Your annoying top 5

[Homer3334]

Evening all,

 

There's a couple of us techys doing IT in schools and recently we've been subjected to a string of "annoying jobs" that all cropped up in the same week. That got us talking, and weve been nodding along to what we both find particularly tedious or laborious.

 

Its accepted that these kinds of things come up every now and again in any line of work, but it got me thinking. What's your top 5 (I'm order of worst to slightly less worse) of jobs you have to do in your role of ict school techy?

 

Ours would be :

 

1. Photocopier secure printers setup for cross brand, 80+ codes.

 

2 . Conflicting Firewall policies / Port issues.

 

3. Finding "that setting" in Group Policy and testing vigoursly.

 

4. Audit!

 

5. Finding bloody rogue APs that put a 192. DHCP server on the network (because someone brought their old home router in to boost the wireless in their classroom - great idea!)

 

This may sound like a moan but genuinely I love this job and the variety is like no other. Interested to know your thoughts and if we are the only ones!

[FN-GM]

With managed switches 5 can be stopped quite easy DHCP snooping and port security are great

 

1. Anything Apple IOS related

2. Hall projectors - They are high up and need to get the tower out etc.

3. Documentation

4. Inventry

5. Finding out what the filtering is doing to a website to stop it from working.

[Homer3334]

Damn I forgot about Apple! That would have made my top 2 easily. Thanks for the tips Managed switches 👍

[DalekSec]

1) Apple

2) Apple

3) Apple

4) Apple

5) Apple

[Norphy]

1) Anything Adobe

 

2) Anything Java related

 

3) Wireless networks

 

4) Printing

 

5) Ignorance.

[Homer3334]

+1 for ignorance

[Homer3334]

Sorry that should have read: *blissful ignorance

[Norphy]

Yes, on reflection, ignorance I don't mind so much. If you don't know something, you don't know it. Wilful ignorance, however, grinds my gears. It's really amazing how some people go out of their way to be as ignorant as possible. Edited March 16, 2017 by Norphy

[Homer3334]

Know what you mean and agree with you.

 

Actually I can safety say I'm pretty ignorant of teaching and behaviour management (as in; dont know much about it, wouldn't know the first thing if a class is kicking off). Not by choice, but the situation we are in by definition makes us all automatically ignorant both ways.

 

we are all specialists and could not do each others jobs. In honestly don't know how teachers do theirs some days.

 

If I'm having a bad day, at least I can spend 5 minutes out of the limelight, work on something a bit less frustrating that afternoon or something. Teachers literally have no escape (although I did hear of one a couple of weeks back "having enough of this s***" and literally going home mid lesson) still don't know what the kids did to them!!

[Davit2005]

1. Blattant Ignorance

2. Last minute.com (when requester has known for weeks)

3. Java

4. Lousy 3rd party support

5. Arrogant/rude requesters.

[TwistedHelixis]

Simply our Local Authority. Every time they get involved in something IT related we have a nightmare.

[free780]

1. Printers

2. Java

3. Phones

4. WiFi

5. Smartboards

[Oaktech]

1) Last minute requests

2) Windows 10

3) Willful ignorance

4) Assumptions

5) Things that aren't my job, but are made my problem.

[Lonix]

1) Damages

2) Wasted money

3) Ideas that are all about self performance management and not what's beneficial to the kids

4) Buy first trial later

5) Hypocrisy

 

I'd mention Apple but to be fair it's not the products I have the issue with but the people who are very "pro" and are clueless to the difference of 10 Year old PCs Vs their brand new Mac at home - And no this doesn't include those who are clued up here. It generally tends to be Music Teachers - especially Heads.

[synaesthesia]

Apple.

Java.

Flash.

Printers.

Printers.

[Zourous]

Technicians point of view:

 

1. Apple (example: Mouse doesn't work on imac or the one next to it but it is under warranty. Apple say return the whole imac so we can diagnose the problem!!)

2. Hunting devices and chargers because they haven't been returned

3. IT items purchased (sometimes too expensive) without our knowledge and the first you know about it is when it doesn't work and you're asked to fix it

4. Students turn up at your door to and take you to the furthest away room in the school, when you get there the problem has already been resolved

5. Laptop keyboard damages \ Finding out half the laptops in a cabinet don't work and now it's urgent

Edited March 17, 2017 by Zourous

[clockend25]

1. Lazy users ("I haven't shut down my laptop for eight months because it takes at least 30 seconds to boot!")

2. DPM (Just let me put de-duplicated data on tape, you ****** !)

3. Undocumented network setups ("So the site office connects through to the reception cab via a mini switch hidden in a cupboard in the data office?"

4. Parent support requests (The learning gateway is UP. Your credentials WORK. The issue is with YOU. If you're not willing to bring your device in for me to look at in person, then please be quiet and stop spamming the helpdesk)

5. SIMS issues (Please don't make call Capita support. Please)

[networkmangler]

1. Constant password resets

2. Replacing damaged keyboards and mice

3. Plugging cables back into staff computers that the students have unplugged

4. Helping staff create over complicated powerpoint presentations for events in the evening that no ones pays attention to anyway

5. Looking at hours of CCTV footage for minor incidents that don't get dealt with anyway

[rad]

1 - rude students

2 - vandalism

3 - being a camera man... cos I have nothing better to do than take pictures

4 - being a glorified powerpoint clicker .... cos I have nothing better to do

5 - anything that is a tablet/apple IOS

[strawberry]

1.Having to monitor the kids because the playground staff refuse to.

2. Having to "train" people on how to use email

3. Having to print for people because 10 years ago our admin department didn't have a colour printer

4. external visitors ( We need sound, internets, laptop, projector, wireless clicker, microphone, flipchart, then turn up with a MacBook and no adapter)

5. Can you create an account ( for a student who has had an account for 2 years , cant be bothered to use it and has never been encouraged to by teaching staff)

[BKGarry]

1. Myself getting angry for no apparent reason at silly little issues

2. Student damages device - Parent refuses to pay - teachers says its our fault for the student not having the device

3. Reply All

4. Lack of ICT training for students (we are 6 months in and students don't know how to save properly or use email)

5. People going around saying you are going to do something before asking you and checking what they are saying is correct

[mats]

- Flash

- Flash

- Filtering

- Flakey windoze tablets

- Flash

[DJ-1701]

- Flash

- Flash

- Filtering

- Flakey windoze tablets

- Flash

 

Swap them with iPads, that will get rid of 4 issues for ya.

[FN-GM]

5. Looking at hours of CCTV footage for minor incidents that don't get dealt with anyway

 

How is this an IT job?

[BKGarry]

How is this an IT job?

 

CCTV software runs on computerz innit! ;-)