The positive side to working in IT within schools.

[Dos_Box]

Come on, we all know the downsides, low wages for some, poor management, low budgets, rude staff etc, but what about the positive points?

 

An entire network which is yours!

The chance to gain experience far beyond that of a corporate helpdesk idiot.

A fair degree of autonomy.

 

What else can we add?

[Guest metalmonkey]

As soppy as it sounds, last week with the 6th form results, the smiles on their faces with their results. You can't beat it.

 

Especially one pupil who was really struggling and stayed behind most nights on the computers. He passed with a B.

 

Sorry, I know it sounds sad, but that's my no.1 highlight.

[mrtechsystems]

I like when the students are away from the school and it is nice and quite and you can get to play with new eqiupment

[Ric_]

The best bits for me have to be the autonomy and having the opportunity to choose and manage the systems myself.

 

In a corporate environment you may only ever be exposed to a couple of systems (e.g. you're the Exchange guy or you're the SQL guy, etc.). It's good to be able to gain a broad knowledgebase - even if you do have to learn as you go along sometimes.

[StewartKnight]

The BEST thing is no annual apprasials, where you have to prove that you exist, work hard, and make no mistakes, for them to "award" you a £ a week payrise!!!

[russdev]

welel dont get use to as I suspect soon most support staff will have to do annual apprasials.

 

As for me advantages are combo of above being to use lots fo different systems,

 

The look that kids get when they get exam results and seeing hard work payoff.

 

The feeling of making a difference..

 

russ

[OverWorked]

You're right. I could earn more in the private sector (and probably will have to soon), but it wouldn't be the same.

 

The best bit is being the one and only domain admin. I have total control over the domain, active directory and all that. That wouldn't happen in a big firm.

[GrumbleDook]

For me it's the chance to try new ideas, to talk with like minded people and share information ...

 

It is a real chance to optimistic about things ... a lot of blue sky thinking ... "wouldn't it be nice if ..."

 

I can happily say now that I rarely get stressed now and look forward to coming to work. (Then again ... tomorrow is going to be a fun day ... crunching numbers!)

[russdev]

@overworked

 

get the same feeling every so often with thinking going to have to move of commercial world but keep finding reasons to stay and at moment now got a payrise out of them after year and half more inclined to stay...

 

basicly if hadnt got payrise would have had to find a better paid job..

 

russ

[OverWorked]

@ Russ

 

I'm going to make my case for a pay rise when I get back in September. (I get school holidays - another reason to stay). If I don't get anything by Christmas, I'll have to go.

 

It's more a case of having to than wanting to. I just can't support a family on this for much longer.

[MkII]

As has been said, the autonomy and the benefits of a small department - where you get to control everything and decide and plan what happens, and what money gets spent where.

 

Having the opportunity to learn so many aspects of the industry, apart from that mega big stuff, that's invaluable if you want to move up into a more specialised post.

 

Speaking at meetings representing the department and making policy descisions.

 

Being in charge of a £60k budget one year.

 

I run an after school club and thats pretty rewarding. I like the vast majoity of the kids and you feel after a while some responsibility for them.

 

Teaching staff are easy going I find. The pressure hasn't been the same as 'normal' business, but like has been said, that'll change as schools take on IT more seriously - it's already happening. I personally missed the self evaluation of my previous job.

 

The way my days and years break into school hours - after school club hours post 3:30pm, and school holidays when the atmosphere is completely different and you can focus on bigger jobs.

[yabbadabba]

Well for me its a combination of several reasons.

 

Working with idiots, muppets and fools always makes me smile and the teachers seem to fill all three categories.

 

Getting the genuine "Thank god you are here" and the appreciation when you save the day.

 

The ability to use verbal retorts while smiling that leave people looking confused.

 

I work part time for the school so a flexible approach to hours is great. Means I can look after my son who himeslf attends an other school.

 

No coporate pressure, no driving up and down the country all day, no staying away from home in dodgy B&B or hotels etc.

 

The smile on pupils faces.

 

The biggest plus side I have found though and was a suprise for me was to work some where that has every one working on the same side including teachers, techies, cleaners, catering staff etc with a common goal of the well being and education of pupils. For me that vastly outweighs all other niggles, even RM just.

 

Could waffle on for ages, love working in a school, hope not to have too change for a long time.

[elsiegee40]

The best bits...

 

1. Not have to do on-call and nights... those 2am calls from the operators when the batch runs had failed were a killer! I struggled to remember my own name let alone where I'd put the error code books!

 

2. The kids interest and curiosity

 

3. Trying to install software with a couple of 2 year olds climbing on your lap for a cuddle... I love doing things in our pre-school

[webman]

For me...

 

Regular income, 10 minute walk from home, gain lots of experience in wide array of IT-related things, playing with new technology and working in an excellent team. In no other job could I imagine myself turning my hand to PC repair, server maintenance, web development, wireless, training, documentation, cabling, graphic design/media work and desktop publishing.

 

IT in schools is fast-paced, exciting, challenging but also rewarding. Most of the time I don't get stressed - it's just not worth it.

[tmcd35]

Pretty much as everyone as said above...

 

1) No Pressure, no targets, nobody breathing down your neck to perform. I used to work in sales and the content pressure of targets and selling insurance was more than I can bare.

 

2) Total Freedom. Lets face it who else in the school besides yourself actually knows what your job entails and what your supposed to be doing one moment from the next. So long as the toners are replaced the the computer boot, nobody'll blink an eyelid if you spent the day surfing the net and playing solitaire.

 

3) The range of equipment. In the corporate world, as far as I've seen, everything is standardised around one platform. It's the same PC, monitor, version of Windows and software on every desk. In a school I could have a classroom of full of the latest Vista Quad-cores in one room and Win'98 Pentium-III's in the next.

 

4) The Technology. It's a play ground. Over the past 18 months I've been lucky enough to play with VMWare ESX, Terminal Servers and SAN's.

 

Now I'm in charge of my own network and budget, wow! can life get any better!

[Trapper]

It's a great environment to work in. Relaxed, with no profit guided nonsense.

 

For me the big part is giving something back to the community, and helping the next generation.

[witch]

What they said!

[contink]

Thinks most folks have said it already but definitely these points:

 

The sense of achievement and being part of something that really is important (not money profit based)

 

The wide eyed curiosity and willingness to learn from the children.

 

A place where "please" and "thank you" really do matter and do occasionally happen

 

The occasional quick hug I get as a reward from one pupil who I've known as a sort of foster little sister for years.

 

 

 

There really is nothing quite like it...

[HodgeHi]

Mine is opportunity. Working in schools has given me the opportunity to gain experience. I didn't have a lot going for me in the way of experience and didn't have any real ICT related qualifications. I was lucky enough to get a job working in Birmingham in an excellent ICT dept. The boss there showed me the sort of pressure you can be under in a school and the things i learnt from him set me in good stead.

 

I worked hard and put a lot of hours in and learnt a ton of stuff at home. and now i work in a primary school looking after the network, website and ICT hardware as well as support the Teaching Staff. We have 3 2003 servers, 2 OS X severs, a smoothwall box and 25 imacs dual booted with 15 macbooks also dual booted with each classroom having a mac mini and a projector and whiteboard in (around ten in total). There is only me and so things can get a bit rough but generally its great. I love my job and to se how the kids develop in ICT is rewarding in itself because after all at the end of the day its fo the littlie ones

 

The boss fully spports me and my decisions and advice. I don't think i would get this sort of respect in the ICT sector out of schools.

 

Thanks for listening.

[Pete10141748]

First and foremost, I love the sense of freedom in my job.

As others have said, there's no-one breathing down your neck all the time, or looking over your shoulder complaining about Targets and Goals; anyone who's had a job where there was a big-headed a$$ of a Manager who did this all day every day wil know what I mean, and how crappy it makes you feel.

 

The non-professional approach.

I think it'll depend on the school, but certianly here our IT department and other Staff don't interact in the "Professional" way you would expect in a business of some sort; everyone and everything is very casual, and pressure only ever comes from ourselves giving deadlines to things we need to do.

 

Only we can do the job.

It's a nice feeling to know that, aside from other members of the IT department, no-one else in the school has any clue about 95% of what we do. If a teacher is off, another teacher can cover. If we are off, they are screwed if anything goes wrong with the IT. OK, that's a big-headed statement, but it's true.

 

Variation

I can't think of anywhere outside of an eduation environment where I could have access to, learn about, maintain and give training on;

 

Many makes and models of Projector

Interactive Whiteboards

PCs of many different specs and OS's

Laptops / Notebooks of many different specs and OS's

Many makes and models of Printer

SO much software it's not even funny

Server 2003

Server 2008

Vista

XP

Linux distro's

Any other OS I care to download and play with

PC/laptop/projector repair

Policy writing

Management meetings

Virtual Learning Platform maintenance / design / content

Website maintenance / design / content

Network infrastructure

Wireless network planning and implementation

Wired network planning and implementation

Scripting / programming as and when I want to use it

Active Directory and all its componants

Daily troubleshooting for staff

PDA's and other mini-devices such as the eeePC

Being the guy to go to for advice on anything

Providing training for staff on any and all of the above!

Helping the children to learn

Helping the staff to learn

Lesson assistance / planning assistance / resource creatio

Touch-screen and Digital Sinage software

Backup planning and Implementation

 

and there's probably a lot more than that as well.

 

 

The gratitude that (most) people display, even for the things that are (to you) simple.

 

The holidays (being term-time only). OK, so there hasn't been a holiday yet where I didn't go in and do a few days work (and we all know how much better a days' work is when there's no other staff around) but it's nice having a week's break every 6 or 7 throughout the year.

 

Lastly, when you get a slow day (i.e. hardly anyone comes in for help, such as an INSET day) and you get the whole day to do whatever the hell you want, with the knowledge that you are getting paid for it

 

 

 

When I started at the school, and there wasn't anything much in the way ICT, I figured I'd be there for a year, get bored, and generally treat it as a stepping stone to a bigger better job. 18 months in, never have a boring day, never hate having to get up and go to work, and can't imagine doing anything else right now.

[ITGURU]

welel dont get use to as I suspect soon most support staff will have to do annual apprasials.

 

As for me advantages are combo of above being to use lots fo different systems,

 

The look that kids get when they get exam results and seeing hard work payoff.

 

The feeling of making a difference..

 

russ

 

Been in the job 13 years, had my first appraisal 2 years ago when they had to enforce it for support staff too!

[ITGURU]

The best bits for me have to be the autonomy and having the opportunity to choose and manage the systems myself.

 

In a corporate environment you may only ever be exposed to a couple of systems (e.g. you're the Exchange guy or you're the SQL guy, etc.). It's good to be able to gain a broad knowledgebase - even if you do have to learn as you go along sometimes.

 

Agreed - if you look in the business environment, you're either in a specific application part, or you have to work under someone else or part of a very large team all doing the same thing across sites!

[PotNoodleTech]

Outstanding work resurrecting this 8 year old thread.

[Lonix]

Have to say, my positives out weigh the negatives. It's why I am still working in education and it is a choice.

 

Said that to our boss not long ago that this is a choice for me and I take the bad with the good.

 

We get to see the fruits of our work with the classrooms and when things work smoothly that is a reward. When you get to see those you do the work for often you even get the praise for it.

 

You still get the nuts and bad fruit but that's life. It offers challenges and a technician can easily learn how to manage the system and certainly creates that freedom.

 

Outstanding work resurrecting this 8 year old thread.

 

Only just noticed....................

[pcstru]

The best bit : at the end of the day I know that what I am helping deliver is something that will fundamentally change peoples lives for the better, for the rest of their lives. It's not 'just' endlessly being asked to "go the extra mile" just so some sales people can make their targets and shareholders can get their return selling products that are either cogs in a larger machine or wasteful, meaningless consumer tat or sometimes both. What we do actually does, really matter.