PSA: That entry-level help desk job cost me 18 months of wasted time

I took a job at a small MSP in Phoenix because they promised growth. For 18 months I reset passwords and labeled cables while the senior guys hoarded all the real work. I realized I learned more from YouTube in one weekend than I did on the clock. If you are not touching servers or networking within 3 months, get out. Has anyone else been stuck in a dead-end IT job way longer than they should have?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_susan14d ago

Oh wow, that reminds me of the time I spent six months at a place where I was basically the office furniture whisperer - I got really good at fixing squeaky chairs and unjamming printers but never touched a real server.

emmajackson13d ago

18 months at a small MSP in Phoenix with no server access is rough. I worked at a place in Tucson that kept me on password resets for almost a year before I quit. Were you ever straight up told no when you asked to shadow the senior guys on a server migration or a network switch swap, or did they just dodge the question every time? Because I got the runaround so many times I started wondering if they were afraid I'd learn enough to leave. That kind of gatekeeping is how they keep you stuck.