Who's in IT and doesn't like it?

[wheresmybacon]

Personally I really like my job in the IT field, but I know there are people on this board that don't. If you're in IT and don't like it, post here and tell us why you don't.

I'm lucky enough to have a wide variety of things I'm responsible for, but I guess I can see how if someone is pigeon-holed into a very specific monotonous task I'd hate it too...

 

[spidey07]

where's the poll?

I enjoy it, but it can be a grind. It was more fun 14 years ago.

 

[Electric Amish]

Like any job, it has it good and bad days.

 

[Chaotic42]

I'll sum up my thoughts.

Like:
-Fairly high pay
-Not overly difficult
-Easy to find help

Dislike:
-Tons of overtime
-Fairly repetative work
-IT can be very isolated from the other parts of the company
-Often on call
-Lots of "little things" that can break easily
-Job security may be an issue

 

[Electric Amish]

-IT can be very isolated from the other parts of the company

That should be in the "Like" column.

The best thing is that I'm an admin on my computer and I can do what I want. I hate being a "user" and not having any permissions.

 

[OutHouse]

Originally posted by: Electric Amish
Like any job, it has it good and bad days.

yip and lately there have been more bad days than good. last month during my pager rotation i almost threw my pager out in the street. for all but 1 night i got paged for stupid systems issues atleast twice in the middle of the night.

we have over 250 servers and stuff like that will happen from time to time.

 

[lokiju]

You need a poll and I've been in IT to make a living since '97 and personally have begun to hate it.

It's gotta be one of the most thankless jobs out there.

Plus the whole everyone and their mother asking for free help all the damn time, like say while you're eating, getting to your car to go home after a long day of work, etc..

I was at an interview for a part time job the other day and theres some other guy sitting there and ask what I do, I told him I work with computers and instantly without skipping a beat he start asking me about his computer at home and if I'd be willing to take a look at him for him. Just has gotten old IMO.

I have no idea what else I'd do though since I've been doing it for so long and have no other real skills that I could use to make the same amount of income as I can with IT.

Thinking medical field might be the path to go, not sure what specifically though.

 

[djheater]

I got into this field because I knew it would pay the bills for my sudden family, it did and I'm grateful. It's not ever what I wanted to do.
In all honesty, I'm pretty lucky because I have in fact figured out what it is I want to do and IT will allow me to get the education I need and transfer into that field pretty painlessly. The fact that I will be technically knowledgable and have had corporate experience when i transition will probably end up working in my favor.

 

[DCFife]

I have really begun to hate it although my wife and I make insane money in the IT biz. I just signed up for college (after 18 years out of school) so I can get a degree and get started in my next career: accounting.

Edit: I guess I should say WHY I hate it!

I hate it because it's always changing (I'm in R&D right now) and I just want to come to work each day and know exactly what the heck is going to happen. I'm a creature of habit and I'm just not getting that right now.

 

[FoBoT]

I :heart: my job
I :heart: I.T.

 

[wheresmybacon]

Originally posted by: djheater
I got into this field because I knew it would pay the bills for my sudden family, it did and I'm grateful. It's not ever what I wanted to do.
In all honesty, I'm pretty lucky because I have in fact figured out what it is I want to do and IT will allow me to get the education I need and transfer into that field pretty painlessly. The fact that I will be technically knowledgable and have had corporate experience when i transition will probably end up working in my favor.

what is it that you want to do?

i like my job but for some reason i can't see myself doing this in another 3 years. weird thing is that i don't have any idea of what else i would do that would pay as well and actually be somewhat enjoyable on occassion...

 

[Narse]

I love IT and really can't see myself doing anything else but some things really bother me. Take last night I spent 13 hours on the job opening a new location, on the way back to the hotel I get a call from the regional office, the VP's personal laptop, not his work laptop is not working and he is dropping it off at the hotel for me to work on while I am there. I really think people don't understand how much work we do sometimes.

 

[Electric Amish]

It's not that I dislike being in IT. It's the company that's being a PITA. They keep heaping on more work and won't let us hire any people.

 

[2Xtreme21]

I do freelance work for an IT company that is responsible for the IT functions of a number of business around the Pittsburgh area, and it's quite a bit of work. I'm in college full time, yet there isn't a day that goes by that I'm not on the phone with a client, doing remote work, hauling my tired ass to a client's location to fix things on-site (via BUSES because I don't have a car on campus), or a number of other given things. I really do like it, though, because I don't think I could ever get a better paying job for the amount of work I do (and being in college) and the fact that it's not mundane and you're constantly looking to upgrade what you're doing and expanding your knowledge of systems.

 

[pontifex]

we have these threads about once a week or more...


hate IT. Want out but no clue what i want to do.

 

[Hyperblaze]

I love certain things about IT.

I'd get bored awfully fast if I was in a Windows only environment.
I'd be in heaven in a UNIX only environment
I normally work in a mix environment though.

As long as there is a BALANCE in life, anything is survivable. When I'm not working in computers, I"m generally doing sports, or socialzing, or whatever. Balance keeps retaining my sanity

 

[SolMiester]

Originally posted by: DCFife
I have really begun to hate it although my wife and I make insane money in the IT biz. I just signed up for college (after 18 years out of school) so I can get a degree and get started in my next career: accounting.

Edit: I guess I should say WHY I hate it!

I hate it because it's always changing (I'm in R&D right now) and I just want to come to work each day and know exactly what the heck is going to happen. I'm a creature of habit and I'm just not getting that right now.

Ummmm Accounting.....Now THAT is repetitive.. I agree that sometimes having new stuff springing up to study can be annoying when you just want to relax a bit. However in the same vein, it keeps the job from getting stale...

I wear all of the IT hats here from an Accounting firm of 50, so great range of different jobs to do.

Sometime nerve racking as at the end of the day, I'm responsible for the lot, and you know what accountants are like with time and cost. Petty help me if it goes pear shape!?

 

[SolMiester]

Originally posted by: Narse
I love IT and really can't see myself doing anything else but some things really bother me. Take last night I spent 13 hours on the job opening a new location, on the way back to the hotel I get a call from the regional office, the VP's personal laptop, not his work laptop is not working and he is dropping it off at the hotel for me to work on while I am there. I really think people don't understand how much work we do sometimes.

Eh, personal laptop, i would of called it off right there, personal laptop at YOUR discretion...If a work laptop ok, but then again after a 13 hour day?

 

[smack Down]

Originally posted by: lokiju
You need a poll and I've been in IT to make a living since '97 and personally have begun to hate it.

It's gotta be one of the most thankless jobs out there.

Plus the whole everyone and their mother asking for free help all the damn time, like say while you're eating, getting to your car to go home after a long day of work, etc..

I was at an interview for a part time job the other day and theres some other guy sitting there and ask what I do, I told him I work with computers and instantly without skipping a beat he start asking me about his computer at home and if I'd be willing to take a look at him for him. Just has gotten old IMO.

I have no idea what else I'd do though since I've been doing it for so long and have no other real skills that I could use to make the same amount of income as I can with IT.

Thinking medical field might be the path to go, not sure what specifically though.

It should be all IT is the janitors/construction of the computer world. User take a crap somewhere and it is your job to clean it up. No one is going to be impressed that you managed to clean it up.

 

[zoiks]

Define IT.

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: hungfarover

Originally posted by: djheater
I got into this field because I knew it would pay the bills for my sudden family, it did and I'm grateful. It's not ever what I wanted to do.
In all honesty, I'm pretty lucky because I have in fact figured out what it is I want to do and IT will allow me to get the education I need and transfer into that field pretty painlessly. The fact that I will be technically knowledgable and have had corporate experience when i transition will probably end up working in my favor.

what is it that you want to do?

i like my job but for some reason i can't see myself doing this in another 3 years. weird thing is that i don't have any idea of what else i would do that would pay as well and actually be somewhat enjoyable on occassion...

Social Psychology research, I need a Bachelor's Masters and PhD first though

 

[boredhokie]

I'm about 4 months into my first "real" IT job. I enjoy the challenge and the advantages of starting in a situation where the IT is in sort of a disarray. I'm learning pretty quick though that I have no intention on being the guy "on call", or the one who's main interactions for the past 20 years have been with a terminal screen.

 

[SampSon]

I was in IT. Now I'm out and happier than ever.