I’ve been working in IT for just shy of 15 years. I’ve done a variety of desktop support roles, varying in levels and type of end users. About 3 years ago while job hunting, I noticed that most companies expect their IT staff to do just about everything. Most job listings require the following skills for your average IT support role: hardware break/fix, software support, inventory management, imaging, Active Directory, 365 admin, Workspace admin, powershell scripting, imaging, networking, on-call availability, printer support, VOIP management, VDI support and so on. I feel like this directly contributes to tech burn out and high turn over. For me, helping users is the easy part and I genuinely enjoy solving issues and making someone’s day. I also noticed that two people doing the same support job may have a difference in pay of $10-$12 per hour.
Now that I’m job hunting again, I realized that I don’t want to wear many hats in IT anymore. It prevents me from being able to focus on and master a specific product or service. I have a degree in Information systems and 6 IT certs but lately they seem irrelevant. Is this the norm for IT jobs in your area and if you are in a similar situation, how do you stay up to date with the changes and trends?