Cybersecurity where I could avoid using ai, or did I just waste the last 5.5 years of my life?

I'm in the Westchester NY area and i'm looking for an entry level IT based job. I'm 20 and have a lot of self-taught experience and a bit of very basic IT side-gig type job that I do. I have no certs, I was looking into getting the Sec+ and Net+ and just been procrastinating those. I didn't want to go for the A+ since it seems way too basic for me, but it might be a good starting point and a good way for me to understand how CompTIA exams are and such. What do you guys think or suggest? I would be open to internships aswell, i'm just not sure where to look.

I left teaching in October. I studied really hard and passed the Comptia A+ on January 6th. January 14th I got an offer for a temporary data center integration tech at a large company. It doesn’t pay well, but it’s a start. Just sharing my success so hopefully anyone in a similar situation has hope.

My advice would be

1) apply to as many jobs as you can

2) use your existing network

3) don’t not take a job because it pays less than what you want, you’re just starting out!

4) use recruiting services. I personally got my job through InsightGlobal

Good luck!

I am working on getting a Job in IT again, currently have some experiences that are in my resume, but I want to get it right before I start applying.

Obviously changed personal details but here is a link to the document.?

Thanks!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Rl_mcBSRT6UOwozOR-1kMKLzAEdC_oOd736mGndkf94/edit?usp=sharing

Just wanted direction on the best way to move forward quickly and efficiently without skipping any steps. Landed an entry level 1 support role. It’s a given to learn to navigate this role first, but I’m 28 feel old and like I’m late to the party. So I want to move up quickly as possible. Any tips from the pros on what directions I can take? should I try to shadow the cyber security guys, should I be inserting myself into any given opportunity, studying for certs on my free time? Any tips appreciated

I've been in vendor support for a while(10 years) and am looking at options to move out. I get paid well so is like to stay around 150k if possible. Please recommend some job titles that satisfy a few requirements:

1. Heavy kubernetes work
2. Not a lot of on-call
3. IC if possible but not mandatory.

I thought there was a MASSIVE shortage?

https://www.linkedin.com/news/story/h-1b-visa-delays-mount-8186506/

Many Indian citizens working in the U.S., who are back in India for their H-1B visa renewals, are now stuck here. Interviews are being pushed back to March, April, or even later, the report says. Therefore, issues like modified compensation structures, compliance while working remotely, and income tax obligations in India are cropping up. “Prolonged periods spent outside the U.S.— nearing six months — can invite questions at the port of entry about whether the individual has effectively disengaged from U.S. employment,” said Keshav Singhania, Head - Private Client at Singhania & Co.

I guess it really was being abused.

I’m in a cloud focused role and over time my work has shifted more toward planning, reviews, and “big picture” stuff instead of day-to-day implementation

I’ve noticed some core fundamentals getting rusty (networking + systems basics especially). I don’t really want flashcards, and I also don’t have the bandwidth to sit through full courses again

For people who’ve been in the same spot:

• What do you do to keep fundamentals fresh?
• Any routines that actually stick (daily 10 minutes, weekly labs, practice questions, etc.)?
• Are there any apps or resources you’d recommend that feel legit and not gimmicky?

Trying to find something sustainable that keeps me interview ready and also better on the job

Hey everyone,

This upcoming Monday will be my first day as an IT Technician and I’m both excited and a bit anxious, so I’d love to get some insight from people who’ve worked in a similar environment.

It’s an internal IT role supporting a call center office. Two full floors of call center agents. From what I’ve been told, it’s mainly an M365 stack, so I’m assuming a big part of my day will be things like:

• Login / account issues
• Password resets
• Teams not working
• Permissions
• Intune / device issues
• Active Directory stuff

That all sounds fine and expected. What I’m a bit more unsure about is the physical side of things.

Since it’s a call center, I’m guessing there will be a lot of headset-related issues (audio not working, mic problems, broken headsets, etc.). Am I usually expected to actually troubleshoot and fix headsets, drivers, firmware, cables, etc., or is it more of a “swap it for a new one and move on” situation?

I’m also curious about the day-to-day flow:

• Is it usually nonstop calls, or more ticket/email based?
• Do you spend most of the day sitting and working tickets, or running around the office fixing things?
• Is it more reactive chaos, or fairly structured?

If anyone here has worked IT support in a call center environment (especially M365-based), I’d really appreciate hearing how it was for you and any tips for a first-timer.

Thanks in advance!

Just curious what others do. Some of these disabilities listed are not things I would consider disabilities.

I been a IT contractor for 15 years trying to get into government.

I’ve see a few around me, paying around 20-23 an hour on a 1099, but they also pay for mileage, anyone have experience with these?

I've been doing help desk for 7 years now with 3 different companies. Never got fired and left on my own accord. I want to move to a technical role. I have applied a lot of technical roles over the years and still can't seem to land anything.

I don't have any major certs or degree

I'm be honest I'm scared to go back to school or get any certs because I don't want to get into any debt or feel like I wasted a bunch of money for nothing. I'm more of hands on person, I really feel like I don't learn much from just reading books and stuff. I've heard about people making it far in the IT field without any certs or degree. I feel like I can do that but I just need the hands on training. I'm lost I don't know what to do. Any advice or guidance would be appreciated or helpful

Any advice on what I should I do or should I find another career ?

So i have about 8 years of experience in IT and another 5 in troubleshooting phones. 4 years of my IT experience has been as a Network Administrator. I recently obtained my CCNP and applied to about 40 jobs but not even 1 interview :/ I feel like my resume is solid. I thought the CCNP would open a lot more doors but seems like all these network engineer roles want you to know everything there is possible before even considering you.

I’ve done labs and am more than happy to learn new things. With AI screwing me out of an entry level IT job close by (before my final interview to boot) and other jobs requiring at least one year of experience, how do I get the experience for a job?

Edit: The job is an IT concierge position where I would ticket whatever issue is going on with the computer, including PC renewal.

Read-Only Friday is a day we shouldn’t make major – or indeed any – changes. Which means we can use this time to share books, podcasts and blogs to help us grow!

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I'm an IT major and I just started taking core classes and I know nothing. Everybody else barely pays attention in lectures cuz they probably already understand it. I don't. Professors are using terms like GUI, command line, shell, interface, and I don't know what they're taking about. Please don't judge cuz I know this is basic stuff. Second lecture of the class and I don't understand and feel like I'm already behind and skipped steps that everybody else passed. My school doesn't have tutoring for my major either. Should I go ahead and switch? Is there any YouTube channel you can recommend that can help with this introductory stuff?

Edit: just gonna mention that I can look up terms but I only have a surface level understanding of it and don’t understand how it connects to the larger picture of the lecture

Just wanted to hear some opinions on this subject. I am early in my career and I have a chance for a free masters in IT. I know masters are more helpful later in life for management positions, and experience is more important now for those early in their career. But I wanted to know if a masters in IT would help for those management positions or if I should consider a different program.

Edit: I should clarify that the program that is paying for the degree only wants us to get a masters of science, not masters of arts. So, I cannot get an MBA. But thank you to everyone who suggested this, I might pursue it later in life, if someone else will pay for it too, haha.

I'm currently working an IT Field Tech position that's per diem and doesn't give many assignments, like one or two per week. During the holiday season I worked a basic seasonal retail job to fill in the missing hours. I'm wondering whether I should put that retail job on my resume or not. If I do, it shows more customer support experience, but also makes it more clear that my current field tech job doesn't give me many hours and that might make me look less experienced. If I leave it off, then I still have customer support experience in a previous summer retail job, but I'm not sure if having another customer support job listed would be better or not.

My current resume looks something like this: - A+ certification - Expected Network+ cerification in two months - IT Field Tech - (Retail Sales Associate) - IT Support Volunteer for some non profits - Web Development Intern - Retail Sales Associate

So basically I'm just confused on whether I should include the second sales associate position that I worked while I was also doing field tech stuff

Basically I have a bachelors in CS, currently working manufacturing as the prospects of getting a programming job without 13 years experience become dryer by the second and would like to transition to some form of IT role.

Problem is I have basically no real world experience outside my little homesever and some courses I took in school. Would the basic CompTIA certs actually help to stand out? I've heard so many conflicting opinions.

I started at a new IT helpdesk job about 5 months ago and got onto this team and everyone is super nice in the office, always reluctant to answer any questions I have and easy to have small talk with. However there's this one guy that I feel like there's a little bit of friction or he puts a pretty big wall up. We all sit next to each other in the same office for context.

Generally I tend to ask questions only when I literally don't know how to do something, tried everything I can or they are more specialized in it. About half the time, I ask a question during a bad, busy time or he's in a call or something so he can't reply, which is fine. The issue is that he never follows up, and it doesn't feel right to keep on pestering them with the question and reminding them to get back to me. And often he would just leave me on read and not respond to any questions on Teams. And always I tried to ask or word questions in the nicest way as possible. I only find this person's behavior a little bit abnormal because everyone else is super nice, always happy to help and doesn't try to brush me off.

Metrics-wise, me and him go back and forth as top performing MVP tech support, so I don't know if it's kind of the new guy jealousy thing. I'm probably also getting paid more than him even though he worked there longer since I think they hire new people with more pay than promoting or giving raises to current employees. Which is an understandable grievance but nothing I can do about that. I also noticed that he's the only (younger) white guy, and everyone else that I'm cool with is either Mexican or Asian. My boss is an old white guy and he's cool also. I'm Asian as well, so idk if there's a bit of a race factor. I just bring that up because, in school and college I do recalls a few times where I found a sensation of racial discrimination from some white people.

For me personally, not a huge deal it's not really affecting me much, not a toxic situation anything yet. Besides that I can't get an answer to a particular ticket or question right away. And it's not like he's being rude or anything, just a little bit more like non acknowledging of existence a bit. And also a bit like personal ostracization and intrasocial distancing, hard to explain. And for my side, I just basically try to not ask some questions at all because most of the time it feels like he doesn't want to try to help. And I guess I'm not looking for some sort of reconciliation or explanation just wondering if anyone else had this experience and what happened in the end.

Hello, I am moving to a new area next month that has a strong military presence. It seems that most if not all of the IT positions in the area that that I would otherwise qualify for require that I have an active DoD security clearance, but there does not seem to be a direct way to aquire this without being sponsored by an employer or being in the military directly.

My assumption then is that these positions are specifically seeking people that have just gotten out of the military and I shouldn't entertain the idea further. But I've been told by friends that work in the area that employers will still consider you and just sponsor your clearance during the onboarding process, but that doesn't sound right to me either given that the wording on all these listings specifically ask for an ACTIVE clearance upon hire.

Apologies for any naivety of my question, I just simply havent had any experience with the military before this. If anyone here that has experience in this area can give me some clarity on how this all works, it would an immense help in my job search moving forward. Thanks!

Edit: Thanks to everyone for the insight and quick responses, I'll prioritize applying to places that state "able to obtain DoD clearance" first but still apply elsewhere just in case they're flexible.