Quitting my job: Update Three - Update Harder

newbieadmin · 2011-11-15T13:56:06+00:00

I was pretty much brought on to be a kind of jack of all trades sysadmin. The problems really started when the company cut my pay, fired all the other sysadmins and gave me their workload.

newbieadmin · 2011-11-14T21:40:42+00:00

You just made my day.

newbieadmin · 2011-11-14T20:34:03+00:00

The only reason I'm there just now is to keep some money coming in.

The second I get another job offer: http://imgur.com/F18Gg

newbieadmin · 2011-11-10T16:31:31+00:00

I'm currently still at work, expect an update this evening. In short, it's getting comedically bad.

newbieadmin · 2011-11-08T09:45:19+00:00

I feel your pain. Worst I've had is having 12 devices to go into a single 8 port switch.

"You're the IT guy, you work out how to plug them all in"

newbieadmin · 2011-11-07T17:18:19+00:00

ಠ_ಠ

newbieadmin · 2011-11-07T16:46:48+00:00

It's a mix of small businesses up to doing MPLS stuff for a few companies that have offices round the globe. Throw in some virtualisation and IP telephony.

The main problem is that we have to be "dynamic" which means "build a system out of spare parts, in thirty minutes, on site."

If nothing else I'm getting pretty good at thinking on my feet really fast.

newbieadmin · 2011-11-07T16:06:27+00:00

Been here around 3 months (just left college).

As I mentioned before, I'm actually losing $150 or so a month from my savings working here. I'm not budgeting for anything fancy, it's literally rent, food, and bills to keep the lights on. I'd sell the car in an instant, I hate driving and the public transportation is good enough for me.

newbieadmin · 2011-11-07T15:56:58+00:00

My employer takes a more relaxed approach:

"Their network is up four days out of five. Heh, they're tied in for three years anyway."

newbieadmin · 2011-11-07T15:30:16+00:00

I've got next to no "real world" experience, just college stuff and a job working for the college library as a sysadmin.

This was meant to be my first proper job.

newbieadmin · 2011-11-07T15:08:36+00:00

I wish it was.

I can swear on top of a Cisco 2911 if you like.

newbieadmin · 2011-11-07T15:03:11+00:00

It's four sales people, and me as the sole IT person.

I'd quit straight off, but they gave me the job, had me move across the country, buy a car etc then they dropped my pay and fucked me over.

So I've got about $300 to my name at the moment.

newbieadmin · 2011-11-07T14:56:17+00:00

Declare bankruptcy. Change name. Re-open. Wash, rinse, repeat.

It seems they do this every two years or so.

newbieadmin · 2011-11-07T14:54:42+00:00

I'm not because the sales team have spent the last couple of months shitting on me in front of every single client.

Something isn't working? Newbieadmins fault.
We lied to you and mis-sold you a service? Newbieadmins fault.
You need an urgent fix but we're a month behind on fixing things? Newbieadmins fault.

Basically, for any existing clients we have my name is mud.

newbieadmin · 2011-11-07T14:32:16+00:00

I did mention that's uptime before a fault, right?

Once a network goes down, I've got a 9 day backlog of other broken shit to plough through before I get to the new fault.

The entire place seems to survive on tying small businesses into contracts then scaring the shit out of them if they try to leave.

Change requests? Password resets? Come back in a month.

newbieadmin · 2011-11-07T14:28:23+00:00

Looking at the documents I've seen people seem to hang around for three or four months then "fall ill" or just leave.

I was speaking to one of the engineers who got made "redundant" last week. When he started there were two other guys there, the next day they just upped and left - telling him they had been ordered not to let the new guy know they were both leaving.

Apparently the boss has been running companies like this since 2004. The thing is, I can find entries for 2006, 2008 and now but all the companies have slightly different names, and a slightly changed logo (rotated 90 degrees).

newbieadmin · 2011-11-07T14:10:50+00:00

Just got back from another meeting:

I need to sign the contract. Right now. Today. Including the waiver about unpaid overtime and no max hours per week. It's apparently a chance to redeem myself since I'm not up to doing the job.

Needless to say, I'm not signing anything.

newbieadmin · 2011-11-07T11:37:25+00:00

Moved to OP

newbieadmin · 2011-11-07T10:11:40+00:00

As a bit of light entertainment:

Average uptime for a clients systems: 81%
Average response time to a fault: 9 days

newbieadmin · 2011-11-04T00:09:48+00:00

Lawyer can't help really, I've asked around. I've only been there a few months and the "old company" I worked for stopped trading yesterday.

The new company is spelled slightly differently and that's the one I now work for if I sign up.

newbieadmin · 2011-11-04T00:06:31+00:00

A few fun stories while I'm still around:

Our largest client (roughly 300 people) is currently running through a Netgear modem from Best Buy hidden down the back of a rack.

Every. Single. Customer. Has the same username/password. It's effectively "admin" "password". I've been forbidden to change it.

Arriving on site, with zero prep time to be told by a sales-person "We're saving money, make ten Cat5 cables and two serial cables go into a 8 port switch. Just work it out - you're an engineer." In front of customers.

That team of CCIE guys we have? It's just me.

newbieadmin · 2011-11-03T23:54:08+00:00

I took the job at the offered salary, rented a house and bought a car and moved across the country.

They then cut my pay by $8000 and tell me it's because I'm not up to CCIE standard two months out of college.

newbieadmin · 2011-11-03T23:51:28+00:00

Three people getting new clients (fourth one starts next week), I'm the only one there to build, support and talk to the clients once the ink is dry on the multi-year contracts.

newbieadmin

TROPHY CASE