I didnt go to school for computers, I learned on the job.
I am getting my certifications now that the firm is paying for. how cool is that?

Harry:
I am an IT Manager and would suggest that you take some classes in Microsoft Exchange Server Engineering. The job is in demand and pays really well out in the private sector.

Although I deal with voice technologies my job is in no way boring. Lots to do and not enough hours to do it in.

Sounds like you have already paid your dues in desktop support. You need to transition over to the server end of the job.

BTW I was just in St. Louis last week helping to develop an interesting database for a company that will manage out telecommunications invoices. We receive 1700 invoices a month.

No reason you cannot do what you love. If doing this isnt cutting it for your fulfillment level, then no harm in changing course. Life is too short

I really appreciate the replies fella'*. I feel better just getting it off of my chest. My M-F'* are really getting tough to accept! I think the tough part is the fact that everyone stays in their own little world too and nobody communicates. I met most of my current friends at my last employer because we all had mechancal minds. I just sit in my cube now like everyone else doing crosswords or surfing the Internet without any interaction (nobody wants too!) :?

I'll keep on truckin' however as long as I have to. No situation lasts forever.

yup thats because its all hangs on. you cant tech hangs on knowledge in school.

Thats why almost every IT person i meet thats fresh out of school... i know way more then them.

but on the other hand. the IT market is flooded. there are no good IT jobs left that you can make 50+K a year at. its all Help Desk phone type jobs.


im really starting to think about changing job field soon. :(

IT isn't without its challenges and rewards. There is a lot of very specialized technology out there and it can be very interesting. Regardless, I elected for a career change. Some days I miss the warm office, not having to worry about heading out on lousy winter roads and the 9-5 routine. Even though, I don't regret my decision. Several of my friends remain in the industry and most of them aren't really happy.

Yep, the help desk support junk gets old really fast. We all just sit around.

Boring or not, I would love an IT job, but the only Certs I have is A+. I went to school for networking, graduated with a 4.0 (tech school, no degree) but never took the Certs. So, on paper, I'm no more qualified than your average Gamer Geek, even though I ran my own IT business for a couple of years

Having been in the IT industry for 10 years, overall I'm pleased with the challenges and pace of the work. I have my undergrad in MIS and an MBA, so my experiences may be unique to what you're experiencing. You need to find your niche. Taking the time to figure out where you want to be is the secret. Unfortunately, IT ends up becoming a generalization of an industry that has a lot of unique facets.

I was fortunate enough to hire directly into a major automotive supplier straight out of college. It was VERY fast paced and NEVER a dull moment. I worked in the manufactuing plants supporting the real-time production control application. The process started out with receiving the live order from the customer (aka broadcast), and ensuring that the part was built (not my job persay), labeled correctly, racked correctly (with rack labels), sequenced, shipped in sequence, and arrived with an advanced shipping notice (ASN) all in a 35 minute window. Talk about stress. The app wasn't the greatest, but it was challenging and self-fulfilling. In addition to that sort of responsibility, at the plants, I was also responsible for pulling voice and data cabling, working with vendors (such as AT&T, Canon, etc.) to accomplish projects, work on Six Sigma projects, support 50-some users, etc. A whole variety of things. This job really taught me what I did and did not want to do. Lasted three years.

Then, I went on to work in the group office as a Tech Support Manager. I did not like it. However, things such as these below quotes really need to be taken with a grain of salt.

Huge stereotype. I agree that tech support positions require a lot more hands on experience than education. I was a tech support manager for 9 months and absolutely hated it. There was NO challenge, and I had to work with (how should I say this delicately?) "nerds." Drove me insane. There was no challenge and no self fulfillment.

Inevitably, the tech support manager position pushed me further away from what I wanted to do in IT. So, I went back to a plant role, but in a different capacity. As a Business Analyst. If you break down the position to the nuts and bolts - it'* a liason between very talented developers and the end users. My job was to define the requirements from end users and create functional requirements and specifications. Those documents could easily grow to be over 100 pages long. Once submitted and signed off by the lines of business requesting application enhancements, developers would use those specs to build the apps. While they were coding the app, I would be working with the end users/line of business to write test scripts. The test scripts ensured that the app worked correctly, and met the business objectives.

Fast forward a little more... Now, I work in a bank as a Project Manager and really enjoy it. The non-tech support IT world is shifting and Business Analysts with Project Management experience are in hot demand. Therefore, I'm leaving my current employer (Thursday is my last day) to be a BA/PM.

Sorry for the long post, but in a nut shell, don't be closed minded when it comes to IT. And, don't be deceived that college and technical traning isn't necessary to succeed in IT. IT strategic planners, business analysts, project managers, application directors, developers, chief of technology officers, etc. have the degrees and make the big bucks. They all have the degrees and do well. Tech support, such as you're doing, may not be your niche. Reach out. Network. And, I repeat: unfortunately, the term "IT" ends up becoming a generalization of an industry that has a lot of unique facets.

Good luck to you.

I do IT for a restaurant chain in upstate ny. In fact im the ONLY IT person for the whole chain.

I'm about ready to hang myself.

Note to people going to school for any IT related study. Bail out while you still can and go be a plumber or an electrician. You will make more money, and it will be less irritating.