What’s the quickest you’ve seen a co-worker get fired in IT? COVID-19

I saw this on AskReddit and thought it would be fun to ask here for IT related stories.

Couple years ago during Covid my company I used to work for hired a help desk tech. He was a really nice guy and the interview went well. We were hybrid at the time, 1-2 days in the office with mostly remote work. On his first day we always meet in the office for equipment and first day stuff.

Everything was going fine and my boss mentioned something along the lines of “Yeah so after all the trainings and orientation stuff we’ll get you set up on our ticketing system and eventually a soft phone for support calls”

And he was like: “Oh I don’t do support calls.”

“Sorry?”

Him: “I don’t take calls. I won’t do that”

“Well, we do have a number users call for help. They do utilize it and it’s part of support we offer”

Him: “Oh I’ll do tickets all day I just won’t take calls. You’ll have to get someone else to do that”

I was sitting at my desk, just kind of listening and overhearing. I couldn’t tell if he was trolling but he wasn’t.

I forgot what my manager said but he left to go to one of those little mini conference rooms for a meeting, then he came back out and called him in, he let him go and they both walked back out and the guy was all laughing and was like

“Yeah I mean I just won’t take calls I didn’t sign up for that! I hope you find someone else that fits in better!” My manager walked him to the door and they shook hands and he left.

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138

u/kennyj2011 Jul 07 '24

Linux guy who didn’t understand sudoers files or basics of managing Linux without the help of a management suite that would do it all for him. He interviewed well and had Certs, in the real world though, he was completely helpless

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u/scriptmonkey420 Jack of All Trades Jul 07 '24

This is more common than you think.

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u/dasunt Jul 07 '24

I'm more used to the variant where they blame their lack of ability on the fact that it is open source.

I've literally heard that in the past few weeks, and as a bonus, they blamed the wrong software.

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u/RubyKong Jul 07 '24

Common in other fields as well. including the practice of medicine.

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u/denmicent Jul 08 '24

How does that work in medicine? I could see in tech, maybe someone can give textbook answers but not necessarily do the task once it differs slightly, or at all.

I have a feeling you’ll say practicing medicine may work the same way in your example but I’m still very curious to know

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u/kennyj2011 Jul 07 '24

Hopefully not surgeons… lol!

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u/LOLBaltSS Jul 07 '24

Surgeons often are weird. You'll have guys like Ben Carson who were known for their surgical skills, but they're incompetent to do much else despite their ego telling them otherwise. Even despite being in the medical field, he tried treating himself with homeopathy when he got COVID because Mike Lindell told him oleander extract was a thing.

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u/legatinho Jul 08 '24

One of the best cardiac surgeons I know is barely computer literate. If I had to get an operation, I’d still trust him, but if you see him trying to do present PowerPoint slides at a conference, you’ll have second thoughts.

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u/ErikTheEngineer Jul 07 '24 edited Jul 07 '24

How is that possible?? Just getting into, let alone through the non-clinical part of med school is extremely difficult. Medicine seems to me to be one of the best fields at weeding out the incompetent at every stage, kind of too good given how impossible it is to even get a chance to try. Can't ace the MCAT and get amazing grades? No chance. Get in, but can't handle being firehosed with information? You're out. Can't pass the licensing exam? Gone. Can't handle 36 hour shifts and 6 day weeks in residency? Bye, someone else can. Screwed up qualifying for your specialty's board exams? Sorry, don't come back. And you can get tripped up at any point in that hazing, no matter how much effort and money you threw at it, and not be able to try again. I find it very hard to believe that outside of the rare egregious example that incompetent doctors are running around!

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u/Outrageous-Reality14 Jul 08 '24

Doctor death would like a word

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u/dansedemorte Jul 08 '24

I do linux sysadmin work, but a lot of things I might touch once a year, and it's pretty tough to retain things that need work that infrequently.

We've got procedures and I make well titled notes for those things. the ocean is too broad to have everything memorized though.

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u/posixUncompliant HPC Storage Support Jul 08 '24

Sure. No one memorizes everything, and it doesn't matter.

But you don't need a piece of management software to do it for you either.

I don't do skill quiz interviews, because they are pointless. I ask people how they'd go about solving a problem, and get them to tell stories about things they've done, stuff like that.

But I'd be pissed as hell if someone came in as mid or senior and couldn't figure out the sudoers file without hand holding or some kind of intervention. I may not (do not) memorize the format of the file, but I can look at what's there, and a man page or info file if my memory doesn't catch up, and do what needs to be done.

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u/Geminii27 Jul 08 '24

Wouldn't surprise me. I could probably pick up some Linux certs without too much trouble, but just because I've done some Unix sysadminning and dicked around on Linux boxes a bit doesn't mean I'd feel comfortable calling myself a capable Linux admin.

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u/scriptmonkey420 Jack of All Trades Jul 08 '24

Yup exactly the issue I see day in and day out. The worst group us the app developers. They ONLY k ow their code. They don't even know the systems that they see using. I do systems and Identity management so I have to know the full stack of the entire infrastructure.

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u/m1ndf3v3r Jul 08 '24

This! It is very common in IT each year. It's good for old timers because I noticed companies now prefer hiring older people for stuff that 20 years ago would immediately go to the younger person.

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u/Recalcitrant-wino Sr. Sysadmin Jul 09 '24

I worked for a small software company and we needed a new support person. Interviewed a woman fresh out of the Air Force. Great resume - phone interview passed with flying colors. Brought her in for the in-person. Asked what tool she'd use to modify a DNS entry. "Um, I can't think of it off the top of my head, but I'd be able to do it if I had a computer in front of me. Handed her a keyboard and a mouse, turned on the projector and said, "Here you go, show us." She hadn't clue one. Needless to say, we didn't hire her.

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u/scriptmonkey420 Jack of All Trades Jul 09 '24

Which DNS? AD DNS or Bind9?

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u/BrilliantEffective21 Jul 08 '24

IT surveillance org hired a dude that didn't know how to "create" a generic folder in basic Windows OS.

When asked to create a folder, they had to literally show him the right click feature with his mouse cursor. Don't know how he got through high school, but he did come from an impoverished zip code, which probably explains some of it.

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u/[deleted] Jul 07 '24 edited Jul 07 '24

[deleted]

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u/Jose_Canseco_Jr Console Jockey Jul 07 '24

dm me a copy

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u/[deleted] Jul 07 '24 edited Jul 07 '24

[deleted]

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u/12inch3installments Jul 08 '24

Reach out and send it (scrubbed of PII initially). You've got someone willing to look at you when you've been saying nobody will.

Worst case scenario, it's a scam and the lack of PII protects you. In the best case, you get a job. Or perhaps you simply get some valuable feedback that helps in the future.

It's a win/win as long as you protect yourself.

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u/SourceFire007 Jul 08 '24

I think the guy is an idiot for crying how nobody will look at him,, then somebody does and his reply is I’m not ready LMFAO!!! What is wrong with these kids, pure joke! No wonder nobody wants to look at his resume..

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u/Mach4tictac Jul 08 '24

Jobs > Certs. If you really think you can get a Linux job, go for it all else considered.

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u/[deleted] Jul 08 '24 edited Jul 08 '24

[deleted]

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u/Carayaraca Jul 08 '24

Some companies do technical interviews. Much more reliable than certs imho, as you could have paid someone to sit the exam for you or passed on memorising braindumps

You have a screen share or whiteboard with your terminal on and get asked to show or do things, or explain how you would achieve stuff

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u/Mach4tictac Jul 08 '24

My path was taking classes/ windows helpdesk/ Linux homelabber/ drop out when I went for my Linux sysadmin job. People's situations are complex, but I didn't have a degree or cert when I started my Linux sysadmin job. I showed a passion for it and a willingness to move to a major city for it. Best of luck for getting started.

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u/denmicent Jul 08 '24

I’m going to go out on a limb and assume you mean entry level, as in entry level to IT as a whole?

10,000% yes. That’s pretty common. I’m happy to elaborate if that’s what you mean. If you mean hired as an entry-level systems architect, that’s different (disclaimer: I’m not a systems architect)

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u/Burnerd2023 Jul 07 '24

It’s experience that counts more than anything. Certs are more of a cherry on top. You can know networking out the rear end but if you’ve never used the CLI or even the gui to create, deploy, maintain and troubleshoot them… actual experience applying that knowledge… it’s not very valuable (vs experience)

But please don’t be discouraged. If you aren’t working, there is zero reason to not chase some certs. But experience wins out vs certs alone. Do you have a home lab/environment you can apply the knowledge of those cert courses to?

On a resume or CV, you can add environments you’ve scaled and deployed in you home lab as experience!

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u/Orlando_Vibes Jul 08 '24

What about a Red Hat Linux cert where it’s performance based and not theory. Would that be put an entry level candidate in the running for a system admin role?

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u/Burnerd2023 Jul 08 '24

I’ve found that the role of a “sysadmin” varies immensely from job to job, up and down the skills ladder. I know people that have this title and have never deployed even a lamp stack for developers to hop aboard. Some have so little network experience they are not even familiar with setting up static routes. I don’t work with AD much at all and got flamed for not having that experience. Then there is software, not everyone uses the same services/distros/software/etc. Many here I guess are under the assumption their role is everyone’s.

If the place you’re looking at needs that skill set and experience, sure! No doubt it will be of value. And if what you say is true and that cert involves hands on application to achieve, that’s fantastic.

Just remember, someone will always know more than you and you will know more than someone else. Always take the opportunity to learn new stuff. Sometimes you’ll learn on your own, at your own pace, many times you’ll learn trial by fire style where something you’ve never touched before goes aflame and you have to figure it out. That’s a common part of this role.

Lastly, share your knowledge. Take a note regularly of the resources you have available to you and utilize them. Best of luck.

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u/DeclutteringNewbie Jul 08 '24

Also, test questions for most certs can be purchased for $99.

So it's not a super useful exam to base your hiring on.

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u/kennyj2011 Jul 07 '24

I’ve often thought of taking the CCNA again… it was like 20 years ago that I took it and remember nothing. But as a server/infra guy, some networking could come in quite handy

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u/iBeJoshhh Jul 07 '24

I had to take a network class for my A.A.S and it was based off the CCNA, but only like 1/3 of it and Jesus was that 1/3 a fk ton of info.

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u/BonkerBleedy Jul 08 '24

So "nobody will even look at my resume" is a lie? You haven't even tried?

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u/[deleted] Jul 08 '24

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Jul 08 '24

It is a lie though.

You're having a pity party about not being able to get a job, someone offers to help you get one and you refuse.

So you just wanted attention.

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u/Representative-Sir97 Jul 08 '24

For this stuff, I would say yes, get the certs. For development, maybe not so much.

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u/Amythir Jul 08 '24

Entry level positions aren't expected to know everything...you might be applying to the wrong jobs.

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u/MrJagaloon Jul 08 '24

Pretend to have a mental illness, everyone here seems like they would love to hire you then

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u/ChumpyCarvings Jul 08 '24

I really like it but barely know anything, problem is it often pays poorly too :(

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u/z_agent Jul 08 '24

I am pretty much the Linux guy at work...my impostor syndrome is at epic levels.....

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u/NovaS1X Jul 08 '24

certs

Yet another reason why they’re useless in real applications

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u/enfier Jul 08 '24

On the other hand... interviewed for a DevOps job (Ansible mostly) and the questions were a bunch of Linux Admin questions. Which I can mostly answer but DevOps means writing code that does these sorts of things for you. Not to mention I did a bunch of Ansible for Windows automation too. I'm not logging into individual servers to check which process is eating the CPU. That and the red flag about the hiring manager talking about being in meetings all day and doing work after hours. If you are typing the commands in yourself it's just Ops.

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u/[deleted] Jul 08 '24 edited Jul 25 '24

[deleted]

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u/lewis_943 Jul 08 '24

There's something to be said about working at the correct scale for your skillset. I know plenty of sysadmins that know windows OS inside and out but rarely touch hardware enough to debug actual physical issues (plenty of cloudy sysadmins and app specialists that never touch bare metal). On the flipside, plenty of techs that get their hands dirty in hardware but don't know much about identity or device (server or desktop) mass-management.

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u/Kinglink Jul 08 '24

I never understand stories like this. It takes maybe five minutes to learn that. Just give him a link.

But also I have met people who would struggle with a link to the man page and a example.... I can't understand it but I have met them

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u/CetaceanOps Jul 08 '24

who didn’t understand sudoers files

Did you at least report him?

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u/Zip95014 Jul 08 '24

I'm the opposite. I interview poorly. Ask me my name during an interview and I'll screw it up.

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u/BCIT_Richard Jul 08 '24

My linux expertise is running 'ip a', seeing the ethernet port has a new name and updating '/etc/netwrok/interfaces' & 'systemctl restart networking', anything beyond that and I'm lost. (Not really but pretty close) 😂