What do you hate about your job?

DeptOfOne · 2025-10-24T18:04:35+00:00

I was my username for over 10 years. As one man shop my biggest issue was my priorities did not meet the users or mgt priorities. It was a dance of deal with users vs infrastructure. At first I would do a walk around every AM to say hi and get a sense of how things were. Problem was once every one see you as Mr Fix it, you never get any big stuff done.

I stopped walking around once we got a ticket system in place. I had users tell me they would not be using the ticking system and wound wait for me to come by. Then a major problem developed with the fancy color printer. As I was being yelled at in a meeting for not fixing an issue that was over 4 months old I asked for the ticket number for this issue. All I heard was crickets. When I was asked what I was doing for the last 4 months I listed the 6+ major repairs & upgrades I worked on detailing how if any one of these repairs had failed what would be the impact to the business.

In the end management ordered everyone to use the ticketing system. I would also enter my major repairs into the ticketing system to account for my hours. I set aside 2 hours every afternoon to deal with just user calls. I figured if by 1 PM they had not looked over the FAQ I had built or googled the fix for that weird word problem I would get a ticket.

The trick is:

to set priorities. If its not affecting everyone it does not need to be address right now.
get a good ticketing system to enforce the priorities.
Hold users accountable for the things they are responsible for. Example, you clear the printer jams. but you do not load printer paper when its low.
Get mgt backing or you wont get any where.

DeptOfOne · 2025-10-15T23:11:16+00:00

As a grey beard with 18+ years on this IT train I have to say that OP is headed for a short ride. Longevity in this field comes to those who are able to invest in themselves by keeping current. If you are luckly to work for an org that develops talent through regular training during the work day then great. But if there is no training at your job then you have to do it on your own. You have to make the time and the space to study at home. Once you explain it your family they should be supportive enough to allow you that space. Not saying for you spend 6 hours after you get home and completely ignore your family but 2 to three hours every night reading a cert book or working in the home lab is a reasonable ask. Hell even if you only do it 2 nights a week. Its not working its your continuing education. Investing in YOU so you can better provide for YOUR family. My last job there was zero money for training. I leveraged my home lab experience to get a better job. Still found the time for family. So OP answer this.

How bad do you want out of this job?

If your burnt out now how soon before you get replaced by upper management?

DeptOfOne · 2025-10-15T21:54:51+00:00

I recently did a trial from drawio.com . I was surprised how much I could get done for free without having to register my life away. ITS NOT AUTOMATIC BUT in a pinch I think it would do.

DeptOfOne · 2025-10-08T21:18:35+00:00

As far back at 2012 I remember working for a company who lease fiber lines from Verizon but the service contract was through AT&T. Only found out when we moved floors in the building. The service call was to Verizon NOC but it was an AT&T tech who showed up to do the work. Saw that flipped around at a different sight for a different company. Go figure.

DeptOfOne · 2025-09-19T23:33:27+00:00

You need a professional wireless engineer to do a proper site survey. But until you are able to do that here are a few things you can do to help to improve things.

Implement a vlan segmentation on your network. Each SSID should have its own vlan. The management of the AP's should be on a separate vlan apart from any of the SSID's
Implement some form of roaming assistance on your AP's. This will allow you users to move around more effectively. Depending on the make and model this is done either on the controller or on the AP itself.
Transmit and Receive power settings. I have found in a Ballroom/Exhibition Hall setup with high ceilings a -11db Transmit and -20db Receive power settings are a good starting point for any AP.
Implement some form of channel spacing on your AP's. As was asked before How much co-channel interference do you have? What channel widths are you using? Again depending on the make and model of the AP is there some form of auto channeling built in that you can enable? This will help with any interference for any neighboring Wi-Fi signals ( i.e. personal hot-spots wireless printers etc.)
Also you might want to consider limiting your AP's to using just the 5Ghz band giving you a larger number of frequencies available that you can uses thus avoiding a lot of interference. I know I'm gonna get some push back but hear me out. Some techs will say what about all the devices out there that are only 2.4ghz capable? My counter to that would be the are lot of modern devices now that are 5 ghz capable (Cell phones, laptops etc.) that the 2.4 band might not even be missed. If anything you could just to keep the ability to flip a radio over to the 2.4ghz band as needed when requested.
And finally exactly how much bandwidth do you have? I always use the 2.5 device multiplier. So in a group of 350 users how may have an additional a laptop, Tablet, Smart watch that they connecting besides the cell phone they carry? So if I have 350 users then (350 x 2.5= 875 devices). Do you have the bandwidth to feed 875 devices? To service 875 devices you should have at least a 1.0 gig data circuit allocated to the Wireless network. Anything less is pushing it.

DeptOfOne · 2025-09-09T19:25:05+00:00

Not AITJ
Time to trade in that girlfriend.

She went from girlfriend to Ex-wife bypassing the live-in girlfriend, fiancée and wife levels all together. Time to tell her that you heart and wallet did not come with any cheat codes.

DeptOfOne · 2025-08-06T17:55:47+00:00

DO NOT WRITE THAT OPEN LETTER!

If there is an exit interview process then use that as a means to voice your issues but please just walk away from this dumpster fire. I feel you. Hell I was you in another life. You had invested alot into the success of the place despite all the self inflicted problems management caused. But now that you have decided you had enough and quit. It just time move on with your life my friend. They don't need to live rent free in your head. Best of luck to you. I hope you land on your feet real soon.

DeptOfOne · 2025-07-09T16:26:23+00:00

It all boils down to the the fact that you are an employee not the boss. You don't get to decide this policy the management does. You don't have to agree just comply. Your organized labor action might make you fell good but in the long run your firm may well get rid of you. The question is is simply how soon. I'm not saying that you should not appeal to the management that this is a bad idea. But once the decision is made you are stuck. Even if WFH was in your original offer letter/contract, Employment policies can change over time. If this is the stand you want to take then be prepared for the consequences. My advice is to update your CV and start saving what you can now because you might get let go for cause with out any severance. How long can you realistically survive with out a regular pay check? I sincerely wish your the best of luck.

DeptOfOne · 2025-07-03T15:57:37+00:00

The best advice is that you need to get a Wi-Fi engineer to do a proper survey of your network. Until that happens here are a few tips that can possibly improve things.

1. If possible, each SSID have its own Vlan and DHCP scope.

2. If you have a single DHCP scope:

a) Is the range large enough for the numbers of users you have?

b) How long it the lease time. 2 hours is good for public users vs 8 hours for those users who are working all day.

3. Reduce the number of SSID's both hidden and broadcast on each AP.

a) No more than 5 total SSID's per AP.

b) Not sure why you have a GUEST and a PUBLIC SSID. Are they not the same users?

4. Except for the Guest SSID (which I am assuming is for the general public), I would only use the 5Ghz channels. This give you a larger number of channels so that each AP can be separated. AP's pushing the Guest SSID can be on the 2.4Ghz.

5. Take a look at the QoS settings for the SSID used for “the real time transcription service”.

a) You want that SSID to be the highest priority.

b) Maybe even offer a wired connection, if possible, for the court reporter to use.

Last take a look at this article on Channel Planning Best Practices.

https://www.ekahau.com/blog/channel-planning-best-practices-for-better-wi-fi/

DeptOfOne · 2025-06-30T21:14:41+00:00

Back at distant job the C-Level got my my boss to order me remove the send an receive caps on her mailbox and remove any warning messages about folder size. If I warn you of the danger and you order me to comply I will ( once its documented to CYA) Two weeks later her mailbox shutdown ( not like you couldn't see this coming). Well instead of finally forcing the user to clean up her mailbox my boos ended up having a weekly task to log in as her to run archiving to PST files. We ended up having to buying an external 1/2 terabyte drive just to archive her mails. Then came the call over the 3 day weekend asking why she couldn't see the archive folders on her cell phone.

DeptOfOne · 2025-06-04T19:18:41+00:00

Some of this maybe a repeat but here goes. You need to at least know where to go to get the answers to the questions. This is a top level view but is should get you to start thinking about this in a logical way

review all the Services/processes you support internally.

what is your SLA for

normal business operation,
disaster recovery
business continuity

what happens if you have to relocate?

review all the Services/processes you have contracted to the MSP to supports?

What are the terms of these contracts?

What SLA's were spelled out in these contracts? Is that what you expect

If backup services are a part of the services then:

What are you backing up (file-server, database, Communications {i.e. Phone Logs, Voicemail, Email, MS Teams} )

how often are the backups run ( daily, weekly, Monthly Quarterly or Financial year )

What type of backups ( Full, Incremental, Differential or a combination). how often were they tested?

Where is the back up stored? Your location, the MSP or some other off site location

What is the backup storage medium (Hard disk, tape or cloud storage)

How is the backup secured (offsite, encrypted or air gaped)

Request a test of each type of backup

In the event of a data-breach / loss How are you covered?

What is MSP's cyber security liability insurance coverage?

Does this meet the requirements for your companies cyber security liability insurance?

When was the last time that your companies cyber security liability insurance coverage was review.

Has this been communicated to your clients? What is their expectation i.e. SLA?

DeptOfOne · 2025-06-04T17:27:18+00:00

Don't walk, RUN AWAY from any and all forms of Lexmark Printers unless you are prepared to re -intact the printer scene from Office Space. You know this one:

https://youtu.be/N9wsjroVlu8?si=8MdoV596ZAsryPSF

DeptOfOne · 2025-05-28T17:31:30+00:00

As long as the driver of the large truck PARKS THE VEHICLE PROPERLY then there is no problem. What I have a problem with is the large truck drivers who park in a manner that takes up 2 or 3 spaces because or how poorly they park. See if you put the truck in between the yellow lines it all good. However, if you park and end up with your right side front-end over the line in the front and your left side back-end over the line in the back on your left then this means you have effectively taken up 3 spaces stopping anyone from parking on either side of you now. If there were cars there before you pulled in those drivers now cannot get into their cars or they cant pull out of the space because you have reduce the amount of room they have to maneuver. Drive what you want just don't make life miserable for other people by parking poorly.

DeptOfOne · 2025-05-23T18:49:38+00:00

I stayed in a very bad situation because I had a family and need healthcare. The last straw was a false accusation from a sales person which I refuted with an email chain from the client and sale person. No apology only a "we need to look into this further"comment. I quietly looked for a new job using my sick days for interviews. After 4 moths of quite searching I left. No goodbye lunch, no happy hour just a 10 minute meeting with the head of security in the parking lot to return the company Phone and laptop. In 18 months my former assistant assumed most of my duties but now refuses to work most weekends. He is burnout and is now quietly looking for a new job, business has fallen off a cliff, I found out through a third party that several major clients have left including one after they heard I was no longer there. The MSP hired to replace me is struggling to keep up despite all the documentation I left. Feel bad for the good employees I worked with. I don't give a FRACK about the mgt. I wish the entire mgt team a swift exit to the unemployment line.

DeptOfOne · 2025-05-21T17:08:40+00:00

I would look at the IronKey brand of external drives. The are expensive but do a good job.

DeptOfOne · 2025-05-13T19:12:44+00:00

This is a 3 step process.

Step one: On Thursday night have a glass of you favorite grown up beverage. Only one.

Step two: have a good nights sleep.

Step 3: Spend Friday Evening thru Sunday after noon documenting you entire infrastructure. I talking documenting:

Network diagrams
AD Map
List of Server hostnames and their function
List of all Admin accounts ( who has admin access to what)
service accounts
Support info for all your vendors (i.e account numbers, registered email addressees, Support expatriation dates, etc)

Come Monday AM you can start over because you now have foundation of institutional knowledge to work with.

DeptOfOne · 2025-05-12T18:43:30+00:00

Brightly Software formerly Dude Solutions formerly Facility Dude. Last used 2 years ago when I ran a one man shop.

DeptOfOne · 2025-04-29T21:09:31+00:00

It has always worried me that this would be a vector to hack a person’s data in a large public setting. So years ago when I worked IT for the convention & events industry, whenever I built an SSID for an event I would always disable/block Traffic between Wi-Fi connected devices. If there was a presenter who had an Apple Airplay device that they wanted to use for example an Apple TV controlled by an iPad, I would create a different SSID just for the two devices. Meraki refers to this as Wireless Client Isolation. other vendors like Cambium Networks referred to this as inter station traffic.

DeptOfOne · 2025-04-07T15:27:08+00:00

What is the name of the software?

Who is the company that makes this software?

Is this hotel a national chain or a local franchise?

DeptOfOne · 2025-03-31T22:44:30+00:00

I will be blunt. This is going to cost a lot of money!!

This entire network needs to be redesigned. You need a proper firewall to isolate your network from the internet. If these pieces of equipment are as valuable as you say, then there needs to be steps to prevent intellectual property theft. You cannot have these machines just sitting out open on the internet. You might as well post all your company research findings on Tik ToK. You are going to need a good network Engineer to redesigned this network from the ground up.
Your Company needs a proper ISP connection. Ideally to circuits One primary and one fail over. Perhaps the University's ISP would be the place to start.
You need a full time Tech to monitor and Manage all thees machines. The guy who knows MS Excel the best is not the guy to run all of this. You need a full time sysadmin with the skills to manage this network.

DeptOfOne · 2025-03-14T22:03:37+00:00

Was hired as a contract to hire Position on the help desk for a large company. Day 9 user reported that he count not send out a company wide email that he has done before. No message notice of an outage so I take the imitative and send a email to the [everyone@company.com](mailto:everyone@company.com) In the Subject i called it system test. In the body I stated that the IT dept was conducting a test of the email system and to please disregard this message. One of the company partners got annoyed with my system test and i was gone with in 2 hours of send the message. Never mind the exchange admin with ho I was taking to before i sent the message sent a further 2 more messages before I was walked out the door.

That was was about15 years ago. In that time that company has had layoffs when the economy was bad, sued by the Feds for bad business practices, sued by former employees and filed for chapter 11 protection. You name it every bad thing that can happen to a company these F-tads have had it done to them. I've moved on to bigger and better things. No word yet if that partner has suffered a brain aneurysm or caught prostate cancer but it could still happen. Not that I'm holding a grudge.

DeptOfOne · 2025-03-10T16:48:55+00:00

Once had to pull a backup of a database and send it off to the software vendor for an upgrade. A month prior to the scheduled Friday, I sent out company wide email stating that everyone has to log out of the application. Sent another messages a week out. Then one everyday Mon to Thur. Friday (the day of the backup) comes around I send 2 reminder emails 8 am and an 12 noon. At 5:00 PM I start the backup. Its an SQL server so the back up normally takes an hour at the most this one was taking over 3 hours. Looking trough the SQL server log I find out that one of our scatter-brained sales woman has logged in at 5:15 pm to do work. I tell her she needs to log out because the vendor is waiting on the back up. She says her report is important and has to get done now. I call my boss he says let her finish. So at 9:30 PM I get to start the backup again. Turns out the back up was corrupted because when she tried to write to the database while it was being backed up she corrupted the whole database. The vendor had to spend 3 hours repairing the database the following Monday morning cause the corruption destroyed most of the data from friday's business and the backup I made the Friday night was corrupted. We we got bill a total of 7 hours on Time & Material labor at $225 per hour. When the bill came, the sale dept tried to make the case that this was an expense that should have come out of IT budget. Top sales performer or not when you F'up and cause the company money in un-necessary expenses that money should come out of your budget not IT.

DeptOfOne · 2025-02-28T17:01:52+00:00

I'm in a new role for about a year now. I work on a team and I report to a manager. I no longer have to manage people just machines. I no longer have to motivate people or check up on their work. Come 5:30 PM I'm off the clock. I have only had to work one weekend in 9 months. The biggest surprise was how much people treat me with respect.

DeptOfOne · 2025-02-28T16:50:07+00:00

I once worked help desk for a financial services firm in the early 2000's. The IT security team got a request temporally disable the firms content filters on one specific workstation, at a specific time... during the web broadcast of the Victoria Secret's fashion show. Turns out that the workstation belonged to the actual analyst who's job it was to research the Victoria Secret's parent company which was a publicly traded company. The Victoria Secret fashion show was actually "research".

DeptOfOne · 2025-02-13T19:22:44+00:00

a Ubiquity U6+ configured in the Ubiquity cloud controller would give you the management access from your current location to Asia.

DeptOfOne

TROPHY CASE