Career Advice

[Annihilator_4]

I will try and keep this post from being too long winded but essentially I am looking for career advice from you IT Professionals which have been doing this much longer than me.

Let me start by saying I have a degree from a state university in MIS and have been working a helpdesk job in a hospital environment for about a year now. I know a year isn't a very long time for me to gauge what direction I want to take my career but I am looking at taking on my second professional IT job and don't want to make some huge mistake and lock myself into another helpdesk position indefinitely.

My current job is on-site helpdesk but since we're a small department I have exposure to a lot of different areas of IT. While I don't mind doing remote support (most helpdesk calls) I feel most comfortable hands on with the hardware and working in the actual data center. I realize no IT job can be purely hardware/configuration but I essentially don't want to be doing desktop support 4-5 years from now. Most of the jobs I have been applying for are Jr. Sys Admins/Network Engineer/System Engineer roles and have actually had some success getting call backs but for "remote support" positions.

What concerns me is all of the jobs are for "managed services companies" essentially outsourced IT which sounds a lot to me like a helpdesk position with some on-site support. Is it just a rite-of-passage that all Network Engineers/Sys Admin's work their way up through several years of desktop support? Am I even looking for the right job for my interests?

I really appreciate any insight and advice yall can provide me, maybe some examples of your career paths to where you are now? Thanks again!

 

[adam30k]

You need to demonstrate you know how to fix things and you know how to work with others. Most everyone starts in support. Plus you're not going to get the "keys to the castle" without demonstrating you have experience working for or along side other administrators.

As long as you are aggressive about watching job postings, spotting what they are asking for, and applying to ones you're eligible for, you won't be stuck in support forever. Even after your first support position you may be doing in a different capacity when you move up. You may handle more complex calls from the phone support people or you'll split your time between traditional support and server/network installations and upgrades. This is definitely true at a managed service provider.

You're already in the right direction. Since you are in a small department as long as you're not overstretched for resources you are in a better position because you can work on different types of projects and tasks.

 

[PTNL]

What concerns me is all of the jobs are for "managed services companies" essentially outsourced IT which sounds a lot to me like a helpdesk position with some on-site support. Is it just a rite-of-passage that all Network Engineers/Sys Admin's work their way up through several years of desktop support? Am I even looking for the right job for my interests?

I think you may be mis-interpreting the scope and purpose of the "outsourced IT". Many of these companies fill a necessary roll for non-IT companies that do not need and/or cannot afford to pay a network person 40+ hours a week (plus benefits). Many smaller companies just get on a SLA with a contracting or IT company, and will pay for work they need done -- some will do "pay as you go", others will have a regularly scheduled period with it's own "to do" list. Several members in this forum can certainly elaborate on the work they've done, and the breadth of the spectrum of topics.

If you choose to apply to one of these companies, look at the teams' or co-workers' skillsets. You may find lots of opportunities to learn from colleagues, not to mention the broader exposure of work (and work experience opportunities) from their client base. Just remember that you have to scrutinize these companies as well, so you know who you're going to work for.

Good luck with the (upcoming) job hunt!

 

[tangoseal]

MILITARY

HOOYAH!!!

Do it, stop being a bitch. Want a real career then sign up. Develop your resume, build some reputation as a leader and develop something useful for an employer to look at.

Military hands down. Why struggle with the corporate shit ladder when you can be shit on in afghanistan then get out and get a badass job somewhere in the middle of the corporate ladder and shit on others. Bout real life no joke. Federal government hires veterans like there is no tomorrow.

 

[robvas]

Get some certifications you can only go up from helpdesk.

 

[Annihilator_4]

I understand that there's a presidence to working your way up the ladder, I am just worried that taking another "remote" desktop support role might lock me into a desktop support "career".

I guess I just wanted assurance that a managed services company isn't just simply outsourced call center for each of these companies. As strange as it sounds I prefer being on-site and getting my hands dirty and not being locked in an office being stuck in a call center-esqe job.

Tango-I actually looked into the military to put me through my undergrad but got rejected last minute because i'm color blind and a mess of other health issues. I understand going in after college puts you directly into office school so that's definitely an option.

And I have been working on my certs I recently got my CCENT and am studying for my CCNA. I wish I could do some of the microsoft cert's but the courses and tests are insanely expensive and hope I can find a company thats willing to pay for them

 

[adam30k]

I understand that there's a presidence to working your way up the ladder, I am just worried that taking another "remote" desktop support role might lock me into a desktop support "career".

I guess I just wanted assurance that a managed services company isn't just simply outsourced call center for each of these companies. As strange as it sounds I prefer being on-site and getting my hands dirty and not being locked in an office being stuck in a call center-esqe job.

Tango-I actually looked into the military to put me through my undergrad but got rejected last minute because i'm color blind and a mess of other health issues. I understand going in after college puts you directly into office school so that's definitely an option.

And I have been working on my certs I recently got my CCENT and am studying for my CCNA. I wish I could do some of the microsoft cert's but the courses and tests are insanely expensive and hope I can find a company thats willing to pay for them

You're right it's more then just support.. you can manage a lot for the MSP's clients and sometimes you work with other IT pros from company IT departments that occasionally use an MSP for projects. The quality of MSPs varies the same as the quality of companies you can work at. Start finding out which MSPs are in your area and start following their blogs and social media, their job postings etc.

 

[JPF_]

I realize no IT job can be purely hardware/configuration.

My job is pretty much just this. I work on the over 500 laptops/desktops in a production enviorment. We have a network team, Lotus Notes team, AD team, JD Edwards team, and us, Deskside Engineers. The helpdesk is over seas in Portugal.


2 guys, 1.6 million sq ft plant, over 500 desktops/laptops, 4 off site warehouses (storage and parts).


Just me and another guy do all the hardware and config.....very little is done from my desk.

I am like you, I want my hands on it every day knee deep in some hardware.

I am employed by the worlds 3rd largest IT service provider (I like saying that). And I enjoy many aspects of the job, however at times it can be frustrating, due to users, or hands tied because its not in our scope of work or we do not support it.

I have no education in my field, self taught and learning from forums like this. I make 4x,xxx/yr. Its not JR/SR Network Admin pay by any means, but for where I live......I do quite well.


They are hiring 1 other person where I am (South Carolina) to offset some load we have here.

 

[adam30k]

I also get asked by people who want to do primarily hardware work. Thanks for posting. Someone should write a blog post, companies/industries to check out if you like hardware work.

My job is pretty much just this. I work on the over 500 laptops/desktops in a production enviorment. We have a network team, Lotus Notes team, AD team, JD Edwards team, and us, Deskside Engineers. The helpdesk is over seas in Portugal.


2 guys, 1.6 million sq ft plant, over 500 desktops/laptops, 4 off site warehouses (storage and parts).


Just me and another guy do all the hardware and config.....very little is done from my desk.

I am like you, I want my hands on it every day knee deep in some hardware.

I am employed by the worlds 3rd largest IT service provider (I like saying that). And I enjoy many aspects of the job, however at times it can be frustrating, due to users, or hands tied because its not in our scope of work or we do not support it.

I have no education in my field, self taught and learning from forums like this. I make 4x,xxx/yr. Its not JR/SR Network Admin pay by any means, but for where I live......I do quite well.


They are hiring 1 other person where I am (South Carolina) to offset some load we have here.