What is the one thing you wish you knew when you first started being a system administrator? [closed]

Solution 1:

SLOW DOWN... we're in a hurry.
If you do your job right NOBODY will notice a thing.
It's never going to be 9-5 or a 40 hour work week.
You can never have too many backups. Test them!
That "impossible" scenario you didn't bother planning for WILL HAPPEN.
Hackers (actually script kiddies) hack things because they can, not because they targeted YOU specifically. It's not personal, you were just there. So don't ask "Why me?"
Document everything! Even if it's just for your own sanity. A private Wiki goes a looooong way. If you can't bother to do that then at least keep a "never ending" text document nicely formatted on your computer... then back that up too! Just because you know something "inside and out" today doesn't mean you'll remember what the hell you did 6 months from now.
If something goes wrong in the evening and you think you might be in for a long night... WRITE YOUR PLAN DOWN. You'd be surprised how "mush brained" you're going to be at 3 a.m. and suddenly you're going to say, "Now, did I actually do X or was I just thinking I needed to do X next? Oh crap!" (This WILL happen to you, especially if your recovery process takes a few hours.)
The weakest aspect of any computer/network is almost always going to be the HUMAN ELEMENT. It doesn't matter how secure you make the computer/program/network. Some moron is always going to try and use "bob" and "bob" as his username and password then write it on a post-it note and stick it to his monitor... which happens to be facing an outside window... which just happens to be outside of a bus stop. (I wish I was making this up) ;-)
Relax! I can almost GUARANTEE you that no matter what bad thing(s) happen to you someone, somewhere is having a WORSE day than you. Be happy you're not THAT guy and stay GROUNDED. If you can stay CALM when everyone around you is freaking out... you'll find that after a short time THEY calm down too. Don't participate in mass hysteria. ;-)

BONUS TIP: Wives/Girlfriends are NOT stupid. I once pulled up a mail server log with "tail -f maillog.log" for my significant other to watch a dictionary attack on a mail server. I explained to her that this level of attack is "normal" and is almost constant. I then explained that when my phone goes off at 3 a.m. it's because we're facing something about 10x's BIGGER. You'd be surprised how sympathetic/understanding they can be when they can actually SEE the crap we have to deal with daily. SHARE THE EXPERIENCE!

Solution 2:

Exercise.

I'm not fat, but wow am I out of shape. 10 years behind a computer fly by and it's caught up to me.

Nature never intended me to sit around my whole life and it's hard to get into a routine if you never had one.

Solution 3:

The Followup

After you're done fixing a problem. Wait a few days, or a week, and visit or call the user.

Hi, this is <insert your name> I helped you with your problem concerning <insert the problem>. I wanted to followup and see if everything was still working.

I was horrible at these until I started making appointments in my calendar. I would schedule a follow up (unknown to the user) for a later date after the problem was fixed).

You can call if pressed for time, but the preferred method is visiting in person. Why?

If you do your job right NOBODY will notice a thing.

People will notice you; It's brand recognition baby!

Get out of your cubical, meet some people, let them know who you are and what you do.

Solution 4:

Don't try to be irreplaceable. Spread your knowledge and documentation. You don't want to be constantly called on the phone on holidays just because no one else knows about the systems you manage.

Don't just learn specific apps and systems and OS'es. Learn the standards and protocols and conventions behind them, so you don't get completely lost if you need to move from one OS to the next for example. Keep up with the knowledge and your skills.

Also, take care of yourself, take breaks and do some exercise when not working. Get a good chair and table. Don't break your back and neck on your first year of work.