Realised I hadn’t posted in a while, have a few drafts on the go, but decided that rather than continue on one of them and do a half-assed job of it, I’d do a little post on my current irritations and frustrations in the lovely world of IT. Because, to be honest, there’s quite a few at the moment for me.<\/p>\n
First on my list – while I understand that things break and sure, Windows Updates do cause some issues with the operating system from time to time, they are not the cause of EVERY. MAJOR. OUTAGE. I am getting exceedingly tired of sitting in meetings with people who seem to think that just because a server received some patches over the weekend that they *must* be the cause of the issue. I’m yet to encounter one of these problems where the patches *have* been the issue. I’m also yet to receive an apology from anyone regarding this. I know blaming is fun, but when you’re constantly being blamed, and constantly being found to *not* be the problem, there should be something offered. I’d be happy with an apology. Chocolate or cake are also acceptable.<\/p>\n
Next on my list – people who seem to think I know nothing. Yes, I know I’ve only been in my current job for a short period of time. I am also well-aware of the fact that I don’t understand how all the systems in my environment work or operating or are configured. That’s why there’s this marvellous thing called *talking* to people. If I need to know something, I’ll ask someone. I’m not just going to blindly make something up. But just because I *don’t* know something, doesn’t mean I don’t know *anything*. I do understand how a large amount of our systems work. I do understand, in particular, how our Windows environment is configured…I should know, I’ve helped make some of the biggest changes to the systems! I do understand that I have limitations and I know that IT is a field in which you constantly have to learn, but there is something to be said for ‘organisational memory’. I do know, off the top of my head, how many DC’s I have in a specific domain, or what the IP addresses are for our DNS servers, or what the password is for our local admin account. I’m not stupid. Please don’t treat me that way.<\/p>\n
Following on from that – being judged and being seen as “less” for being a “point and click” admin. I realise it’s said in jest, I realise it’s a joke. Sometimes it’s even funny. But being put in a basket because “you don’t really administer servers”? Seriously…what the?! Come do my job for a day and then tell me I don’t administer servers. I also dislike the constant insinuation (especially in my current place of employment) that Microsoft products are inferior. Sure, not all MS products will suit all environments. But there is a reason AD is one of the most widely-used directory systems. There’s a reason Exchange is one of the most widely used email system. It’s not because they’re shit or inferior, let me tell you. <\/p>\n
I also resent hand-holding and micromanaging. I resent it *a lot*. I’m pretty sure I know how to do my job. Have a funny feeling that’s why I was hired. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’m one of the few admins who go *looking* for work to do. I’m pro-active like that – I enjoy having work, it makes the day go faster. What I don’t like is having someone breathe down my neck regarding something multiple times a day\/week. I am well aware when something is urgent\/important. I’m well aware that ‘stuff’ needs to get done. You sitting on top of me, pushing me for ‘stuff’ doesn’t make me move faster – in fact, it’s more likely to just make me angry and bitter. Being ridden just makes me feel like you think I don’t know how to do my job. Way to improve my moral and make me want to work harder…<\/p>\n
My last ‘cranky’ is communication…or lack thereof. How hard is it to update a ticket saying “I’ve done blah”? Really. How hard is it to CLOSE A TICKET when it’s finished? Not that tricky, I would think. So why is it that I spend time working on tickets that are long resolved simply because they haven’t been closed or updated. It’s immensely frustrating. I realise that some people aren’t used to working in team environments but C’MON PEOPLE! It’s the same with documentation – it’s not super hard to write down steps for something that you’ve done. I know it’s annoying, I know it’s boring, but it’s really not hard. It may take a bit of your time, but it saves the rest of us spending hours trying to fix\/build something that you’ve already spent the time doing!<\/p>\n
*deep breaths*<\/p>\n
Apologies for the ranty-ness of this post. I’m feeling slightly frustrated that, after working my ass off for the past 10 years in IT, to be relegated to nothing more than a glorified secretary. That’s not what I signed up for.<\/p>\n
And if you think now is the time to make a funny joke about ‘M$’ or ‘Windoze’, you better be bringing cupcakes and candy to my desk at the same time…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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