Often internal politics get in the way of doing business in systems engineering across wireline and wireless to include fiber operations. You basically read and follow instructions a highschooler could follow in maintenance windows. If it fails you contact the vendor to fix it and babysit operations.
Internal infrastructure and teams you engage in are normally attempts to gain customers internally to establish fiefdoms of responsibility to avoid being laid off in what is called a "Riff" - reduction in faculty/force.
Many younger and hard working talent get abducted to other companies or voluntarily leave because the workplace is toxic. Three times I watched young engineers leave after a year or more on projects.
The narratives to "automate" are a hollow gesture and often times staff falsify their achievements on projects to engrandize themselves for promotions and climb the ladder creating an atmosphere.
This job is verbatim why they made the movie Office Space if TPS reports took 5 minute and they staffed an entire workforce to work on nothing but TPS reports.
Verizon would also weirdly virtue signal different races each month despite having rampant issues with sexual harassment, misogyny (and they (multiple) got promoted) and racism. Pair this off with the Pros and take it at face value, if you can look past it because of Verizons scale and the benefits, and you don't mind - its a good workplace; its a matter of scale and culture.
