Pros
- Company gives you the ability to learn about a multitude of networking equipment, including optical gear - Relationships within NOC shifts are quite close. - Direct NOC management is approachable, when available. - Hosts many out of work events, allowing 2nd and sometimes 3rd shift workers networking time with upper management.
Cons
- Pays poorly and fights back or delays when you start asking for a raise. - Does not listen to the life blood of the company i.e. NOC techs when it comes to changes that would improve daily work and potential quality of life changes - New clients are not put through the NOC before being thrown on the NOC. Testing, communication with the potential client, process creation and approval is all done by a separate team that does not have to deal with the fallout of a poor turn up - If you are not on first shift, there is a low chance of being promoted out of the NOC at any point in your carrier. Outside of first shift NOC techs being promoted, 2nd and 3rd shift promotions are done out of necessity, the tech stays within the NOC and the promotion usually happens when it's too late. - There is a very stressful, loud work environment in all aspects of the company. The NOC deals with far too many tickets throughout the day. Management can have meetings all day which makes them unavailable. Teams who handle client turn-ups are expected to do so in an unreasonable time frame, leading to problems on arrival. Sales has absolutely no clue what we actually do as a company, leading to many promises that cannot be fulfilled in a manor the clients expect. - There is an extreme disconnect between the NOC and upper management. Advice falls on deaf ears, and is seen more as an issue rather than a suggestion. - There is a massive emphasis on the mistakes that a tech makes, rather than all of the problems they fix. If a tech manages to fix 99 issues in a day, but make 1 mistake, the mistake is all you hear about. - While relationships within shifts can be tight-knit, relationships between shifts is poor at best. Each shift spends time fixing perceived mistakes the previous shift made. This can cascade within a single ticket, causing it to go off track with misinformation and confusion being spread between shifts, clients, and customers. This causes animosity between the shifts and many shifts do not want to work with the shift before or after theres. - Training is lack-luster when available and usually not available at all. There is a "throw them in the deep end and see if they swim" attitude, and most training is done by fellow shift members. Most knowledge is tribal knowledge that is not written down or recorded. - Shift leaders have very little power, or do nothing at all. It seems like a symbolic position. This can lead to a helpless feeling when requesting raises, promotions, bringing up issues with clients, bringing up issues about co-workers, etc.