[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Network Admin Rant... (Page 1 of 5)
Posted: 1/8/2014 2:24:16 PM EDT
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To my boss (who likes being called "the CIO"), to my Application Developers, GIS Coordinators, PC Support Specialists, Help Desk answerers, DataBase Administrators, and non-IT coworkers...
I am an underpaid, over-tasked network administrator. Microsoft and every other software vender likes to refer to me as a "System Administrator". They like to pop-up messages in their applications when some fly in the ointment comes along, that read [paraphrased]... "we don't really know what the @#$% caused this glitch, and we don't really give a @#$% what caused it, so CONTACT YOUR SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR and let his sorry ass wheels spin on the issue for a while (DESPITE THE FACT THAT HE/SHE HAS NO FRIGGING POSSIBILITY OF BEING ABLE TO SOLVE AN ISSUE THAT WE -- the people who actually CREATED the software -- CANNOT SOLVE)". I install, maintain, trouble-shoot, and upgrade the network infrastructure to be able to handle the exponentially multiplying numbers of devices that you all want to be able to communicate across the LAN/WAN/WWW. Those devices range from routers, switches and wifi access points, to firewalls and filters. I do my best to make sure that your desktop tower PCs, laptops, netbooks, tablets, smart phones, copiers, printers, scanners, and myriad other network-capable wired and wireless devices call all communicate on this wonderful superhighway that you have all come to depend-on to the point that you curl-up into a ball and cry "armageddon" when any one of your countless toys fails to perform flawlessly on the network. I am NOT an @#$%ing expert on "everything with wires and electricity", every single wacky software app, database, and peripheral device known to man. I do NOT know how to set your iPad or iPhone up exactly the way you want it and train you on its every operation (because I don't freakin even OWN or USE one of the damn things). I do NOT know why your Oracle database is running slightly slower than it used to (because your network connection is NOT slower). I do NOT know where you must go to get all of that malware and viruses that you want ME to cure (despite the fact that I've NEVER caught a virus or malware in my 25ish years as a user of computers and as an IT professional). I do NOT know everything about that cheap-ass new multi-function printer/copier/scanner that you bought without even consulting me, and now you want me to learn it and then train your sorry, lame ass on how to run it. There are the same TWO network admins here to take care of a network that's grown from a few dozen nodes, to 3,000-5,000 nodes over the past 15 years. You've planned-for and hired ZERO additional network personnel to manage a workload that may be 100X what it used to be. You've budgeted VERY LITTLE money to actually TRAIN me and my co-hort on all of these magical systems that you've bought and dumped on us to install... many times without warning either of us that it was even going to happen. But by god you make sure there's budget money for you to go to your favorite hardware/software vendors' sales conferences and play golf and poker, and drink beer when them so they could sell you MORE sh#t that you will dump on us without warning and without training. You act as if your System Administrators should possess the knowledge of all the gods responsible for creating all the toys... but you want to pay us the same or less than all of your sorry asses who make a living passing the buck on to us in every conceivable way. You want me to "know everything about computer stuff"??? Then take a damn pay cut and chip-in part your under-earned salaries to compensate me in a manner equitable with my responsibilities. And I wouldn't mind seeing your sorry asses in various network closets and IT locations on any given weekend at 3AM when sh#t isn't working. But hey, I get it... passing every buck (except for the financial kind) that comes your way to your System Administrator is "HARD WORK" and you really shouldn't have to lift an ass-cheek to work after hours or ever actually leave the comfort of your chair. 
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hey, listen, i'm going for a latte with a couple of the hot secretaries -- meantime, could you fix my printer toner cartridge, and also see why the anti-virus pop up keeps, ya know, popping up? started after i brought my kid's USB key in so i could color laser print his school project. ps, i think the color printer is hosed up, i don't think i used the right lamination plastic in that thing, hopefully you can get that goo out. one more thing, ak47.net doesn't resolve correctly, nor does 4chan.org, can you sort that out? i think it's the DNS ARP table that interfaces with BGP through the API for the TOS, i had a class on that stuff once and i know my shit now. thanks man. ar-jedi  |
Dood... right this very minute I'm trying to make someone's new iPad Air print to his new HP photo/copier/fax/printer all-in-one (which I had to set up). And then I'm going to have to go to this guy's house and set it up there, and then train HIM on it. And he's EIGHTY-SOMETHING FREAKING YEARS OLD!!! I'm a @#$% @#$%&ING NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR... not a damn babysitter!!!
I'm SO friggin tired of this SH#T. I'm going to work at Home Depot and tell people which aisle the 2X4s are on. Pay sucks, but my brain will never even have to come out of standby mode. |
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OP, you are spot on. God forbid someone actually had to go to Google.com and figure out how to make an appointment in Outlook or create a pivot table in Excel. Screw that, call the Network guy, he knows about computers and stuff. FML  
I friggin do that ALL the time... user asks me some stupid-ass question and I bring-up Google and show them right there how I friggin figure most of this crap out. "How'd you get so smart about computers and stuff?" I friggin just FIGURED IT OUT!!! My first instinct wasn't to just pick up my phone and tell someone else to figure it out. EVERYONE ELSE in IT does that... so WHO IN THE HELL IS THE NETWORK ADMIN SUPPOSED TO CALL??? |
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To my boss (who likes being called "the CIO"), to my Application Developers, GIS Coordinators, PC Support Specialists, Help Desk answerers, DataBase Administrators, and non-IT coworkers... I am an underpaid, over-tasked network administrator. Microsoft and every other software vender likes to refer to me as a "System Administrator". They like to pop-up messages in their applications when some fly in the ointment comes along, that read [paraphrased]... "we don't really know what the @#$% caused this glitch, and we don't really give a @#$% what caused it, so CONTACT YOUR SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR and let his sorry ass wheels spin on the issue for a while (DESPITE THE FACT THAT HE/SHE HAS NO FRIGGING POSSIBILITY OF BEING ABLE TO SOLVE AN ISSUE THAT WE -- the people who actually CREATED the software -- CANNOT SOLVE)". I install, maintain, trouble-shoot, and upgrade the network infrastructure to be able to handle the exponentially multiplying numbers of devices that you all want to be able to communicate across the LAN/WAN/WWW. Those devices range from routers, switches and wifi access points, to firewalls and filters. I do my best to make sure that your desktop tower PCs, laptops, netbooks, tablets, smart phones, copiers, printers, scanners, and myriad other network-capable wired and wireless devices call all communicate on this wonderful superhighway that you have all come to depend-on to the point that you curl-up into a ball and cry "armageddon" when any one of your countless toys fails to perform flawlessly on the network. I am NOT an @#$%ing expert on "everything with wires and electricity", every single wacky software app, database, and peripheral device known to man. I do NOT know how to set your iPad or iPhone up exactly the way you want it and train you on its every operation (because I don't freakin even OWN or USE one of the damn things). I do NOT know why your Oracle database is running slightly slower than it used to (because your network connection is NOT slower). I do NOT know where you must go to get all of that malware and viruses that you want ME to cure (despite the fact that I've NEVER caught a virus or malware in my 25ish years as a user of computers and as an IT professional). I do NOT know everything about that cheap-ass new multi-function printer/copier/scanner that you bought without even consulting me, and now you want me to learn it and then train your sorry, lame ass on how to run it. There are the same TWO network admins here to take care of a network that's grown from a few dozen nodes, to 3,000-5,000 nodes over the past 15 years. You've planned-for and hired ZERO additional network personnel to manage a workload that may be 100X what it used to be. You've budgeted VERY LITTLE money to actually TRAIN me and my co-hort on all of these magical systems that you've bought and dumped on us to install... many times without warning either of us that it was even going to happen. But by god you make sure there's budget money for you to go to your favorite hardware/software vendors' sales conferences and play golf and poker, and drink beer when them so they could sell you MORE sh#t that you will dump on us without warning and without training. You act as if your System Administrators should possess the knowledge of all the gods responsible for creating all the toys... but you want to pay us the same or less than all of your sorry asses who make a living passing the buck on to us in every conceivable way. You want me to "know everything about computer stuff"??? Then take a damn pay cut and chip-in part your under-earned salaries to compensate me in a manner equitable with my responsibilities. And I wouldn't mind seeing your sorry asses in various network closets and IT locations on any given weekend at 3AM when sh#t isn't working. But hey, I get it... passing every buck (except for the financial kind) that comes your way to your System Administrator is "HARD WORK" and you really shouldn't have to lift an ass-cheek to work after hours or ever actually leave the comfort of your chair. You need some new "Certificates"
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Fortunately, where I work, they have a policy of hiring an IT person, for every 80 employees. So, it sucks if you have 159, but helps if you get 160. However, it is out of proportion now. We now have close 2000 IT, supporting 40K plus users. Good thing is that all of them are our employees and are on our network and we don't interact with outside clients or users.
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OP, you are spot on. God forbid someone actually had to go to Google.com and figure out how to make an appointment in Outlook or create a pivot table in Excel. Screw that, call the Network guy, he knows about computers and stuff. FML Yup. Replied to many of email with "Well if you go to Google and type in "how do i blank" this is the first response. My favorite was working for a engineering firm where one of their engineers had died unexpectedly. He had set up some logic controller and the software had a password on it. they looked at me like can you unlock this for us so we can change the logic controller? I was like Fuck if i know. have you tried calling the OEM? They looked at me like i had lost my mind and how dare i not know the password of a dead man who died 6 months before i even got there or know how to hack into some logic controller. |
I know that feel, bro, except I work for an IT office that services a shitload of clients. Network engineers/techs with network engineer/tech wages that are pretty much sysadmins for X amount of companies and their employees. We have to do EVERYTHING. Hell, the project I'm working on now is 100% outside of the scope of my office and has absolutely nothing to do with IT. However, I enjoy getting paid, so I do it.  |
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Dood... right this very minute I'm trying to make someone's new iPad Air print to his new HP photo/copier/fax/printer all-in-one (which I had to set up). And then I'm going to have to go to this guy's house and set it up there, and then train HIM on it. And he's EIGHTY-SOMETHING FREAKING YEARS OLD!!! I'm a @#$% @#$%&ING NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR... not a damn babysitter!!!
I'm SO friggin tired of this SH#T. I'm going to work at Home Depot and tell people which aisle the 2X4s are on. Pay sucks, but my brain will never even have to come out of standby mode. Is this in your job description? Is there ticketing system for this? I would keep a record of every single issue that should not be yours and give it to your CIO. You need to be compensated or they need to hire relief. I would also make sure that any new system that gets purchased include training for you and your counterpart. I would also push to start attending conferences so you can help them make educated decisions. |
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Choke yourself. That's a whole other layer of bullshit you're talking about. Quoted:
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OP, please do the needful. Choke yourself. That's a whole other layer of bullshit you're talking about. 
You have no idea the fit of rage I have when I see that at the end of an email. |
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<-- Cisco voice guy Them: "Hey, earlier while on a con call, it sounded like a bad cell phone call there for a second" Me: "Sounds like a network problem. Talk to Red_Label. I can transfer you to him, if you'd like. Hold on" (Resume surfing arfcom) Nice. Now I know my track in life. 
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Quoted: Nice. Now I know my track in life. Quoted: Quoted: <-- Cisco voice guy Them: "Hey, earlier while on a con call, it sounded like a bad cell phone call there for a second" Me: "Sounds like a network problem. Talk to Red_Label. I can transfer you to him, if you'd like. Hold on" (Resume surfing arfcom) Nice. Now I know my track in life. |
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Lol, I get your pain. At the same time as a developer, I can tell you the shoe is very often on the other foot. The hours I've spent diagnosing client issue that are the direct result of poor decisions by their network admins is staggering. Hell yes. This. |
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It's the shiznit, I'm telling you. Quoted:
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<-- Cisco voice guy Them: "Hey, earlier while on a con call, it sounded like a bad cell phone call there for a second" Me: "Sounds like a network problem. Talk to Red_Label. I can transfer you to him, if you'd like. Hold on" (Resume surfing arfcom) Nice. Now I know my track in life. Cripes... you've gone and reminded me about all the VOIP shit that has been dumped on us!!! And our "telecom" guy doesnt have a clue. So hundreds of phones are our baby too. (And we've had ZERO training in that either too of course.) Sometimes I feel like such a LUCKY sumbitch. |
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Cripes... you've gone and reminded me about all the VOIP shit that has been dumped on us!!! And our "telecom" guy doesnt have a clue. So hundreds of phones are our baby too. (And we've had ZERO training in that either too of course.) Sometimes I feel like such a LUCKY sumbitch. Quoted:
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<-- Cisco voice guy Them: "Hey, earlier while on a con call, it sounded like a bad cell phone call there for a second" Me: "Sounds like a network problem. Talk to Red_Label. I can transfer you to him, if you'd like. Hold on" (Resume surfing arfcom) Nice. Now I know my track in life. Cripes... you've gone and reminded me about all the VOIP shit that has been dumped on us!!! And our "telecom" guy doesnt have a clue. So hundreds of phones are our baby too. (And we've had ZERO training in that either too of course.) Sometimes I feel like such a LUCKY sumbitch. I'd rather figure out stuff I don't know than sit around bored out of my mind doing easy crap work, to be honest. |
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Hell yes. This. Quoted:
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Lol, I get your pain. At the same time as a developer, I can tell you the shoe is very often on the other foot. The hours I've spent diagnosing client issue that are the direct result of poor decisions by their network admins is staggering. Hell yes. This. That may your case, but where I work the DBAs and developers outnumber us 3 to 1 and are almost worthless. |
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It's the shiznit, I'm telling you. Quoted:
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<-- Cisco voice guy Them: "Hey, earlier while on a con call, it sounded like a bad cell phone call there for a second" Me: "Sounds like a network problem. Talk to Red_Label. I can transfer you to him, if you'd like. Hold on" (Resume surfing arfcom) Nice. Now I know my track in life. I don't think I'd want to do IT as part of a corporation. How is the world of contracting? |
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Quoted: Cripes... you've gone and reminded me about all the VOIP shit that has been dumped on us!!! And our "telecom" guy doesnt have a clue. So hundreds of phones are our baby too. (And we've had ZERO training in that either too of course.) Sometimes I feel like such a LUCKY sumbitch. That said, specialization does come into play. I'm not super good with the more esoteric side of routing, switching and security, for example. Can't do it all. It's easier to teach a network engineer voice, than it is to teach an old school PBX guy networking. Here's what I really love about what I do: Most straight route/switch guys HATE voice. HATE IT. So much so, that there's a shortage of people who are actually good at it. And that's good news for me, and my paycheck.
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Quoted: Dood... right this very minute I'm trying to make someone's new iPad Air print to his new HP photo/copier/fax/printer all-in-one (which I had to set up). And then I'm going to have to go to this guy's house and set it up there, and then train HIM on it. And he's EIGHTY-SOMETHING FREAKING YEARS OLD!!! I'm a @#$% @#$%&ING NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR... not a damn babysitter!!! I'm SO friggin tired of this SH#T. I'm going to work at Home Depot and tell people which aisle the 2X4s are on. Pay sucks, but my brain will never even have to come out of standby mode.  |
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It's not that way everywhere. People with marketable skills and a good work ethic have no problem finding new employment if they so desire in my neck of the woods.
Maybe you should start looking for a new gig. You have a job and if you have some unique skills you can be somewhat picky. |
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I friggin do that ALL the time... user asks me some stupid-ass question and I bring-up Google and show them right there how I friggin figure most of this crap out. "How'd you get so smart about computers and stuff?" I friggin just FIGURED IT OUT!!! My first instinct wasn't to just pick up my phone and tell someone else to figure it out. EVERYONE ELSE in IT does that... so WHO IN THE HELL IS THE NETWORK ADMIN SUPPOSED TO CALL??? Quoted:
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OP, you are spot on. God forbid someone actually had to go to Google.com and figure out how to make an appointment in Outlook or create a pivot table in Excel. Screw that, call the Network guy, he knows about computers and stuff. FML
I friggin do that ALL the time... user asks me some stupid-ass question and I bring-up Google and show them right there how I friggin figure most of this crap out. "How'd you get so smart about computers and stuff?" I friggin just FIGURED IT OUT!!! My first instinct wasn't to just pick up my phone and tell someone else to figure it out. EVERYONE ELSE in IT does that... so WHO IN THE HELL IS THE NETWORK ADMIN SUPPOSED TO CALL??? The Helpk Desk Duh.
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I friggin do that ALL the time... user asks me some stupid-ass question and I bring-up Google and show them right there how I friggin figure most of this crap out. "How'd you get so smart about computers and stuff?" I friggin just FIGURED IT OUT!!! My first instinct wasn't to just pick up my phone and tell someone else to figure it out. EVERYONE ELSE in IT does that... so WHO IN THE HELL IS THE NETWORK ADMIN SUPPOSED TO CALL??? Quoted:
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OP, you are spot on. God forbid someone actually had to go to Google.com and figure out how to make an appointment in Outlook or create a pivot table in Excel. Screw that, call the Network guy, he knows about computers and stuff. FML
I friggin do that ALL the time... user asks me some stupid-ass question and I bring-up Google and show them right there how I friggin figure most of this crap out. "How'd you get so smart about computers and stuff?" I friggin just FIGURED IT OUT!!! My first instinct wasn't to just pick up my phone and tell someone else to figure it out. EVERYONE ELSE in IT does that... so WHO IN THE HELL IS THE NETWORK ADMIN SUPPOSED TO CALL??? http://www.lmgtfy.com I have enjoyed the rage that I have created from sending coworkers the link that website spits out. |
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Yup. Replied to many of email with "Well if you go to Google and type in "how do i blank" this is the first response. My favorite was working for a engineering firm where one of their engineers had died unexpectedly. He had set up some logic controller and the software had a password on it. they looked at me like can you unlock this for us so we can change the logic controller? I was like Fuck if i know. have you tried calling the OEM? They looked at me like i had lost my mind and how dare i not know the password of a dead man who died 6 months before i even got there or know how to hack into some logic controller. Quoted:
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OP, you are spot on. God forbid someone actually had to go to Google.com and figure out how to make an appointment in Outlook or create a pivot table in Excel. Screw that, call the Network guy, he knows about computers and stuff. FML Yup. Replied to many of email with "Well if you go to Google and type in "how do i blank" this is the first response. My favorite was working for a engineering firm where one of their engineers had died unexpectedly. He had set up some logic controller and the software had a password on it. they looked at me like can you unlock this for us so we can change the logic controller? I was like Fuck if i know. have you tried calling the OEM? They looked at me like i had lost my mind and how dare i not know the password of a dead man who died 6 months before i even got there or know how to hack into some logic controller. Can't you just look it up on the server? 
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You have no idea the fit of rage I have when I see that at the end of an email. Quoted:
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OP, please do the needful. Choke yourself. That's a whole other layer of bullshit you're talking about.
You have no idea the fit of rage I have when I see that at the end of an email. I managed call centers in Gurgaon and Mumbai. I have an idea. |
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Is this in your job description? Is there ticketing system for this? I would keep a record of every single issue that should not be yours and give it to your CIO. You need to be compensated or they need to hire relief. I would also make sure that any new system that gets purchased include training for you and your counterpart. I would also push to start attending conferences so you can help them make educated decisions. Quoted:
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Dood... right this very minute I'm trying to make someone's new iPad Air print to his new HP photo/copier/fax/printer all-in-one (which I had to set up). And then I'm going to have to go to this guy's house and set it up there, and then train HIM on it. And he's EIGHTY-SOMETHING FREAKING YEARS OLD!!! I'm a @#$% @#$%&ING NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR... not a damn babysitter!!!
I'm SO friggin tired of this SH#T. I'm going to work at Home Depot and tell people which aisle the 2X4s are on. Pay sucks, but my brain will never even have to come out of standby mode. Is this in your job description? Is there ticketing system for this? I would keep a record of every single issue that should not be yours and give it to your CIO. You need to be compensated or they need to hire relief. I would also make sure that any new system that gets purchased include training for you and your counterpart. I would also push to start attending conferences so you can help them make educated decisions. CIO will say "Thanks. We know you do a lot of extra stuff and we appreciate it, really. Hey, by the way, we need you in for Saturday and Sunday to catch up on all of the stuff you should have been doing when you were doing all that extra stuff and stuff. KTHXBYE." |
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CIO will say "Thanks. We know you do a lot of extra stuff and we appreciate it, really. Hey, by the way, we need you in for Saturday and Sunday to catch up on all of the stuff you should have been doing when you were doing all that extra stuff and stuff. KTHXBYE." Quoted:
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Dood... right this very minute I'm trying to make someone's new iPad Air print to his new HP photo/copier/fax/printer all-in-one (which I had to set up). And then I'm going to have to go to this guy's house and set it up there, and then train HIM on it. And he's EIGHTY-SOMETHING FREAKING YEARS OLD!!! I'm a @#$% @#$%&ING NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR... not a damn babysitter!!!
I'm SO friggin tired of this SH#T. I'm going to work at Home Depot and tell people which aisle the 2X4s are on. Pay sucks, but my brain will never even have to come out of standby mode. Is this in your job description? Is there ticketing system for this? I would keep a record of every single issue that should not be yours and give it to your CIO. You need to be compensated or they need to hire relief. I would also make sure that any new system that gets purchased include training for you and your counterpart. I would also push to start attending conferences so you can help them make educated decisions. CIO will say "Thanks. We know you do a lot of extra stuff and we appreciate it, really. Hey, by the way, we need you in for Saturday and Sunday to catch up on all of the stuff you should have been doing when you were doing all that extra stuff and stuff. KTHXBYE." This thread makes me happy to know others suffer as well. |
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I managed call centers in Gurgaon and Mumbai. I have an idea. Quoted:
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OP, please do the needful. Choke yourself. That's a whole other layer of bullshit you're talking about.
You have no idea the fit of rage I have when I see that at the end of an email. I managed call centers in Gurgaon and Mumbai. I have an idea. I'm sorry. I have three on my staff that are *supposedly* the same level as my US-based engineers and architects. They are not but communications are, shall we say, festive. |