I hate my career

[Rawwr]

When I was a nerdy teenager, I thought having a career in IT would be awesome. Fifteen years later and now I spend my days, sat at my desk wondering whether or not it's possible to top myself using only an air-duster. The term 'going postal' originated from the psychotic rage witnessed in several incidents during the 1980s when US postal workers had a bit of a tendency to go on killing sprees, put down partly due to the tedium of their work.

I'm quite surprised the noughties hasn't seen the colloquial introduction of 'going full nerd'.

I'm hoping it's not too late for me.

[Fartgalen]

24 years and getting worse.
I'm considering stacking shelves at the local supermarket.

[andy400]

18 years and I'm pretty fed up with mine. I can't work out whether the organisation has changed in my time with it, or whether life is just gets more dull the further up the ladder one gets. Bit of both, I suspect.

Still, they're kicking me out in Dec 11, so I'll get the chance to do something else!

[Eric Mc]

There's always accountancy

[iAlex]

Fartgalen said:

24 years and getting worse.
I'm considering stacking shelves at the local supermarket.

Boring job and a Viper - or giving it up for something you enjoy.

I imagine that would be a tough call!?

[N Dentressangle]

Rawwr said:

When I was a nerdy teenager, I thought having a career in IT would be awesome.

What a bizarre thing to think. Since when was IT ever glamorous? You didn't think 'Weird Science' was a documentary, did you?

Go for the career change - plan it carefully, and try to be realistic about your strengths and weaknesses. The 'right time' is always now

[Fartgalen]

iAlex said:

Fartgalen said:

24 years and getting worse.
I'm considering stacking shelves at the local supermarket.

Boring job and a Viper - or giving it up for something you enjoy.

I imagine that would be a tough call!?

I could stack shelves and drive the Viper to work.

[funkyrobot]

I based my education around IT, and now work in Information Systems. I've been at my present company for just over two years. I really enjoy the people element of my work but struggle with the technical. I would like to move into a career where i'm working with people more. This may sound odd from an IT person, but i'm so much better with people than computers. Weird eh!

I used to enjoy computers, but they annoy me now

[Rawwr]

A lex said:

Did somebody else watch Falling Down on ITV last night as well then?

Not last night but I often think I'm capable of ending up in a similar situation

Obviously, I leave stuff like that off my CV.

[Biker's Nemesis]

Have a wk and a Kit Kat.

[spandexx]

I feel your pain. It turns out IT Monkey is a thankless and stty vocation where hard work and quality results are ignored and every little hiccup and issue with kit and software you have nothing to do with is all your fault. I may just be st at it. I would love to jack it in, but what else is there to do?

[iAlex]

Fartgalen said:

iAlex said:

Fartgalen said:

24 years and getting worse.
I'm considering stacking shelves at the local supermarket.

Boring job and a Viper - or giving it up for something you enjoy.

I imagine that would be a tough call!?

I could stack shelves and drive the Viper to work.

If you've got yourself into that enviable position then the world's your oyster I guess.

I know that if I gave up my job to stack shelves then the car and many of the other luxuries in life would have to be knocked on the head.

[maxrider]

Fartgalen said:

24 years and getting worse.
I'm considering stacking shelves at the local supermarket.

Snap! I.T. is driving me fking mad! Like writing lines and lines of code then trying to find a single character in it that's causing it to not run properly...

Compounded by the legions of moronic users that come up with gems like "it's not working", really? WHAT isn't working you tt? Do you also go to the doctor and just say "I'm ill" then expect him to work out exactly what's up with you?

Or the "I've had a message" ones. Ok then what does it say? "oh it's gone now"

I'd love to do something else but at 48 I think I'm stuck with the bd now

[CHIEF]

I've been in manufacturing for 17 years first as a storeman than a purchasing manager. Now that is a thankless job. We've soldiered on for years putting up with higher taxation and government bureaucracy.

The final nail is i've been on short time every year for the last 3 years so money wise its been crap.

If anyone knows of any jobs for buyers then give me a shout.

[Scraggles]

work on site in risk assessment, so different place most days, ie each day is different

not been to the office since april ? not planning to go there for a long time as not really need to

so glad that not work in IT or would hate to use computers in the evening

[maxrider]

spandexx said:

IT Monkey is a thankless and stty vocation where hard work and quality results are ignored and every little hiccup and issue with kit and software you have nothing to do with is all your fault.

This is so true, I get sick of being expected to know everything about everything, and of course every piece of third party software I buy I'm supposed to be an expert on.

It's like expecting your GP to do be able to do open heart surgery, but 'they' don't see it like that, you're the IT guy, you must know it all.

[Bolognese]

funkyrobot said:

I based my education around IT, and now work in Information Systems. I've been at my present company for just over two years. I really enjoy the people element of my work but struggle with the technical. I would like to move into a career where i'm working with people more. This may sound odd from an IT person, but i'm so much better with people than computers. Weird eh!

I used to enjoy computers, but they annoy me now

Same here. I used to really enjoy computers, now they just get on my nerves.

Been in IT for about 8 years now and Im like you - enjoy the people side of things and would love to get a job thats more about that and less about rebooting PC's!

[spandexx]

maxrider said:

spandexx said:

IT Monkey is a thankless and stty vocation where hard work and quality results are ignored and every little hiccup and issue with kit and software you have nothing to do with is all your fault.

This is so true, I get sick of being expected to know everything about everything, and of course every piece of third party software I buy I'm supposed to be an expert on.

It's like expecting your GP to do be able to do open heart surgery, but 'they' don't see it like that, you're the IT guy, you must know it all.

I think the attitude is if it has a plug on the end of it then you can fix it, and should dam well fix it quickly and for free because it is your fault it is bust. Users expect us to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of not only every computer package ever written, but also intimate knowledge of every phone, telly, CCTV system, sat nav, car, bespoke custom app for obscure one manufacturer recycling machines with a German language only interface, etc, etc.

If anyone asks what I do for a living I say Site Manager. It is my job title but it is generic enough to mean anything. The moment anyone learns you know about computers the questions come...

[V8mate]

Rawwr said:

A lex said:

Did somebody else watch Falling Down on ITV last night as well then?

Not last night but I often think I'm capable of ending up in a similar situation

Me too. We're damn lucky to live in a country where I can't buy military hardware in Waitrose along with my organic vegetables.

[Neil H]

You're not alone. There are millions of disillusioned workers in this country. In fact I don't know a single person who likes their job. The only people who seem to get satisfaction from their work are people who are either incredibly dull and enjoy tedious work, those who work for themselves or those who have 'hobby' jobs (F1 mechanic?).

I think a lot of it is due to the shift in this country from manufacturing towards service industries, where most jobs now are tedious and unfulfilling. Back in the day someone with no qualifications could have been an apprentice, learned a trade and felt some satisfcation from learning a skill. Nowadays the best they can hope for is a minimum wage job frying hamburgers, or selling mobile phones.