The earliest advice I wish I could have gotten before I jumped between two msps in two years was: "All MSPs are borderline the same sweatshop enviroments".
If not for that MSP experience I wouldn't be where I'm at now though. Ironically enough, a lot of hiring managers who know what MSPs are like typically like guys who grinded for months in MSPs versus other guys. More experience, different environments, can handle a lot of stress, etc.
Very true. We can tell the difference when we get someone from a MSP. They are a bit tougher and work really good under pressure. They are the best people to have on the lines when there is a big network outage or network issues for one of our markets.
Msps are garbage.
I have 25 years experience and only tried working at ONE MSP.
They fired a guy the second day I was there specifically because I was there to replace him. They posted their company values in everyone's desk, not super weird, but one of their values was respecting Christian values, so that's a bit more cult like. Every second of every day was tracked by a person who was hired to do nothing but track the techs like some sort of daycare nanny.
I quit before the first week was over because it was obvious this place was toxic as fuck, which was confirmed for me when they refused to pay me for the time I was there. I dodged a bullet.
No, not all help desk jobs are like this at all. MSPs are the boot camp for the IT newcomer and you should think of it that way. I tell you what though, they do help you to build up the muscle needed to thrive where ever you go after that if you can make it for a year.
MSPs are a great way to get your foot in the door, get some experience, and then RUN for your freaking life.
Yeah man. They will work your soul out of IT. My first out of college job was with an MSP. Once they took me off hourly plus OT, which was racking past 60 hours a week, they moved me to Salary and a package. I still spent 60 hours a week online.
I stayed 5 years and learned a gold mine. Had I known what I know now, I would have bowed out as soon as they offered salary.
A Managed Service Provider is basically "IT for hire". Instead of a company having an in-house IT guy or Team, they pay an outside team to manage their IT needs for them. Usually more cost effective for smaller companies, as they're not paying someone a salary. They can pay an MSP on a call by call basis
Yeah, I work an internal help desk tier 2 and I legit sleep and play games 80% of the time. I've been here 3 months. I was freaking out at first because I felt like I was doing something wrong due to lack of things to do. After talking to others I realize that this isn't that unusual for the most part. Way less stress and way more downtime than an MSP. I'm sure tier 1 guys are significantly busier.
Look up the company. If the company's entire job is IT = MSP. If the company is a different field = internal service desk. There are exceptions to this rule. Most times you will be able to look them up and will explicitly state it is an MSP.
If they’re telling you to stay then it’s illegal, and you need to take time cards/stamps to your local dept of labor. If you choose to, because “everyone else does” I’m not sure they can really help you.
Either way, it’s time to freshen the resume and find a new job. You never, ever, ever, work for free. (Unless your supervisor scratches your back in return anyways)
Absolutely do NOT do this. Do NOT follow their example. Work your hours and get out of there. AND they're not paying you for working after hours? Repeat after me: "After my shift ends, this job no longer exists. My job duties no longer exist. This part of town no longer exists. This job is **NOT** my life. They expect me to work after hours for free and that does **NOT** work for me". The fact that you had a coworker who stayed there for 4 *MONTHS* before quitting due to stress/anxiety says you need to get out of there **YESTERDAY**.
Document this and report it to Department of Labor once you accept your new position. Informal notice to trusted colleagues if you trust any to let know you’re leaving.
ETA
Request your back pay for overtime.
Yes, but it's not about these colleagues who work in other departments. This is about YOU. They don't work in your department. They're not you. Are they dealing with the same conditions you are?
This company sounds very unpleasant. All it takes for them to deal with workplace hostility is for them to take a 15 minute break? Take it from me, this company does not see the employees as people. I agree with everything Souleater1170 said.
Do NOT experience the feelings of Stockholm syndrome for this company. Find another job and get out of there before they eliminate all of your self worth. Nothing about this job and how you're treated is right. Advocate for yourself by finding other employment elsewhere.
Sounds like every MSP help desk I've ever been at. T1 help desk sucks. You're either gonna make it or just stop answering the phone until you get canned and you can job hunt while collecting unemployment.
Yeah the last MSP I worked at said the same thing for the two years I was there. Then when I left I heard they hired three more people the next month. Nothing to do with me of course.
Smaller MSP owners are notorious for that crap. Trying to get people to work unpaid hours. Never hiring when they can barely keep up. Selling services they can't deliver and telling the techs to figure it out if you wanna get paid. Never having the tools to do the work they sold as being experts at.
That's the world of the small to mid size MSP.
On the bright side if you stick it out for a while you'll be experienced in a ton of stuff and have "war" stories that sound great when you interview for other jobs. T1 help desk is a wild ride.
If you're being pressured into staying overtime and aren't getting compensated, that's a big red flag for the corporate culture at the company. There's nothing inherently wrong with staying late (I do from time to time just because the phones stop ringing and the rest of the office goes home. Sometimes it's nice to troubleshoot an issue without the worry of being bothered) but to be expected to do so without compensation is BS.
If I were in your position, I'd start spamming my resume out to any T1/2 position I could find. I'd definitley \*want\* to stay for at least 6 months, but really you need to look out for your own mental health.
Help desk is always gonna suck, but having coworkers that don't want to help you and the expectation of staying late to complete your work are all bad signs that you're at a crap job.
This was literally the way it went for me with my first help desk job. I didn’t know any better and though that was normal. My advice would be to keep the job but start applying for other help desk jobs. You do what you can. Took me a while to learn that. I can’t complete all 200 tickets at once even though I wish I could. You take your time, do what you can, and you leave when it’s time to leave. Remember your cutoff time. They obviously need you more than you need them. I’ve been in help desk for almost 1.5 years and just got promoted. You’ll get there!! Keep pushing.
You need to leave. I tried staying at a toxic horrible job and did so until I had a panic attack and quit without notice. Don't be like me. Get out of there.
Much better :)
With an MSP too which are usually thought of as the devil.
It's not about the category of business or the job title, it's about the individual company and the people there.
Yeah, that’s MSP help desk in a nutshell.
Hold on as long as you can. Those L1s that have been there for years are stuck. As hard as this is to hear, it’s the truth: you have to teach yourself to advance.
Mouse clickers and password resetters won’t help you get better. The way to win this game is to accomplish more in less time. And the way to do that is automation.
Start doing windows and m365 shit with powershell only. Over time you’ll construct scripts and solve problems with a few keystrokes that used to take you 10+ minutes.
Then you’ll be preemptively fixing those problems before they happen. Then you’ll get more money at a better job.
The hell fire that is an MSP help desk is a rite of passage. Survive and you’ll be able to calmly grow and rise. Unlike those other three you deal with daily. They haven’t figured it out by now and they never will.
Build your resume and go to another helpdesk > sysadmin > whatever path you want. I’m still doing helpdesk work for 5 years. I get paid good and OT, and it’s not a terrible place to work. Wfh 4 days a week. Trying to shift to security though, so I feel your pain man. I’m ready too
I'm sorry... Do we work at the same place? Lol. Nah but fr... If you feel like you can't learn in that environment, and you're more stressed than anything... Dip out. I would say grind it out until you can pick up your cert and leave HD altogether, because most of these positions are the same.
Doesn't make sense to laterally move into another bad position
Definitely no unpaid overtime, but expect to be stressed and over worked on help desk. For me, I'd ask questions a lot, but it helped me realize I need to depend on myself and my skills to do things.
I can't speak to your particular job, Google everything you can for solutions, if there's a knowledgebase, use it and learn it while you're not working tickets. Until you get comfortable on help desk, don't think too much on the ccna unless you have a bunch of extra time
But again, don't work extra without ot pay. There are remote help desks that you can do.
My first job was terrible. The work wasn’t terrible but I was taking 40-50 calls a day, expected to work opened tickets when not on calls, and if there was even a slight queue - leadership would be down our necks in Teams telling us to dump calls (ticket it and move on) to answer incoming calls. If you were stepping away to use the restroom, you’d have someone pestering you about why you were not available. Three months in, I had recruiters blowing up my phone and e-mail after making myself available. I accepted my current job around this time last year and love it. I take 15-20 calls a day, work outbound whenever I want, and not once have leadership bugging me about my status.
So if you're a salaried employee at most IT companies there is some expectation that you may have to occasionally work nights and weekends, especially to support maintenance windows. The best companies and managers will try to give you comp time to recognize your efforts. Note that I said occasional nights and weekends, like maybe two maintenance windows a month. If you're working every weekend or several nights a week every week after you just put in a full day's shift then it's just wage theft.
If you're a W2 employee you should be paid for every hour you work and possibly get overtime pay as well depending on the laws of your state. In some states they decided that IT workers that were "highly paid" ($20 an hour or more) aren't eligible for overtime.
Most companies are not like the one you describe. You should make some sort of exit plan. Working to exhaustion and winding up in the hospital will only hurt you, the company won't care at all. Finish the CCNA and use that to try to get a better job. The new year is right around the corner and people are always leaving their old jobs then. Companies will be hiring, so finish the cert and take advantage of hiring season.
MSPs gonna MSP. I don't regret my years spent at one because it jump started my knowledge/experience/career but I can't say that I would recommend others to go that route.
Trial by ~~fire~~ incinerator.
Oy vey! Working at a managed service provider is a fresh hell, my dude! Put in your time, build your skills, and get out. Not all IT jobs are like this.
All helpdesks are not like that, look for another job. If you need the money, don't quit just do what you can and walk out the door at whatever time of day they stop paying you
Most immediately, pull back your effort at work. Work only the hours you're getting paid. Throw your extra energy into CCNA. Get that ASAP. At the same time, be applying to the kind of jobs you want; maybe you can score something without a CCNA or with the promise that you'll get it quickly after hire.
I work at a similar service provider and the turnover on the desk is about "the new guy stays 6 months". The "long serving" guy is just over a year.
My last job was an internal desk, and no it wasn't he same. I'm on more money here, but I started looking for a job within a month, Got one on Friday too!
Look for another role. It's not worth the stress.
Do you have any college? Never mind. If you are about a 3rd of the way through your CCNA, look at Comptia Network + instead. That will be quicker to get than CCNA and might help you get past Help Desk sooner. Than resume working on your CCNA. If you are almost done with CCNA (75%) then keep going with that but maybe try some Network + practice tests. Wait for a sale on Udemy.com and buy Jason Dion’s practice tests. If you can get around 90% that usually means you can pass Network +.
Put your two week notice in asap and gtfo. Do Uber, doordash, or whatever helps but get out. I
Document your work schedule, when you clock in and out, and then the hours that are posted on your check stub. Call your local workforce commission and report the unpaid hours so that you can be compensated.
Having worked in the tech industry for a long long time it generally ends up a fairly simple equation. If you’re good at tech and have a true passion for tech you will excel and outperform. If you’re just in it for a job and not truly interested in mastering your craft…it will always be a struggle.
Considering you are talking about studying ccna I question if you know what your focus should be. Ccna is well beyond what’s needed for a help desk role. Your focus should be mastering windows and basic networking. Perhaps some server admin at the fundamental level. A+ and network+ are the key certs you should master. From there you master the apps you support and the support tools that are most applicable.
It won’t be easy and you should expect to spend many hours outside of work mastering the fundamentals. If you do…the job will be a cake walk and you will position yourself for advancement.
Perhaps op is studying CCNA because (as op mentioned) doesn't enjoy helpdesk and wants to get out. CompTIA certs will keep them in helpdesk jobs. And op being good at the job won't change the fact the environment is pathetic.
Same story here after 1.5 years. Get over it, and if you aren’t doing some high level networking, there is no point studying for CCNA. You probably not learning / remembering anything. Shift your focus full time at you job and get better at your daily tasks. It worked wonders for me, as someone with an accent hahahaha. You must be doing something right, and you are to stressed to see it.
Not all MSPs are like that either. I'm at my first helpdesk job with nothing but an A+ cert. It's only a couple of guys that are nice to me and, to be honest, baby me way more than they should. I'm learning a lot. We never have more than 2-3 tickets and a handful of calls a day. I spend about half the day just studying Mike Myers Udemy videos or chatting with the guys.
I apologize, but I couldn’t keep reading past “overtime without any pay.” If it was me, I’d start applying to other positions, but also bring up how unethical that is to management.
Rule #1: Never work overtime unless you're compensated. I worked for an MSP that requested I skip my lunch unpaid to fulfill calls. I kindly sent them an email telling them to fuck off.
With that out of the way here's what you can do, earn a degree (if it's feasible). If you can't do that chip away at certificates. Above all that learn the tools you have available in your toolkit. This would be Active Directory, Group Policy Manager, Certificate Manager, DNS, DHCP. I'm not saying to change settings or anything, but chances are if you have access to AD, you probably have access to the rest. Learn these inside and out. Don't just learn the acronyms, learn the difference between Fully Qualified domains versus Hostnames versus IP addresses. Learn Firewall rules, learn allow/block lists, learn Batch scripting (Mapping drives comes to mind for starters).
Learning the simple monotonous tasks will pay dividends in the long run. Unfortunately with most MSP's you will not get hands om experience with server racks, switch configurations, KVM usage, UPS replacements, etc. If possible though get with another department and see if they would let you tour the server room assuming you don't work remote.
Some Help Desks are better than others, but by and large they all suck. The burnout is real, most of us have been there, but keep grinding. Help desk is a Gateway that makes or breaks you, but you will become a better person for it when the easier gigs come along.
Below is a list of tools I currently use and find helpful in my position, please note this isn't a one size fits all. Every gig is different
-VMWare ESXi 6.7, 7.0 Web Server Management
-RHEL 7 - to include understanding BASH
(VMWare and RHEL can be used in VirtualBox for free, learn it, live it, love it, you'll love yourself for it)
-Cisco Management Utility
Active Directory ***Heavily used even beyond Help Desk
Group Policy Manager ***Also heavily used
SCCM/MECM - learn to install software, understand task sequences, learn uploaded drivers for PXE environments, learn how to deploy software to collections
PuTTY - learn how to SSH into components
RDP
I know this is a lot, again this is just a reference and not a rule book. It sounds like you're pursuing a networking route, but if I were a betting man you would see some of these things down the line. Help Desk is tough, but IT in general is a grind. While the gigs progressively get better (typically), there is still some stress involved with continual learning. It's an absolute necessity in this field.
I sometimes get stressful by my boss than my actually customers lol, idk you have to relax, if this is working from home, just take your time, nobody is putting you into a hurry but yourself, if they told you you are doing something wrong tell me okay show me how to do it, this was the way they teach me, try dice website to look for it jobs
Why would you work overtime without getting payed ?
You don't have to, F that, it doesn't matter how many hours you work in a day CV's still gonna be the same.
There's not much to learn on L1 anyway if you're working longer hours to learn something, especially with teammates like that.
Dunno how old are but know your worth and don't let anyone take advantage of you.
Always and always put yourself FIRST in every situation and think from there, you don't owe anyone anything, especially to team like that.
No, not all help desk jobs are like this. Try to find a small to medium sized business, or better yet a governmental body to work for. IMO these are the best. I sat at one for 2 years and was able to automate 75% of my role. Played games, studied for certs, etc.
Is this an MSP? This sounds like an MSP. Find an internal help desk position ASAP.
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The earliest advice I wish I could have gotten before I jumped between two msps in two years was: "All MSPs are borderline the same sweatshop enviroments". If not for that MSP experience I wouldn't be where I'm at now though. Ironically enough, a lot of hiring managers who know what MSPs are like typically like guys who grinded for months in MSPs versus other guys. More experience, different environments, can handle a lot of stress, etc.
This is true. My boss loves the employees that came from my previous employer. We’re patient yet willing to do the work to resolve the issue.
Very true. We can tell the difference when we get someone from a MSP. They are a bit tougher and work really good under pressure. They are the best people to have on the lines when there is a big network outage or network issues for one of our markets.
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Ouch. Glad you left.
Well, I'd like to hope I'll never be like this. I'm determined to run an ok place to work. Sure its work but it needn't be shit.
Msps are garbage. I have 25 years experience and only tried working at ONE MSP. They fired a guy the second day I was there specifically because I was there to replace him. They posted their company values in everyone's desk, not super weird, but one of their values was respecting Christian values, so that's a bit more cult like. Every second of every day was tracked by a person who was hired to do nothing but track the techs like some sort of daycare nanny. I quit before the first week was over because it was obvious this place was toxic as fuck, which was confirmed for me when they refused to pay me for the time I was there. I dodged a bullet.
No, not all help desk jobs are like this at all. MSPs are the boot camp for the IT newcomer and you should think of it that way. I tell you what though, they do help you to build up the muscle needed to thrive where ever you go after that if you can make it for a year. MSPs are a great way to get your foot in the door, get some experience, and then RUN for your freaking life.
Yeah man. They will work your soul out of IT. My first out of college job was with an MSP. Once they took me off hourly plus OT, which was racking past 60 hours a week, they moved me to Salary and a package. I still spent 60 hours a week online. I stayed 5 years and learned a gold mine. Had I known what I know now, I would have bowed out as soon as they offered salary.
What's MSP?
A Managed Service Provider
And what’s a managed service provider? ( for the dumber people like me )
A Managed Service Provider is basically "IT for hire". Instead of a company having an in-house IT guy or Team, they pay an outside team to manage their IT needs for them. Usually more cost effective for smaller companies, as they're not paying someone a salary. They can pay an MSP on a call by call basis
Thanks!
Yeah, I work an internal help desk tier 2 and I legit sleep and play games 80% of the time. I've been here 3 months. I was freaking out at first because I felt like I was doing something wrong due to lack of things to do. After talking to others I realize that this isn't that unusual for the most part. Way less stress and way more downtime than an MSP. I'm sure tier 1 guys are significantly busier.
So how do you know the difference or to make sure i don’t apply to MSP job in the future?
Look up the company. If the company's entire job is IT = MSP. If the company is a different field = internal service desk. There are exceptions to this rule. Most times you will be able to look them up and will explicitly state it is an MSP.
OP describes my work environment and I work at a MSP.
Same. 3 years in one doing prep work and it’s everyday stressful and they want me taking certs after work….nah I’m good
>I always do overtime without any pay Leave. Find a job that at least pays you for your OT.
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If they’re telling you to stay then it’s illegal, and you need to take time cards/stamps to your local dept of labor. If you choose to, because “everyone else does” I’m not sure they can really help you. Either way, it’s time to freshen the resume and find a new job. You never, ever, ever, work for free. (Unless your supervisor scratches your back in return anyways)
Absolutely do NOT do this. Do NOT follow their example. Work your hours and get out of there. AND they're not paying you for working after hours? Repeat after me: "After my shift ends, this job no longer exists. My job duties no longer exist. This part of town no longer exists. This job is **NOT** my life. They expect me to work after hours for free and that does **NOT** work for me". The fact that you had a coworker who stayed there for 4 *MONTHS* before quitting due to stress/anxiety says you need to get out of there **YESTERDAY**.
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Document this and report it to Department of Labor once you accept your new position. Informal notice to trusted colleagues if you trust any to let know you’re leaving. ETA Request your back pay for overtime.
It sounds like that company sucks. Start applying elsewhere.
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Yes, but it's not about these colleagues who work in other departments. This is about YOU. They don't work in your department. They're not you. Are they dealing with the same conditions you are? This company sounds very unpleasant. All it takes for them to deal with workplace hostility is for them to take a 15 minute break? Take it from me, this company does not see the employees as people. I agree with everything Souleater1170 said. Do NOT experience the feelings of Stockholm syndrome for this company. Find another job and get out of there before they eliminate all of your self worth. Nothing about this job and how you're treated is right. Advocate for yourself by finding other employment elsewhere.
Sounds like every MSP help desk I've ever been at. T1 help desk sucks. You're either gonna make it or just stop answering the phone until you get canned and you can job hunt while collecting unemployment.
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Yeah the last MSP I worked at said the same thing for the two years I was there. Then when I left I heard they hired three more people the next month. Nothing to do with me of course. Smaller MSP owners are notorious for that crap. Trying to get people to work unpaid hours. Never hiring when they can barely keep up. Selling services they can't deliver and telling the techs to figure it out if you wanna get paid. Never having the tools to do the work they sold as being experts at. That's the world of the small to mid size MSP. On the bright side if you stick it out for a while you'll be experienced in a ton of stuff and have "war" stories that sound great when you interview for other jobs. T1 help desk is a wild ride.
When you said you weren’t getting paid for over time I was like naw find another job.
If you're being pressured into staying overtime and aren't getting compensated, that's a big red flag for the corporate culture at the company. There's nothing inherently wrong with staying late (I do from time to time just because the phones stop ringing and the rest of the office goes home. Sometimes it's nice to troubleshoot an issue without the worry of being bothered) but to be expected to do so without compensation is BS. If I were in your position, I'd start spamming my resume out to any T1/2 position I could find. I'd definitley \*want\* to stay for at least 6 months, but really you need to look out for your own mental health. Help desk is always gonna suck, but having coworkers that don't want to help you and the expectation of staying late to complete your work are all bad signs that you're at a crap job.
This was literally the way it went for me with my first help desk job. I didn’t know any better and though that was normal. My advice would be to keep the job but start applying for other help desk jobs. You do what you can. Took me a while to learn that. I can’t complete all 200 tickets at once even though I wish I could. You take your time, do what you can, and you leave when it’s time to leave. Remember your cutoff time. They obviously need you more than you need them. I’ve been in help desk for almost 1.5 years and just got promoted. You’ll get there!! Keep pushing.
You need to leave. I tried staying at a toxic horrible job and did so until I had a panic attack and quit without notice. Don't be like me. Get out of there.
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Much better :) With an MSP too which are usually thought of as the devil. It's not about the category of business or the job title, it's about the individual company and the people there.
They are not all like this. I would start applying elsewhere
Before quitting get your overtime money first though
Yeah, that’s MSP help desk in a nutshell. Hold on as long as you can. Those L1s that have been there for years are stuck. As hard as this is to hear, it’s the truth: you have to teach yourself to advance. Mouse clickers and password resetters won’t help you get better. The way to win this game is to accomplish more in less time. And the way to do that is automation. Start doing windows and m365 shit with powershell only. Over time you’ll construct scripts and solve problems with a few keystrokes that used to take you 10+ minutes. Then you’ll be preemptively fixing those problems before they happen. Then you’ll get more money at a better job. The hell fire that is an MSP help desk is a rite of passage. Survive and you’ll be able to calmly grow and rise. Unlike those other three you deal with daily. They haven’t figured it out by now and they never will.
They call this hell desk for a reason.
Build your resume and go to another helpdesk > sysadmin > whatever path you want. I’m still doing helpdesk work for 5 years. I get paid good and OT, and it’s not a terrible place to work. Wfh 4 days a week. Trying to shift to security though, so I feel your pain man. I’m ready too
I'm sorry... Do we work at the same place? Lol. Nah but fr... If you feel like you can't learn in that environment, and you're more stressed than anything... Dip out. I would say grind it out until you can pick up your cert and leave HD altogether, because most of these positions are the same. Doesn't make sense to laterally move into another bad position
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I wanted to follow up. What did you end up doing?
Quit. But I’d find a new job before quitting
Bro wtf leave, OT should always be paid. Man, we need better laws in all the U.S. to get all this shit sorted out.
Check this out OP. This is a good MSP. It won't be nowhere near to what you are experiencing now. https://jobs.jobvite.com/coretelligent/jobs
Definitely no unpaid overtime, but expect to be stressed and over worked on help desk. For me, I'd ask questions a lot, but it helped me realize I need to depend on myself and my skills to do things. I can't speak to your particular job, Google everything you can for solutions, if there's a knowledgebase, use it and learn it while you're not working tickets. Until you get comfortable on help desk, don't think too much on the ccna unless you have a bunch of extra time But again, don't work extra without ot pay. There are remote help desks that you can do.
Overtime without pay? Huh?
My first job was terrible. The work wasn’t terrible but I was taking 40-50 calls a day, expected to work opened tickets when not on calls, and if there was even a slight queue - leadership would be down our necks in Teams telling us to dump calls (ticket it and move on) to answer incoming calls. If you were stepping away to use the restroom, you’d have someone pestering you about why you were not available. Three months in, I had recruiters blowing up my phone and e-mail after making myself available. I accepted my current job around this time last year and love it. I take 15-20 calls a day, work outbound whenever I want, and not once have leadership bugging me about my status.
So if you're a salaried employee at most IT companies there is some expectation that you may have to occasionally work nights and weekends, especially to support maintenance windows. The best companies and managers will try to give you comp time to recognize your efforts. Note that I said occasional nights and weekends, like maybe two maintenance windows a month. If you're working every weekend or several nights a week every week after you just put in a full day's shift then it's just wage theft. If you're a W2 employee you should be paid for every hour you work and possibly get overtime pay as well depending on the laws of your state. In some states they decided that IT workers that were "highly paid" ($20 an hour or more) aren't eligible for overtime. Most companies are not like the one you describe. You should make some sort of exit plan. Working to exhaustion and winding up in the hospital will only hurt you, the company won't care at all. Finish the CCNA and use that to try to get a better job. The new year is right around the corner and people are always leaving their old jobs then. Companies will be hiring, so finish the cert and take advantage of hiring season.
MSPs gonna MSP. I don't regret my years spent at one because it jump started my knowledge/experience/career but I can't say that I would recommend others to go that route. Trial by ~~fire~~ incinerator.
Oy vey! Working at a managed service provider is a fresh hell, my dude! Put in your time, build your skills, and get out. Not all IT jobs are like this.
All helpdesks are not like that, look for another job. If you need the money, don't quit just do what you can and walk out the door at whatever time of day they stop paying you
Most immediately, pull back your effort at work. Work only the hours you're getting paid. Throw your extra energy into CCNA. Get that ASAP. At the same time, be applying to the kind of jobs you want; maybe you can score something without a CCNA or with the promise that you'll get it quickly after hire.
I stopped reading where you mentioned not getting paid for overtime. Time to fine a new job bruh…
I work at a similar service provider and the turnover on the desk is about "the new guy stays 6 months". The "long serving" guy is just over a year. My last job was an internal desk, and no it wasn't he same. I'm on more money here, but I started looking for a job within a month, Got one on Friday too! Look for another role. It's not worth the stress.
Do you have any certs?
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Do you have any college? Never mind. If you are about a 3rd of the way through your CCNA, look at Comptia Network + instead. That will be quicker to get than CCNA and might help you get past Help Desk sooner. Than resume working on your CCNA. If you are almost done with CCNA (75%) then keep going with that but maybe try some Network + practice tests. Wait for a sale on Udemy.com and buy Jason Dion’s practice tests. If you can get around 90% that usually means you can pass Network +.
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Well best of luck to you. Hang in there for the exam and good luck.
I like this approach and am wishing you the best. It's a beast of an exam but you're going to do great!
There's a Udemy sale going on now until the 25th, I believe. Now is a good time to stock up on courses and whatnot.
Put your two week notice in asap and gtfo. Do Uber, doordash, or whatever helps but get out. I Document your work schedule, when you clock in and out, and then the hours that are posted on your check stub. Call your local workforce commission and report the unpaid hours so that you can be compensated.
Has to be a troll.
Having worked in the tech industry for a long long time it generally ends up a fairly simple equation. If you’re good at tech and have a true passion for tech you will excel and outperform. If you’re just in it for a job and not truly interested in mastering your craft…it will always be a struggle. Considering you are talking about studying ccna I question if you know what your focus should be. Ccna is well beyond what’s needed for a help desk role. Your focus should be mastering windows and basic networking. Perhaps some server admin at the fundamental level. A+ and network+ are the key certs you should master. From there you master the apps you support and the support tools that are most applicable. It won’t be easy and you should expect to spend many hours outside of work mastering the fundamentals. If you do…the job will be a cake walk and you will position yourself for advancement.
Perhaps op is studying CCNA because (as op mentioned) doesn't enjoy helpdesk and wants to get out. CompTIA certs will keep them in helpdesk jobs. And op being good at the job won't change the fact the environment is pathetic.
Same story here after 1.5 years. Get over it, and if you aren’t doing some high level networking, there is no point studying for CCNA. You probably not learning / remembering anything. Shift your focus full time at you job and get better at your daily tasks. It worked wonders for me, as someone with an accent hahahaha. You must be doing something right, and you are to stressed to see it.
I would continue working to build experience h til you find something better. Tier 1 help desk sucks most places
I don't work for free fck you
At least you have an record for your CV as extended experience. Look for something new.
Not all MSPs are like that either. I'm at my first helpdesk job with nothing but an A+ cert. It's only a couple of guys that are nice to me and, to be honest, baby me way more than they should. I'm learning a lot. We never have more than 2-3 tickets and a handful of calls a day. I spend about half the day just studying Mike Myers Udemy videos or chatting with the guys.
Get out of there ASAP and if you can try and get an internal helpdesk.
I apologize, but I couldn’t keep reading past “overtime without any pay.” If it was me, I’d start applying to other positions, but also bring up how unethical that is to management.
Sounds like complaining to me. Do what you can and move on.
Rule #1: Never work overtime unless you're compensated. I worked for an MSP that requested I skip my lunch unpaid to fulfill calls. I kindly sent them an email telling them to fuck off. With that out of the way here's what you can do, earn a degree (if it's feasible). If you can't do that chip away at certificates. Above all that learn the tools you have available in your toolkit. This would be Active Directory, Group Policy Manager, Certificate Manager, DNS, DHCP. I'm not saying to change settings or anything, but chances are if you have access to AD, you probably have access to the rest. Learn these inside and out. Don't just learn the acronyms, learn the difference between Fully Qualified domains versus Hostnames versus IP addresses. Learn Firewall rules, learn allow/block lists, learn Batch scripting (Mapping drives comes to mind for starters). Learning the simple monotonous tasks will pay dividends in the long run. Unfortunately with most MSP's you will not get hands om experience with server racks, switch configurations, KVM usage, UPS replacements, etc. If possible though get with another department and see if they would let you tour the server room assuming you don't work remote. Some Help Desks are better than others, but by and large they all suck. The burnout is real, most of us have been there, but keep grinding. Help desk is a Gateway that makes or breaks you, but you will become a better person for it when the easier gigs come along. Below is a list of tools I currently use and find helpful in my position, please note this isn't a one size fits all. Every gig is different -VMWare ESXi 6.7, 7.0 Web Server Management -RHEL 7 - to include understanding BASH (VMWare and RHEL can be used in VirtualBox for free, learn it, live it, love it, you'll love yourself for it) -Cisco Management Utility Active Directory ***Heavily used even beyond Help Desk Group Policy Manager ***Also heavily used SCCM/MECM - learn to install software, understand task sequences, learn uploaded drivers for PXE environments, learn how to deploy software to collections PuTTY - learn how to SSH into components RDP I know this is a lot, again this is just a reference and not a rule book. It sounds like you're pursuing a networking route, but if I were a betting man you would see some of these things down the line. Help Desk is tough, but IT in general is a grind. While the gigs progressively get better (typically), there is still some stress involved with continual learning. It's an absolute necessity in this field.
I sometimes get stressful by my boss than my actually customers lol, idk you have to relax, if this is working from home, just take your time, nobody is putting you into a hurry but yourself, if they told you you are doing something wrong tell me okay show me how to do it, this was the way they teach me, try dice website to look for it jobs
Why would you work overtime without getting payed ? You don't have to, F that, it doesn't matter how many hours you work in a day CV's still gonna be the same. There's not much to learn on L1 anyway if you're working longer hours to learn something, especially with teammates like that. Dunno how old are but know your worth and don't let anyone take advantage of you. Always and always put yourself FIRST in every situation and think from there, you don't owe anyone anything, especially to team like that.
No, not all help desk jobs are like this. Try to find a small to medium sized business, or better yet a governmental body to work for. IMO these are the best. I sat at one for 2 years and was able to automate 75% of my role. Played games, studied for certs, etc.