Being a solo IT admin means you’re the helpdesk, the network engineer, the cybersecurity analyst, the patch management lead, the database whisperer, the app wrangler, and—if you’ve been around long enough—the historian of that one legacy system nobody dares touch. It’s a role powered by caffeine, duct tape solutions, and the faint hope that nothing breaks after 5 p.m.
But sometimes, life breaks you first.
This week was one of those weeks.
It started with my wife having a mild eye issue at work. Nothing severe—no eye patches or pirate jokes needed—but enough to need rest, meds, and moral support. Suddenly, I was the designated eye-drop technician, emotional support husband, and official “does this look better or worse?” responder. Romantic.
While I was adjusting to my new domestic helpdesk duties, my immune system decided to crash without warning. Viral infection. The kind that hits like a bad patch on production. Heavy cough, fatigue, and a throat so sore even whispering “ping” felt like a threat. Add to that a prescription for meds that should’ve come with a warning label saying: “May cause you to become a very sleepy IT potato.”
I tried to power through. I really did. But when I found myself forgetting whether I rebooted the server or just stared at it while hallucinating DHCP leases, I knew it was time.
So from Tuesday through Friday, I did the unthinkable in solo IT admin world: I called in sick.
I know. Gasp.
No ticket queues cleared. No backups double-checked. No rogue printers tamed. And somewhere, I’m sure a user tried turning it off and on again—and was shocked it didn’t work.
But I had to tap out. My wife needed care. My lungs needed mercy. And my brain? It was too drowsy to even remember my password.
So here’s the PSA for all my fellow lone IT warriors: take your sick days. The network will survive. The users will (somehow) survive. And your health is more important than that mystery alert from the firewall at 3 a.m.
I’ll be back next week—hopefully virus-free, slightly more rested, and with far fewer tissues on my desk.
Until then: patch responsibly, hydrate, and for the love of uptime—don’t ignore your health just because the servers don’t take sick leave.