IT Pros Face Burnout, Job Insecurity

“About me: Education: Bachelor in management. Certifications: CompTIA A+, Network +, Security + AZ 900 Work experience: 5+ years of IT field technician. Experience in repair printers (inkjet, laser, thermal etc), Switches (Cisco and juniper mostly), HP servers, dell/Lenovo workstations repair, image, cable run, install AP etc… mostly hardware repair guy or layer 1, 2 OSI model guy. Question: Will these two certifications move the needle? Thanks in advance. submitted by /u/Jacksparrowl”

“We currently pay for and support our techs getting certifications. Up until now we've always pushed for comptia certs such as Network+ or Security+. I have never noticed a measurable increase in ability or knowledge from them getting these certs. I've come to the realization that the only thing we're accomplishing is making them more desireable to getting other jobs, not really helping us at all. We currently have a guy who has recently gotten all 3 major comptia certs and he's t”

“I am 27 years old and been in IT for about 5 years, And I've been doing the traditional path of upskilling/certifications and changing jobs every 1.5 years for pay increase, and now I'm ready for my next step. I'm deciding between cybersecurity and sales engineering. Getting into Cybersecurity remains extremely difficult. I would have to spend the next two years going to school online for a cyber security degree, getting multiple certifications, building a home lab, and constantly st”

“Curious the opinion of others. My company is going from azure cert is recommended for advancement to everyone 100% needs to be azure certified by the end of the year. They will reimburse for the test cost but don't allocate study time. That we do on our own. While a cert looks good on the resume it personally chafes me to make it mandatory. I was already studying on my own for a different cert but now I have to redirect my goals for their requirements. submitted by /u/darkiya [li”

“Starting in data entry, then to a system admin, and now a senior power platform admin, certs and formal education did not help much. I give almost all the credit to self learning”

“I have no certs as a mid level cloud engineer. I’m my experience it really makes a difference if you’re trying to level up. Getting a cert in the area you’re interested in shows some degree of determination and interest. However, it also depends on where you work. In my career resellers/map and the federal US govt were the two environments that valued/required certs. It’s also possible to have too many certs and not enough experience. Don’t get expert certs without hands on experience. On your c”

“I have zero certs, a bachelor's degree, 16 years experience. I hate my job and don't believe certs would save me at this point.”

“I don’t think certifications have been super useful BUT the official courses, looking at you VCP, have been good for learning the minutiae of complex tools. What’s ultimately valuable is understanding core computing concepts and applying them to unfamiliar applications, systems, tools, etc.”

“in late 90s, my firts jobs are sysadmin linux freebsd related, i succeded because i study and pass exams MS System Engineer and CCNA... that was a boost in my career. Later I complete my formation with DBA and some linux exams...”

“Certs provide (me) structured learning. Always nice to get the badge in the end though”

“I did very much believe in that. Until I saw the fellow associates that I worked with. Apparently, a troubleshooting mind displayed in a competent interview helps apparently.”

“I'm currently a Jr Systems Analyst. I'm trying to get out of end user support roles. I also don't like dealing with condescending executives and their unreasonable/impossible requests. Did some research into System Integration & API Analyst roles. Looks like MuleSoft certs would be needed. I'm wondering if it's a mistake to go this route and pursue these certs. submitted by /u/spiderelict [link] [comments]”

“I ask, as someone striving to move up into sys admin related roles. Tier 3 / infra.. I have a BS in IT and about 6 years experience. My career took a bit of a detour. I spent almost two years doing solo IT at a school and I hated it. I definitely had a taste of sys admin work, but without some technical aspects. I am currently back on a tech support team where I finally getting more hands on with a hybrid setup (on premise AD with Intune and Entra..) One consistent thing in my 6 years of IT, is”

“I'm a cloud solution engineer working with the biggest customers of one of the hyperscalers. I help them to create architectures, check feasibility of their projects, advise on the cloud services. I create POCs, upskill, evangelize about the technology. Lastly, I sometimes also unblock them during the projects. I'm good in what I do, have been exceeding expectations for all the years since I joined. My job is very sales-driven meaning that it's the salespeople who decide what I do an”

“I see constant posts on this sub saying "do I need a degree to get a help desk job" or "what certs do I need to get X job" or "what home lab projects should I be working on". The reality is that most hiring managers care more about soft skills (personality, demeanor, ability to effectively communicate with others) and problem solving skills. Certs and a degree are really just useful to get you through the HR filters. I do believe certs become more useful at a higher”

“​Started at msp service desk 3 months ago without any prior knowledge, had 2 days of onboarding and I am doing L2 support already. I was (I believe) spotless regarding my performance but from begining I could see I am working in a complete sink-or-swim environment. ​For context, I spent the last 13 years working in hospitality and restaurant management. I made the career switch to IT recently, and balancing 50 different systems with zero safety nets has been incredibly stressful. ​Right before I”

“So as the title says, I am stating a new IT job next week. It is a hybrid role helpdesk role with 2 days in office and 3 days from home. Previously I was IT at a school but my job didnt really do the core IT operations, I would mainly just fix displays and projectors in a school. The job I am moving to seems more core IT related things like 365 and AD. I know I will probably learn a lot on the job but is there anything I should start looking at now? submitted by /u/TheBaconFace [link”

“Hello all. This will be my first time asking for a raise, on previous jobs i just looked for a better offer since those were entry level stuff. At my current company i have a good relationship with my boses and there hasnt been a single goal/ticket/project that i havent been able fulfill But its been 3 years here and i havent even been called to discuss a raise, and ive become the guy that everyone ask for help/stuff they dont know. I feel like if its not now , it will never happen so i have ask”

“I have about 7+ years experience in IT as a Business Analyst and I’m looking to pivot into a different career possibly in Data Analytics or Product Owner based on my experience. The way the job market in the U.S. is right now it seems incredibly difficult to land an interview so I’m considering getting a certificate in Power BI but wanted to get some advice if it’s worth it or if I should pursue maybe a different certificate based on my experience. Appreciate any insight. submitted by &#32”

“For the most part, you'll be fine learning on the job -- so long as you were honest in your interview, they know what they're getting in terms of your skills, and they're happy with that. Next week, when you start, be sure to be friendly, be eager to learn, and take good notes when you're given info.”

“Doesn't help that we told an entire generation of kids that all that mattered was studying, good grades, and going to college. That's why we have so many overeducated young people with no social skills.”

“I'm trying to transition into IT after more than 15 years in restaurants. I have my Tech+ and I'm currently taking a class to get my A+ (with more to get the Network+ and Security+ next year most likely), and I've only recently started applying for entry level positions because I need the hands-on experience for things to really stick for me. I can do the dealing with customers, but I just need employers to take a chance on training me.”

“I have an interview tomorrow for an entry level help desk role, and I'm transitioning from an unrelated field -- but have almost a decade of experience in these soft skills/people skills. I don't have any certs yet but have done a few basic homelabs and have a good general grasp of the basics of what an entry level role would entail. What should I focus on in the interview to really sell myself to this role? I really want to break in but it's been hard, dozens of apps and only 4 inte”

“Yes, most hiring managers care about soft skills. The thing is that if you want to get to the hiring manager, you need to invest in yourself technically. You can be the best soft skill guy on the planet, but if you have no credentials (degree or certs), then you aren't getting an interview. Especially in this job market where there are thousands of people who want into the field. I agree with the overall premise of your post. Invest in yourself. Don't gloss over soft skills. There is a c”

“The problem is that many people don't realize that IT is a field where you have to work your way up. It takes time and real-world experience to advance. Memorizing facts for a cert or an interview isn't the same as being able to troubleshoot an actual issue when something breaks. I also think many younger people grew up using technology differently. They know how to use an iPhone, apps, and Chromebooks, but many never had to learn the basics of desktops, operating systems, hardware, or t”