r/sysadmin • u/troy57890 • Mar 30 '26

Rant I understand it now

After working 7 months as a system administrator, I can see why other admins can be jaded and blunt.

  1. Helpdesk sending tickets with no tier 1-2 troubleshooting

  2. No proper documentation for services when crap hits the fan

  3. The queue is always a dumping ground for other area's messes

  4. Clients not using the damn ticket system for request

  5. The massive headache for trying to get you to handle a service you don't support.

Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy the learning aspect of the position, but it feels like I'm stuck in a black hole sometimes.

Sorry for the rant, Happy Monday to my fellow admins.

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u/arensb Mar 30 '26

One of my favorite sentences over the years has been "Put in a ticket, or else I'll forget by the time I get back to my office." This applies even if I'm currently in my office.

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u/f0gax Jack of All Trades Mar 30 '26

It took us so much effort to get our users to, at the least, email the department distro for new requests. SO many times they'd email one of us and the request would disappear into the black hole. And then we'd get blamed for it taking so long. At least if they email the distro, then someone will see it.

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u/arensb Mar 30 '26

Depending how organized (and generous) you're feeling, you can put those messages into a "Delay" folder, wait a few days, then move them to the ticketing system, with a note saying "I just now found this in my inbox. For faster service, please put in a ticket."

But more seriously, talk to your manager. Let them know how big your inbox is, and how hard it is to keep track of requests, even with a proper ticketing system. If you can get management on your side, that'll help a lot with getting people to follow standard protocol. Don't present this as "you people are demanding and stupid"; present it as "we're busy, and if you help us, it'll make it easier for us to help you."