Need advice from expierenced Network Admins. 6

[sysadmin123]

I've been a full-time network admin now for about a year but am very green at it.

I have a college degree in information systems which helped me land the job but it was mostly based towards programming. I decided programming wasn't for me and took this job when I was offered it as an entry level network admin. Up until hiring me the org. used third party vendors to do all IT related work so needless to say I really don't have anyone in the company that has more IT expierence than myself which is much in this field. I've been picking it up as I go for the past year and have learned a lot but I find myself wondering if I'm doing the job effectively etc etc.

Things I've done in the past year is set them up will all new XP systems coming from 2000 pro and updating all the org. software as well as set up software update services and have some patch management going on. They are sending me to get some certs and paying for it so that should help. Probably my Network + and maybe a MCSA or MCSE.

With that said I'm just curious what a typical day is like for all you network/system admins to compare with my own because at times I don't feel like I have anything to do.

Also just out of curiosity if this can be posted if any are from the midwest area on avg what do you make salary wise. I'm just curious.

THX in advance for any help!

 

[aquias]

It can be rough to be the "lone" guy. I'm in the same situation, although prior to it I had eight yaers of Helpdesk, Desktop, and junior admin work to back me up. I still find that I fumble through on some days.

My average day is as follows...

Backup check

Virus check

Check Symantec, Microsoft, and various other "tek" sites for alerts, updates, or anything else of note.

Handle incomning problem calls.

Read, as time permits, in preperation for projects that are up and coming.

Research new technology/ways to do old processes.

That's very general, but most of time is focused on project work or system improvement vs any true "day to day" activities.

 

[mrdenny]

I'm not a network admin, I'm a DBA, but some of this will still apply to you.

One of the major things that will effect how busy you are is how much equiptment you have to deal with. If you have 2 servers and a bunch of PCs to deal with, then you can expect a lot of down time. If you have 200 servers, then you can except a lot less down time.

In the life of an admin (network, system, database, security, etc) a day without any major problems, is a good day. If you've got your backups handled, and your systems patched, and you've got no open issues to resolve the job can be fairly relaxed. Those are the times to better your self, learn a new part of the IT field (there are plenty out there). Grab an AD book and dig into AD, learn SQL, or programming, etc. There are always new things to learn in this field.

Taking your classes, and studying for your tests will help fill some of your down time.

What you are feeling is normal for a smaller company.

Some things that I would recommend making sure are on your daily schedule.
Checking event logs on servers to look for a signs of a break in.
Checking CPU, Disk, memory counters on servers looking for over load so you can be proactive on upgrades. Being proactive not only makes you look better, but it makes the upgrade much less stressful as it lets you decide when to do the upgrade.
Ensuring that replication is working correctly in AD.
Making sure your network connection is working correctly.
Looking into any new patches that Microsoft has released.
Review any additional logs for over night scheduled tasks that were run.
After that, your time can be used for anything that will help move you and the company forward. Working on test systems in a lab with new versions of software, Learning for your tests, online seminars, reading forums, etc.

It's all work related, and it will all help you in your job.

The slower work days that you are seeing now will soon be replaced by long hectec days of system failures, so enjoy the slow days.

Denny
MCSA (2003) / MCDBA (SQL 2000)

--Anything is possible. All it takes is a little research. (Me)

http://www.mrdenny.com

(My very old site)

 

[philote]

I just quit a job as the sole IT person/network admin/help desk/programmer/etc. My days mostly consisted of supporting little problems. I was pretty much required to help with anything and everything that came up. And the users didn't like to think much so there were times that I got called on quite a bit. But there were also plenty of slower times where I'd try and get organized, automate tasks, program web apps, and learn new skills. Otherwise I'd have to help the salesmen with their PDA's, troubleshoot network and hardware issues, assist users with MS Office, order supplies, and spend time on the phone with third-party support for certain applications.

There were plenty of times where it seemed there was nothing to do. Again, I'd spend those times trying to be productive by learning something new, writing scripts, etc. I'd say you're probably doing a good job as a network admin if you have plenty of down time. That means you have everything running smoothly. But make sure you use your down time to ensure things continue to run smoothly. Make sure your backup policy is good (and works... test it!). Write some scripts to automate common tasks. Research other vendors to find better deals and save the company some money. Create some training material for your users to refer to the next time they ask basic questions.

And of course when you start training, you'll have more to do. My employer helped me get my Network+, a few MS certs, and some training towards MCSA/MCSE. However I got to a point where the training was not relevant to my daily tasks or how our network was set up. That made things much harder to learn and I didn't have the resources to set up a test network for training. I probably could have done a lot of book studying and passed the tests but I didn't have the time nor did I feel that was the best thing to do.

Hope that helps!

 

[sysadmin123]

Thx for the suggestions guys! You've all pretty much described my job. I help with office questions and spend time on 3rd party support. But I do have a lot of downtime where everything is running smoothly. Where I work IT is always given the least priority so I'm constantly making suggestions that are ignored. It gets frustrating at times. Maybe it's just the small company syndrome or something.

I will use my downtime to contiue learning. I've taught myself mysql and php during my downtime so maybe I can build some kind of web based app they can use. The only problem is every time I've ever told my boss hey I can write something to make that easier I get the that's not needed it's fine the way it is

Philote: Just curious as your job sounded exactly like mine. Where did you go after that job since you quit? What kind of job?

 

[Craig0201]

Re: I work IT is always given the least priority so I'm constantly making suggestions that are ignored

It's a small company. They are running a business, not a technology workshop for you to play with.

If you want to change things, make a business case. How will it earn them money? How will it save them money? How will it improve customer relations?

IT is not a silo but something which enables business. Make a suggestion that fits the mission of the business along with showing how it will make money and you'll see it taken up.

 

[philote]

I just started my new job doing web development. The company I left made me a counter-offer too late to keep me. It was a pretty good deal but I don't think they would have been able to afford that deal for long. Plus, I had already accepted the new job and made up my mind about what I wanted to do. So of course I wonder why they didn't want to give me more $$ earlier.

The small web development projects I did at my previous job were what helped me get my new one. They too didn't like to give much attention to IT (unless something was broken). I had to find ways to do things cheaply. For the web development for example, I took an old server they had, installed Linux on it, and wrote everything in Perl and straight HTML. No software to buy so they of course didn't mind that.

I started the web site by putting up an intranet and putting a few HR forms and the employee handbook on there. There really wasn't much on it at first. The big boss liked the idea of me keeping a log of problems so I then wrote a problem tracking app and put it on the intranet. This was something anyone could look at but was most useful to me and my immediate supervisor. Once the big boss saw what I could do he actually suggested a project to me that became the biggest app I worked on there. He was big on getting rid of paper and in a rare flash of insight saw that I could automate a process to save paper and track the data.

Now, web develoment is obviously my passion, but if you're interested perhaps you could follow a similar route. Write some small apps in PHP or whatever that helps automate a process or replaces a paper procedure. Someone might notice and give you more such projects.

And by the way, many of my suggestions were ignored as well. I'm still worried about their sole file server who's warranty has run out. It has a backup routine that runs nigtly but I suggested looking into a second server, etc. to reduce downtime. The big boss there knows there's redundant drives in the server and thinks that's enough to protect against failure. Nothing I'd said would make him see that there's other hardware that could fail, causing a day or more worth of downtime.

Good luck!

 

[sysadmin123]

That's awesome to hear someone has sent through the exact thing as myself.

I'm hoping I might go down a similiar path as yourself eventually.

I have an intranet set up myself and am using php now to make a new program to automate a procedure done on an overcrowded excel sheet. AND of course I had to find the cheapest and no cost route so I used an old workstatin with win 2000 pro and installed IIS/PHP/MYSQL.

So here I am in the exact position

Actually my first review is coming up very soon like in a few days and I'm hoping for a raise of any kind but I don't think that's going to happen. I do know they are probably going to offer the offer the get a few certs which will end up costing a lot so I guess it all works out. They want me to sign a year contract to stay after I complete getting the certs.

 

[philote]

My employer had sent me to training and helped me get some certs as well, but fortunately they didn't make me sign a contract. However my resignation has made them think seriously about contracts in the future. Personally, I wouldn't have done the training and certs if they had wanted me to sign a contract.

 

[sysadmin123]

Yeah it does make me nervous but I"ve read over it and it says basically I have to stay at least 1 year after I finish getting the certs or I have to pay them back. That' s not too bad I figure.

All I'm getting is my A+ and Network + at the moment.

 

[cahelmster]

After reading this discussion up to this point, I find a lot of common ground with the original poster, sysadmin123. I would like to add my situation and get some suggestions from anyone.

I'm also in a smaller shop as an Information Systems Specialist and find myself with downtime most everyday, all day. Things seem to run smoothly, but we also don't have a lot of complicated systems or technologies in place. We have about 7-8 servers (mostly Windows) and around 70 PCs (all Windows) across 2 locations.

My problem is that I'm continually frustrated because my boss, the I.S. Manager, is actually an accountant who was put in the position of I.S. Manager after the former manager left. I was hired as a specialist at that time. I've been here around 7 years. In the last few years, my professional development has gone nowhere, primarily because I'm unmotivated and definitely unchallenged by my boss and the corporate environment as a whole. My manager seems to be unconcerned about my development and would rather outsource everything. He does "allow" me and the other person in the department to install PCs, servers, do software installations, and provide user support. Anything else is either outsourced or looked upon as unnecessary. After talking with him about going after some certifications, he seems willing but acts like it would be overkill for our environment. I just completed a migration from Exchange 5.5 to 2003 and he acts like it's no big deal.

I'm in a small town and would probably not find many options for comparable jobs. Plus, the benefits here are really good. The pay is o.k. for the area but I'm sure I could make more in a larger city. My work is also paying gradually for me to take classes toward my Bachelor's degree.

I have plenty of time to learn new technologies, languages, etc. I guess my problem is that I don't want to spend time learning new stuff when it's not encouraged or seen as useful for our environment. Plus, i'm tired of everything being outsourced that I could do with proper training (and probably less expense).

Would anyone offer any suggestions to my whiney post?



----------------
Thanks!
CH

 

[philote]

It sounds like they could save money in the long run by getting you training on the tasks they outsource. Especially if you have so much downtime that could be utilized more effectively. Perhaps you could compare training costs to outsourcing costs over a year to show them that it would be more cost effective for you to do the work. Also, you don't need formal training, though it is sometimes better. See what you can learn on your own. Even if what you learn isn't used in your current job, it may help you get another job down the line.

Also see if the company doing the outsourced work has an opening.

 

[sysadmin123]

Well an update on my situation....It seems my boss appreciated what I do a little more than I thought. After my review I came out with a raise and confirmed they are sending me to get A+ and Network+ certs for a start and also brought up the possibility of a higher title....so i guess it's not that bad.

cahelmster....I've found to just use the time to benefit myself. While here I've learned php and mysql and while it really wasn't work related at the time now I find myself busy as ever write a php based program for a department here to track info. So you never know.

So I would just learn as much as you can and try to get them to do the certs and then look for bigger and better things. Each expierence or piece of paper makes your product (YOU) sell better on the market.

Thx to all in the thread for you incite and advice! Much appreciated!

 

[aquias]

I hope no one takes this the wrong way, but lucky you cahelmster, working directly for an Accountant!!! If it helps at all I feel your pain, I report directly to the Comptroller and the Facility administrator. You don't feel your pain alone!!!!

What I've learned, over time, is demonstrate benefit vs cost to get projects approved. Especially when reporting to the people who watch the money you need to demonstrate what the benefits of your ideas are (Personally I lay out a complete project plan, including a cost vs benefit comparison).

For a boss such as yours, I would suggest focusing on projects you feel confident you can convince him to keep in house. Start to chip away at his mentality of outsourcing by convincing him your projects are positive, and that you can handle the work.

It can/is a slow process to change someone that thinks this way. But if you can attack this right and catch him with projects he "cares" about you'll find that more work will slowly be kept in house.

 

[securitpro]

I too just left my last company as the sole net admin/security admin. I was there for nearly 2 years with no potential for upward mobility. I took it upon myself to leave and start a contract for a large financial company. I found that I had not only learned everything I could in that environment but that I had grown beyond my own expectations and chose consciously to pursue my niche in security. Since obtaining my CCSA (Checkpoint) cert in late '03...I have been doing everything I can to empower myself with the necessary skills in intrusion prevention/detection and Linux/Unix. Since I have approximately nine years in the IT field with a focus in support I decided that I would never stagnate myself in a position where there is no more room to grow. That may be a situation you may find YOURSELF in. The best advice I can give is "specialize". Find your niche and learn everything you can about your area of expertise. This goes way beyond certifications. It requires the dedication to keep up on every new trend in the market and to read read read...at home, in your spare time-always! I only got to where I am today by ignoring the critics out there and empowering myself with the knowledge and skills that I know are worth the sweat and effort I put forth. Hope that helps to hear another person's struggle to find themselves in a protean field such as ours. Regards, Jay

 

[mrdenny]

It requires the dedication to keep up on every new trend in the market and to read read read...at home, in your spare time-always!

True, so true. There just isn't enough time at the office to keep up on everything out there. Using spare time to keep up to speed in esential. IT isn't a job, it's more of a life style. The trick is ballancing the IT lifestyle with the lifestyle that your wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, etc wants.

Denny
MCSA (2003) / MCDBA (SQL 2000)

--Anything is possible. All it takes is a little research. (Me)

http://www.mrdenny.com

(Not quite so old any more.)