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Sysadmin shock as Windows Server 2025 installs itself
(www.theregister.com)
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
I switched from an MSP to a unionized in-house position, doubled my salary and my days of paid time off.
I worked for a classic MSP a while back, barely lasted 3 months. Such a toxic environment, tons of pressure to spread yourself thinner and thinner.
It was one of those places where you were expected to be there an hour early, stay an hour late, and work through your lunch.
Even though that's illegal, it was never explicit, just one of those, wink wink type things. But the workload was always so heavy, you couldn't stay on top of everything unless you were working 50+ hours a week.
And of course, all salary, no overtime or double time for weekend work.
I do internal IT now, much better. Trying to get my own one-person shop going to eventually be fully self-employed. Actually, it would be really cool to become a worker-owned co-op, but that's still a faint dream.
Currently in an MSP. It's all on the company culture as to if it's shit or not. We're fully wfh with no plans to move back to the office.
Overtime is never forced. If we have to work through lunch because all hell is breaking loose, we're practically encouraged to leave an hour early unless the CEO is allowing ot and we want it. No pressure either direction.
If users are rude or generally hard to deal with, manager has our back in dealing with them.
Pay isn't top dollar but there's trade-offs
You'll let us know if they're hiring, right? Right!?
Nice! I've job hopped a few times and tripped my salary in 5 years and am at a unicorn msp with unlimited PTO and management that cares about employees.
I wish I could find a union IT shop, but nothing around that I've seen available. Happy to hear my first statement isn't as universal as my experience suggests!
"Unlimited PTO" is a meaningless term, and a trap.
I have 42 days of PTO per year, plus 13 state holidays.
I have a right to take those days off, they can't be denied by anyone.
And if I don't take them, my team lead will have a talk with me in October at the latest, because the company would get in legal trouble if I didn't get them.
With "unlimited PTO" you have no such right to any amount of PTO.
Sure, you could try to schedule lots of PTO, but it can just be denied ("not possible right now"), or if you take too many, you're just fired.
Plus they don’t have to book the liability on the balance sheet!