#ITjob #helpdesk #careeradvice
Hey there! 🖐 Anyone else feeling the struggle of hating their first IT job on a corporate bank help desk? Well, you’re not alone. Here’s a bit of my story and a burning question for all of you out there in the IT world.
So, after being a low-paid shampoo salesman for 13 years, I decided to make a change. I studied, got certified, and landed a job at a large corporate bank. Exciting, right? Fast forward three months, and I’m drowning in dread. The early mornings, the Karens, the lack of support from my boss – it’s all taking a toll on me. 😩
I even had to call in sick and take a week off to combat my insomnia and fatigue. Now, I’m wondering – are all help desks like this? Where can I go from here? Should I go back to my old job and ditch IT altogether? And most importantly, where are the easy, low-stress IT jobs hiding? 🕵️♂️
Here are a few possible solutions that have crossed my mind:
– Consider looking for IT roles in different industries that may have a more relaxed environment.
– Research companies that prioritize employee well-being and have a positive work culture.
– Explore opportunities in IT support roles that don’t involve a help desk setting.
What do you think? Any advice, personal experiences, or words of wisdom to share? Let’s help each other out and navigate this challenging IT landscape together! 💪 #communitysupport
They call it hell desk for a reason. Are they all like this? Yes to a certain degree. A lot of it depends on the company culture. Some places have a lot of shitty employees that talk to you like trash the managers dont do anything about it. Customer is always right mentality. Some companies have people that are really nice but are dumb as a box of wet hammers. Help Desk is the worst job to have in IT IMO but everybody starts there. If you get a certification for something like an Azure administrator or CCNA for networking you would eventually get away from dealing with the end users so much.
You are currently on the very bottom of the career ladder and shit flows downhill. Find the energy to work your way up. If you’re calling in sick, not because you’re ill but because you just can’t face going to work, then that should be ringing alarm bells. The job won’t be any different when you clock back on. You need to either find a way to make the job work for you, find another role or find another career. The latter should be your last option because there is nothing fundamentally flawed about tech/IT. It is perhaps the most diverse of fields with more opportunities based purely on competence and regardless of formal education. If you can’t find your niche in IT then I think you will struggle in pretty much any other field.
I started my IT career at a bank help desk as well, but I came from dealing with retail sales at a cell phone store so I’ve been through the trenches. You just have to suck it up and deal with it. Please are people, work is challenging, this is what you get paid to do. Helpdesk can be a stepping stone into bigger things, or you’ll just be stuck in it for a very long time/real of your life. Embrace the challenge, soak up as much information that you can, understand WHY and HOW things work and interconnect, and dont be afraid to jump around if need be.
I personally think Finance/Banking IT isn’t terrible compared to some of sectors, but thats just me. If you are feeling that much anxiety and don’t want to deal with it then like others have said I think its time for you to revaluate and move on.
1) Helpdesk is a great stepping stone/entry level role that provides the opportunity for a solid understanding of a lot of IT fundamentals. The job and responsibilities themselves will vary widely from company to company.
2) It sounds like this *company* may not be good fit for you. Every company has a Karen or two (depending on size, of course), but if you have that many to support, the company obviously doesn’t have a very strong internal “culture” of mutual respect. Your boss is unable or unwilling to help. The stress is causing you to miss work and could end up causing even bigger issues down the line. This is coming from a guy who literally started therapy because of an abusive MSP job I had for barely a year. The mental health struggles you’re having right now are due to the company, not working in IT specifically.
3) Easy, low stress jobs in any industry pay accordingly. No one pays good money for low/no skill jobs. If that’s your ultimate goal by pursuing an IT career, you’re going to end up burnt out and disappointed, and it sounds like you’re already halfway to burnout.
not to nitpick but its a corporate job you will have growing pains since it is your first IT gig . build up your experience and move on, but no matter which area of It you go into will have to talk to people /vendors and not all of them will be pleasant
It can be way better than that lol please apply to other IT jobs.
Even with the state of the current job market you can land an interview and get out of that place
What time do you sleep? I work 7am-3:30pm, sleep between 9:30-10:30pm, wake up at 5am, arrive at work 20-25 mins early. Rinse repeat
Look elsewhere and land a HeavenDesk job. But don’t get stuck there too long. 3 years max and then move onto SysAdmin, Systems Engineer, etc. whatever your heart desires after. I’m personally in HeavenDesk studying for cloud.
What skill sets do you have to work a low stress job?
Haha that sounds like the bank help desk I work! Our help desk is high volume getting call after call just about all day and it sucks lol no way around it. Just try to hang in there as long as you can to grab some experience. Is your bank in the US?
This may be a strange question. But did you change your diet? Like eating more fast food? Maybe box dinners? Just a shot in the dark. Food can change your sleep pattern majorly including your new stress at work.
The biggest sign that you shouldn’t be in IT at all is that it took you a year to pass A+.
Welcome to IT work! I used to work for Fortune 500 bank myself, but not in a Help Desk…that environment was uber business like…had to wear a suit everyday even though I was a backoffice, non-customer facing, project manager.
Other industries are better…I am currently at a tech firm…it is so chilled and laid back. We wear shorts and flip flops to work…and we can work hybrid…anyway…my point is that it is more the industry than the job…