Pay Cut to get my foot in the door

New2ITinCali

Everyone is probably already familiar with my situation. I've been trying to land an I.T. job for a little over 2 years now. A friend of mines emailed me and said they have a VERY entry-level position in which his company is hiring for, and he recommended me. The position would be a pay cut in which I would definitely feel. It's a full-time, stable position with benefits. Is it worth it to leave my current job as an Accountant (in which I'm very unhappy in btw) to work for a lower paying job to get my foot into the I.T. door?.. I've been desperate to land an I.T. job for a while now. Also, I have an A.A. in Business and a B.A. in Information Technology Management. Please feel free to give me your advice and what you would do if you were in my situation. Thanks!

ande0255

You cannot put a price on your happiness brother - Take that job and get your foot in the door!

lsud00d

Make sure the pay is on par for the position and the area...don't get taken advantage of or jump at the first opportunity just because you are new to IT.

That said, good luck and I hope you get the best opportunity coming to you!

New2ITinCali

I don't think I'm getting taken advantage of because my friend said he started out in that same position. Now he works as a Systems Administrator. ...I might have to get rid of cable, entertainment (movies, dinners) for a while because the pay cut is around $800- it definitely will be felt.

Hammer80

With your background you should seriously consider looking for an IT Auditor position and maybe sitting for a CISA.

Jackace

I took a slight pay cut to move into full time networking. Once I proved myself though I got a raise and then about 6 months later got another raise. It was worth it in my situation. In my experience a lot of places want to start you out low when you don't have the direct experience they are looking for to see if you work out. Once you work out they usually bump up the pay.

Akaricloud

I'd take the pay cut if you can then work on moving up as quickly as possible. Get as much technical knowledge as you can from the job and plan on trying to advance within 6 months to a year.

Very quickly you'll be able to surpass what you're making now

Jon_Cisco

Keep in mind that change is not easy and you need to take some risks to get the rewards.

I don't think I would worry about things I would consider extras like dinner and a movie. If you can pay your real bills then it might be worth it. If not then I would wait.

Good Luck.

New2ITinCali

Jackace wrote: »

I took a slight pay cut to move into full time networking. Once I proved myself though I got a raise and then about 6 months later got another raise. It was worth it in my situation. In my experience a lot of places want to start you out low when you don't have the direct experience they are looking for to see if you work out. Once you work out they usually bump up the pay.

That's encouraging to hear. There is a pay scale for the position and it actually maxes out a little more than I'm making now, but it starts off at the lower end. All in all I think it might be worth it to sacrifice now so that I can reap the benefits later

New2ITinCali

Jon_Cisco wrote: »

Keep in mind that change is not easy and you need to take some risks to get the rewards.

I don't think I would worry about things I would consider extras like dinner and a movie. If you can pay your real bills then it might be worth it. If not then I would wait.

Good Luck.

I totally agree Jon! I think this risk will be especially beneficial to the development of a new career. I'll be able to gain the experience that I've been wanting to gain for a long time now.

pinkydapimp

Hammer80 wrote: »

With your background you should seriously consider looking for an IT Auditor position and maybe sitting for a CISA.

I would agree. that or even a sales engineering role in the financial sector. Might be able to make an easier transition without the pay decrease.

bryguy

It's a decent strategy if you can afford it. My first IT job, I offered to work at below poverty level. It was enough to get my foot in the door, and a few certs, paid by my employer, under my belt. While it was hard living with my inlaws, for the year and a half I had to work there, it paid off because I was quickly (6 years) able to quadruple my salary- even during the recession. I've done this esentially by obtaining jobs under market salary, getting the valuable experience, applying myself and getting promoted within, and then jumping ship for a job with greater responsibility and pay.

paul78

For me personally, I would jump at the chance in a heartbeat. Life is too short and if you can afford it, there really isn't a downside. If you are already stangant and you don't enjoy your current career, this jump can only improve in time. Good luck.

Spaced

You either take the pay cut now or later, but there is no way you can get your first IT job without taking a pay cut unless your current job is waiter or something like that. Going from accountant to any entry level IT job is going to be rough but there is no way around it. Even with a degree and certs, the lack of experience means you will have to take a fairly entry level job and a pay cut. I would just be happy that someone is willing to take a chance on you at this point in your IT career and go for it.

Kai123

I'm doing an internship as a helpdesk/sys admin. I get paid a tiny amount since its a govt based internship.

I was paid almost twice what I'm getting now working in a bakery, but it was hell-on-earth. Give me this internship anyday!

Kinet1c

New2ITinCali wrote: »

Everyone is probably already familiar with my situation. I've been trying to land an I.T. job for a little over 2 years now. A friend of mines emailed me and said they have a VERY entry-level position in which his company is hiring for, and he recommended me. The position would be a pay cut in which I would definitely feel. It's a full-time, stable position with benefits. Is it worth it to leave my current job as an Accountant (in which I'm very unhappy in btw) to work for a lower paying job to get my foot into the I.T. door?.. I've been desperate to land an I.T. job for a while now. Also, I have an A.A. in Business and a B.A. in Information Technology Management. Please feel free to give me your advice and what you would do if you were in my situation. Thanks!

I was you about 6 years ago, I simply couldn't work at something that made me unhappy. You're going to have to take a cut to get in to IT, there's no way around it given your lack of experience. I reckon had I stayed with finance, I may be making approx 10-15k more but I'd dread every single day going in to work. While I make less now, I'm a lot happier in my job and don't go home feeling miserable every day. If you work hard both at home upskilling and also on the job, you'll work your way up in a matter of years.

The sooner you do it, the sooner you can start making progress.

N2IT

I would jump at it too. You don't like accounting might as well jump at it.

j33per

Try negotiating in that 6 month review with a target of x% for meeting/exceeding expectations. Be sure that any terms you hammer out are in writing and leverage your current salary & benefits against what they offer. As others have said you can't put a price on happiness.

markulous

If you can afford it, then I would do it. Since you do have a degree that should accelerate your career. My first IT job on paper paid $10 an hour. I only worked there for 3 months until I found something at $16 an hour. Try grabbing a cert when you get there and you should be able to find a way better paying job within 6 months.

NinjaBoy

markulous wrote: »

If you can afford it, then I would do it...

Well that's what I did, after trying to get a job in IT for about 5 years. While I did feel the pinch, I wasn't attached or had kids. Within a year I was earning the same amount as before and within 2 years I was on £4000 (which about 10 years ago was approx. $8000) more per year. However it does depend on how you perform and opportunities that are presented to you.

--chris--

Taking pay cuts is like a right of passage when you have an established career and want to get into IT. I believe we have all done it!

If you are financially able to do it (without getting behind on bills, etc...) do it! The trick is to bust your butt every day, study at night and on weekends and make yourself more valuable. Treat everything at work as an opportunity to get experience, skip lunches with work friends and study. Work, study, work, study....

I did exactly that and just landed a pretty solid gig after 5 months of helpdesk/first IT job.

the_Grinch

When I left law enforcement for IT I took a huge hit pay wise. I was automatically working an extra 10 hours a week to get one form of overtime and then there was another form that I received when I traveled (which was several times a month at least). All and all it was a $30k downward swing which was hard to swallow at first, but I was definitely happier. Now I am in the exact same spot pay wise without ever having to work a weekend, holiday, or overtime. Life is a marathon.

"Sometimes a person has to go a very long distance out of his way to come back a short distance correctly." - Edward Albee