Hello!
Sorry in advance for quite a long post but I am unsure how to explain everything without writing it all down here... so thank you and please bare with me! :)
I've just started a new job as junior IT sysadmin and am trying to figure out whether my worries are normal or if this is just what some smaller companies are like and everything is ok.
During the hiring they've told me they have no internal IT department and relies only on 2 external IT people: -1 consultant who sometimes helps with sharepoint -1 sysadmin who manages everything but also works fulltime for another company They've also mentioned they had recently migrated to M365 and that the migration has caused all kinds of issues with permissions, access rights, and overall administration. It sounded very messy but also interesting, so I still accepted the offer thinking I will have to deal mostly with M365.
Now I've started this job and got to know that comany's CEO is apparently quite controlling and wants to know and see everything. He is also a Global admin in M365 and has additional high privilege roles assigned. I've also learned that the expectations now seems much bigger than what I would normally think that only a junior sysadmin alone should do since they expect me to: -help with sharepoint administration and it's structure -manage and redesign existing M365 permissions and access -communicate with all departments to understand their workflows, requirements and software that they use -review entire companys IT infrastructure -potentially introduce company wide AI and security policies -work with and administrate MS Dynamics and PowerBI (I told them that I have no or almost no experience with those) -work with integrations between sales platforms and internal systems -participate in and maybe even lead future CRM migration (no more info) -help with creating a document management system because they currently don't have it -potentially introduce on prem servers in future
At this moment I have only sharepoint permissions in M365, which are nowhere near enough for many tasks I'm being asked to help with not to mention that I have no admin access in my computer either. I've requested necessary access to actually do tasks they're expecting from me from the external sysadmin. I asked for global admin and local admin rights, providing detailed info in an email for why I need them. I've also cc'd my manager (that's not even related to IT) to document everything. The external sysadmin just sorta ignored me by only replying that they wish to meet up sometime later so I still have no access. I honestly don't get how I'm supposed to manage systems if I cannot even access them or see what's inside normally...
I also asked my manager a fairly direct question the other day: 'If the company needs all of this why did you hire specifically just a junior sysadmin instead of an experienced IT manager or some senior sysadmin?' The answer I got was that they want to 'grow a person internally alongside the company needs'... Then I pointed out that someone with more experience would make less mistakes and be able to set everything properly. The response then was basically that they are not afraid of mistakes because they're an RnD company where mistakes are normal. They also said that they didn't want someone who would come in and 'do everything their own way'.... like wtf..? That answer then left me confused and speechless because things like permissions, security, infrastructure and stuff already have best practices for a reason!
So...is this a normal situation for smaller companies that are building their internal IT for the first time? Is this an actual growth opportunity and I'm just worrying for nothing..? Would you guys be concerned and think about exiting already? I'm simply very confused on what's the right thing to do...
Holy shit I cant say that enough about Powershell. If you're managing Windows machines in a corporate environment, powershell will make you seem like a wizard.
For OP, Check out the book "Learn Powershell in a month of lunches". Each chapter is setup to be read in 30 minutes with a 30 minute exercise. That book has saved my butt on more than one occasion with the skills I learned.
Also, since it wasn't said, "Learn Powershell in a month of lunches" is available as a free pdf download.
Also keep your scripts somewhere. Git/github/codeberg/etc... or hell a flash drive. It help later on when job jumping. Think of it as wisard spells and a spell book.
Be careful with that, depending on employment laws and your contract any code you write while working for your employer might be legally theirs and can't just be taken with you like that
True you have to be smart.
Its generally ok and accepted. Where it gets tricky is when you pull ALL the source code of company XYZ product and then use it at a new job to undercut your old one. Or try to sell a copy with the same code. Essentially when money and licensing comes into play.
Also depending on where you coded said solution, if it holds up to court, etc..etc... But generally, if LLMs can siphon up the entire internet for code, you can keep your own.
But one off scripts? Oh yeah those are safe. People have been sharing their dot files for ages.
I personally have spun off a couple of libraries making it easier for people to use said commercial product. Its been wildly successful for my career over the long run.
Saw this post while taking my morning dump and came back to specifically make a similar comment.
This sort of job is a decision. You'll be objectively underpaid. Be real, everyone here knows the reason they hired a junior admin is because they only wanted to pay for a junior admin. Anything other than that they say is spin.
But, they're right that there's room to grow. If you're capable of it, this job will give opportunity to massively expand your skillset. They've brought growth into conversation, so see if they'll spring for training or at least books (after you've identified specific ones that would be helpful). They've already forgiven some mistakes, so take the opportunity to be a little more adventurous for the sake of learning something. You won't be getting your full value in salary, so extract some through the opportunities to gain experience that's beyond the normal scope of a junior role.
After a year or two, push for a promotion. Raise would be good, but settle for formally dropping the "junior" in your job title if you have to. You'll have more experience, more skills, and a resume showing a quickly earned promotion. That's when you can begin the earnest search for the next role. How earnest will be a function of how much you like it there, how much you feel you've left to learn, and how open they are to the idea of paying you on par with your growth to that point.
I'd also recommend, especially once established, not working more than 40 hours.
If they want more help, they can pay for more help. Don't sell yourself for free.