Where to go from here?

SouthSeaPirate

I currently manage a small IT dept. Have nearly 6 year exp, with three of those as manager. I wouldn't consider myself a professional in any specific area, but rather knee deep any many different areas. I have exp with vSphere 4.0 to 5.5, switch configuration (inc port-channeling redundancy), DHCP, AD, etc. Projects include TVoIP, VoIP, complete MDF and IDF overhaul, redundancy, migrations including OS and P2V. Tho most projects were done side by side with vendors I have made and assisted in many changes since I have started.

Management path isn't my goal, nor is anything else specifically. I have a great job and pay is fair, but I must move from this place. The issue is living, not career; becoming the opposite is my concern. I want to move soon but still have good pay and a good job.

Im looking at moving outside of an area which has a high concentration of IT jobs; with availability also comes competition... With my limited experience and only one cert, where would you go from here? I think Net+ and CCNA would be fairly easy for me to start. Im thinking multiple entry level certs to broaden my scope of available positions. Would it be better to go specific? A security path would be nice, but time is of the essence.

Opinions, thoughts, tips?

MeanDrunkR2D2

Well, do you have an idea where you'd like to relocate to? I know you have management experience, but that's not the path you want to take and it's not for everyone that's for sure. I think the main thing you need to focus on is what exactly you want to do long term and what steps/positions will help you get there. I'd start by looking in the area you want to relocate to and see what exactly the employers are asking for as far as certifications and experience. Once you have that figured out, you can either start by applying now to the positions that interest you and hopefully interview and you may strike lightning in a bottle and find a good position that will take you now.

Nersesian

I was initially going to post an article I read in Forbes, but I don't know how they made their site even more of a PITA to navigate than it was before. If you want to be a dev, go and fix them...they need the help.

So, this one is not in a slideshow format and matches some of my assumptions. Not all of these are IT centric, but they're going to need some degree of support either way.

The Best Jobs for 2014, and the Best Cities for Those Jobs | EMSI | Economic Modeling Specialists Intl.

Predictably, San Francisco and San Jose are topping the list which shouldn't be a huge shock for anyone. I know you're going to want to focus on salary so you don't end up living under a bridge, and the competition is certainly there so make sure you're on your game. Austin may appeal to some, but I can't deal with the crowds of roving hippies and shockingly bad traffic. YRMV.

DFW is massive in both size and scope, but if you grew up there like I did, you're not going to convince me to move back. The conservative social nature of the area can be a bit oppressive for my taste. Honestly, if you can deal with the heat, Phoenix is a pretty sweet place to call home. With a reasonable cost of living, abundance of data center work and Mexican food, you might find what you're looking for.

As a side note, I believe there was a discussion on here not too long ago about the South Florida market being woefully underpaid. I like both Miami and the keys, but not so much that you're going to get out of paying fairly. I had an interview with a large rum company a few years ago and their attitude towards compensation really turned me off.

SouthSeaPirate

MeanDrunkR2D2 wrote: »

Well, do you have an idea where you'd like to relocate to? I know you have management experience, but that's not the path you want to take and it's not for everyone that's for sure. I think the main thing you need to focus on is what exactly you want to do long term and what steps/positions will help you get there. I'd start by looking in the area you want to relocate to and see what exactly the employers are asking for as far as certifications and experience. Once you have that figured out, you can either start by applying now to the positions that interest you and hopefully interview and you may strike lightning in a bottle and find a good position that will take you now.

The place I want to move to is more so the reason than anything else. I have researched the area, Knoxville, TN; and it seems most are way above me. Otherwise most positions I see are programming. I'd rather be a tax collector in Compton.
To be clear, Im not exactly discounting management. I just don't believe I would qualify or rather too much competition if I did. I honestly would be happy with senior level position, weather it be networking, sys admin, security, etc. This is longer term however. That said, I think all options are open.

SouthSeaPirate

Nersesian wrote: »

I was initially going to post an article I read in Forbes, but I don't know how they made their site even more of a PITA to navigate than it was before. If you want to be a dev, go and fix them...they need the help.

So, this one is not in a slideshow format and matches some of my assumptions. Not all of these are IT centric, but they're going to need some degree of support either way.

The Best Jobs for 2014, and the Best Cities for Those Jobs | EMSI | Economic Modeling Specialists Intl.

Predictably, San Francisco and San Jose are topping the list which shouldn't be a huge shock for anyone. I know you're going to want to focus on salary so you don't end up living under a bridge, and the competition is certainly there so make sure you're on your game. Austin may appeal to some, but I can't deal with the crowds of roving hippies and shockingly bad traffic. YRMV.

DFW is massive in both size and scope, but if you grew up there like I did, you're not going to convince me to move back. The conservative social nature of the area can be a bit oppressive for my taste. Honestly, if you can deal with the heat, Phoenix is a pretty sweet place to call home. With a reasonable cost of living, abundance of data center work and Mexican food, you might find what you're looking for.

As a side note, I believe there was a discussion on here not too long ago about the South Florida market being woefully underpaid. I like both Miami and the keys, but not so much that you're going to get out of paying fairly. I had an interview with a large rum company a few years ago and their attitude towards compensation really turned me off.

Really appreciate the reply. I should have made it clear that I had already decided on where to move and the location itself is the reason behind it. Now I feel like a jerk

Checking the link does make me think about keeping infosec on the radar. I believe it's going to grow where ever I go. Not to mention, all the lower certs can still lead that direction. I do have minimal experience with DSS PCI compliance. Pleasing five different audits can also help. In my position also comes experience in workstation security and staff education. Hmm

MeanDrunkR2D2

The good news is that you do have the area chosen that you want to relocate to, and that's half the battle. Don't discount yourself and the experience that you do have. If they see you are currently in management, it's an easy step to convince them that you would rather be in a non-management role and want to continue your career in a different (yet still have some experience) path. Now, whether they have long term plans of wanting you to get into management eventually, that is a road you can cross later. You have the knowledge, experience, and leadership that many companies would kill for, so I say go for it. As far as certs go, they can help and won't hurt by any means so I would at least try. If you have a 6 month plan to leave the area and get to knoxville, you could get shocked and get an offer much quicker than you expect.

SouthSeaPirate

MeanDrunkR2D2 wrote: »

The good news is that you do have the area chosen that you want to relocate to, and that's half the battle. Don't discount yourself and the experience that you do have. If they see you are currently in management, it's an easy step to convince them that you would rather be in a non-management role and want to continue your career in a different (yet still have some experience) path. Now, whether they have long term plans of wanting you to get into management eventually, that is a road you can cross later. You have the knowledge, experience, and leadership that many companies would kill for, so I say go for it. As far as certs go, they can help and won't hurt by any means so I would at least try. If you have a 6 month plan to leave the area and get to knoxville, you could get shocked and get an offer much quicker than you expect.

Really appreciate the vote of confidence, but I still worry that I am in between qualifications. With so much competition in the area and my over qualification for tech/desk support (Ive already been denied because of this) and not really qualified for anything else. So my focus has to be on certs and fast as you are right about the timeline.

I love vSphere, networking; and less so sys admin. Of course Ive only experienced so much...

MeanDrunkR2D2

Be confident in yourself and if you get those interviews for positions that you want, you can and will succeed. If you are shaky on any subject that they question you on during the interview, make sure you emphasize your ability to learn and to be challenged. Sometimes the willingness to learn and knowing that you may be weak in certain areas can be viewed as a good thing as long as it's only in a small bit of the job description. Even if I'm not qualified for a position, I will still apply and relay those shortcomings but try to spin it into a positive. I'm working in the desktop world right now, and trying to find any SA type position has been difficult as most want the experience, but I've had difficulties finding opportunities in my past careers to really improve them and move up. I'm pretty much a Sr. Level Desktop guy, and for companies that aren't willing to pay me that money the position and experience I have it does put me behind others in that aspect. But if the opportunities come forward for me to take a chance, I'd even take a small paycut if it meant that I could get the experience I want to learn, improve myself, and move forward. The only ones that have had much interest in me are the ones that want to fill a 2nd or 3rd shift, which I'm reluctant to do as I have a wife and kid at home that I'd end up not seeing half the time because of my work schedule.

hustlerb01

get a senior engineer or a senior administrator job at a larger firm,

since you have some management experience it should be all good.

IT-Fella

At one moment I thought I started this thread, since it matches my current position, skills and even the area I live in With only one exception - I hate my job. The reason being is that it used to be pretty challenging initially but in the last six month to a year it went from being challenging to very boring. With very limited budget which is tightly related to my exposure to new hardware and software I feel that I completely stopped growing professionally - I have to deal with the same network equipment, same proprietary software, etc on a daily basis. And the department only consists of 5 IT guys including me. Just like you I'm looking into more hands-on role rather than spending hours on useless meetings and phone conferences. However, I think it is still a good idea to navigate your IT career towards upper-management IT roles such as an IT Director or CIO. For myself, I decided to get some certs and get more experience before going back into an IT management role. Also, SFla's IT job market is simply horrible - I'm constantly thinking of relocation as well.

SouthSeaPirate

MeanDrunkR2D2 wrote: »

Be confident in yourself and if you get those interviews for positions that you want, you can and will succeed. If you are shaky on any subject that they question you on during the interview, make sure you emphasize your ability to learn and to be challenged. Sometimes the willingness to learn and knowing that you may be weak in certain areas can be viewed as a good thing as long as it's only in a small bit of the job description. Even if I'm not qualified for a position, I will still apply and relay those shortcomings but try to spin it into a positive. I'm working in the desktop world right now, and trying to find any SA type position has been difficult as most want the experience, but I've had difficulties finding opportunities in my past careers to really improve them and move up. I'm pretty much a Sr. Level Desktop guy, and for companies that aren't willing to pay me that money the position and experience I have it does put me behind others in that aspect. But if the opportunities come forward for me to take a chance, I'd even take a small paycut if it meant that I could get the experience I want to learn, improve myself, and move forward. The only ones that have had much interest in me are the ones that want to fill a 2nd or 3rd shift, which I'm reluctant to do as I have a wife and kid at home that I'd end up not seeing half the time because of my work schedule.

I do lack confidence, but to be fair, I have good reason To top off what has been previously said, I have only some college
I know the general rule is to apply even if you do not meet minimum requirements, but some of these postings have just too much of a spread. Add that with the area competition and it's going to be hard. Even tho it seems so, I am not trying to talk myself out of it, I am simply trying to decide the next steps.

hustlerb01 wrote: »

get a senior engineer or a senior administrator job at a larger firm,

since you have some management experience it should be all good.

I manage a very small staff of only 4, including myself. And to be honest, I do not qualify for even jr, SA. My goal is to try and get there eventually tho.

IT-Fella wrote: »

At one moment I thought I started this thread, since it matches my current position, skills and even the area I live in With only one exception - I hate my job. The reason being is that it used to be pretty challenging initially but in the last six month to a year it went from being challenging to very boring. With very limited budget which is tightly related to my exposure to new hardware and software I feel that I completely stopped growing professionally - I have to deal with the same network equipment, same proprietary software, etc on a daily basis. And the department only consists of 5 IT guys including me. Just like you I'm looking into more hands-on role rather than spending hours on useless meetings and phone conferences. However, I think it is still a good idea to navigate your IT career towards upper-management IT roles such as an IT Director or CIO. For myself, I decided to get some certs and get more experience before going back into an IT management role. Also, SFla's IT job market is simply horrible - I'm constantly thinking of relocation as well.

Loving my job is both a blessing and a curse. If I had hated it I think it would be easier for me to leave it behind, comfortable or not. I have to agree with you on the whole meeting and conference mess. Really just want to get the job done and converse with those necessary when I need assistance or to discuss budgets execs etc. I myself don't mind working with the same stuff everyday, makes me learn them inside and out, but the propriety software that cannot stand. Weather it remains the same or even worse, changes.




So far Im thinking about this; Net and Sec+ in tandem, then either SSCP or CCENT and then CCNA:Security. Let's pretend there is no limit on costs for training material and certs. Thoughts?

networker050184

I'd skip the N+. Not very useful really if you plan on going down the Cisco path anyway.

IT-Fella

I have never even tried to look into studying N+ because CCENT->CCNA didn't seem too difficult after being in IT for some time. Would it be a benefit to have both N+ and CCNA?

SouthSeaPirate

networker050184 wrote: »

I'd skip the N+. Not very useful really if you plan on going down the Cisco path anyway.

IT-Fella wrote: »

I have never even tried to look into studying N+ because CCENT->CCNA didn't seem too difficult after being in IT for some time. Would it be a benefit to have both N+ and CCNA?

I was only thinking of it cause I have already studied for it, wont cost me anything, and it's one more cert I can put on my very empty resume. It is required for a few places, weather it applies or not. If it were to take up too much time tho (for obvious reasons), I would skip it.

IT-Fella

Have you tried looking for something in Knoxville, TN? I posted a thread about the job market in other states and would appreciate if you can share your findings.

SouthSeaPirate

IT-Fella wrote: »

Have you tried looking for something in Knoxville, TN? I posted a thread about the job market in other states and would appreciate if you can share your findings.

I have not directly, really only researched job postings. Two I applied and got a response. Both mentioned that resume and experience was good, but went with a candidate that better suited the position.
You will get the occasional help desk, field support, sys admin, postings; but most are Java, web and other development.

If you don't mind me asking. Where do you work? PM of course.

IT-Fella

SouthSeaPirate wrote: »

I have not directly, really only researched job postings. Two I applied and got a response. Both mentioned that resume and experience was good, but went with a candidate that better suited the position.
You will get the occasional help desk, field support, sys admin, postings; but most are Java, web and other development.

If you don't mind me asking. Where do you work? PM of course.

I tried to PM you. Is it enabled in your profile settings?
I'm not sure why it is disabled by default here.