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What do you do

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When you get bored at work? I walked into a job where I have more time then I know what to do with! Ok I know every one is compleatly swamped and all they have to do is fix things and do not have any time for fun or to explore.
Well if you get free time what do you do with it? I use my lunch to read the register uk, and to find things that I like. I was just looking up root kits and how to find them.
I have alot of free time so I check out our network, and I get in trouble alot.

Topic

What Else?

In reply to What do you do

In my free time I come to TR.

Free time?

In reply to What Else?

I dont think of it as free time if I spend it looking for cool pc stuff to buy!

Well yes I do to

In reply to What Else?

But you can only spend so much time on one site! I like to read and see what other countrys have to say. We use web sence and it blocks alot of things, and I have to ask for sites to be opened so I can see them.
I am a locked down admin.

me too

In reply to Well yes I do to

I teach applications, then I have to fix PCs at the school. No time for relaxing.The fun is, monitors switched off, amplifiers unplugged, the faults are endless. Worst is, my ISP has blocked me for just about everything as this is a school. So I tamper with settings to see what will happen. I now know all about THE BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH.
Andy Wright

Forget all about bits and bytes

In reply to What do you do

If I get free time? I think I would go home to my lovely wife and childeren, forget all about bits and bytes and just have a wonderfull time.

Hehe that is

In reply to Forget all about bits and bytes

Exactly what I have been doing! I like my job but I love my life better, I get the job done. I never leave unless every thing is going great! And if I can I get my wife and just do the home thing.

What? How dare you!!

In reply to What do you do

Each minute you are not producing for the company impacts the bottom line! Any spare time you have should be devoted to growing your skill set for your position or helping your coworkers!
*looks left*
*looks right*
I like to lurk on Usenet and – if it’s really slow – I get on Yahoo Pool.
It’s addictive!

Free time? Bah!

Better Idea

In reply to What? How dare you!!

Go to one of your large books stores and get a few MCSE or A-Plus books, and study for exams and improve your mind at the same time. Idle time a great time to expand your mind. Since UNIX or even OS2 (famous in the EU)is over taking Microsoft servers, learn all you can, and if you have a spare machine that can stay off network, install demo or full server on the machine and learn how to install them, or configure them.

In other words, Don’t be idling playing games or search the compnay net, as you already notice your being watched and tracked. The more idle you are – the higher the ricks you have to being terminated with no letter of recomendation, which is a major negitive impact. If you find your Job to slow, perhaps it is time to think about cutting your hours on job one and take in a second job for more exposer – of course if you work in a defense sector that won’t work or even if you work in security related companies.

To sum it up – Improve your skills, showing the compnay you are willing to learn more – thus reducing your chances of be tagged for terminations. Reading computer books on teh job is far beter then reading newspapers. Granted I check the news online a few a day. But still read the MCSE books.

what better time to study for that next cert?

In reply to Better Idea

I do one of three things.

1) surf TR. (only a little though ;\ )
2) study for new certs
3) look for new apps or processes that could improve the way we do business.

I bring enough new things to the table that have made such a big difference, that I am given a pretty free hand to do as I please.

Yep, I did that

In reply to what better time to study for that next cert?

I have to agree. It makes much more sense to study and learn something new that will help you in your career (and can be justified as business-related) than duel with light sabres or throw balls around the office (has happened in one where I worked).

I had a couple of jobs that could be intermittenly slow, and I got three certs while others stood around the water cooler waiting for life to happen. It’s not going to happen unless you do something about it!

Challenge yourself

In reply to What do you do

Free time should be put to use.
– Refactor some of that code that you have been meaning to get to.
– Sneak in a quick speed read of a new few thousand word article and put it to use somehow. Don’t just think about using it… use it!
– Learn some new business concepts. Maybe something that will give you an edge in understanding your target business domain.

Do anything that will maintain your worth in the workplace. You are your own employer (in a sense) even when you work for someone else. Take yourself seriously and don’t waste time.

relight a back burner

In reply to What do you do

I usually warm up the back-burner projects, the ones that everyone said last year, “Yeah, that’d be nice, but no chance in a blue moon…”

It’s amazing how back-burners can cook some hot projects. For instance, one of those projects involved a trial of Sharepoint Portal Server. Our nonprofit educational org had no portal, no digital interface better than email for student & staff interaction. No one asked for it, but a little spare time yielded a compelling demo, and the project got the green light. Today everybody–staff and students–uses our portal.

Of course, this drives the IT budget manager nuts. There’s no telling what new project will demand a couple grand.

Push yourself. Push others. Improve. Innovate. Discover possibilities in the direction you want your career to move.

Get the creative juices flowing

In reply to What do you do

When I get a break from the typical, I use it to start thinking creatively. I look at the big picture, and seek opportunities to apply both current and desired knowledge to benefit myself, my team, our division, and our company. We may be “Forture 50” today, but we could lose it all tomorrow if our edge goes dull.

Check out tech sites

In reply to What do you do

So when I’m not chasing a worm or something running a muck on someone’s computer, usually I go to tech sites and read about breaking threats and then I test the exploits and so forth on our network. My boss regularly gets called about malicious activity coming from one of my IP address… breaking into servers, port scans, etc. He usually comes over and I show him what I’ve done and we fix things or change standards as quickly as possible without negatively impacting the end users.

Yes, I work in data security, and yes, I’ve been breaking into various sytems since early in highschool… I have more of a passion for programming, but security is where I keep finding myself.

you guy’s are sick

In reply to Check out tech sites

If you have the spare time, take it. Vacations, take your lady (wife, girlfriend) out to a show, dinner, movie, whatever. Work is not the only driving force in your life, just a way to make the money needed to enjoy the rest of it.
Sure update and grow, but not because you are going to loose your job if you don’t, but because you want to. Life is too short to be a slave to your angst about job security. Enjoy life and it challenges. Screw the boss who believes that the only existance that you should have is work and bottom line improvements.
The suggestions so far are far too deep. (like a chain gang attitide)

you missed the point JC

In reply to you guy’s are sick

they are talking about during the day while at work. when you get lulls during the day at work, what do you do?

Play Gin Rummy

In reply to you missed the point JC

The free time at work is usually short spurts between addressing uneducated users. I have used web surfing via StumbleUpon. But, mainly I play gin rummy from Sierra. I work for a small manufacturing company. The enovironment is not geared towards I.T. They could care less about certifications. The interest is producing product and very little regard for what I do. I am the PC/LAN/Wan/Repair man support.

Certs are for your NEXT job, silly

In reply to Play Gin Rummy

I got an MBA paid for by my last employer, and it came in handy in getting my current job.

Your current company may not know what certs are, but if you got an opportunity for your dream job at twice the rate (maybe within walking distance – dream big here) and it required a cert you don’t have, wouldn’t you just kick yourself?

there are always layoffs and closings

In reply to Certs are for your NEXT job, silly

Many things can happen to that job that you are comfortable in and have no intention of leaving.

Only a fool doesn’t prepare for the “what if”, in case your business goes belly up, or in the case of a place that doesn’t value certs, they may not value the tech and hire someones kid brother for half the money.

No sympathy for fools that don’t prepare either.

within the year, I will have my BA in networking and my CCNP, all paid for by the company. All making me more marketable if somethine were to happen to the current position. They already footed the bill for my MACE. (thanks company! 😀 )

Crank up the tunes

In reply to What do you do

and break out the air guitar…

I do that ALL the time

In reply to Crank up the tunes

I HAVE to have my tunes going at work but during down time..it’s Yahoo Pool baby…VERY addicting but so much fun!!!!!

Study, study and question

In reply to What do you do

I don’t have a whole lot of time as I am finishing my BA and we are in the middle of the single pixel gif method. I am an artist at heart so, with this information.. IS there a way to make a silge pixel multiple colors? Without having to write several codes? Has anyone played with this idea?
Back to studying.. those free little gifts of time..
Thanks,
Jenn

Invisible

In reply to Study, study and question

Create a transparent single pixel gif. Change the background color to anything you like.

Hope this helps

Start a productive hobby

In reply to What do you do

When I had a job like that (back in college), I taught myself how to program in C. To do so, I participated in coding an online game (a MUD to those who know what they are). Granted, I already knew coding methods and such and knew how to program in Pascal, so I wasn’t totally new to programming. And by coding a game, it kept my interest up and was more of a hobby than a study time. It did broaden my horizons, though. And, it turned out to be one of the factors in finding a job after college, as it showed that I could learn new things and didn’t need a lot of babysitting to do so.

Minesweeper…

In reply to What do you do

When I’m waiting the endless, boring minutes that a software install can take (Microsoft Office, anyone?), or waiting while an export finishes in the user’s PC or whatever, I play Minesweeper! It’s such an innocuous little program that it doesn’t interfere with anything going on. And I like putting records up on every user’s computer! It’s pretty easy to do since no one else ever plays it. 😉 Can anyone beat 6 seconds for the beginner level?

Wow…

In reply to What do you do

People have IT jobs with FREE TIME… IT job…. free time… IT JOB….. FREE TIME….. IT… FREE… I…FR…. AAAAUGHHHHH! DOES NOT COMPUTE! DOES NOT COMPUTE! :::::::SIZZLE::::::::
:::::BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!::::::::::

Play Wofenstein

In reply to What do you do

It’s a free download from Microsoft Catalog. Only a network version so I play against co-workers. Good way to pass time.

Cool !!!

In reply to Play Wofenstein

Please send the real name of the game and an address to download it… Pleeeeease 😛

*IF* it’s the one I am thinking of –

In reply to Cool !!!

“Castle Wolfenstein- Enemy Territory”

http://www.planetwolfenstein.com/

This is the best website by far to get the download, new maps, etc.

And the best part of it is that it’s all free!

Wolfenstein

In reply to Cool !!!

The other reply will ge you there as well. Here’s where i downloaded it but the other site has updates.
http://www.windowsmarketplace.com/prices.aspx?itemId=1332623&stext=

What haven’t we done.

In reply to What do you do

Short list….

Made 4ft tall paper mache snowman.
played hide and seek with other techs.
Used lunch trays to slide down stairs in a race.
Group of us made a fort out of dell boxes and ate lunch inside it.
Play countless online games against one another we usually do techs vs admins.
play make the new guy cry… (only worked once but he finally came back and we bought him lunch and explained the game.)
made annoying log on scripts to make people thing the were going crazy…
A while back we started rumors that we could monitor people through the new LCD monitors. actually worked in some cases.
Used the security cameras to watch people doing all kinds of things in their cars out in the parking lot.

Plus many more. I say if your works done and you can get away with it, do it. That why i have a very happy and productive team.

Messenger

In reply to What do you do

I start a new teporal shortly relation via chat.

Girls, add my hotmail fiorottoci@hotmail.com 😉 I have a lot of free time 😛

learn to ghost

In reply to What do you do

I come from a large corporate background (60,000 employees), but I just started a new job in March with a small IT department (6 guys). We provide all the IT related support, hell, our manager even works and our CIO writes some code.

Anyway, when I came in they were building a new PC from scratch and then update the OS and install software. I came in with a little knowledge of Ghost, but have now learned a lot. After much trial and error, I have now been able to create an automated installation of XP with SP2 and Updates integrated. Then I created an image with all the base software we use.

So, basically I created work for myself. I like to stay busy, and since I am new, I really want to make an impact and provide worth to the company.

Next, we need a database to track our assets. One of our guys keeps it in an Excel spreadsheet. NEXT…

Let me get this straight…

In reply to What do you do

While I have been in contractor hell for 5 years, in spite of almost always finding something productive to do (even if beyond my job description) you have been struggling to fill your time. Tell you what, have your boss hire me instead of you and get even more free time!

Try this!

In reply to What do you do

Take a writing course after you take one on spelling and grammar. Not only your attitude but also your communication is sub-par.

p.s. Please leave terms like alot to the juvenile message boards.

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