r/helpdesk

Currently I have the following:

Crimp tool
Cable tester
Electric screw driver with head set
Pliers
Console cable
Bootable drive (Multiple iso’s and live boot Kali)
Label maker
Velcros
30, 1ft patch cables
Pass through plugs
Bash bunny
Flipper zero
Wifi pineapple pager (soon hopefully)

I was to know what yall have I need some inspo.

I work for a small ISP. I dread going to work everday and I regret leaving my previous insurance job (actually paid 20% more than my current job).

You have to multitask like crazy.

• Attend to tickets
• Dispatch fibre repair teams when necessary and you have to track their location throughout the entire day. They use telegram so you have to constantly look at your telegram to know where they are. Also as soon as a team repairs something, they post pictures in the chat but it gets lost and mixed up with other messages. So you have to go looking for it and find out which pictures is for which customer and update the notes on system
• Configure routers and test devices (Fun but it's the same configuration settings all the time)
• There is a lot of paper works as well, which is so flippin annoying and pointless because everything is recorded on the system!
• You have to do all of the above while taking calls. This is what I hate the most. In addition to this, I worked in customer care before and I can tell you that ISP customers are a different beast.
• Go on site(now and then). This is the most fun part of the job but your tickets are waiting for you when you're back. While on site you also have to take like a thousand pictures of everything you do.
• You can't leave the office until all fibre repair teams are back and all tickets are replied to, irrespective of when the customer responded. I rarely leave on the clock off time stipulated in my contract

I wish this company would fire me. I feel so incompetent and pressurized. I thought of asking for my previous job but I need this IT experience. I left my previous company immediately and if they took me back I would be grateful but also very embarrassed.

I got my A+ and I'm currently studying for an IT diploma part time. It's really hard to study on my off days because I just want to numb my brain with dopamine and forget about work.

The truth is, I'm incompetent because there are people there doing the job just fine. However with me, I can work hard and I learn at a decent pace but I can only multitask up to a limit.

I just wish I had a helpdesk job where I can just take phone calls and answer tickets.

I guess this is just a season in life that I have to go through.

At the moment I am living in NYC and am currently pursuing a MSIS degree from a CUNY school close to midtown. I have been applying to tons of it help desk and internship roles and nothing. While I am not discouraged just yet am reconsidering whether this Masters in information systems degree is even a good idea. The only reason I enrolled was because my undergrad degree was in psychology. This is my first semester as well so I do not feel too invested in yet which is a good thing I guess. Ultimately I would like to enter the field and end up as a database administrator. Should I drop this degree in favor for certifications or continue ahead, pick up knowledge in hopes of getting a entry level role at the end of it? Anyone able to enter IT without any degrees and experience what was your experience like?

Hi everyone, I hope this is the right place to ask this.
I’m 37, have a family and all the normal adult responsibilities, and I’m currently working on completing two associate degrees, one in Computer Science and one in IT.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what I should do after I finish them. With the job market being difficult right now, I’m trying to prepare myself as much as possible to actually break into the IT field.

My goal is eventually to work as a SysAdmin or in systems/infrastructure. I understand that I probably won’t start there, and I’m completely willing to start in Help Desk, Desktop Support, or another entry-level IT role and work my way up.

My question is whether, at my age and situation, it makes sense to put in the extra time and effort to finish a 4-year BS in IT, or if I would be better off stopping after my associate degrees and focusing that time on certifications, hands-on projects, a home lab, and getting actual IT experience.

For someone trying to build a long-term career in IT, would the BSIT still be worth the extra time, or would experience + certs + projects be a better investment at this point?

Hi,

I got laid off from a systems engineer position from a multisite enterprise size company and now struggling to find another role. Inhave bills and mortgage, might have to take on a 2nd line support role, I feel it embarassing, are there any oher 2nd liners or field engineers in my age or majority of them much younger? I am 9 years in IT.

It’s been a few months now that I’ve been applying for help desk positions as a recent cybersecurity graduate. Currently working in getting Security+ at the end of the month but I think I’m getting outmatched after interviewing because of experience and salary.

Had a few interviews but no offers, and part of me thinks it’s because of salary demands. The positions I’ve gotten calls back range between $40k-$55. I’ve done some research and $50+ is a reasonable salary for MSP positions.

I am 33 (no IT background) and I know a degree isn’t worth much anymore with this current market but my question is, am I shooting to high? I’m already taking a big pay cut just to get my foot in the door but it’s getting frustrating out here.

Now, I’ve also thought about looking for some overnight work to be able to take such a big pay cut for the experience while managing my current job. Would it be worth it? And where should I look when it comes to overnight help desk.

Appreciate any advice.

Good day everyone could I secure an entry role at an IT support desk through self-study and a CompTIA A+ certification in the UK? I have no prior experience, so I would appreciate any honest opinion and anyone who has gone through this phase beforehand. Thank you

>I came from network-based positions—first an N1 NOC handling only remote calls where I never saw a client face-to-face, then a network analyst role with no client contact either, focusing only on network equipment configuration and tickets. But, hungry for money, I accepted a big company job that greatly increased my compensation. Now I have on-call alarms on my phone, work alone inside a large place walking around, and have to face users calling me in person. I just want to die.

I’ve recently accepted this role. I’ve been doing helpdesk until now and the pay bump is great from 18 an hour to 25 an hour. I think this is a good step because I’ll learn a lot more and have more responsibility but I want someone with more experience than me to chime in on this. Also I wanna know if I’m being paid fairly or not for the work required of me. Below I’ve pasted what my duties are from my boss.

I have a HS diploma/ 4 years of help desk experience/ No certs.

Resolve hardware, software, and connectivity issues for end-users via phone, email, chat, and in-person support.
Set up, configure, and deploy desktop computers, laptops, mobile devices, and printers.
Manage user accounts, permissions, and group policies within Active Directory and Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace.
Perform software installations, updates, and patch management across all company devices.

\\\*\\\*Network Infrastructure Support\\\*\\\*
Monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot local network hardware including switches, routers, firewalls, and wireless access points.
Assist in the maintenance of network cabling, patching, and server rack organization.
Troubleshoot internet connectivity, VPN access, and DNS/DHCP configurations.
Collaborate with senior network engineers to implement network upgrades and security protocols.

\\\*\\\*Operations & Security\\\*\\\*
Document all support tickets, asset inventories, and network configuration changes in our IT service management system.
Conduct regular system backups and verify data integrity.
Educate end-users on basic security practices, phishing awareness, and safe computing habits.
Participate in an on-call rotation for emergency technical support as needed.