r/sysadmin • u/MegaSuplexMaster • Jul 20 '26
Rant Sick of working in IT
For all the IT veterans out there who've been doing this for 15+ years... do you ever hit a point where you're just mentally done with IT?
The endless projects, constant interruptions, being on call, always having something else to fix... it just starts wearing on you. Ever since I got back from vacation in April, I feel like I haven't wanted to do IT at all. I'm still getting everything done, but man, I'm exhausted.
I want to be clear I love my job and where I work. It's a great place with good people, and I have no desire to leave. I just feel burned out.
So what do you all do to reset? How do you get your head back in the game, stay sharp, and find the enjoyment you used to have? I'd like to hear what has worked for you.
EDIT : Thanks for the massive responces to this, most of the adice is great and or comical I needed that much appreaited this.
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u/FrankNicklin Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
I'm in for 34 years but now getting bored with it. The changes are becoming too rapid, things are constantly changing and with the advent of AI and AI malware attacks I'm just running out of steam to be bothered about dealing with this stuff.
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u/Dull-Reception2642 Jul 20 '26
Twenty years for me, and same. Very burned out. DGAF.
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u/R0gu3tr4d3r Jul 20 '26
Same, 25 years, every Monday is getting harder.
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u/Contact-Open Jul 20 '26
Fucking Mondays. 21 years. Same story as everyone else
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u/benrad Jul 20 '26
30 years for me, lost my 10 year job in March. I have to go back into IT, but I feel like I'm destroying my soul.
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u/1esproc Titles aren't real and the rules are made up Jul 20 '26
Get back in with the solitary goal of getting out.
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u/ImLookingatU Jul 20 '26
Im also 25 years into IT. I completely share your sentiment. I think my problem was that I enjoyed and embraced change because it was faster or new tech that solves a problem. Since SaaS I started to get tired, it was change for the sake of change and people trying to justify their job. " you know this app we built that fixed all these things? well, now its in the cloud and its a subscription and its missing 30% of the features, we moved everything around for no other reason than for it look different so the investors think we are doing something new!"
Im transitioning to IT management. at least now I work have to learn what dumb way O365 or any other SaaS changed their interface for no fucking reason whatsoever.
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u/FrankNicklin Jul 20 '26
I work in a 2 man band so a lot of the IT support (Multiple clients) falls to me. I am IT management in that sense so cannot go further other than give up and leave.
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u/mountain_bound Jul 20 '26
I quit a decent paying IT manager position at the end of April and haven't yet replaced it. After 29 years managing tech in various industries I'm done. Microsoft Entra, M365, and small business support needs killed my desire.
So I've spent the last few months dumping my available cash into remodeling what I can in my home so I can sell and escape off-grid even further.
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u/LordNelsonkm Jul 20 '26
Ahh, the goat farm in Wyoming plan. Very nice, very analog.
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u/FU-Lyme-Disease Jul 20 '26
I just posted about goat farming not long ago and people were give me guff about how farming is hard work and I won’t be making money on it like I think I will etc. and I was like “no, friends. I won’t be gaming I’ll be going on adventures with my goats and growing some, ah, hemp. AND NO WIFI.”
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u/Snowlandnts Jul 20 '26
Yes it is only good if you enjoy the farm life day to day, and it is not your main source of revenue, if you can make a good living as main source good for you.
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u/ShippedMyBed Jul 20 '26
Now that sounds like a plan. I think a lot of us who have done this for a long time will eventually go off-grid. My retirement plan is to buy an RV and just travel.
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u/lemon_tea Jul 20 '26
I'm tired from having spent 30 years building systems of increasing capability and operations of increasing security, and then these fucking AI systems come along and these MBA knuckleheads are willing to throw everything of value, everything they said they needed, away because they think they can get something 80% as good and have my paycheck in exchange for a small fee and denying some community of meager means power and clean water. Fuck everything about that. I have been trying to save these assholes from themselves my entire career. Now, I hope they're first in line to get everything they have coming to them.
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u/Fiction2dapulp Jul 21 '26
It’s the worst when you know what needs to get done, to do it right. But “it doesn’t flow the strategy” then they spend 3 years design a strategy, 2 years implementing it, then a new CIO comes in and changes the strategy again.
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u/farva_06 Sysadmin Jul 20 '26
I used to see these zero day exploits, and start shitting myself looking for any patch/workaround that was available. Now, I'm just like, "Meh, they'll get me if they want me."
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u/someguy7710 Jul 20 '26
20+. Honesly I liked hacking shit to get it to work. Fixing weird problems. I like on-prem exchange even when I hated it. The whole moving everything to the cloud demotivates me. Eh, sure I can do it. but its boring.
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u/Steve90000 Jul 20 '26
27ish years in IT. I don’t want to learn anything new. Is that an option?
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u/MaritimeStar Jul 20 '26
Yeah, we often develop a tech allergy. For me, it's less that I hate IT and more that I hate the direction the industry has been moving in for the past decade and I wish I could do something more useful.
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u/jamblia Jul 20 '26
The corp I work for just announced the AI girl that will support us to get HR and internal IT questions answered! Sigh.
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u/Glittering_Bet_9263 Jul 20 '26
100% this. Tech used to be cool and exciting. Now is just about entrapping users and exploiting them. Nothing new, just more tech slavery.
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u/hwtactics Jul 21 '26
I keep telling my wife my new job will be volunteering for Habitat For Humanity after I retire from IT.
"Something more useful" is exactly it. Building affordable housing will be my penance lol. For now, I enjoy building up an early retirement.
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u/Past_Conference_2889 Jul 20 '26
It's not the IT itself, it's what it's turning into. Just another soulless corporate job full of performative culture and empty buzzwords. Devoid of any fun, personality, or simplicity it once had.
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u/djscsi Doing the needful Jul 20 '26
Can we table this and circle back in the weekly stand-up? I'm hearing that the ask is "less soul crushing" - I'll put that on the kanban board and we'll leverage our to PM follow up on the deliverables.
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u/kazame Linux Admin Jul 20 '26
I heard at the quarterly all-hands that in lieu of raises in Q4, they're going to sunset the soul crushing if we hit all our KPIs and reach 115% EBITDA for the rolling fiscal year.
Except for the sales team, they get all their usual bonuses plus a new cocaine stipend
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u/ImUrFrand Jul 21 '26
you know kazame, at the end of the day it isn't about climbing everest, it's about our roi.
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u/Embarrassed-Gur7301 Jul 20 '26
I sniff glue
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u/RikiWardOG Jul 20 '26
do you have a favorite crayon flavor?
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u/Pyle221 Jul 20 '26
Magenta and Cyan.
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u/MechanicalTurkish BOFH Jul 20 '26
I once worked with a guy who had xterms with a cyan background and magenta text. It made my eyes bleed lol
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u/ConfidentDuck1 Jack of All Trades Jul 20 '26
For me it's ITGlue
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u/Rock_Paper_SQUIRREL Jul 20 '26
My God it's starting to feel like if you've worked for one MSP you've worked for them all
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u/GasBackground3335 Jul 20 '26
Oh man is this what the office glue guy is supposed to do. I have been trying to get after work social gatherings going and should have been sniffing glue.
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u/Resident-Condition-2 Jul 20 '26
I've wanted to run away and be a woods witch for a long time now.
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u/relentlesshack Jul 20 '26
I'm trying to move from IT to my company's RnD. Funny thing is they will still have me do the setting up of test environments if I pull it off.
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u/natebc Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
Hobbies. Life outside of work. Work to live don't live to work. yadda and etcetera.
You can also do something else with the same skills, just a different kind of IT. For example I did storage vendor support for 10 years in the middle of my career. It pays quite well.
I'm back in IT now and it's fine. Doesn't define who I am or what I care about. It pays for the things that do. I started in IT in 1999.
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u/Jolly-Woodpecker-359 Jul 20 '26
Hobbies is a must. I teach and train in Muay Thai kickboxing after work 3 days a week. Seems to keep me pretty level from a mental standpoint.
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u/BokehJunkie Jul 20 '26
Just going to the gym has been huge for me. I couldn't recognize it at the time, but something always felt off at the end of the day and I always slept like trash. I genuinely think it's because I was mentally exhausted and had done nothing physical at all the whole day. Now I feel like my mind and body both get a "workout" during the day and my sleep has been much more consistent and overall my stress levels have gone down a lot.
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u/raffey_goode Jul 20 '26
people underestimate the power of exercise. I mean your body and mind both need exercise... your body is built to move and your mind to solve complex problems or puzzles. if you just do one or the other it can negatively impact you.
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u/CaptainBrooksie Jul 20 '26
I train BJJ. I encounter so many IT people who train combat sports, I think there’s a problem solving under pressure element that speaks to us
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u/SoSmartish Jul 20 '26
Or the pent up desire to throw people around.
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u/CaptainBrooksie Jul 20 '26
That too. I work at home and regularly tell my wife I’m heading to the airport because I need to strangle someone in India.
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u/BrokenByEpicor Jack of all Tears Jul 20 '26
There's a particular new york based company I work with frequently and I often remark on how I'm going to need a plane ticket to fly out and shit on their front lawn.
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u/Panta125 Jul 20 '26
Or the joy of knowing you can murder people if you don't let go....
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u/RedDidItAndYouKnowIt Windows Admin Jul 20 '26
My daughter's are in Taekwondo and will be until getting black belts at least. After that I am going to push them to do BJJ to round them out. Maybe I should join them on their journey.
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u/CaptainBrooksie Jul 20 '26
Do it! There’s nothing quite like having your clothes folded while you’re wearing them.
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u/Beautiful-Employ-613 Jul 20 '26
This is the whole story. I used to be so locked in all the time with work, never really taking my vacations, etc. until I got laid off 3 times (brought back by the same company with slight pay bump each time) by the same company over 3 years.
I told myself I didn’t have time to take care of myself, etc. personal time can be as easy as a walk outside after work; it doesn’t have to be a commitment to any larger thing other than yourself, friends, and family.
No job will ever replace those things and the vast majority of employers see us as cogs rather than people.
Your actual life matters far more, and the more of us that demand that, the less any employer can take advantage of us.
I remember the first time I really started to wake up to how work-focused I was: we went on a beach camping trip and we had absolutely zero internet access within 30 miles. I was so stressed out for the first 2 days, then I realized there was nothing I could do and just enjoyed myself.
I got back to thousands of emails and my boss told me to just go through them slowly in the order they came in. Verify if the work is already done. Took a week or so to catch up fully, but I remember that vacation more than any other one since I’d gotten into IT. The work stuff comes and goes, and you can’t control layoffs, etc. Your life is always worth more than anything you do at work. Full stop.10
u/dekyos Sr. Sysadmin Jul 20 '26
How does one find a storage vendor support position? lol
I'm about to hit 20 years, and I'm honestly trying to find my until-retirement job now.
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u/Phreakiture Automation Engineer Jul 20 '26
This was a revelation. I have often wondered why I don't feel as burned out as the people around me seem to be. I've done several different varieties of IT and OT, worked as a market analyst for a while, did a part-time side-gig at a startup, and have . . . maybe too many hobbies . . . and a family I adore. My career started just a few years before yours, in 1994.
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u/smoothvibe Jul 20 '26
I'm too exhausted to have hobbies. After work I'm completely done and just able to watch some series and go to bed.
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u/thumbtaks DevOps Jul 20 '26
That’s an excuse my guy, and you’ll be miserable until you quit making excuses.
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u/santathe1 cistern admin Jul 20 '26
I’m done with this, but my bills are not done with me and I don’t have any other skills lol.
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u/xXNeGaTiVisMXx Jul 20 '26
I think this is the point where you become a goose farmer or something
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u/drkstar1982 Jul 20 '26
I’m looking at starting a Bee farm. Lol
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u/sysadmindork Jul 20 '26
I hit 30 years in IT this year so I def feel the frustration. I *did* buy a farm and start the beekeeping thing. Bees mean lifting 100 pound boxes of honey in July while in a bee suit, with smoke in your eyes, while thousands of stinging insects whirl around your head.
Customers will complain they can get honey cheaper at walmart.
This is not the escape hatch you think it is. 😄
Luckily(?) for me, a bear came through my apiary and destroyed all my stuff, so I'm still patching servers, integrating "the cloud" into various things, and listening to vendors promise magical outcomes with thier ai-enabled patch cables or whatever.
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u/Lisan_Al-NaCL Jul 20 '26
I hit 30 years in IT this year so I def feel the frustration. I did buy a farm and start the beekeeping thing. Bees mean lifting 100 pound boxes of honey in July while in a bee suit, with smoke in your eyes, while thousands of stinging insects whirl around your head.
Did you put in a ServiceNow ticket to make that change to the bee boxes?
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u/drkstar1982 Jul 20 '26
LOL, so for me, the bee farm thing is like my grandfather's old hog farm, he set up after he retired from trucking. It's not so much a new career but something to do to keep sane.
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u/rysaroni Jul 20 '26
So true. I've been in the industry for almost 30 years. I used to love everything PC and spent all my time on it. Now when I log off from work I can't stand to look at it, I just want to be outside.
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u/lastcallhall IT Manager Jul 20 '26
Im definitely burnt out now, but Im also so far long in my career that I can't pivot into anything comparable. So unless I win the lottery, an unknown to me rich uncle dies, or I stumble upon a discarded Brinks truck, I'm here until I cross the finish line. So I try to make the most of it.
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u/SHANE523 Jul 20 '26
I am with you and I have new leadership that I just don't trust. They don't understand why they don't have access to all files as CEO, they don't understand that it isn't that they will do something intentionally as to why they don't have access.
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u/lastcallhall IT Manager Jul 20 '26
Over permissioning is definitely a huge reason for my burnout. Unfortunately, we're more of a mom and pop that has one owner who insists he have access to everything, which includes all files, passwords, HR info, etc. Despite multiple people telling him that legally its better if he doesnt have that access.
It's hard to explain to people that you're the one carrying the burden of others' poor choices.
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u/MahNilla Jul 20 '26
I'm just at the point where I let them do it and document my advice. We babysit systems, not people.
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u/chicaneuk Sysadmin Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
Snap..and I have two young kids so can't just run away to a shack in the Scottish Highlands which has always been my escape fantasy. It's a horrible feeling to be responsible for people and needing an income and having no easy way out.
I remember years ago, pre-kids, and still enjoying IT, I always thought "well at least if it all goes wrong I can get a McJob and still easily afford the mortgage... or crash on a friends sofa, worst case." ... how things change.
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u/lastcallhall IT Manager Jul 20 '26
I feel this in my soul - Wyoming has been calling me for years due to it's remote nature and open landscapes, but I just can't seem to get my cards in order to pull the trigger. Hopefully that changes in a couple of years once I square away a few things. Fingers crossed the powers that be dont do another rug pull or goalpost move in that time.
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u/MisterMayhem87 Jul 20 '26
Same. No idea what I could do to replace the income when we depend on it. Just sort of stuck in the void because other jobs just aren’t supportive enough. The world is dumb and harsh for no reason
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u/YeetedApple Jul 20 '26
Replacing the income is a big one. Every time I get the urge to look for something different to do, all I can find is worse jobs with worse pay. As burnt out from things as I feel from time to time, dealing with that still seems the lesser evil
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u/dreniarb Jul 20 '26
Yep - no end in sight for me. Unless fortune lands in my lap I will be working until I literally can't do it any more.
Thankful that I do love my job.
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u/Smart-Satisfaction-5 Jul 20 '26
Bro I’m ready to throw all tech in the trash and work in an animal shelter or something.
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u/Trolololingyou Jul 20 '26
I worked in IT for 10 years then switched to cybersecurity within the same company. Absolutely love the change. Still get to be technical and having the IT background really helps with the transition. Not worried about critical outages anymore and simply get to oversee IT w/o the stress. Good luck friend, just my .02
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u/Background_Poet73 Jul 20 '26
I just switched from Sysadmin to InfoSec. I am 33 years in IT and have reinvented a few times… mainframe operations to early LANS (Novell then MS), then management for a decade, then on to Sysadmin and now infosec. I like the position, way less BS. Trying to find my off ramp now. Plan on slicing deli meats part time next.
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u/nme_ the evil "I.T. Consultant" Jul 20 '26
I read that as you were 33 years old and was like, wtf?
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u/CptBronzeBalls Sr. Sysadmin Jul 20 '26
Congrats. You’ve become someone else’s stress.
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u/throwawayformobile78 Jul 20 '26
Amazing. I’m 40 and still trying to get a help desk job. Stuck in telecom. Can’t imagine just “hopping over to cyber” like that. IT must be amazing with so many opportunities like that for everyone.
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u/klauskervin Jul 20 '26
I'm in IT and it isn't that easy. Many Infosec jobs are all about who you know rather than what you know. At least in my area.
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u/throwawayformobile78 Jul 20 '26
Oh I’m aware. I was doin’ a little clowning on how easy the above guy made it sound. Similar to “must be nice!”. Lol.
Good luck to you out there.
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u/Adventurous_Scene494 Jul 20 '26
I fucking hate it now. Not because the technology but because the people
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u/discgman Jul 20 '26
26+ years here. Yes it doesn't get much better. You have to have more hobbies and take more time off when you can. Also put a ton of money away in savings and investments so you can retire early and do some work you actually enjoy. Its not just IT, its working and life in general.
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u/sk1ttl3s Jul 20 '26
I left and went to IT auditing lol
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u/Bob_12_Pack Jul 20 '26
I've thought about doing this when I retire from my current position a few years from now. I've been through many audits and they were mostly a joke, done by inexperienced people. After 32 years in the field, I know where the bodies are buried.
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u/BJMcGobbleDicks Jul 20 '26
When I get burnt out I do hobbies outside that have nothing to do with IT. No using my computer or gaming. I’ve been fishing and restoring a 1952 Coke machine lately. I did drink a lot before to help, but that proved to be detrimental to my health and put me in the ICU. So I’m 11 months and 2 days sober. I let myself get my head out of the game for periods to reset. Worse thing they can do is fire me. Then I’ll get another job that pays more. I live in a semi rural area, so it’s slim pickings for IT personnel.
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Jul 20 '26
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u/anothernerd Jul 20 '26
So true. It's a cycle. Just power through and know you'll like it again in a few months.
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u/bukkithedd Sarcastic BOFH Jul 20 '26
Closing in on 30 years in this field, and whenever I feel like I've been doing shit for too long, I switch jobs. Right now I'm 8 years into staying with the same company, and while there's always SOME gripes, it's pleasant enough and pays well enough.
That being said, sometimes I do wonder if I'd be better off driving a semitruck, even though I live in Norway and some of the roads here are....interesting. Especially at winter. It won't pay as much, but at least I don't have to deal with the level of silliness I have to in my current job.
Need to win the Euromillions or something, and become a carrotfarmer.
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u/Kamakatze Jul 20 '26
I’m aiming for goat farming. I still have to have a couple of heard heads around 😂
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u/rushaz Jul 20 '26
I've been in various IT roles since I was 18, for around 30 years now. Started and spent a LONG time in various tech support roles, and worked up to network engineering.
The number of times I've asked 'why the fuck am I still doing this' crossing my head is infinite. However, I'm also beyond the point of any kind of meaningful career switch, so I'm just going to try and ride it out, and enjoy the hobbies I have to help distract me from the soul crushing BS that goes on daily.
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u/l_ju1c3_l Any Any Rule Jul 20 '26
Find your COBOL or AS400 and ride it into the sunset. This is my dream. Become indispensable because everyone else forgot how to do it. (only half kidding)
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u/skydiveguy Sysadmin Jul 20 '26
The on-call is what the problem is.
I got a job now where there is no weekendds and no on-call and its refreshing.
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u/elitesense Jul 20 '26
Everyone hits this wall if you stick around long enough.
- Set boundaries
- Become "lazy". Do the bare minimum.
- Focus on life outside of work first and foremost.
- If your life outside of work is just dealing with more technology, then find new things/people to do.
- automate everything you can, but don't tell anyone. Use the extra time gained for the above mentioned things/people.
- Don't be the "go to" person anymore. Just do enough to keep the job stability.
Lastly, I'll mention that it seems medium sized orgs have had the best work/life balance for me. Too big and they don't care you're just a number to them, too small they'll grind you down. Mid sized you can actually hold value and the company has enough systems in place and cash moat to provide stability. Obviously this is a case by base basis.
The end goal: /r/fire
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u/PWarmahordes Jul 20 '26
Getting there. Being responsible for everything and getting support for nothing wears you down.
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u/xubax Jul 20 '26
Yeah, it's a grind.
It's not just the updates, it's the constant learning.
And I'm all for learning. Except what you're learning today will be out of date in 3-10 years. It gives you a background for how things work when learning even newer things, but it is a drag.
I still remember a flag that I had to set somewhere on windows nt4 servers that was 0x00000020. I don't remember where, I THINK it was because of WINS, butI'm not sure.
Our CIO, who's a year younger than i am, said in a meeting with me and another colleague that he was tired of learning new things. I didn't say anything, but I agreed silently.
Slow down. See if you can get some help.
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u/progenyofeniac Windows/M365 Admin Jul 20 '26
As far as finding the enjoyment I used to have, I’m not aiming for that. It’s work. I do an honest day but I’m not enthusiastic about it.
As for the rest, look for a role that fits your style. Maybe you still want to do break/fix, support end users, etc. Or maybe you want to move into an engineering/architect role where you work on bigger picture items and face less on call and fewer interruptions. That’s where I’m at now and I’m content.
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u/Far-Hovercraft9471 Jul 20 '26
We're stuck between supporting things from greedy corporate entities and dealing with moronic management. How could anyone be into that?
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u/expatsaffer Jul 20 '26
I became an ERP consultant. The money is comparable, it's challenging enough to be interesting, and implementation is not the cycle of break/fix. You don't feel unthanked and invisible, and you aren't in that forever push to learn brand new things every couple of years.
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u/funkylabrador420 Jul 20 '26
How do people have careers and kids and hobbies? I barely have time to take a shit before someone is yelling at me
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u/Lost_Sheep90 IT Manager Jul 20 '26
I feel this. I'm a systems and datacenter infrastructure engineer with 5 years of managerial experience and a total of about 16 years administration and engineering experience. I was let go about a month ago for some BS reasons that I've deduced were actually a cover for salary and not wanting to give me the raise that was coming this month. I'm so burnt out. I had phantom pocket vibrations and anxiety about missed alerts for about a week after i had no job.
I've applied to over 60 postings. Re-did my resume 3 times. Adjusted my resume for the jobs I was applying to. So far I've received 3 rejections and nothing else regarding any of those applications. I've even had several referrals that should have gotten me a first interview. I'm even working with 2 different recruiters that are both telling me this is how the IT job market is right now. I've never had this much trouble at least getting a first interview.
I'm about to go become a welder or an electrician.
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u/rubmahbelly fixing shit Jul 20 '26
The market is worse than 2008. Crossing my fingers for you. Searching also for a job.
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u/AlwaysLinux Jul 20 '26
HAH, most of the veteran IT workers Ive worked with are full blown alcoholics or pot smokers :-D.
Yeah, after 35 years, Im starting to hit a wall too... Thinking about running cattle or something outdoorsie myself :)
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u/The_RaptorCannon Cloud Engineer Jul 20 '26
Its too much all the time all at once. I learn enough to do what is required. Anytime after 5 is mine. I dont mind working after hours on occasion but not all the time. There will always be work and things to do but if project pile up I just ask whats the priority.
I have also been burnt out and quit a place and took extended time off between jobs as a result. Recognized the pattern and essentially reset how I work and set the precedent at my new place. I dont live to work anymore...my personal time and things I want to do is my priority but I still give 100% at work when Im working.
I also dont work consulting or MSPs anymore...they will grind you into the dirt
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u/The_NorthernLight Jul 20 '26
Move to management, at least there you can affect the outcomes. I specifically move to IT management and it has saved my sanity and career. Don’t get me wrong, there is still days where i wish i had the skills to go be a travel vlogger…
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u/ferengiface Jul 20 '26
IT management was always my end goal, and it burned me out at an exponential rate. Fixing printers was way better. So, obviously highly dependent on the person and situation. #neveragain
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u/PorcupineWarriorGod Jul 20 '26
I specifically move to IT management and it has saved my sanity and career
Huh, I made the move to management and had exactly the opposite experience. At this point, I'd much rather go back to something with a narrowed focus than being the funnel that every project and objective in the company goes through.
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u/smoothvibe Jul 20 '26
I was in middle management as teamlead - it was hell. Had to deal with all those personal stuff from my guys and gals, which I'm ok with, but also had to do a shitton of operative stuff + projects and also oversee service management.
Is it getting better when being the IT boss? My boss always had to work late and deal with all the other departments + vendors. Doesn't really sound like a better job.
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u/Pussy_handz Jul 20 '26
I wish I never went into IT. If I could redo it all, I wouldve picked an easy drone job in accounting.
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u/glaciercherryisgood Jul 20 '26
Accountants are clocking soul-destroying hours during tax season, and I've seen what it does to my brother. He also can't stand how much of his job revolves around helping rich people take massive tax breaks.
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u/rschulze Senior Linux / Security Architect Jul 20 '26
25+ years, now Infosec, but my background was networking, linux, devops.
I don't worry about other peoples problems.
I don't worry about things I can't influence.
I make sure I have influence over things that are important to me.
I don't do on call (at least not regularly).
I only work 4 days, more time for things that actually matter like family and hobbies.
Focus on the topics that you enjoy.
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u/SupplePigeon Sysadmin Jul 20 '26
I feel like all jobs are like this, but IT is a special version of a treadmill that never stops. It’s always changing and always the same. I’m ready for the farm.
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u/Arawan69 Jul 20 '26
Well, after 40 years of this life, I can honestly state that I am not looking forward to retirement, which is 1 yr, 11 months, 10 days, and 2 hours away.
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u/dasunt Jul 20 '26
IT is fine.
Even the rare after hours call is fine.
What is killing me is the damn culture of understaffing, underfunding, and the remaining staff reduced to duct tape solutions that keep the lights on. The resulting configuration drift turns every system into a unique snowflake, making usual tasks much more difficult. As well as the jank causing regular after hours calls that destroy work/life balance.
Not addressing root issues causes burnout in any field.
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u/DazBlintze Jul 20 '26
I’m at the point where I have no interest in anything new. Ai bores the shit out of me. I just want to quit and go make something out of wood.
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u/BlackSquirrel05 Security Admin (Infrastructure) Jul 20 '26
You leave and find something else... Or you just stop caring and treat every task as such...
"You want what done? Oh just roll out on premise self hosted AI to lower costs from off the shelf... Oh okay... What are we going to build? You don't know yet? Okay okay cool cool... Let us know when you do and uh we'll let you know the inventory that's needed for 7 figures."
I want to be clear I love my job and where I work.
I don't think you do...
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u/RevolutionaryElk7446 Jul 20 '26
Definitely had those moments in the earlier days, but most of it now a days is just somewhat trivial.
I will say most of my early burn out was due to the company I worked for and not the field of IT as a whole. The IT was fun, the 'business' not so much.
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u/sudo_administrator Jul 20 '26
Switch to OT. Pay is generally better and most of the complaints with IT are usually resolved given the environment.
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u/lurkeroutthere Jul 20 '26
Look at this play doh soft guy with his vacation in April and not being in a dead sprint to get the last hold outs off VMware. *cries*
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u/ReallyOldSysAdmin Jul 20 '26
40 plus years in IT here. I've learned to take a vacation or a long weekend once in a while to reset your brain. I wish I would have learned that early in my career, rather than job hop...
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u/Nemo_Redmane Jul 20 '26
My new catch phrase within our department is “Through the power of Caffeine and Alcohol we can prevail”
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u/OsisX Jul 20 '26
18 years. Not sure if it’s IT, midlife crisis or burnout, but if picker paid as much as IT, I would have been long gone.
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u/Lemonwater925 Jul 20 '26
40+ years of IT. Primarily internet (started in 1994). I would start to make up acronyms to see if anyone was paying attention. Especially the mgrs that could be replaced with a brick.
Would check out pictures of my wife and kids. That kept me going. Kids gone now and wife said retire now. Why keep going?
Submitted my retirement papers. Slipped out the side door. Never looked back.
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u/johor Jul 20 '26
I said "Fuck IT" and became a lawyer instead.
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u/Far-Hovercraft9471 Jul 20 '26
Sounds like going from the frying pan to the fire
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u/johor Jul 20 '26
I never said I was smart.
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u/maximumtesticle Jul 20 '26
I never said I was smart.
You'd be a perfect lawyer then!
Source: I work with attorneys.
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u/Remnence Jul 20 '26
90% of lawyering is low stress and extremely structured. Just dont get into family shit or criminal defense.
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u/Think_Network2431 Jul 20 '26
After 20 years of working in IT, I can honestly say that I never get tired of it.
Today, I am tmy self boss, mainly because nobody truly understands what I do... But everyone agrees that it seems important.
I solve problems that nobody knew existed, explain technical issues that nobody wants to understand, and take responsibility when everything stops working.
I have meetings about meetings, answer emails about problems caused by other emails, and translate IT language into something that sounds reassuring.
I am living the dream.
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u/rubberDonkey20 Jul 20 '26
Got the old golden handcuffs on. Nothing out there that really compares. 🔗⛓️🪑💰
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u/Stinkles-v2 I'm tired boss Jul 20 '26
I've always been in computers. Now every time I take my car into the garage I think about how their skills are just so much more useful outside of work especially learning a trade like welding on top of it. At this point the money is going to be useless in 30 years and I'd like a place I can smoke in the building and call managers dickheads to their face.
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u/productboy Jul 20 '26
Leave the industry, travel, try a new skill in a new place. Someone that worked for me did this; she ended up in Ireland herding sheep.
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u/Pyle221 Jul 20 '26
Yes. I was done after 25 years. Nights, weekends, 5am calls, done. I'm now a disaster recovery analyst so still in IT but I don't manage servers anymore, I don't patch systems at 3am. I'm not on-call unless it's a disaster level event. I haven't logged onto a server in over a year. Good luck. Take those calls from headhunters every chance you get.
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u/listeningtoreason Jul 20 '26
35 years here and I’m done. Retiring in two years and have already checked out.
So many meetings and ten minute “standups” that last an hour.
I play music, do photography, hike. Enjoy life outside of work. Don’t take things too seriously.
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u/newbies13 Sr. Sysadmin Jul 20 '26
My problem with IT is the thing I like about technology is the certainty of it. If I write a script it will error until it doesn't, then it just works... Whatever that issue is, its mostly resolved for now other than a bit of care over time to check on it. That feeling of a problem being resolved, the focus I can put into something else, it's incredibly satisfying.
Businesses and people don't run this way despite it being objectively better. So unless you work in a company with strong IT leadership with leverage to enforce process... work is basically hell for an IT person. It's a bunch of people who can barely use a computer lying about how important their particular thing is, every single time.
My whole problem with IT as a job is that it's not allowed to set the process by which things run, it's constantly forced to be broken and reconfigured and made to work for whoever screams the loudest that day. If it was a relationship it would be one of the most toxic kinds you could have.
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u/Geminii27 Jul 20 '26
It's hardly ever the actual IT aspects of the job which wear us down to nothing. It's the interruptions, the stupidities that drift down from the boardroom and waft up from the trenches, and the increasing shittification of commercial products (including ones that have already been purchased) meaning that more of our time is taken up by trying to find ways to work around it.
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u/c0v3n4n7 Jul 20 '26
I took a two week vacation, and I've promised myself that I would not check work related stuff during this time. I needed to disconnect and recharge. Before that, I spoke with the HR team and they told me something like this : "Dude, go and relax. This company has over 80 very well paid engineers. If something comes up and no one can help, there's going to be some restructuring".
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u/Lunar_Tribunal Jul 20 '26
I'm nowhere near the level of experience you all have (I'm around 5 years in) but I've recently climbed a rung in the ladder that has given me the opportunity to work as a system admin. I will say I tend to dislike a lot of the social requirements of IT work; I personally prefer being invisible. I don't mind interacting with users and higher ups, but I tend to avoid it when I can. There was a time I thought about switching career fields to software development which I am still actively thinking about. I agree with other comments, there are still careers that utilize the same skills that don't require the same work. I for one wish I stuck out my CCNA and got into network engineering.
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u/bitslammer Security Architecture/GRC Jul 20 '26
The being on call thing was the worst IMO. I made sure after a few bad situations to only take roles where it was very well defined and structured to have minimal impact on my life and I also made it my goal to move into role without on call or after hours support.
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u/chaosphere_mk Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
It's an interesting question, because I regularly fall in and out of this mentality. I do love problem solving though, so as long as I have some consistent material along those lines, it's enough to keep me interested. If Im just pulling levers and turning cranks all the time, I check out.
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u/Bob_12_Pack Jul 20 '26
This is how I am, if it's not complicated, it's not fun. Fixing things, solving problems, building-out new environments, learning new skills, that is what I love to do. I learned early-on that I was not interested in managing people and spending most of my time in meetings, the tech is where it's at and is what keeps me happy. I have a few years left to get a full pension, I look forward to getting out from behind the screen, but honestly don't know if I actually will.
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u/PorcupineWarriorGod Jul 20 '26
For all the IT veterans out there who've been doing this for 15+ years... do you ever hit a point where you're just mentally done with IT?
Yep, back around 2008.
Can't pay the rent swinging a hammer though. :(
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u/Kensarim Jul 20 '26
18 years in here and been reviewing what other career paths I could move into. The financial hit is such a problem though. Most career paths that interest me will not pay remotely near where I am)
Completely burnout. Today I’ve been asked to explain why an application needs to be pen tested to the security team who requested the pen test? Straight after the call I put my feet up and thought I’m done for the day that shit can wait till tomorrow.
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u/awetsasquatch Cyber Investigations Jul 20 '26
Pivot to a different area of IT where you aren't on call or directly supporting users. I worked IT operations for a decade and hated every day, then I swapped to Digital Forensics and have mostly loved every day since
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u/MetalEnthusiast83 Jul 20 '26
Yeah man. This isn't like a higher calling or a lifestyle for me. I work my 40 hours and go back to ignoring tech.
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u/StarSlayerX IT Manager Large Enterprise Jul 20 '26
Every 3-4 years I end up moving up or to a new piece of technology. Went from Help Desk Desktop Support > Windows Server Admin > Hyper-V/Esxi Virtualization Cluster Engineering > Telecom Engineer with VoIP > M365 and Azure Engineering > Digital Collaboration with M365 and Slack for F500> Now AI Automated Workflow for Enterprise with MS CoPilot Studio/n8n/Node.JS.
My work is great as I only need to work 20-30 hours a week and 100% project based work. Outside of work I have money to spend on hobbies.
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u/WTFpe0ple Jul 20 '26
did it for over 30 years. On call 24/7, nights and weekends included :( then retired early [55]. I have done nothing in the last three years but sit in silence and reflect the PTSD trauma that it gave me. But at least I made a lot of money.
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u/tiedtkes2 Jul 20 '26
Every single day. Just dumping everything i can into my retirement so I can quit solving 1000's of clients issues and chill and play games until they find me dead in my chair
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u/Error-InvalidName Jul 20 '26
Was in it 20 and had to get out I need a more physical job and was tired of being trapped inside conditioned buildings. Left for electrical work and its a much much better feeling for me to get home and be more physically tired than mentally with a side of sitting to much during the day. If you don't end up doing something big change wise regarding the job, I think resetting may come down to taking time off more and or some type of physical activity if you aren't already.
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u/sudo_69 Jul 20 '26
I been doing this sort of work for going on 35 years now. I guess it boils down to how you deal with stress. My first 5 years or so were pretty awful as I cut my teeth in some of the worst situations imaginable. Now I just sort of let it roll off me. What I am tiring of mainly now is sorting through all the sales hype...and the relentless acronyms for stupid shit.
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u/scarlet__panda Jul 20 '26
Im in year 3. While I love what I do, I just do it for the money. It's a job, not my life. Couldn't really imagine doing anything else and reckon I'll be in IT in some form until I retire or die on the job lol.
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u/Hopeful_Promise_4872 Jul 20 '26
Yes, head on over to GRC. You will have value to them if they know what they are doing. Get yourself a CRISC from ISACA and you will become a Unicorn in hiring terms.
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u/ScarcityReal5399 Jul 20 '26
18 yrs, getting burned out. Doesn't help that companies keep expanding our roles and expecting us to certify with either minimal or no compensation.
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u/Dychnel Jul 20 '26
30 years. I had burn out real bad a few years ago, but I was able to power through it by some miracle and now I’m mostly back to enjoying what I do with the occasional fuck-its still popping up from time to time.
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u/Chewychews420 IT Manager Jul 20 '26
I definitely don't love it as much as i used to, but it pays for the thing i enjoy doing outside of work (fishing) so i look at it that way instead to make it tolerable. I'm counting down the days until i can retire to a cabin in the middle of the woods, never to be near tech again!
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u/XavvenFayne Jul 20 '26
All those things you mentioned suck, but this is good money and it's not physical labor. I think of all the things I could be doing for the same amount of money and then thank my lucky stars I'm good at IT and chose this career.
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u/PsykoMunkey Jul 20 '26
I have 4 years left before I retire, making it 30. It's getting to the point of just hanging on and counting the days now. I do like my job some days, but there has to be an end. I want to start a goat farm or mow lawns and yell at people.
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u/w453y Jul 20 '26
Hmm, every IT veteran eventually becomes read-only.