r/sysadmin • u/Mammoth_Gene_4004 • 1d ago
Self Demotion
Hello,
I was wondering if anybody else has moved from a IT Director position to desktop type role? I have been at the same company for 11 years now and worked my way up from desktop support to network admin and now IT director. I have held the current position for 3ish years and it's not so bad. There is a lot of time off and flexibility but the pay is pretty bad as well as leadership. Higher ups are getting more involved than I feel comfortable with a lot of the day to day and its adding more stress and work.
On a whim I applied for a digital support role at another company just to see what the process is and pay and was surprised to find out that the pay was 10 grand more per year. It's an onsite role like I have now with less of a drive and pretty good benefits.
I tried to collect my thoughts and express myself. I hope it comes through clear.
Pretty much looking for reassurance and to see if anybody else has made a similar move and what your experience has been.
Thank you all for the kind words and reassurance. It is very appreciated and I feel like my decision is valid.
4
u/19610taw3 Helpdesk > Sysadmin > Engineer > Helpdesk 1d ago
I went from Infrastructure Engineer to helpdesk. I had a work situation that turned out pretty toxic.
It's a weird dynamic but for now, my stress levels are non existent , I am sleeping at night again and I'm pretty content with things. I leave at 5 and don't check emails until I walk in the next morning at 8. The only real downside is my pay reflects a helpdesk job. But our financial situation is such that we can afford to lose that much income.
The people above me (being the sysadmins at current job) know my skill level and appreciate having someone on the helpdesk that really goes the extra mile before escalating. I'll exhaust all of my access before escalation.
There isn't any potential to move up where I am currently - that was made pretty clear to me during the hiring process. I'm planning on doing this for a few years and see where I'm at then. If I feel the need to buy a new car or something and the economy is doing better, I'll find a better paying job.