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theperminator posted:How many printers do you have that it's someones fulltime job? I'm looking for perspective. As the low man on the totem pole, is it common to have to work frequent 12+ hour days and frequent 12-day work weeks? I'm a field tech, and I'm glad to have a career path job at my age, but this is brutal.
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Feb 6, 2015 06:58
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Che Delilas posted:Perspective: you're insane for putting up with it and you're damaging your life and the lives of the people you work with and the people who will come after you by allowing management to think this is in any way acceptable. That's what I was thinking, but this is the only grown-up job I've had, and I've been conditioned by working overtime literally every week since I can remember. The 12-hour days are "just" once every couple of weeks. The 12-day weeks are because the on-call rotation puts one of us on every weekend, and while we used to get the day off after our rotation is over, we don't anymore. So we work M-F, at least a half day each Sat and Sun, then another M-F. It's a shame, because I just became a full-time employee instead of contract, but you're right, I should probably start looking elsewhere in the time not dedicated to work or school They billed this job to me as an 8-5 when I started, too. Edit: blogpost, but as soon as I posted this I find that I'm doing my second 12-hour in a row, and once my coworker quits next week, every week will be 12 days. gently caress this noise, now the only question is if I should ask my supervisor for special permission to look at internal postings or just look elsewhere. She isn't a bad boss, it's just that we've been pretty consistently understaffed by corporate for our workload. 22 Eargesplitten fucked around with this message at 16:19 on Feb 6, 2015 |
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Feb 6, 2015 16:02
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Bob Morales posted:gently caress personal printers. The last place I was at did that. 20 different printers (depending on when they bought them), 20 different toners, they wouldn't let anyone but IT change toners (regular users are too stupid to do it). They had to have had 100 printers in that company for 250 people. loving nightmare. And they used refurb toners that are absolute poo poo because they are cheap fucks and maybe the guy who owns the toner refill company blows the IT manager. Who knows... They buy the printers from the toner place as well. Talk about getting hosed in the rear end. Half of my calls are for printers, and half of those are for fusers. I swear, it is a rarity for a Lexmark fuser to hit its projected lifespan.
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Feb 6, 2015 17:09
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I do get OT, but with the increased work load I'll be seeing once our fourth guy leaves, I'll be looking at 80 hours combined work and school at least. I'm going to request some days off in the next few weeks and dedicate them to job hunting.
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Feb 6, 2015 17:39
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lampey posted:In CA working for more than 8 hours in a day is overtime. If you are working this much overtime the business needs to hire more people for multiple reasons. Do you have the option to not work any overtime and just tell people you will help them on the next business day? Not really, it was a miracle my boss didn't make me take two more tickets after my 13 hour day yesterday. We've always been understaffed. I think it's because the people doing bean-counting see our call volume and think it's fine, but they don't realize that our calls are frequently an hour + drive apart. I regularly make a 3 hour drive each way for two of my sites. It's funny, we lost our biggest contract because the parts weren't available and we had too many tickets for our number of employees nationwide, but they really haven't learned anything. I'll make sure to use words like crushed and nervous breakdown when I ask for access to the internal job postings. Should be even more effective since I'm actually being seen and medicated for an anxiety disorder.
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Feb 6, 2015 22:56
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Usually 5-10 hours of overtime, but I see that going up when we go from 4 people in my region to 3. Although hopefully not for long. I already found three jobs to apply for today. Mostly Denver, which I would prefer not to work in, but I'll take it over staying with this position.
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Feb 7, 2015 00:02
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Ask me about installing a gigantic UPS on a two-post rack (actually don't, I don't want to re-live it).
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Feb 8, 2015 04:35
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I had the weirdest thing happen at work today. I had installed a new hard drive and PC last week because the hard drive on this machine was bad and the tower itself was EOL. The touchscreen attached also had an inverted y-axis, so I called in to our helpdesk to get them to start calibration. For some reason they lock calibration behind administrator logins, and I don't have that login, they're probably afraid I'm going to set desktops to goatse or something. Anyway, we recalibrate the screen, it works fine, but as soon as we reboot the machine, it won't finish booting. The first time, I thought it was just a bad hard drive. But I got a new hard drive, installed it today, the calibration was reversed again, and it did the same thing once we recalibrated it. Any idea what could cause that sort of thing? I ordered a different model of hard drive and a new monitor, but I have never seen anything like that before.
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Feb 10, 2015 02:31
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I'm kind of skeptical of lenovo. It's probably because mine is a budget one, but my Edge E440 feels fragile as hell. The proper thinkpads are probably much better.
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Feb 11, 2015 03:21
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No, I have that exact same issue on my thinkpad. It's very minimal, but if, for example, I'm rapidly clicking on a small button, it will shift enough to make me miss it. Click and dragging is also pretty awful with it. Not unusable, but terrible because they had this poo poo figured out for so long that they really don't have an excuse for shifting to a worse design.
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Feb 12, 2015 00:46
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Some of you may remember me as the chump working 12 day weeks that put in 39.5 hours over three days. Over the weekend, I put in two job applications (I'm stuck in this town for a while longer, and 90% of the junior-level stuff is in Boulder or Denver), and already got a call about one of them. No interview yet, but hopefully I'll hear from them tomorrow. And a local ISP is also looking for NOC techs. I applied to them before I got this job, and they called me shortly after I accepted the offer from my current employer, so I'm feeling optimistic about that one. I don't know that I would get hired, and it would be a slight pay cut, but I think it's worth a shot. NOC is the start of a networking career, right?
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Feb 18, 2015 05:30
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Docjowles posted:Also, what up fellow Colorado IT goon. I actually worked for 4 years as the sysadmin for a large WISP in the state. Would be pretty funny if it was the same place, but if I'm looking at the right job postings, it's not. I live in northern CO and agree that it would be 100x easier to find (good) work if I were in Denver or Boulder. I think we actually live in the same town, unless you moved. I remember you talking about a particular beer bar with horrible ambience in the beer thread. I'm in the northern Colorado town that doesn't smell like manure and burning blood. Would it be appropriate to post the job description here and see if it sounds like a legit position for experience getting into a more senior position down the line?
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Feb 18, 2015 17:20
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Here's that job description: - Real-time monitoring of FRII and customer systems, networks and services - Manage network and email abuse issues -Troubleshoot network problems with Vendor/Providers and customers in emergency situations - Maintain and update data for network/system monitoring and response - Provide customers with telephone and email technical support I'm going to apply to it either way, because I need to get to something with a more sane work schedule. I just want to know where I should place it on my list.
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Feb 18, 2015 21:00
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All of the terminators have designations consisting of combinations of 69, 420, and 666.
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Feb 19, 2015 08:19
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When people say helpdesk, that's usually a 100% phone type thing, isn't it? I'm interviewing (thank god, gently caress 12 day weeks) for a position that is described as helpdesk, but the job description seems more like a mix of phone-based helpdesk and desktop support. Here's the job description: Provide helpdesk support and resolve problems to the end user’s satisfaction Monitor and respond quickly and effectively to requests received through the IT helpdesk Monitor Service Desk for tickets assigned to the queue and process first in - first out based on priority Modify configurations, utilities, software default settings, etc. for the local workstation Utilize and maintain the helpdesk tracking software Document internal procedures Assist with on boarding of new users Ensure each work station has a computer, monitor, keyboard, mouse, hard drive, and any additional specialized equipment Maintain inventory of all equipment, software and software licenses Report issues to the Service Desk for escalation Manage PC setup and deployment for new employees using standard hardware, images and software Perform timely workstation hardware and software upgrades as required I've got a few hours before the interview, so I'm planning on doing a bit of glassdoor research. Does that sound like help desk, desktop support, or something else?
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Feb 25, 2015 20:58
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Well, I've got a bit less than a year's experience, but it's as a field tech. The most involved stuff I do is printer repairs. On computers, I mostly do HDDs. On a server, I've done HDDs and a processor replacement once, that's it. And like I have said before in this thread, I get stuck doing 12-hour days at least once every two weeks, sometimes more often. The downside of this position is that it's only a 6-month contract, but at least I'll know that ahead of time. I can save up a cushion and start looking for jobs a month or two out. I've also got another prospect, but according to glassdoor, that particular recruiting company is slow as hell, so if I get an offer, it will probably be before I even interview for the other one. As far as I can tell, it's a job at a local branch of a larger corporation.
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Feb 25, 2015 21:09
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chocolateTHUNDER posted:If the interview goes well and they offer you a job, why the gently caress not. You won't really be doing anything more intensive than processor/HDD repair on a users desktop anyway if you get stuck doing that sort of stuff. Oh, I'm not concerned with being underqualified. There will be some new software to learn, but that's mostly it. The other part of why I'm looking for a job is because there's no challenge in any of what I do anymore, aside from memorizing the different protocols for different accounts. I pretty much replace HDDs, fusers, and pick rollers on 90% of my calls. I could replace a Lexmark T654 maintenance kit with my eyes closed at this point. This will at least get me more software experience, since I'm 95% hardware right now.
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Feb 25, 2015 22:31
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Welp, that position turns out to be a lot less deskside support than I was hoping. I would be the second tier 1 helpdesk member for a 1200-person company, basically handing off tickets to T2 all day. They never said why they were having to rebuild their IT department completely, but that's a pretty big turnoff. And it's a 1099, which means more work for me in handling taxes.
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Feb 26, 2015 01:04
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Yeah, that's my inclination. The only reason I'm even considering it is because I work 12 days straight at my current position, and have at least one 12-hour day every two weeks. That development came after I started school again, and the combination of the two workloads means that I can't even drink to cope, because I have no time to be drunk. But after writing out all the flaws with that job, I'm pretty sure I'm going to hang on there for another couple of weeks while I find something that isn't lovely. Of course, it would also help if I ever had the time to go in for face to face interviews. But I need to request time off two weeks ahead of time, and I can't just go on lunch because 4/5 of the time, I'm out of the state.
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Feb 26, 2015 04:37
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Does Facebook constantly gently caress with your profile settings like people on there say it does, or are they just bad at setting up their privacy? I ask not because I put up a bunch of dumb poo poo on my facebook, but because it's good on a general principle level to keep it locked down.
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Feb 26, 2015 19:55
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On the bright side, if 35k is twice what you've ever made, it's not that bad (depending on where you're living). I mean, you still shouldn't have done it, but the next job you get, it's behind you. Because you never tell anyone what you made at your last job. Ever.
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Feb 26, 2015 20:53
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Are there any places you guys recommend looking for jobs besides CL, Monster, Linkedin, Dice, and CareerBuilder? I'm only finding maybe two jobs to apply to every few days.
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Feb 26, 2015 22:34
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I guess that's one upside of working for an MSP. We get to mark those calls billable. I mean, it doesn't make me any more money, but gently caress those people.
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Feb 27, 2015 06:15
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I probably know the answer to this already, but how likely is it that someone would actually plug a network cable into one port on the switch and the other end into another? or is there another way they would be causing network loops? I really know very little about networking, aside from the OSI model and how to terminate 568-A and B.
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Feb 28, 2015 23:16
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I read it. Now I'm looking for jobs again, because I don't think I've pulled any 100-hour weeks, but I'm getting closer than I'd like. Between work and school, I mean. Not just work.
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Mar 2, 2015 09:14
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How do you guys schedule job interviews while still working full-time? I'm supposed to request time off two weeks out, and nobody wants to wait that long.
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Mar 2, 2015 17:58
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I was trying to avoid using sick days. It's probably a dumb worry, but I was concerned that companies down the line might want to know how often I called in sick. So far I've only been sick two days in almost ten months, not counting a month out after emergency surgery, which is different from calling in sick. I'll probably just say I have an appointment. I go to various doctors a lot, and most doctors don't take stuff after normal business hours. I wouldn't be surprised if my boss figures out that I'm looking for a new job. In the past 2 and a half months we've had 50% turnover, not including me.
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Mar 2, 2015 18:15
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That last one won't work because about 40% of the time I'm 3 hours away from home, I'll just plan them out ahead and tell my boss ahead of time. I got a call back about the job I interviewed for last week. Apparently it's not a 1099, maybe? I'm waiting for clarification. The recruiter said one thing, the interviewer said another. I guess this is one of the positions where I work for the recruiting company officially, as opposed to one of the ones where the recruiter is just there to get the employee and company together.
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Mar 2, 2015 18:38
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My car is my office, so that's generally where I have my calls too. I don't mind the phone interviews at all. Those I can schedule for whenever, because I can do them wherever I am. I think part of the sick day paranoia was that I tried to get re-hired at my first job (lovely call center) last year, and I was told I was ineligible for re-hire, and the only thing I could think of was that I had called in like three times in two months. Or maybe it was because I didn't give two weeks. Who knows. Anyway, they got bought out and no longer exist, and I'm making half again what I made there. And these jobs I'm applying for are raises from that, so screw that place.
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Mar 2, 2015 19:46
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The ironic thing is that there were apparently some people who would apply, do the 3-4 week training, quit, apply again a few months later, rinse and repeat. I didn't realize there was a way to be ineligible for rehire aside from stealing information or swearing at a customer.
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Mar 2, 2015 19:55
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I could be wrong on this, but if you've been working at that level for 4+ years, I don't think you're going to have a hard time finding someplace that will hire you without a degree or certs. Especially Seattle. Edit: I mean, around here most jobs that say they require a B.S. generally have an "or x years of experience." I'm still very junior, but I'm just going off of what the job postings have said. 22 Eargesplitten fucked around with this message at 05:35 on Mar 3, 2015 |
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Mar 3, 2015 05:31
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Sickening posted:8: The candidate who is so nervous and can't be talked out of being nervous. e: I should probably look for a new interview suit, pretty sure my old one is too small now. 38 reg is kind of pushing it at 200.
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Mar 4, 2015 04:52
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I think you should consider them. When was the last time yu had some premium D?
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Mar 4, 2015 21:05
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I know this isn't really the right thread, but it seems like the people in this thread would know better than anyone else. Would it be feasible to set up something like an archive system on my PC? Basically, I'm thinking files that haven't been altered for maybe a month or so end up getting moved to Documents_Archive from Documents. I'd think I could set up a script to do something like that with powershell, but I have no experience with it whatsoever. The most scripting I've done is a couple simple .bat files years ago. So I guess it does kind of apply to this thread, because if I learned powershell to do something like that, I'd put it on my resume. It's a weird thing to care about, but I've got a new laptop and it is so nice being able to save a file, go to email it, and have only maybe 10 things in the folder to pick from instead of hundreds accumulated over years.
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Mar 5, 2015 08:42
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I almost never take lunch. I can't relax in the middle of work, so what's the point? This way I get done an hour faster, I just stop by a drive-through or get something I can eat in my car.
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Mar 5, 2015 20:33
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Well, that t1 helpdesk position that I thought was going to be a 1099 turns out to be a w2, and I have an in-person interview on Wednesday. With any luck in 3 weeks I'll be working at a boring desk job with stable hours instead of a boring field job with surprise 12-hot days and working every other weekend. I just wish I had thought to check what suits fit me in time to get this one tailored. So boxy.
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Mar 7, 2015 22:40
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Misogynist posted:You clearly want to do a good job, and that's awesome, but don't sweat customer service problems that result from decisions above your pay grade. Let the decision-makers make decisions, and if people have complaints, refer them to the appropriate person to take those complaints. The problem is that at my company the people who are responsible for the decision insulate themselves with two or three layers of people who can't do anything, so I don't have anybody's number to give. So, expense chat. If I had $1200 of work done on my car while I was using the vehicle as a work vehicle, does that mean I can claim that instead of the 13c/mile that my company isn't paying me? I'm probably going to ask the same thing in the taxes megathread, and see if I can talk to my dad's accountant about that as well. I'll take a $1200 deduction over a $250 deduction any day. Or wait, I had that work done this year. So I'd have to wait for next year's taxes for that, wouldn't I?
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Mar 10, 2015 21:36
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Docjowles posted:Some shitlord sales guy keeps calling me and leaving the worst voice mails ever. "Hey Docjowles, this is Joe with <some company I have never heard of>. I'm calling back about <some product I have never heard of>. Let me know when we can talk. Thanks." Sounds like a place that I went in for an interview with. Basically turned out to be some shark of a web developer with a Glengarry Glen Ross shop cold-calling dozens of small businesses each trying to sell them on his product rather than using wordpress. Except they wouldn't say what company they were with, they believed that the mystery made people more likely to be interested or something. I didn't take the job, I could tell the boss was trouble within about two minutes of going in there. I live in beer central, USA, so I'm a pretty big beer snob. My town of 100,000 has 13 breweries, not counting Anheuser-Busch, because gently caress them. Extend it to the small towns within 30-40 minutes, it's 23. But one of the breweries stopped making my favorite beer, and I still haven't found a good, chocolatey/coffee-ey black lager since.
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Mar 11, 2015 05:21
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Watch as it turns out to be an introductory class for freshmen explaining why you don't give out your password over email to people claiming to be from amazon.
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Mar 12, 2015 05:16
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Nah, I'll just put my laser printer, space heater, and UPS on this power strip. Problem solved.
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Mar 14, 2015 20:21
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