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In the previous post, What should I learn today (IT technical skills)? Pt 1. I mentioned some skills which IT professionals should grasp. Here I have gone further into some nitty gritty of IT skills (admin) that IT professionals should grasp.

• Tools, services, and applications
  • First question I’d be asking my employer, ‘what tools’ will I be using to do my job?
    • E.g. what is the ticketing system, email client, internal chat application, productivity suite (I.e. Monday.com, Atlassian) that I will be using?
    Once you’ve established what tools you are going to be using. Do you know how to use it?
    • Of the tools that has been mentioned by your employer, is there a similar tool you used previously?Are you able to transfer knowledge and skills from those previous tools onto the current tools you will be using?
      • E.g. In my first job I used a ticketing system called HEAT (formally provided by FrontRange). In my second job I used ‘Service Now’. I managed to ask the same questions.
        • I.e. ‘How do I log a ticket’, ‘where can I locate the list of tickets’, ‘where are the descriptions’, ‘how do I mark the ticket as resolved’ etc.
      If you are unsure how to use these tools, use the people and other employees around you. Otherwise, you may need to use online resources to understand how these tools work.
      • A caveat to the statement above, you must make sure the tool you are researching and learning online needs to be the version as you are using. Different versions of the tool may have the tool presented differently.
    Do you know the strengths and weaknesses of these tools?
    • Too many times tools are configured, setup or subscribed to have certain options and features. Just because you are using a certain tool for your job, it doesn’t mean you will have access to all the options and features.
      • You are never told this. You usually find out something is missing or not configured properly when you need this option or feature. Welcome to the world of IT 😊If you feel you need these extra options or features, you should dot point the strengths, opportunities (and weaknesses) this option / feature will add value to your work.You should also gather the cost on how much it will cost the employer to purchase or subscribe to the extra option / feature.
  • Do you know how to log in and out of these tools?
    • Many of the tools you use in the workforce will have some form of authentication. No point in learning the tool if you can’t even get past the front door.
    • Understand the authentication method used to access these tools.
      • Since you will be using multiple tools with multiple passwords (although 2FA is the common the standard to access tools), you may need to utilise a secure password tool to store passwords in an encrypted format.
    • Further to add, are these tools using an icon/app which you need to double click to launch (/open the tool) or do you access the tool via a browser using a URL / link?
      • Be sure to know. Create a shortcut folder containing the list of apps you need to double click on to open or use the bookmark feature in the browser to save the link.
• Stack ecosystem.
  • In my time in the workforce, I have come to learn the different stack’s my applications and service I support interact with.
  • It can become a headache when you manage your own applications and services in your stack, but then connects to other stacks around it.
    • E.g. Customer accounts, accounting, customer service, config databases etc. All these services would have some kind stack.
  • Similar to the ‘tools’ section. The points above will form a similar theme when understanding your stack.
  • Some initial / introductory questions that come to mind,
    • What does this application / service do? What or who does it serve?
      • What can and can’t it do?
        • You will be told what the application can do, but not what it can’t do. If you have a previous experience with an application which did a certain function and the new stack your support doesn’t have this function. Document and make note of it. Bring it up in another conversation with your manager or employer how this previous function will add value. Not all previous functions may serve you in your current / new employer.
      • What are the dependencies of this stack?
        • E.g. Does this stack need to be available during business hours only so it can be turned off at the end of business closing or does the stack need to operate 24/7?
        • E.g. Does Team ABC need access to this stack? If so at what time, what function needs to be running and does Team ABC know and how to access this stack?
          • Does Team ABC have an alternate way to access this stack if the stack becomes unavailable? What is their backup and mitigation plan?
            • In most cases other teams that are reliant on certain stacks which become unavailable, do not have backup or mitigation plans. In my point of view other teams reliant on other stacks need to build some resiliency, backup, or alternative process to deliver what they need.
    • How and where do I access this application / service.
      • Do you know how and where to log into the stack?
        • Do you use passwords, 2FA, other forms of token authentication?
          • What happens if the main way of logging in doesn’t work? Is there another way for you to access the stack?
      • Is the stack based in the cloud or on-premises?
        • Are you familiar with the cloud or on-premises solution.
          • How to navigate around the interface.
            • E.g. What and where to click to get to the destination, what some of the labels and terms mean on the interface etc.
      • Besides myself, do other teams have access to this stack.
        • E.g. developers, IT administrators, auditors etc.
          • Developers might have access to the stack to check application and infrastructure code.
          • IT administrators might be doing patching on the stack.
          • Auditors might have access to gather accounting and costs metrics on the stack.
• Be a sponge?
  • You’ve probably heard this many times, but it’s true. ‘You never stop learning’, ‘you stop learning when you die’, ‘learning is the key to uncertainty’ etc.I’m no philosopher but the statements are true. I’ve put this blog together based on the times I’ve absorbed, observed, documented, and listened. I started on the IT help desk helping customers build their online shopping websites and integrating their websites to online payments systems. After spending 5 years on the phones, I was given a level 2 role. Given the role, not earned, but given. My manager at the time promoted 5 of us to this level 2 role.
    • I could have said no and stayed on the phones. I was good at the job. I was closing the most calls and emails.But by staying on this IT help desk role, I may have never transformed my career to what it is today.
    In this level 2 role I learned Linux, servers, deployment, change management, a bit of coding and more.Not only did I learn skills I also learned to make mistakes.
    • I asked a colleague to restart a payment server without raising a change.
      • I copped a hiding from my boss that day. I also shed a tear.
      I asked a colleague to reprocess a batch payment file, containing more than 600+ customer subscription payments.
      • What I didn’t know at the time, the batch payment file was already processed earlier in the day. So, customers we’re billed twice. It was a rough week.
      Each of these moments I made a mistake, asking for colleagues to do something for me. I didn’t raise a change record when I asked the colleague to restart the payment server and I didn’t do due diligence prior to confirming the batch payment already had been processed.But the main take away from these two moments was that I document my mistake, I documented the process to correctly execute these scenarios and stored the document into my personal folder.
    You can’t simply sit on the help desk, take calls, and write emails. It will bore you. If you enjoy it, the thrill of speaking to kind and not so kind customers, speaking for 5 minutes or 5 hours to help a customer, then go for it, enjoy it.
    • But for those wanting to climb the IT skills ladder, you simply can’t stop learning.
    Absorb all facets of the IT industry. Observe, absorb, listen, and document.
  • Later in the blog, I will cover my technique (…. well, I think it’s my technique) called the 10% rule. This rule is an added extension to your learning.

Summary:

• The post above went into deep detail on tools, IT stacks and the continued learning.
• Know the tools you are going to use on the job.
  • E.g. ticketing systems, admin portals, integrated development environment (IDE (coding platform/environment)), phone system etc.
  • Are there things online that show all the features? Is there a feature you think that might add value to your job if this feature was to be added to your tool?
• Know what you’re supporting on your IT stack.
  • What it can and can’t do. What are it’s limitations? How to access and where to login
  • Dependencies
• Be a sponge and continue to learn in this industry.
  • You don’t need a Master in IT or some Advance course on offer.
  • There are plenty of resources online that will show you visually and audibly the IT things you want to learn.
    • Sure, there is a lot of resources, and it can be confusing and be inundating.
  • • Take your time in learning your subject, topic, concept.
      • In my time of researching, I find blogs and YouTube the most effective online resources, than the first results on a Google search.
  • • • Both resources tend to have better explanation of the subject, topic, or concept.
    • If you find a useful resource, make sure you bookmark it or document it.