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?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_susan2mo 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.

emmajackson2mo 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.

nora_park7226d ago

That gatekeeping is so REAL @emmajackson. I swear some MSPs treat their junior techs like they're guarding state secrets instead of just VLAN configs. They probably think if you learn too much you'll realize you're worth double what they're paying you.