How you got up to the position your in right now (IT Jobs)
qsub
Member Posts: 303
****** READ BELOW BEFORE REPLYING PLEASE. ******
Okay, I just thought this would be definitally nifty to have. Pretty much a thread compiled with everyones information on how they got there first IT job, up to their current job.
This will give a baseline for people who are interested in getting into this field and also letting them see what it takes some people.
Some things to keep this thread nice and tidy though.
1. If you are working _______ but then quit and went to this company, edit your post, don't reply with a new post. It just kinda clutters up the thread.
2. Reply with experiences only, try not to quote someone and say "OMG Zerg RUSH" or something. Send a PM if you're interested in how they did this, or what do they recommend.
3. Try to keep things straightforward. (One line if possible.) If you have a lot to say about that job or comment on it, save it for the end.
4. Put your IT jobs, no offense but we don't want to see it saying you worked as crew trainer a McDonalds.
5. If you think I should change the layout/format of this thread. Please PM me. Don't reply with it.
Here's a fairly simple template we should use.
Position: The position you got, try to be specific (level 1, senior, etc.)
Length: How long you worked at the job month/year should be fine (ie. January 2005 - January 2006)
Part Time or Full Time: Straight forward (if you're part time during school, full time in the summer, just put part time)
Certificates: Certificates you had before you were hired to this job. Not during, not right after. But before.
Education: College or university (this most likely won't change much, but it's here for just in case)
Wage Start: Pretty straight forward, please list the currenncy (ie. USD, CAD, GBP etc.)
Wage Finish: Pretty straight forward, please list the currenncy (ie. USD, CAD, GBP etc.)
Reference: Did they ask you for a letter of reference? If so, what one did you use.
How you found the job: Was it through a friend? ad? monster.ca?
Location: Where it was located. (ie. Try to avoid abbreviations, we have members world wide. Try to stick with this format. City/State/Country
Promotion: During your time there, did you get a promotion? If no, just put no (ie. No or Helpdesk -> Systems Support -> etc.)
Comments: Ok here's where you write about how you felt at that job, ups? downs? Again it's up to you if you want to write it or not.
If something doesn't apply, use undertermined. (ie. you dont have a wage finish because you never quit/fired yet)
You can copy/paste this code, so you got it looking nice and bold.
Now let this thread begin, I'll start.
__________________________________________________________
Position: PC Repair Technician (Co-op placement)
Length: September 2003 - January 2004
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: CPR
Education: High School
Wage Start: $0.00 CAD
Wage Finish: $0.00 CAD
Reference: None
How you found the job: Sister's friend recommended it.
Location: Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Promotion: No
Comments: It was in high school, a co-op placement is where they put you in the work place for four months to work for free. But gain experience. In regards to the reference, I was actually denied this job first, but then I was told to say I was referred to the company by ________ person and that got me the job.
Position: Helpdesk Technician
Length: July 2004 - Present
Part Time or Full Time: Part-Time
Certificates: None
Education: 1st Year College (Computer Networking & Support)
Wage Start: $11.00 CAD (See comment)
Wage Finish: Undertermined
Reference: They asked for two letters of references
How you found the job: monster.ca
Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Promotion: No
Comments: Part time only get 11/hour. No raises.
Position: Junior Systems Administrator
Length: January 2005 - Present
Part Time or Full Time: Part-Time
Certificates: Network+, Security+
Education: 2nd Year College (Computer Networking & Support)
Wage Start: $13.00-$15.00 CAD (See comment)
Wage Finish: Undertermined
Reference: None
How you found the job: School Posting
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Promotion: No
Comments: Issues with the wage start because I actually just got hired. I didn' find out what they'll be paying me yet.
Okay, I just thought this would be definitally nifty to have. Pretty much a thread compiled with everyones information on how they got there first IT job, up to their current job.
This will give a baseline for people who are interested in getting into this field and also letting them see what it takes some people.
Some things to keep this thread nice and tidy though.
1. If you are working _______ but then quit and went to this company, edit your post, don't reply with a new post. It just kinda clutters up the thread.
2. Reply with experiences only, try not to quote someone and say "OMG Zerg RUSH" or something. Send a PM if you're interested in how they did this, or what do they recommend.
3. Try to keep things straightforward. (One line if possible.) If you have a lot to say about that job or comment on it, save it for the end.
4. Put your IT jobs, no offense but we don't want to see it saying you worked as crew trainer a McDonalds.
5. If you think I should change the layout/format of this thread. Please PM me. Don't reply with it.
Here's a fairly simple template we should use.
Position: The position you got, try to be specific (level 1, senior, etc.)
Length: How long you worked at the job month/year should be fine (ie. January 2005 - January 2006)
Part Time or Full Time: Straight forward (if you're part time during school, full time in the summer, just put part time)
Certificates: Certificates you had before you were hired to this job. Not during, not right after. But before.
Education: College or university (this most likely won't change much, but it's here for just in case)
Wage Start: Pretty straight forward, please list the currenncy (ie. USD, CAD, GBP etc.)
Wage Finish: Pretty straight forward, please list the currenncy (ie. USD, CAD, GBP etc.)
Reference: Did they ask you for a letter of reference? If so, what one did you use.
How you found the job: Was it through a friend? ad? monster.ca?
Location: Where it was located. (ie. Try to avoid abbreviations, we have members world wide. Try to stick with this format. City/State/Country
Promotion: During your time there, did you get a promotion? If no, just put no (ie. No or Helpdesk -> Systems Support -> etc.)
Comments: Ok here's where you write about how you felt at that job, ups? downs? Again it's up to you if you want to write it or not.
If something doesn't apply, use undertermined. (ie. you dont have a wage finish because you never quit/fired yet)
You can copy/paste this code, so you got it looking nice and bold.
[b]Position:[/b] [b]Length:[/b] [b]Part Time or Full Time:[/b] [b]Certificates:[/b] [b]Education:[/b] [b]Wage Start:[/b] [b]Wage Finish:[/b] [b]Reference:[/b] [b]How you found the job:[/b] [b]Location:[/b] [b]Promotion:[/b] [b]Comments:[/b]
Now let this thread begin, I'll start.
__________________________________________________________
Position: PC Repair Technician (Co-op placement)
Length: September 2003 - January 2004
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: CPR
Education: High School
Wage Start: $0.00 CAD
Wage Finish: $0.00 CAD
Reference: None
How you found the job: Sister's friend recommended it.
Location: Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Promotion: No
Comments: It was in high school, a co-op placement is where they put you in the work place for four months to work for free. But gain experience. In regards to the reference, I was actually denied this job first, but then I was told to say I was referred to the company by ________ person and that got me the job.
Position: Helpdesk Technician
Length: July 2004 - Present
Part Time or Full Time: Part-Time
Certificates: None
Education: 1st Year College (Computer Networking & Support)
Wage Start: $11.00 CAD (See comment)
Wage Finish: Undertermined
Reference: They asked for two letters of references
How you found the job: monster.ca
Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Promotion: No
Comments: Part time only get 11/hour. No raises.
Position: Junior Systems Administrator
Length: January 2005 - Present
Part Time or Full Time: Part-Time
Certificates: Network+, Security+
Education: 2nd Year College (Computer Networking & Support)
Wage Start: $13.00-$15.00 CAD (See comment)
Wage Finish: Undertermined
Reference: None
How you found the job: School Posting
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Promotion: No
Comments: Issues with the wage start because I actually just got hired. I didn' find out what they'll be paying me yet.
World Cup 2006 - Zidane - Never Forget.
Comments
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jadefalcon
Member Posts: 3 ■□□□□□□□□□
Position: Commo Technician
Length: June 2005 - present
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: None
Education: DeVry University, Bachelor's, Computer Engineering Technology
Wage Start: $21.59/hr
Wage Finish: N/A
Reference: None
How you found the job: DeVry Career Services
Location: Fort Leavenworth, KS
Promotion: N/A
Comments: Lots of travelling, but I get to study for certs (mainly MCSE), gain experience, and see the world on the corporate dollar. -
SRTMCSE
Member Posts: 249
Position: Technical Services Rep., Lead
Length:Oct. 2003 - June 2005
Part Time or Full Time: Part Time to start, changed to Full time Jan. 04
Certificates: MCSE:Security 2003, MCDST, C|EA, Sec+, Net+, A+
Education: High School, Vo-Tech Comp. Tech
Wage Start: $6.00 /hr
Wage Finish: $9.00 /hr
Reference: Friend of mine worked there
How you found the job: Friend of mine got me the interview
Location: Bushkill, PA
Promotion: Promoted to Lead Technical Service Rep. July 2004
Comments:
Job was fun and I miss it. Pay was horrible and the management got way too uptight toward the the end of my employment. The position was good for experience and free certs, but they weren't willing to increase pay to a decent level with what I ddi.
Position: Network Administrator and Information Security Officer
Length: August 1, 2005 to November 1, 2006
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: MCSE:Security 2003, MCDST, C|EA, Sec+, Net+, A+
Education:High School, Vo-Tech Comp. Tech
Wage Start: $32,000.00 annually
Wage Finish: $34,000.00 annually (raise obtained after 3 month probation period)
Reference: None
How you found the job: local newspaper (Pocono Record)
Location: Stroudsburg, PA
Promotion: Not really promotion but addition of "executive-type" title, Information Security Officer.
Comments: Job is awesome, pay is great for my area and for the short time I've been in the field. Downside is I know the company is cheap when it comes to raises, rumor has it the CFO (my boss) only makes $20,000 more than me and he's been with the bank for almost 10 years, so I'm not sure exactly how much financial growth there is here. As far as professional growth there is plenty to do and experience.
Position: Network Administrator
Length: November 6, 2006 to March 2007
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: MCSE:Security 2003, MCDST, C|EA, Sec+, Net+, A+
Education:High School, Vo-Tech Comp. Tech, in college pursuing degree in CIS.
Wage Start: $40,500.00
Wage Finish: $43,300.00
Reference: None
How you found the job: CareerBuilder
Location: Allentown, PA
Promotion: N/A
Comments: This position pays what I feel I am worth and allows me a little better lifestyle. Furthermore, the network environment is much larger than anything I've ever worked with and there is lots of room for growth and experience. Plus, I work on a very collaborative team of professionals, all of whom are pretty nice guys & gals.
Position: Network & Systems Administrator
Length: March 2007 - Present
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: MCSE:Security 2003, MCDST, C|EA, Sec+, Net+, A+
Education:High School, Vo-Tech Comp. Tech, in college pursuing degree in CIS.
Wage Start: $65,000.00
Wage Finish: ----
Reference: None
How you found the job: CraigsList
Location: New York, NY
Promotion: N/A
Comments: Internal systems administrator for a large midtown consulting firm. -
determinedgerman
Member Posts: 168
Position:Workstation and Server Tech
Length:3 Years
Part Time or Full Time:Full Time
Certificates:A+
Education:Bachelors Degree in Electrical Engineering
Wage Start:$15
Wage Finish:$17
Reference:Knew the owner
How you found the job:Friend of mine got me the job/Owner
Location:Duisburg, Germany
Promotion:n/a
Comments:Good Job to start out with while being in College.....
Position:Data Network Engineer
Length:June 2004
Part Time or Full Time:Full Time
Certificates:A+, Network+, CCNA
Education:Bachelors Degree in Computer Information Systems, Bachelors Degree in Electrical Engineering
Wage Start:$22
Wage Finish:$33
Reference:None
How you found the job:Contractors Website
Location:Chicago, Illinois
Promotion:Got Hired
Comments:Started out as a contractor for 1 year and got hired on right after that with a nice pay increase. (Which not reflects my night and weekend bonuses...... -
TonyATL
Member Posts: 20 ■□□□□□□□□□
Position: Systems Tech
Length: Feb. 2000 to Present
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: None
Education: A.A.S., Electronic Systems Technology
Wage Start: $23/hr
Wage Finish: $27/hr
Reference: None
How you found the job: Newspaper Ad
Location: Atlanta, GA
Promotion: None
Comments: Job is great, but ready to move up in my career. -
jkstech
Member Posts: 330
Position: desktop/network tech
Length: september 05
Part Time or Full Time: full
Certificates: a+, net+
Education: technical training
Wage Start: $15
Wage Finish: undetermined
Reference: none
How you found the job: emailed my resume to the director of IT for my city
Location: topeka, KS
Promotion: when i get my mcsa
Comments: good job, allow me to pursue any type of training i wish, supportive of my education, unlimited room for knowledge expansionget back to studying!!! -
corey1980
Member Posts: 41 ■■□□□□□□□□
Position: Tech Support Help Desk
Length: 1 year
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: Network+
Education: Some College
Wage Start: $10.50
Wage Finish: $12.00
Reference: None
How you found the job: Newspaper
Location: St George, Utah
Promotion: None
Comments: I love my job, I have learned a lot since being here. Unfortunately, the economy in this city is pretty poor so I won't see many pay raises. The only reason I got a pay raise this year was for passing my net+ exam. -
matts5074
Member Posts: 148
Position: PC/Network Coordinator
Length: 5 Months
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: A+, Network+, MCSA 2000
Education: High School
Wage Start: $14.50 USD
Wage Finish: Undertermined
Reference: None
How you found the job: Reading job listing on the company website.
Location: Batesville, AR, USA
Promotion: None (Not eligible yet)
Comments: Great job and great company to work for. They understand the concept of spending money to make money. I have learned alot about non-Microsoft systems that I did not know before. Odd part is I didn't know exactly how much I was going to be paid until after I had started. Turned out it was a more than they had said in the interview. -
Wpizzi
Member Posts: 7 ■□□□□□□□□□
Position: Computer Technican
Length: October 1998 - March 2003
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: none
Education: A.A.S in Electronic Engineering Technology
Wage Start: $10
Wage Finish: $16.46
Reference: None
How you found the job: Job Listing from school
Location: Solon, Ohio
Promotion: Group Lead
Comments: Was layed off..
Position: Help Desk Support
Length: Jan. 2006 - Present
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: None
Education: A.A.S in Computer Networking Technology
Wage Start: 30K
Wage Finish:
Reference: School placement
How you found the job: School placement
Location: Warrensville, Ohio
Promotion:
Comments: -
Jiggsaww
Member Posts: 195
Position: Computer Tech
Length: Aug 03 - Present
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: A+, N+, MCP, MCSA 00/03/Specialize in Exchange 00, MCSE 00/03/Specialize in Exchange 00, 3M fiber into course
Education: College Diploma in Electronics
Wage Start: 24000 EC as in 3 times less US....see comment
Wage Finish: 26460
Reference: none
How you found the job: newspaper clippin see comment
Location: Grenada
Promotion: none
Comments: This job helped me achieve all my listed certs however i am starting to grow outta just being a tech. 2.67 US is one EC. The clipping was for another post in another IT related dept. -
shadown7
Member Posts: 529
Position: Legislative Systems Analyst
Length: May 05 - Present
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: MCP
Education: A.A.S. Computer Networking Technology
Wage Start: $42000
Wage Finish:
Reference: none
How you found the job: Coop from school
Location: Tennessee
Promotion: none
Comments: -
int80h
Member Posts: 84 ■■□□□□□□□□
Position: Software/Network Engineer
Length: about 2 years so far
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: FE/EIT, CANTech
Education: B.S. Electrical and Computer Engineering
Wage Start:
Wage Finish:
Reference: My boss at my last job
How you found the job: Monster.com
Location: Detroit
Promotion: none
Comments: none -
tru504187211
Member Posts: 27 ■□□□□□□□□□
Position: Help desk
Length: 16 Months
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: A+, MCP (70-210)
Education: BA in CS
Wage Start: 15/ hr
Wage Finish: 16/ hr
Reference: none
How you found the job: They found me on Monster.
Location: /WI/US
Promotion: Help desk->Web Content/ Database Analyst
Comments: After move to web tech, able to work from home. Downside - had to put up and eventually left after homosexual manager/ coworker was harassing me.
Position: Desktop Support/ Database Analyst
Length: Start in 8 days!
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: A+, MCP (70-210, 70-215), Net+, inet+
Education: BA in CS
Wage Start: 31k yearly
Wage Finish:
Reference: none
How you found the job: They found me on Internet job search.
Location: Milwaukee/WI/US
Promotion: none yet
Comments: I am very exciting about this job because I am only 1 of only a few persons in the IT department. I manage the databases and also desktop support...sounds like I will be utilizing any and all IT skills I have. -
mikey_b
Member Posts: 188
Position: Help Desk Analyst
Length: 2 years
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: A+
Education: College Diploma
Wage Start: $10.00/hr.
Wage Finish: $12.00/hr.
Reference: none
How you found the job: Newspaper
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Promotion: No
Comments:
Position: Tracking and Support Coordinator/Duty Manager
Length: 3 years
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: Net+
Education: Employer provided supervisor training
Wage Start: $13.25/hr.
Wage Finish: $15.00/hr.
Reference: none
How you found the job: Promoted
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Promotion: yes
Comments:
Position: Global Field Services Technician
Length: 2 years
Part Time or Full Time: Contract
Certificates: 70-270, 70-290
Education: QMS/ISO Standards training
Wage Start: $15.00/hr.
Wage Finish: $16.00/hr.
Reference: none
How you found the job: Job board
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Promotion: no
Comments: FYI, EDS is a great company to work for!!!
Position: Global Field Services Technical Lead
Length: 6 months
Part Time or Full Time: Contract
Certificates: 70-291
Education: Employer-provided training
Wage Start: $19.00/hr.
Wage Finish: $22.00/hr.
Reference: none
How you found the job: promoted
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Promotion: yes
Comments: same as above!Mikey B.
Current: A+, N+, CST, CNST, MCSA 2003
WIP: MCSE 2003 -
mwill
Member Posts: 51 ■■□□□□□□□□
Position: Senior Support Tech
Length: 1 year 2 months
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: none at that time
Education: A.A.S Microcomputer Network Engineering Miller-Motte Technical College
Wage Start: 12.00
Wage Finish: 12.25
Reference:
How you found the job: Online Job boards
Location: Nashville, TN
Promotion: No
Comments: Was cool to work at Dell, great company, very nice place to start out in IT. Job sucked after 6 months. Hate talking on the phone now
Position: Technical Support Analyst
Length: since March of 2005
Part Time or Full Time: Full
Certificates: DCSE, MCP, Network+, CCNA
Education:
Wage Start: 30,000
Wage Finish: 32,000 bonus of 6,400
Reference:
How you found the job: online job boards
Location: Nashville TN
Promotion: No
Comments: Still here, great place, very boring though, I can go a whole 8hrs and work about 2 hrs of that if i'm lucky.Marcus Williamson -
woodworm
Member Posts: 153
Position: IT Assistant/Helpdesk
Length: 3 Years
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: No IT vendor certs
Education: HNC Business Info Technology
Wage Start: £9000
Wage Finish: £19000
Reference: none
How you found the job: Local newspaper
Location: North Wales
Promotion: Yes, from assistant to senior IT bod after 18 months
Comments: Hated this job, department was originally IT Manager (who was an accountant), a senior IT person and myself. Senior person eventually left and I took over his role. I got this job because of my HNC, and even though I didn't enjoy the job, it was a very good learning experience.
Position: IT Engineer
Length: 3 Years
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: MCP 270
Education: as above
Wage Start: £20,000
Wage Finish: Currently at £25,000
Reference: none
How you found the job: Local Newspaper
Location: North Wales
Promotion: No
Comments: Currently IT Admin for Win 2003 Domain. Very hands on role in any/all aspects of IT (if you are interested in it, then you can get involved with it). Lots of training provided. If it wasn't for the recent take over I would love my job 110% -
Megadeth4168
Member Posts: 2,157
Position:Support Technician 1
Length:July 2000 - present
Part Time or Full Time:part time
Certificates:None at the time of hire
Education: High School
Wage Start: $7.00 per hour
Wage Finish: Up to 40K per year
Reference:
How you found the job:Through a friend
Location:Madison Heights
Promotion:After 2½ years I was promoted to Information Systems Specialist
Comments:I got my foot in the door here right out of high school and got a full time job out of it after proving myself for over 2 years. I am ready to start making more money though. -
drainey
Member Posts: 261
Position: PC Systems Specialist
Length:May 03 to Present
Part Time or Full Time: Full
Certificates:MCSA 2000
Education: Networking Certificate (CC)
Wage Start: $14.00 per hour
Wage Finish: $15.00 per hour
Reference: None
How you found the job:Local Paper
Location: Salina, Kansas
Promotion:None
Comments:
Position:Operations Support
Length:3 1/2Years
Part Time or Full Time: Part time
Certificates:MCP 70-210
Education: Networking Certificate (CC)
Wage Start: $12.00 per hour
Wage Finish: $14.00 per hour
Reference: None
How you found the job: Local Paper
Location: Salina, Kansas
Promotion:None
Comments: Job was Midnight to Noon on Saturday and Sunday. Not great hours but it got my foot in the door.The irony truly is strange that you're the only one you can change. -- Anthony Gomes -
ryan5081
Member Posts: 4 ■□□□□□□□□□
Position: Help Desk Analyst
Length: Oct 2005 - Present
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: None
Education: Computer classes at community college
Wage Start: 14.00
Wage Finish: 14.00
Reference: N/a
How you found the job: Monster.com
Location: San Diego
Promotion: I am working for the Navy/Marine Intranet, there are TONS of different opportunities
Comments: My subcontractor is paying the money for my Top Secret security clearance which will get my foot in the door at many other companies. -
ubergeek
Member Posts: 53 ■■□□□□□□□□
Position: Systems Operations Engineer
Length: 3 years
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: CCNA
Education: B.S. in Computer Engineering
Wage Start: Php 10,000 /month
Wage Finish: P hP 17,000 /month
Reference: none
How you found the job: Newspaper
Location: Philippines
Promotion: Yes
Comments: Company now bought by another company :P
Position: Customer Support Engineer II (Cisco TAC)
Length: 2 years
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: CCNA, CCSP
Education: B.S. in Computer Engineering
Wage Start: PhP 40,000 /month
Wage Finish: PhP 50,000 /month
Reference: none
How you found the job: Job bank
Location: Philippines
Promotion: yes
Comments: One of the best jobs I’ve ever had!!!
Position: Security Analyst II
Length: just started
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: CCNA, CCSP, CCNP. CCSA, CCIE-Security Candidate
Education: B.S. in Computer Engineering
Wage Start: $ 75,000 annual
Wage Finish: a year to increase
Reference: none
How you found the job: Job board
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Promotion: N/A
Comments: Another good companyThank you for calling Cisco Technical Assistance Center.. This is Edward how may I help you? -
jim_stasz
Member Posts: 123
Position: System Engineer
Length: 7/1981 - 2/2004
Part Time or Full Time: FT
Certificates: none
Education: HS
Wage Start: $8.00 hr
Wage Finish: 52,000 annual
Reference:
How you found the job: family member
Location: Enfield, CT
Promotion: Started in the warehouse throwing boxes around, ended as System Engineer VAX VMS, IBM MVS, and PC\LAN
Comments: Outsourced in 2004, great package
Position: SAN System Engineer
Length: 2/2004 - Present
Part Time or Full Time: FT
Certificates: none
Education: A.S.
Wage Start: 45,000 annual
Wage Finish: 54,000 annual
Reference:
How you found the job: Networking
Location: KC MO
Promotion: PC Support II \ Technology Engineer \ System Engineer
Comments: I'd make more by the HR at McD's. I put in about 65 hrs a week. -
neden
Member Posts: 6 ■□□□□□□□□□
Position: Assistant to Director Management Information Services
Length: Jan 2003 - Present
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: None at time of Hiring
Education: Associate in Sciences Degree
Wage Start: $9.50/hr
Wage Finish: Currently $12.50/hr
Reference: The Director of Technical Services recommended me.
How you found the job: Was employed with the same company as a Lab Technician.
Location: Somerset, PA
Promotion: Will be promoted when my boss retires sometime this year or next year.
Comments: Had to spend most of 2003 working part time IT and Lab Tech until I proved I had enough self taught knowledge to work full time. Have achieved several certifications since then and continue to aquire more since my employer pays for them. Will finish my Business Information Systems degree in the next few years. -
trick000
Member Posts: 89 ■■□□□□□□□□
Position: PC Support Tech
Length: Aug 2003 - March 2006
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: A+, Network+
Education: Some college
Wage Start: $24k/year
Wage Finish: $31k/year
Reference: None
How you found the job: online job posting
Location: Houston, TX
Promotion: Computer operator -> PC Support Tech
Comments: This company is known to pay way below average. The people I worked with were great though.
Position: Desktop Support Tech/Consultant
Length: March 2006 - Present
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: A+, Network+
Education: Some college
Wage Start: $41k/year
Wage Finish: $41k/year
Reference: Coworker from my last job
How you found the job: coworker
Location: Houston, TX
Promotion: none
Comments: Small company that offers good salary, training and benefits. They pay bonus for MCSE. There is greener grass out there!
-
ritamshome
Member Posts: 57 ■■□□□□□□□□
Position: Information Systems - Networking
Length: Jan 2006 - Present
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: MCP
Education: Graduate with Computer Science
Wage Start: Rs 54k/year
Wage Finish: Rs 57k/ year
Reference: None
How you found the job: Times Of India - newspaper
Location: Kolkata, India
Promotion: Networking team member-->Information Systems - Networking
Comments: Salary is less but i will take it any day being a fresher. Also i get to practice all the skills that i have along with the skills that my seniors help me with. Seniors are very helpful. Works in a VPN environment with 1 gbps connection speed.
signing out--ritam shome[/b] -
Kevin.Smith
Member Posts: 33 ■■□□□□□□□□
Position: Junior Network Analyst (Help Desk)
Length: Just started 1/31
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: MCSE 2003
Education: GED
Wage Start: 30K
Wage Finish: Not Applicable
Reference: Technical Trainer
How you found the job: See Comment
Location: Crystal City, Virginia
Promotion: None
Comments: The guy who owns the testing center I test at has a contract with the US Navy. I told him I was having trouble finding a job and he offered me a entry level position since I had no experience other than classroom labs.WIP: A+ Essentials -
bighornsheep
Member Posts: 1,506
let's see if we can get this thread up again.
Position: Database Analyst
Length: Since Sept 06
Part Time or Full Time: Part-Time
Certificates: MCDST
Education: Finishing Bachelor of Science
Wage Start: 10/hr
Wage Finish: n/a
Reference: Friend
How you found the job: Friend's referral
Location: Toronto, Canada
Promotion: None official available, based on performance
Comments: it's a foot in the door, and chance to hopefully move to full-time position in another department.
Position: IT Technician
Length: Sept 2004 - Present
Part Time or Full Time: Part-Time / Freelance
Certificates: A+, Network+, MCDST, and now MCSA
Education: Finishing Bachelor of Science
Wage Start: 10-50/hr depending on job
Wage Finish: n/a
Reference: Me!
How you found the job: Social circle of Friends and Family
Location: Toronto, Canada
Promotion: n/a
Comments: I started working as in-house tech for a local computer store, I later quit after a year and a half because of transportation restrain...and now I do freelance work with several small businesses.Jack of all trades, master of none -
iDShaDoW
Member Posts: 67 ■■□□□□□□□□
Position: Technical Support Analyst
Length: November 2006 - Present
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: A+, Net+ (Studying for CCNA currently)
Education: Some College (Pursuing Bachelor's in Information Technology)
Wage Start: $27,000/year (~$13.50/hour)
Wage Finish: N/A
Reference: Friend who is the Web Designer
How you found the job: Friend referred me
Location: Fairfax, VA | Company located in Falls Church, VA
Promotion: None
Comments: I guess it's a start since most entry-level jobs in IT require 2-4 years experience (which is ridiculous considering it's an entry-level position...). Apparently the company underpays everyone compared to the median salary for people doing the jobs they do in this area. I believe the low-end salary for a Technical Support Analyst in my area is about low $40k/year. Can't blame them though since I don't have prior IT experience, but the work is very very unchallenging and I haven't learned a thing since starting there.
I suppose it's a start though and something for me to put on my resume. I don't really intend to stick around for more than 1 year due to the low starting pay and just the way the company is run. After 1 year I just intend to go back to college full-time and pursue some more certifications after I complete my CCNA, while getting my degree. My cousin tells me I shouldn't bother with the MCSE since it doesn't hold as much weight as it used to and recommends the Cisco route. I'm considering maybe getting my MCP and MCSA though just because Microsoft is everywhere and that's what lots of employers recognize. -
Slowhand
Mod Posts: 5,161 Mod
Well, let's see here. . .
Position: A+ Technician
Length: A little over 1 and a half years.
Part Time or Full Time: Full time. . . way the hell too much full time. . .
Certificates: I took my A+ while I was there, since they paid for it.
Education: Finished high school, was still churning through the beginning stages of college.
Wage Start: $8.25/hour
Wage Finish: $8.75/hour
Reference: None.
How you found the job: Through my good friend, Technomancer, who was already employed there.
Location: Marin County, California
Promotion: Not a chance in hell.
Comments: It was a foot-in-the-door kind of job, but it was still retail-store IT. . . essentially, what we like to call McTech, or meatball IT. (Think M*A*S*H, with computers instead of patients.)
Position: IT Contractor
Length: Just shy of 3 months
Part Time or Full Time: Full time, baby.
Certificates: Took Security+ while there, but it wasn't required for the job. More for my own benefit, for once the contract was over.
Education: Still doin' the college-thing, taking evening classes.
Wage Start: $15.00/hour
Wage Finish: $15.00/hour
Reference: A pulse, that's pretty much all they needed. "Desperate" doesn't even begin to describe this poor woman doing the recruiting.
How you found the job: A stroke of luck. A friend got the call from a recruiter, saying they needed a security-knowledgable IT professional to work at a Kaiser hospital, helping out with some virus and spyware issues. He couldn't do it, so I called them up and was hired within five minutes.
Location: Marin County, California
Promotion: N/A
Comments: It was a nice place to work for a while, but I don't think I could handle it on a permanent basis. The reason they had security problems was because the staff, including IT, was completely lax on far too many things. For about a week, my paperwork hadn't even been processed, I hadn't been "officially" hired, but I had a security badge and full access to just about every place in the hospital.
Position: Systems Engineer
Length: Currently working, have been for about four months
Part Time or Full Time: Full time, with flexible "study hours" for cert training and school.
Certificates: Was MCSA certified before I got here. Was encouraged to take Linux+ while here, (compensated for the exam fee.) Company is willing to pay for MCSE: Security, MCSE: Messaging, any and all Cisco certs, LPI certifications, SSCP, CISSP, and potentially RHCE. Basically, they'll give me full access to become certified in anything that'll benefit the company, as well as give me the time/equipment/training materials to use for training as well as compensate me for any exams I pass.
Education: Yup, still in college.
Wage Start: Not at liberty to say.
Wage Finish: Ditto
Reference: I asked a college professor to vouch for me, but it wasn't really required, since they'd hired me by the time he wrote the email.
How you found the job: They found my resume on Craigslist.org, called me up for an interview, and hired me as soon as they'd talked to me.
Location: Marin County, California
Promotion: No thanks
Comments: The place I like to call home-away-from-home for the time being. I'm not sure how long I'll be here, but I'm sure it will be a while. It's a good place, friendly people, and there's a lot to do and even more to learn. Being a tier-one ISP and a high-security data center, the place needs constant administration and attention. I'm always encouraged to expand my knowledge, in order to be able to work on bigger and better projects. If I want to study for CCNA, there are plenty of tickets open and waiting that involve both internal and clients' routers and switches. If I want to work on MCSE topics, there are dozens of Windows 2000 and 2003 Servers that constantly need attention, both in the server farm and on our internal network. We run Linux, BSD, and some of our clients have Sun-provided servers, so there's plenty of *NIX work to be done. Security is always a primary concern, so the more you know, the more you get to do. Basically, I'm free to move into whatever topic interests me, and there will be more than enough work to do in order to back up whatever training I choose to do. There is also a general push of encouragement to continue on in school, and my bosses are pretty flexible on letting me do my shifts earlier or later, depending on when my classes may be.
Life is good, especially when I get a bulk discount on caffeinated products from Thinkgeek.com
Free Microsoft Training: Microsoft Learn
Free PowerShell Resources: Top PowerShell Blogs
Free DevOps/Azure Resources: Visual Studio Dev Essentials
Let it never be said that I didn't do the very least I could do. -
DaPunnisher
Member Posts: 108
Position: Intern, Server and Systems Management
Length: 8 months
Part Time or Full Time: Full time
Certificates: A+ (220-301)
Education: 1 year into Associates Degree
Wage Start: $14/hr
Wage Finish: $14/hr
Reference: Job placement through ITT Tech
How you found the job: same as reference
Location: WI, USA
Promotion: N/A
Comments: no benefits. Loved working there; wish they had a permanent spot for me. Left for a job with benefits.
Position: Network/PC Specialist
Length: 3 years
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: A+, Network+, MCP x2
Education: AAS in CEET
Wage Start: 28,800 yr
Wage Finish: 40,000 yr
Reference: none
How you found the job: monster or hotjobs
Location: WI, USA
Promotion: yes
Comments: Salary not including benefits, which were awesome since i worked for a school district. Started as a PC tech and was promoted to Network Administrator. I left looking for a job in IP Telephony; specifically Cisco Callmanager.
Position: Network Voice Engineer
Length: 06/06 to present
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: A+, Netowrk+, MCP x2, CCNA; working on CCVP
Education: AAS in CEET
Wage Start: 48K annual
Wage Finish: N/A
Reference: Aquaintance from past job
How you found the job: hotJobs.com
Location: WI, USA
Promotion: after annual review
Comments: Wage not including bonuses and benefits. I love working in IPT!Geek Chic! http://www.wegeek.com -
IT_Admin
Member Posts: 158
Position: Technical Support Agent
Length: 6 Months
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: A+, Network+, Security+
Education: Some College
Wage Start: $10.00 CAD
Wage Finish: $10.50
Reference: None
How you found the job: Job Fair
Location: Cobourg, Ontario, Canada
Promotion: No
Comments: Truly hated this job. Managers treated employees like garbage. Only good thing was fellow co-workers.
Position: Network Analyst
Length: Oct 2004 - Present
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: MCP, MCSA 2K3, MCSE 2K3
Education: Some College
Wage Start: $12.00 CAD
Wage Finish: N/A
Reference: None
How you found the job: Previous Co-worker told me about it
Location: Port Hope, Ontario, Canada
Promotion: No
Comments: Love this job, great experince with windows 2003 server. Pay could be better. The amount of experince I am picking up everyday more then makes up for the lack of pay.Next victim: 70-351
On my way to MCSE 2K3: Security -
TechJunky
Member Posts: 881
Position: Internet Support Technician
Length: May 2000 - February 2002
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: A+
Education: High School
Wage Start: 8.50hr
Wage Finish: 14.50hr
Reference: None
How you found the job: Local Paper
Location: Alaska
Promotion: Yes
Comments: Great starter job while in High School
Position: Internet Support Technician II
Length: March 2002 - December 2002
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: A+ N+
Education: Some College
Wage Start: 14.50 hr w/bennies
Wage Finish: 15.00 hr w/bennies
Reference: Employees
How you found the job: Local Paper
Location: Alaska
Promotion: Yes
Comments: Great experience with Politics
Position: Network Analyst
Length: January 2003 - February 2003
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: A+, N+
Education: Some College
Wage Start: 15.00hr w/bennies
Wage Finish: 16.00 hr w/bennies
Reference: None
How you found the job: Local Paper
Location: Alaska
Promotion: Yes
Comments: Great stepping stone.
Position: Systems Administrator
Length: June 2006 - Current
Part Time or Full Time: Full Time
Certificates: A+, N+, MCP, MCDST, CNST
Education: Some College
Wage Start: 40k w/bennies
Wage Finish: Yearly Raise in June
Reference: General Communications Inc, IBEW
How you found the job: Local Paper
Location: Alaska
Promotion: Yes
Comments: Great Responsibilites, Tech department budget is horrible, looking to get into a company with more growth and better department budget for technology. Being a Database Administrator, Windows Administrator, and their Network Administrator all in one consumes all my time! I need a raise!
