I'm currently an assistant IT manager and have bounced between three companies over the years—11 years at my first job, 1.5 years at the second, and now I've been at this third one for a while. Despite being hired as an IT administrator or systems administrator, I often find myself sitting idle with hardly any work to do. I start to feel like what I'm doing isn't a 'real job' and I'm looking for ways to find a more fulfilling role where I can earn my salary through productive work. I can't afford to quit or go back to study, as my family's income depends on my job. Even though the position is decent, the lack of work leaves me feeling stuck. I'm wondering what steps I can take to escape this cycle of inactivity.
5 Answers
Getting into networking might be a good route for you. Pursuing certs like Network+ could get you familiar with current tech trends. Once you do that, maybe you can aim for CCNA again.
It sounds like you might not be asking for enough project work. Many IT jobs can be super busy, so maybe you need to advocate for yourself a bit more. What does your daily routine look like?
I mostly just assist when there’s onboarding or if any issues pop up, but those moments are few and far between.
You could take more initiative in your company. Look into the processes being used—like Excel sheets—and propose ways to streamline or automate them. This can show your value and potentially lead to more responsibilities.
Thanks for the advice, I’ll definitely look into that!
Have you tried documenting test plans? There's usually always something to do if you look for specific tasks you can tackle.
Can you elaborate a bit?
You should consider running a security audit, like using Pingcastle. This could uncover a lot of potential work for you and help improve your company's security posture.
What’s Pingcastle? I haven’t heard of that.
I did my CCNA a while back, but I fear starting fresh again might be too late for me.