If you didn’t know already, I work in IT support. I started off, briefly, in my career performing mainframe development. However, being a creative sort, I soon got tired of programming dull batch applications, all of which were similar to the last. The one highlight was learning about DB2 and being sent on various advanced SQL efficiency courses – nerdy, technical but brought out the analytical side of me.
But I moved into Support. More specifically, EPOS support. One of my managers was, shall we say, not a “man” manager. His inter-personal skills lacked but he was very technical and so, whilst still getting on with the “day job”, allowed you to perform side-projects that could tax your artistic side. One of those projects won me an award for IT Excellence.
As the IT department changed, the EPOS support and development teams were merged. But as emphasis on making money took over the support team was whittled down to… me. And my manager, now a different person, had no time for me or my work. I was desperately unhappy.
So I hatched a plan – I bypassed various levels of management and sold it directly to the director of support at my company. He liked it and I moved out the team (now known only as a development team) and back into a support team “proper”.
New people, new desk, new things. And for a few months it was exciting again. But now, I’ve realised the work is still dull, easy even, and nothing I haven’t done a million times before. When in my previous team I tried the escape route – but 18 years at the same company didn’t make me saleable. It just made me stagnant and the few job interviews I had went badly. I want out of support now. Ideally, I’d like to get into web development – something that’s still new, exciting, cerebral and interesting to me. Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter how many websites I’ve worked on, I have no commercial experience. And I don’t own multi-hundred-pound development tools – I write everything in code, by hand. Personally, I think the latter is the better, but what do I know?
Actually, no, what I’d really like to do is go into teaching. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. Sadly, I don’t have a degree so the doors are firmly shut (no matter what my experience is). One option, in time, is to take an Open University degree. That’s certainly something I’ll consider. In the meantime, I’m back to the job hunting – but I’ve learnt my past lessons of going to recruitment agencies, so will be avoiding them this time.
So, if anybody would like to offer me a job (and with a family and mortgage, I need something permanent), you know how to contact me. Google, are you listening? 😀
Meantime, I feel like I’m doomed to wander the planet alone forever. Like the Incredible Hulk1.
Talk to me!