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Thread: I think I'm done with tech work...

  1. #11

    Default Re: I think I'm done with tech work...

    Another thought spawned by Tech Daddy's post: get a copy of "What Color is My Parachute" from the local library. It has work through's that help you define your ideal working situation and then draw on the skills you have to get you there. It's all based around questions such as "do you like working with people, information or things?" but it's a great book if you are on this point, teetering on the edge. I've known people use it and discover what they really wanted was the opposite of what they have, then they made the shift and boy were they happier.

    CrazyB

  2. #12
    I got rid of my floppy disks Xpirate's Avatar
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    Default Re: I think I'm done with tech work...

    Quote Originally Posted by Crazy Buddhist View Post
    Have you contemplated using your tech skills in your own small business. Just setting up new PC's for Grandma's and the like, all you need is a van or car and print some flyers then go post them through the doors in every rich part of town. Setting up wireless networks pays too.
    I wouldn't recommend that. If you spend less than 15 minutes doing something simple for them, some folks don't even want to pay you for the gas it took to drive to their house. You would be dealing with a lot more "people" problems if you try doing this.

    I do agree with some of the replies here, about the work environment. I worked for a place that I truly hated because the work environment was very political. I had to spend more time trying to make myself look good in front of managers than I could spend working. People there would try to make you look bad to make themselves look good. It was pure hell.

    Then that company finally laid me off. I spend some time unemployed, but now I have a job where the politics are very light. People work instead of trying to make each other look like idiots. I different job environment may help you out a lot.

  3. #13
    Religiously tolerant. Luke122's Avatar
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    Default Re: I think I'm done with tech work...

    Thanks for the positive comments guys.

    All in all, I'm finding that I'm just really out of my comfort zone now with the new job, and the anxiety and stress of trying to get into web development is really pushing me hard. Add that to the recent loss, and the fact that my own business of offering consulting and tech support for people/businesses is now preparing to take a customer to court over non-payment, defamation, and harassment, and you can see how much stress I'm under.

    I even find myself now saying things like "I never should have left my sysadmin job." even though the hours were atrocious (Luke Weeks.. remember those?). The hardest part is honestly trying to stay positive in the light of all this misery and tragedy that I have faced in the past few months.

    The heavy equipment operator job looks pretty interesting, but I'm sure it'll get old fast. I would basically be running a loader and filling trucks. Pay is good, but it'll be pretty repetitive. Dirty isnt really a problem, but the commute is roughly 30 mins each way, and with fuel costs up (though slowly coming down around here), I'm hesitant to take it up.

    The baking job.. well, I dont even know exactly what that pays or what the hours are like.. I just saw the ad and thought, "I love to cook! Plus as a baker, you are only dealing with other bakers!" Looked interesting, but I havent really done anything to follow through on it.

    You know that you are in the wrong place when you come home ready to cry everyday, and the thought of going back there the next day makes you afraid.

    This upcoming legal battle really has me shaken too; I have no confidence in myself or my skills right now, and the thought of ending up in another situation like this just makes me want to walk away from tech work completely.

    At the same time, I know that I'm good at it, and have been doing it for so many years, that to start over would be really difficult. Not impossible, just difficult. I think what I really need is just a fresh idea of how to apply what I already know in some new way, that isnt going to put me in the same situation again.

    \m/ d(-_-)b \m/

    R9 290X+Kraken+Corsair H90, Xeon 5649@4ghz, Asus P6T-WS Pro

  4. #14
    Keepin' it Metal .Maleficus.'s Avatar
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    Default Re: I think I'm done with tech work...

    I know where you're coming from Luke (albeit on a much smaller scale). If working at Geek Squad has taught me anything it's that people are bastards. I realize that yes, our prices can be steep, but hey, we do work for non-techies and our pricing is on a global scale. We can't always make everyone happy (it seems like we rarely ever do..). People come to Best Buy and bitch after they buy a service plan and don't use it. They bitch to Geek Squad after they buy something without a service plan and it breaks. I've been hung up on multiple times because [it's my fault that] someone bought a TV, didn't have us set it up and can't figure out how to use it. I've been yelled at by customers who have to wait 2 weeks to get their product fixed at the service center. Boo-frickin-hoo, you aren't paying for the service since it under warranty.

    I used to work in computer sales before I got moved to Geek Squad and even out there people were Richard Craniums. I had one customer with enough audacity to tell me I was flat out wrong about 32-bit Vista (I told him it wouldn't be able to see 4GB of memory, due to the fact that it's 32-bit), tell me he was an IT professional and that Vista was the only OS that couldn't use 4GB in 32-bit operation. Apparently XP could . Right.... He got pissy and stormed off. I had another customer tell me that I was wrong about his plan to do a home theater/networked PC setup. Apparently 360's can now read Blu-ray and a Geforce 6100 can render 1080p like a dream. No. No they can't. I had another person tell me Ubuntu was UNIX (I suppose this is a common mistake) and one more tell me his Alienware had two Radeon 9800GTX cards.


    I hate people. And Luke - sorry to hear about your situation. I really hope it turns around for you.
    RIP Bucko

  5. #15

    Default Re: I think I'm done with tech work...

    Quote Originally Posted by Luke122 View Post
    Thanks for the positive comments guys.

    All in all, I'm finding that I'm just really out of my comfort zone now with the new job, and the anxiety and stress of trying to get into web development is really pushing me hard. Add that to the recent loss, and the fact that my own business of offering consulting and tech support for people/businesses is now preparing to take a customer to court over non-payment, defamation, and harassment, and you can see how much stress I'm under.

    ....

    At the same time, I know that I'm good at it, and have been doing it for so many years, that to start over would be really difficult. Not impossible, just difficult. I think what I really need is just a fresh idea of how to apply what I already know in some new way, that isnt going to put me in the same situation again.
    Luke my friend, I think somewhere along the line you started blaming yourself for all this. You seem to have lost touch with your own basic goodness. You're a great guy and have a big heart, a lot of transferable skills and life will get better again.

    Matthew

    ps Get the book I recommended "What color is your parachute" that is all about arriving at "a fresh idea of how to apply what (you) already know in some new way, that isnt going to put (you) in the same situation again."

  6. #16
    I got rid of my floppy disks Xpirate's Avatar
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    Default Re: I think I'm done with tech work...

    Quote Originally Posted by Crazy Buddhist View Post
    Get the book I recommended "What color is your parachute" that is all about arriving at "a fresh idea of how to apply what (you) already know in some new way, that isnt going to put (you) in the same situation again."
    This is solid advice! People recommend this book when you are out of work. "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" will also help you answer behavioral job interview questions.

  7. #17
    Over 75 Custom PC's in 20 years TheGreatSatan's Avatar
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    Default Re: I think I'm done with tech work...

    All I can say is go with your heart. You can always return to tech work in the future.
    WH1T3 0U7
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  8. #18
    Strip it, paint it, and love on it... Commando's Avatar
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    Default Re: I think I'm done with tech work...

    Take a step back and a break from the mainstreme.

    I think 90% of what I've learned has been on my own. I went to Ga Tech and some of my peers that were very successful were not successful because they had tech jobs. It's because they learned it on their own.

    I have a very steady day job that affords me the time opportunity to develop my tech skills on my own.

    I'd be doing the same thing, learning as much as I could, even if i was parking cars or busing tables.

    You don't have to have a tech job to maintain strong tech skills.

    TD

  9. #19
    Over 75 Custom PC's in 20 years TheGreatSatan's Avatar
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    Default Re: I think I'm done with tech work...

    Quote Originally Posted by .Maleficus. View Post
    I realize that yes, our prices can be steep
    Like $350 to wipe a hard drive and reload XP

    Quote Originally Posted by .Maleficus. View Post
    . . . . .people were Richard Craniums.
    I had to think about that for a minute.
    WH1T3 0U7
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  10. #20
    Caffeined Acey's Avatar
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    Default Re: I think I'm done with tech work...

    I hate it when the customer in front of me starts complaining about price etc etc and the economy to the cashier, be it anywhere anytime. For me, if you need something, you just pay for it irregardless of the price as long as its affordable and keep your mouth shut in the process. These "customers are always right" people certainly never thought of finding more moolah to keep up with their usual lifestyle since a drop in economy or a minor hike in some products or services can make them whine worse than a 6 year old who don't get his/her daily dose of Spongebob.

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