this post was submitted on 04 Mar 2025
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[–] [email protected] 65 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

tbh this story isn't new, the IT guy who has scripted everything and works 1 hour a week even in the office has been around since like the 80's

[–] [email protected] 43 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Yeah, but I do shut up about it. Doesn't matter what we internet folk think is common knowledge. The majority of bosses only have a faint idea of what is going on. And we should keep it this way.

This is how I keep my boss happy. By keeping him in the dark ❤

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 month ago

Keep them in the dark and feed them shit 🍄🍄🍄

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I know you just said you shut up about it, but I’m currently in a junior sysadmin role and was wondering what area of IT you’re in?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

From personal experience, sysadmin/engineer work. Unfortunately some places use sysadmin to refer to high level tech support, but I'm talking about the people who keep back end infrastructure running. If the back end systems are kept working and you have a project that is simultaneously technical enough and sounds important enough, people will often just leave you to it.

There is a lot of downtime. I'm paid for my knowledge and ability to solve complex problems quickly when they arise, not to be cranking out manual work 40 hours a week. However, there are absolutely times where I've got to full focus in, full hours. They just are the exception rather than the norm.

The biggest tool for this is learning the automation tools and systems your company uses. More you can automate, the more actions you can take in a shorter time, giving you more down time. This also increases opportunities to break shit exponentially, so you're trading knowledge, risk (especially while you learn), and up front time for time later.

Always remember this table as well. Automation can free you but it can also be a trap.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I’ve referenced this table many times with new hires so they can see first hand how much time automation can save or suck.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

theyd fire me for not understanding the table

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I used to shoot fireworks professionally as a side gig, and the guy running the show was essentially working full time, but he had another full time job and i eventually asked him how the hell he did it.

It was this same story. He automated his shit, set up catches and only he would recwicer the alerts so he had time to be where he needed to be when they finally called him to fix it

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

Happy cake day!