Job thread

[Yegolev]

Got the Security+, pile of horseshit that it is.  Still looking for a job, though.

[Rasix]

What's the general process for obtaining that? I've really never chased certs, but I'm looking to add some as well as just some more in depth technical knowledge on the network/security side of things.

Got my review yesterday.  Score finally matched their rhetoric about my performance.  And.. uhh.. I have a 1 on 1 with a VP on Tuesday.  This will be interesting.

edit: Ohh, I guess I shouldn't be optimistic.  Apparently the massive restructuring is happening next week.  Or whatever.   I just hope it happens before I sign the contract on my house construction.

[RhyssaFireheart]

So you know when companies say that you aren't a fit for a position but they'll hold on to your resume?  Apparently, a bank the husband applied at months ago did just that, and contacted him yesterday asking if he was interested in this other position they had open.  Which surprised him but hey, go for it.

Because he needs a job bad.  We are seriously looking into what's involved in declaring bankruptcy.  Anyone feel like sending me copious amounts of money, I'll be open to the prospect.  Heck, I'll even send you a painting in appreciation.

[Paelos]

I hit that point once. That's why I took the job as a caddy. If I ever hit that point again where the market was complete garbage I'd probably do that again. Or delivery pizzas. I have very little pride if things turn.

Good luck in getting the job. It's never fun to worry about having enough to live.

[RhyssaFireheart]

Thanks, Paelos.

Thing is, my salary covers the important stuff like the mortgage, utilities, his car payment (done in June - YAY!), and some credit cards we definitely want to keep paid.  We kept up all our other CC payments until about 3-4 months ago and then couldn't, so now we're getting to the point where we're getting calls.AmEx is being the most dickish right now.  Scariest things is he did a summary of all our debt and... like how do you even amass that much total?  I get that this is 20+ years in the making but geez...

Banking is one of those industries that still does a credit check as part of the job process and right now, ours is shot.  We can explain it of course, but it doesn't look good either.  Just hoping something pans out for him soon.

[Yegolev]

What's the general process for obtaining that? I've really never chased certs, but I'm looking to add some as well as just some more in depth technical knowledge on the network/security side of things.

The CompTIA web site will let you pay for online training, which is very cheap when you compare it to most paid training courses.  I found that the training course did not completely prepare me for the test as it advertised, so I'd suggest making sure that you know how to configure WAPs and other office-network-workstation-support tasks before you jump into it.  Testing is done by PearsonVue; they also do the SLES cert tests.

The only postings that I have ever seen requiring this are government ones.  Which, now that I've done all of this work, are off the table since my wife has decided that I can't spend any amount of time working elsewhere.  Then she wants to know what else besides US government work I can do that will guarantee I won't be laid off.

[Merusk]

Own your own business. You're guaranteed to not be laid-off until the place shuts down! 

[Phildo]

CompTIA has a mobile study app called Certmaster that I've found pretty useful for other exams, too.  Again, not complete preparation, but being able to casually study while on lunch breaks helped me out a lot.

[Sky]

I got my training for Security+ through the NYS DoL, but it was a joke. I don't use enterprise-level networking or security and just a few books were all I needed to ace it.

I recommend taking lots of practice tests, though. I devoured them, and most were tougher than the actual test.

I do like the newer tests with the applets that let you actually carry out tasks, that would've been so much easier imo.

[Yegolev]

It does sound easier, but that RHEL exam was a killer.  You have a virtual machine and a set of instructions.  The SLES basic test (CLA) was multiple-choice, but the CLP exam is also a practicum.

[Sky]

I don't do linux, really; but my strength is in figuring how to do things on pretty much anything that is set in front of me. I get all kinds of things here at the library, it's not a specialized role, for sure. One day I had to work on a Win98 computer and then a Win8.1 (which I hadn't ever used prior). I could hear the back of my brain screeching while trying to remember Win98 work flows.

Unfortunately, my, erm unique set of skills, is tough to quantify when job hunting without a degree (or certs now that CompTIA decided to kill them after 3 years).

I also wish they'd print your score on the cards they give you, make acing the exam worth something.

[Chimpy]

CompTIA removed the "lifetime" certs to try and regain legitimacy. They are a body that only gets revenue through their tests. The vendor specific tests (MS, Cisco, RHEL, VMware, etc) are what employers really seem to look for and a lot of those you can't really pass if you don't have the general stuff that most of the CompTIA tests cover. And a lot of them are cheaper too (unless you do a training course).

[Phildo]

That's pretty much exactly why I'm doing CompTIA stuff right now.  I looked at some of the Cisco books, went "what the fuck" over some of the prerequisite knowledge and decided to start at the beginning.

[Chimpy]

If you are looking to get basic stuff as well as more advanced, you might look at the MS certs (I think they went back to the old naming scheme so I think it would be MCSA), their training materials cover pretty much everything that Network+ does in terms of basic networking as well as the Windows specific stuff.

[Cheddar]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ypyvcfnu4Gg

This latest layoff shoulda impacted me, but due to pure luck I slid by.  From what I gathered it was "bad."

And totally had no idea it was incoming.  I cannot stress enough how important it is to get debt free.  Extra motivated now!

[Yegolev]

*scribbles notes about applying to Verizon*

[Mithas]

Any other IT folk out there ever been a sysadmin remotely? I got offered a job where the office is 1400 miles away. I know the VP of IT and he thinks that it can be done but it makes me a little nervous. I'd never go into the office (maybe quarterly if that). I'm a little worried about doing the job and also since no one knows who I am, you can't really fit in or find out what the company culture is like. It's a pretty big jump up in pay, I'd have more responsibility, and I think it is a good opportunity. I like my current job just fine, but I can't work from home at all. Not sure what to do.

[Merusk]

What's the scope of the sysadmin responsibilities? Is it a large enough company that has a real division of labor where 'sysadmin' is a title not the actual role and you'll still be doing helpdesk. Our network/ sysadmin admin could do his whole job remotely. He's not pulling wires and we don't have to alter anything at the switches or server enough to *really* justify being at the office.

Hell, last summer I was even on the golf course with him and saw him reconfigure things for the Mac users from his Android when there was a problem.

We're about to expand into NYC and that will all be handled remotely. The only difficulty will come if there's a physical problem and those don't happen enough to justify having someone on-site at all times. We'll fly him out if things ever get that fucked or a switch or server blade needs to be replaced at the location. Wiring and cabling is all outsourced.

So, yeah, from what I've seen it can totally be done. You're right to worry that you won't integrate into the company. You'll be a faceless name that can be replaced on a whim if shit goes South. I've always thought sysadmins liked being faceless, though, and a bump in pay and responsibility is a good thing for your career.

[Chimpy]

If you are only dealing with server ops kind of stuff, doing things remotely is pretty much what The job entails even if you work in the office these days. Since just about everyone is heavily virtualized these days, your time is almost entirely spent working with remote tools. I can do a lot of my job from home just as well as I can from the office in an RDP window.

[Lantyssa]

Yep, remote here.  It really matters what the job entails, but if there are any other IT people in the company at all then it's probably not an issue.

Servers have ILO consoles (HP) or equivalent that let you do everything but plug in a power cord.  Virtualization lets you configure and reboot servers as needed.  Then if it's a more traditional sysadmin job where you're just configuring the OS with months of up-time you can do that from anywhere you can get access to a shell.

Now if you're the only IT person and the people you have to rely on to do simple things like plug in a power cord are complete morons, then gods help you, as you're fucked.

[Bunk]

So I work for the customer support department of a medium sized software company that's owned by a Mega Evil Empire company. I currently hold one of three positions with a made up title, that's basically low level management without direct reports. Essentially the staff have managers they report to and us - the guys who manage what they do on the fly. Sounds crazy, but it works.

Recently it was revealed that a new group is being formed in the department - kind of a white glove, coaching role. It also came out that there will be a new manager for this group. I promptly submitted my resume for the spot.

Yesterday, yearly reviews came in and I got a nice raise and some other bonuses, along with a speech about how awesomely suited I was to my current position, and how I'm practically a manager (but not). What I haven't figured out is if my manager is trying to talk me out of applying for the new position because he doesn't want me to leave my current one, or if he's just being nice and trying to lessen the disappointment when I don't get it.

My problem is that I can't figure out if I really want the new position for what it is, or just for the title. Part of me is saying stay put and just use it to leverage a bit more power out of my current position, but the other part knows this will likely be the only management opening in the next few years. I'm damn good at what I do right now (other than the fact I'm writing this when I should be working) but pride always kicks in when it comes to this sort of thing with me. Yay decisions.

[Mithas]

I'd be the only sysadmin. They have three helpdesk people but I have no idea what their skill level is. I almost never go into the server room here either, but sometimes it's nice to be in front of something when you are troubleshooting it.

I think I'm mostly hesitant because change gives me anxiety. Plus I don't like to travel, so if I had to fly out there too frequently I know I'd hate it.

[Hammond]

If you are the only sysadmin working remote can be a bitch if the onsite people are totally clueless. Flying out to fix something that is just mis-wired gets old very quick.. I would probably not take the job if that is the situation that you are going to get yourself into.

[Yegolev]

Work remotely.

1. You're already working remotely unless you are doing datacenter ops.  The only difference is distance: five feet, three hundred feet, eight miles, 1200 miles?  All the same unless you're a cable monkey.
2. Working from home does have the drawbacks you have mentioned, but these are heavily outweighed by the incredible convenience.
3. Less wear and cost on transportation, good for the environment, and very little chance of being run over by another driver.
4. The only time it's nice to be in front of something you are working on is if it is 1997.

CABLE MONKEY CLAUSE: Are you responsible for anything physical?  That will be a determinant.  On the other hand, who cares?  I'd say if you are being hired for remote work, management either has an operator on site or they are OK with waiting for you to drive in.  The actual responsibility is key.  Ultimately, if you won't be blamed for physical issues then do the remote.

I'll again disclaim that I worked for large corps with not-very-halfass IT organizations, so YMMV.

Bunk, your question reads to me as "What do I want to do with my career?" which I cannot give any advice on.  I might suggest going for it if you think you ever might want to do it, based on your comment that this is a rare chance.  I've passed up enough opportunities in my career that I'm wary of doing so again.

Related to that, timing is the demon in my world.  I think it was last Friday or Monday that I realized I could just go buy some AWS time and get experience on it.  I was planning on doing that this week, at least instantiating a VM if nothing else, but there were some snowflakes on Tuesday and all of the schools are shut down, meaning my wife and son were monopolizing my time (which is fair enough since I do not have a job).  Today, Dropbox goes down for a few minutes and my wife calls me saying this is apparently the ONE DAY she needed it to work and now it's time to burn down their homes over this transgression.  I told her that it was too bad I'd not set up that AWS VM or she could use that.

Things are slow in Openstack & AWS for me, but maybe once I get this health insurance taken care of, I'll be able to concentrate on those projects.  Does anyone here work with either of those techs?

[Trippy]

Yes.

[Ironwood]

Yup.

[Merusk]

So we're opening a new office in NYC next week.  The switches, server, etc were here for 2 1/2 weeks and the netadmin didn't start setting them up until last Friday. Guess what, he's only a few years out of school and fucked them up. Yesterday they couldn't get anything working so we had to hire 2 consultants to come in. They said everything was fucked and took a full day to reconfigure and get them running. In the middle of this sysadmin's daughter "got sick" and he took off. He's out today, and we're taking bets that he'll not be able to leave for NYC tomorrow, or will beg to come back early instead of staying the full week.

This is a pattern of behavior with him that my boss hasn't recognized. He or a family member will be 'sick' 2-3 days before a trip, so he's OOO the whole lead-up. The day before there's always a great story about how this kid or that one is feeling bad, or some melodramatic "I've got a massive headache today" speech from him. Then the next day - surprise - he's out. 

Combine that with his unwillingness to take care of helpdesk when that person is out and do print services at all and we're all about fed-up with him. Yes, we manage print services, too. They are a BIG deal in a design firm and part of why we have such a large dept. (6 people for 220 users) is because we also handle them.

This project will make or break my boss in his quest to be VP. I'm hoping he'll wake-up and realize but it may be time to have a sit-down with him and see why he's been ignoring or ignorant of this behavior.  Yay small group politics.

[Mithas]

Sounds like he has anxiety of some sort and is bailing out of trips. Fear of flying or something? That is one of my hold ups with taking my new job.

[Merusk]

Possibly. He hates large crowds and avoids any of the company social gatherings.

However, we think it's his wife. She's very domineering and entitled. She - unabashedly - tells my boss, "you're not paying him enough. When's his raise." any time she sees him.

She also complains and texts him constantly any time he has to work longer than the usual 'office hours,' which is ALSO pretty typical for a design firm. "Office hours" are just when you're guaranteed to find the majority are here.  We've got to run support from 7:30 until 6:30 to cover people and even then I and my boss are on-call 24/7 because sometimes deadlines keep people here until 2 or 3AM and there might be problems.

[schild]

REMOTE OR DEATH

The next office I'm working in I'm going to be fucking running. Fuck offices.

[Yegolev]

Few bites until today, when I get three serious contacts in one day.  One of these is for Google.com Engineering.  I'm not sure where that will end up, but I'm going to find out soon enough.

[Miasma]

They released pictures of what would be a light side looking but actually evil-at-its core campus today so try for that.  Just memorize where the fire exits are and have a bug-out bag so that when the rebels or self-aware cars/drones attack you are already halfway to the hidden kayak you have stashed near the ocean to make good your escape.



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[ezrast]

Not pictured: Morlocks.

[Abagadro]

Not pictured: Morlocks.

Winner.

[Merusk]

Very little about that rendering doesn't make me laugh.  Fucking designers.