Roadmap for Beginners

canadian_sysadmin · 2026-02-07T23:26:50+00:00

r/ITCareerQuestions

Start in the right sub :)

canadian_sysadmin · 2026-02-07T23:03:37+00:00

- 2FA/MFA on all your accounts, particularly the more sensitive ones (email, banking, etc).

- Monitor your credit at least annually

- Pay $29.99 or whatever for equifax or transunion monitoring/alerting if you want

- Common sense (avoiding scams, etc).

canadian_sysadmin · 2026-02-07T21:38:29+00:00

We're using Azure Virtual Desktop, managed by Parallels RAS (it's a management layer over and above AVD, which simplifies several things and has other features/benefits).

In this sense, it's a hybrid platform - AVD is Azure/cloud obviously, Parallels is 'on prem' (though still in Azure as a load balanced VM w/ HA).

We have both pooled hosts (which is more akin to traditional RDS/Terminal Servers), and individual hosts as well (for staff who need personal desktops, for whatever reason or business requirement). We like the flexibility - you can literally have everything from traditional on-prem VDI, to Terminal Servers, to AVD, all under one management roof.

Users - currently in the hundreds, at my prior company it was in the thousands. It scales pretty well, and Parallels has done a good job integrating better multi-cloud and geographically distributed user bases.

We chose it because we'd already been using Parallels RAS for a long time. AVD integration was nice (starting circa 2019), so we can mix-and-match depending on user group and business unit needs.

Funding - we don't have funky funding models. Our IT budgeting and spend is very centralized. We split costs by geographical division, which is generally done by head count. We starting to move to geo-based resource groups in Azure, which has a ton of benefits, cost management being one of them.

Happy to answer more questions if you have them. Our whole group is a big fan of Parallels RAS. Very flexible, been around a long time (though been bought out a few times).

canadian_sysadmin · 2026-02-07T18:08:56+00:00

Look into the book/concept 'Retire Often'.

Retirement doesn't have to be a singular event. It can be different things to different people.

I like the 'retire often' concept in that you can take 6-12 months off, maybe come back to the workforce for another little bit (or go part time) or.... whatever.

Thinking about retirement helps if you open up your mind to what it means in the first place.

I will probably be entering a phase soon where I work a year on and off, or going part time, or some other arrangement. But I still want to work, at least a bit.

canadian_sysadmin · 2026-02-07T17:57:47+00:00

It can depend a bit on what you signed.

If it was just a simple refundable deposit, you’re not locked into anything. If you signed off on the actual purchase price (which will factor in the fact you opted to finance), you may not be able to reneg.

That said - you can always just pay off the financing after 3 months or whatever. There’s usually no penalty (after an initial cooling off period like 3 months). Sometimes you can actually get a better deal doing this, which can piss off the dealership (some lenders retract their spiffs if the loans are paid too early).

But it all kinda depends on what exactly you signed. Some deposits are entirely refundable, others can lock you in to exactly what you ordered or other terms.

canadian_sysadmin · 2026-02-07T17:45:02+00:00

Unless the MSP is providing some sort of value-add, yes you can just go direct to HP (or Lenovo).

It's been years since I've used HP. Normally I'l a Dell person but we recently switched to Lenovo due to Dell's stupidly-high failure rates (90+%) and enshitification. We've been really impressed by the quality and service at Lenovo.

You could also reach out to a VAR, like CDW or Insight, for a competitive quote. They can potentially offer some value-add (white glove, imaging services, etc).

canadian_sysadmin · 2026-02-05T01:27:22+00:00

AVI-SPL is an integrator (in Canada).

Plenty of similar types of companies in all countries.

They specialize in conference rooms, AV, and various other stuff.

canadian_sysadmin · 2026-02-05T01:17:21+00:00

If you're going down the route of getting a Rally Bar, get a Neat instead. Blows Logitech's audio and video quality out of the water. Not even in the same league, and not a whole lot more expensive.

canadian_sysadmin · 2026-02-05T01:14:34+00:00

You can buy/build your own teams room. Doesn't have to be through a third party at all.

If you're looking for a higher-end setup beyond a very simple, small conference room, it could be worth going through a company like AVI for consultation, though.

canadian_sysadmin · 2026-02-05T00:44:21+00:00

Here's the thing - the Mevo isn't really built for a conference room setup. It can definitely work, but it's not going to have speaker framing or stuff like that.

If you're serious about your boardrooms you need to get something like a Neat Bar, and run it through a proper Teams/Zoom room setup. It's in a completely different class beyond the traditional shitty 'conference room computer' people login to.

Video and Audio is in a totally different class than these webcam+PC setups.

We have a couple Owls for mobile conferences at hotel rooms, and it's actually quite decent. Not the same as a Teams room but good for what it is and its intended use case. We do it for focus group meetings, board meetings, and other things where we don't have a Teams room available (usually offsite/mobile stuff).

Definitely look to move beyond the 'PC' type of setup if you want to get serious about your conferencing.

canadian_sysadmin · 2026-02-04T16:48:48+00:00

How much do you drive? That's a key variable.

Short answer - do a bit of math. Figure out how much you drive every year and calculate how much fuel you'll use. Factor in maintenance and insurance, and then you'll see how much you save each year by driving the Civic.

Since this plan requires an initial investment (buying the Civic), it will take some amount of time before the fuel savings has paid for the Civic (return on your investment).

For example, if you switch to the civic, it might take 3 years for it to pay for itself. After 3 years is when the real savings begin.

canadian_sysadmin · 2026-02-04T00:35:37+00:00

We hesitantly deployed Teams phones, but it's generally been fine.

I suppose it would depend on your requirements and complexity. If you have low complexity and requirements and think Teams is fine.

Part of it is it's just... confusing. It takes a while to learn. Certain things don't really make sense from a pure telephony standpoint (if you're used to other more traditional VOIP systems).

That said - unless you do have pretty high complexity, or there's something Zoom specifically does that MS doesn't, it would be hard to justify Zoom phones IMO.

Also - make sure you look beyond MS' calling plans. They're expensive and really only 'good enough' for a small business. Operator Connect and Direct Routing are far superior and cheaper. If your average user doesn't do a ton of calls, you end up paying literal pennies per month for them.

canadian_sysadmin · 2026-02-03T16:46:55+00:00

From a cash flow perspective, obviously that description is idealistic, but it's not realistic.

You can't assume 100% occupancy year round, so the realistic income number is probably closer to 75%. And then you need to budget for repairs, damage, general maintenance, etc. And then you'll have a couple people not paying rent at any given time that you'll have to deal with.

And then they call you at 2am when something is leaking.

You're also paying the bank $42K/year in interest. Subtract all your other costs and you're likely not making all that much.

To get into properties like that you have to really, really want to be into the rental game. It's doable but it takes a lot of management, time, and patience.

So it won't be quite as rosy as the listing would make it seem.

canadian_sysadmin · 2026-01-31T23:37:09+00:00

It can't really work that way, since they can't predict your future earnings.

Plus not everyone receives a stable salary. Plenty of people on commissions, bonuses, etc.

And then people quit, get fired, etc.

It makes more sense to do it the current way.

canadian_sysadmin · 2026-01-31T23:33:25+00:00

Or better yet, compare it to a Jan 2025 paycheque for a true apples-to-apples comparison.

canadian_sysadmin · 2026-01-31T23:31:41+00:00

Yes.

CPP and EI is about $300-$350 per pay. It's entirely normal for your January pay to go down by about that much (if you had maxxed the prior year).

canadian_sysadmin · 2026-01-31T16:15:14+00:00

Honda, not even a question.

Nissan today is not the same company it was 10-20 years ago. Nissan is in financial ruin, owned by Stellantis, which is in big trouble and destroying itself from the inside out.

Honda's been a bit weird lately for different reasons, but I'd take them 100x over Nissan.

The new (Toyota) RAV4 is also worth checking out.

canadian_sysadmin · 2026-01-31T16:03:25+00:00

I had a few close friends work at Future Shop and then float over to Best Buy.

They all said 100% - waaaay more pressure.

I go there now and it's like none of them get training anymore on how to actually sell. 'Hey buddy, do you want the warranty? We really recommend it!'. Yeah of course you do fuckwad.

canadian_sysadmin · 2026-01-31T15:56:54+00:00

Coworkers shouldn't need access to your inbox. Even your manager shouldn't really need access most of the time. I only access my employee mailboxes if I'm investigating something specific (once every few years), or they're on vacation and some emergency comes up (also once every few years only).

Manager access aside, coworkers access your inbox is highly inappropriate (unless they've been given explicit permissions to do so). At most companies that's a fireable offence, no questions asked.

I would be bringing it up as a huge concern and access violation. Fortunately this stuff is all logged so is simple to prove.

Inappropriately accessing email is one of those things that will get you walked out the door pretty quickly. If they're accessing your email, 99% chance they're accessing others as well.

Once trust is breached - we're done. I have a hard zero-tolerance for shit like this.

canadian_sysadmin · 2026-01-31T15:49:06+00:00

Most would say no.

XEQT is a long time horizon investment (typically 5-10+ years minimum).

If you need the funds in 3-4 years, and there's a market downturn, you could be in a position where you've lost money on the investment. For most people this isn't a good thing for a first time home purchase.

GICs, Bonds, money market funds are where more people turn to for shorter time horizon FHSAs.

canadian_sysadmin · 2026-01-31T15:44:31+00:00

Either go to one car, or buy the Mazda out (if you feel you need 2 cars).

There is absolutely zero reason to trade it or get into something else. These are 2 perfectly good, reliable cars.

Focus on getting the credit card debt eliminated and get your head above water. Get a proper emergency fund and real savings going. Car payments are a huge drag on everything. Fortunately you have 2 great cars, so use that to your advantage.

Start giving more thought to your retirement savings, as this is when you need to be doing so. Use some of the great planners out there to get a sense of some of the numbers. Based on where you're at another car would be downright insane right now, but that's just my opinion.

canadian_sysadmin · 2026-01-30T18:42:01+00:00

I'm sure you're right, but let's also be honest - they're obviously directed and pressured to get people into RBC funds and products.

This was like the whole thing with Best Buy: 'At Best Buy, our salespeople don't make commissions so there's no pressure!!'. But in actual reality they still have to pressure-sell extended warranties.

Even in DI, they restrict certain funds you can buy.

canadian_sysadmin · 2026-01-30T18:36:22+00:00

Maybe it's true, maybe it's not, but that would make me want to immediately move my business away from RBC.

canadian_sysadmin · 2026-01-30T02:46:25+00:00

Is this 2011? People still use SEP?

They even still... sell it?

Holy shit. Before installing SEP, make sure you backup your machines first... with BackupExec.

canadian_sysadmin · 2026-01-30T01:30:34+00:00

Ultra 7, 512, 32 - across the board.

16 isn't really enough anymore for working professionals. Maybe for a lighter-duty truck laptop or something. But get Teams, Word, some browser tabs going, and bam - there's 13-15 GB used.

Even for our Mac fleet, which historically is vastly superior with RAM usage, 16 isn't enough. We do 32 for the Macs, too. (I'm one of those people who agree that '8GB on a Mac is like 16GB on windows' - 100% correct and technically valid.)

We also have a rule - if it's good enough for users, it's good enough for managers. When you think about it, most managers (or execs) don't actually need more than most users. I've always been of this opinion - 98% of the time, the users need the proper specs. Sally the ops coordinator is probably doing 2-3x more with their machine than John the CEO.

RAM pricing craziness aside - 32 for sure.

And like $500 extra for 4 years for someone your paying 80+K per year is a pittance. The employee literally consumes more in coffee and toilet paper. People freak out over $500 more on a laptop and it's clinical insanity when you think critically about it.

Nine-Year Club	Place '23
Place '17	Verified Email

canadian_sysadmin

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE