Do I Prefer IT Support or Systems Administration Over Programming?
Asked by
MellowCedar47
I've loved computers since I was a kid, especially troubleshooting broken software, installing useful applications, setting up Linux or Windows, maintaining hardware, and learning how operating systems work. Because programming seemed like a natural extension of those interests, I enrolled in a game development degree three years ago.
I've written some code during my studies, but programming consistently feels like a chore. Whenever I run into a problem that needs solving, I get bored quickly and have trouble staying focused. What confuses me is that imagining myself creating a complete game is exciting, while actually building one feels painfully dull.
I'm now questioning whether I chose the wrong direction. Do my interests sound more suited to IT support, systems administration, DevOps, or another area of technology? Are there related roles where my programming knowledge would still be useful without making software development the main part of my job?
Answers
Game development involves far more than gameplay programming. You could explore technical art, audio, build and tools engineering, DevOps, infrastructure, security, automation, or release engineering. Some of those roles involve scripting and technical problem-solving without requiring you to spend every day writing game code.
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It’s possible that you enjoy the result or concept of making a game more than the actual process. That doesn’t mean you failed—it may simply mean game development isn’t the work you want to do. Try internships, part-time technical support, lab work, or personal systems projects and judge how you feel during the routine tasks, not just when imagining the finished product.
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The gap between imagining a project and doing the repetitive work is normal, but it can still be a useful signal. Every career has tedious parts, so the question is which kind of boredom you can tolerate. You’re not stuck just because you’re several years into a degree; the coding, debugging, and technical background you’ve gained can transfer into many adjacent roles.
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It may be worth trying a small practical experiment before making a major decision: set up a home server, containers, automated builds, deployment pipelines, or a monitoring system. That can help you compare the day-to-day reality of operations work with the idea of it. Also pay attention to whether you enjoy learning unfamiliar systems or mostly prefer maintaining things once you understand them—both types of jobs exist.
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The things you describe enjoying—troubleshooting computers, installing operating systems, maintaining hardware, and fixing software issues—sound much closer to IT support or systems administration than traditional software engineering. Your programming experience still won’t be wasted; understanding code and how applications work can make you much better at diagnosing technical problems.
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