First job $37.5k?

snipza

Hi all. I just graduated from college with a B. B. A. in Info Sys. And Tech.

I accepted an offer of $37.5 k / year at a private company as a Support Desk Analyst. It's about $18/hr broken down. I don't have any IT experience except a 3 month IT internship at a school District (mainly help desk stuff and occasional onsite trips) and my own personal experience building and fixing family computers. No certs either.

Job is 40 hrs a week with decent benefits (401k match, health, vacation, and sick pay).

Is this a good offer? This is my first time landing a non-retail job. So, I'm unsure. I feel it's decent because I have no certs and limited experience. Let me know what you think!

Thanks.

Danielm7

Sure, it's a stepping stone like any first job in a field. Unless your local cost of living is crazy that's just fine. Check any of the salary sites to find out the average salaries in your area.

techfiend

Support desk is often a very good learning experience and not very stressful. That's well above average pay and benefits for entry level.

J_86

Always depends on where you are located, but it my area that is above average for an entry level support/help desk position.
Good luck!

snipza

Thanks for the replies! The area is Orange County, CA. I have a 50 min. commute to work. And the company requested that I eventually move a little closer. COL is a little irrelevant as I plan to finish the lease I started with my mom (I do pay rent though). But the commute is a bit long. Good thing I LOVE driving, even in traffic. Thanks guys/gals!

I will research salaries around the end of probation period in case they ask me about money. I know that OC COL is high and if they really need me to move (they state in case of IT emergencies), they need to pay me enough to support myself. Thanks again!

srabiee

You need to assess your market value by determining the average salary in that area for professionals with similar credentials. (degree, certs, experience, etc)

$37.5K in one area might equate to $28K in another area.

I would begin by doing salary research using these sites:

salary.com
payscale.com
glassdoor.com

Zorodzai

In my part of the world that's HUGE !!

broli720

That seems pretty low to me. What area are you in?

Zorodzai

@broli - in southern Africa.......to put it into context though our costs of living are way lower than those in the first world.

broli720

I just saw that you're in OC. I've always made it a priority to not let cost of living dictate my value; I let the industry/national market do that. If you feel that you're at market value then that's fine. If you don't, then learn as much as you can and move on.

cyberguypr

OP, are you doing on call work or rotating shifts? I am curious as I've never had a company ask me to move closer.

hurricane1091

cyberguypr wrote: »

OP, are you doing on call work or rotating shifts? I am curious as I've never had a company ask me to move closer.

I've been turned down I feel like for living too far away from a place before. They did not come out and say that but they expressed concern over the commute if something were to happen and I needed to be on-site;

BerkshireHerd

I think it's good, I started at 38.5 k my first Desktop Support job with mid size regional bank.

jvrlopez

Like others said, it just depends on the parity amongst your salary and area's cost of living. I know of people who would kill for $35k in South Texas but wouldn't touch it in the DMV area. Never been to the OC area but from what I've heard it can be expensive.

If it means anything, both of my first professional jobs were about $25k a year.

rsxwithslicks

My first desktop support job was $17 an hour ($35.3k). It wasn't the greatest but it did allow me to get my foot in the door.

Some things to consider...

LA/Irvine/Ontario are going to be above the national average salary for desktop support on most of those pay sites. Probably cause cost of living but that doesn't mean you're going to get it as there are A LOT of people trying to get jobs especially in IT.

Fuel efficiency of your car. I live in the San Gabriel Valley area and was commuting out to Ontario everyday (70 miles roundtrip daily). I was spending about a tank of gas a week and it cost me about an average of $70 to fill up (my car uses premium and has a big tank). Also I was going against traffic which allowed me to maximize my fuel efficiency vs sitting in traffic and minimizing fuel efficiency.

QHalo

heck of a lot more than I made when I started out.

snipza

Sorry for the late reply everyone. Holiday season is killing my time (plus I'm trying to enjoy this last week of vacation before starting the job).

Thank you all for the replies. My ultimate goal is to find a job and relocate to San Diego. It's where I've always wanted to live. I will do my best at this current position and prove my worth to them. I will also use this time to hit the certification trail hard to help prepare my resume for any future opportunities. Thanks again!!!

Nemowolf

18/hr is what i have been approached for an entry level position in the SF area so i dont think its all together that bad of a starting point. I would stress that you shouldnt plan on staying there longer than 2 years unless they reward you VERY well over the time you are there. Better to start networking and keeping your ears open for a new opportunity in SD where you want to end up.

snipza

Nemowolf wrote: »

18/hr is what i have been approached for an entry level position in the SF area so i dont think its all together that bad of a starting point. I would stress that you shouldnt plan on staying there longer than 2 years unless they reward you VERY well over the time you are there. Better to start networking and keeping your ears open for a new opportunity in SD where you want to end up.

Thanks for the input Nemowolf. I definitely don't plan to stay there for more than a year unless they provide nice incentives for me to stay. Like stated earlier, my ultimate goal is to get down to SD. The time at this company will really be a period of learning, exposure, and certifying.

I know a lot of people in SD that may be able to direct me in the right direction as far as securing a position. I'm excited to learn as much as possible in this new position and excited for whatever comes after that, whether it be better compensation at the same company or another job in the location I really want to be in.

imarriedacow

Congrats on the new position Snipza! I recently moved to San Diego and have been working as a Systems Engineer for a local MSP. I work with a really good team, and have learned a ton in the past year. We're always looking for more people, so feel free to let me know when you're ready to move down. I can also point you to some other good companies in the area to work for.

snunez889

imarriedacow wrote: »

Congrats on the new position Snipza! I recently moved to San Diego and have been working as a Systems Engineer for a local MSP. I work with a really good team, and have learned a ton in the past year. We're always looking for more people, so feel free to let me know when you're ready to move down. I can also point you to some other good companies in the area to work for.

I don't live to far from San Diego... Got any good leads on companies out there you wouldn't mind shooting my way?

imarriedacow

Absolutely. I'll send you a PM.

tianh

imarriedacow wrote: »

Absolutely. I'll send you a PM.

I am also planning to relocate to San Diego after a year of working at my current Desktop Support position as well. I will send you a private message!

edit: Actually imarriedacow, it looks like I cannot send you a message, can you try sending me one? I'd like to ask you a little about SD and the job market there. Thank you!

imarriedacow

Hi tianh, I don't see an option to PM you when I click on your name. Do you have "Receive Email from Other Members" and "Private Messaging" enabled on your account? It's under the general settings.

NotHackingYou

This seems like a reasonable offer for a first job to me.

snipza

imarriedacow wrote: »

Congrats on the new position Snipza! I recently moved to San Diego and have been working as a Systems Engineer for a local MSP. I work with a really good team, and have learned a ton in the past year. We're always looking for more people, so feel free to let me know when you're ready to move down. I can also point you to some other good companies in the area to work for.

Thank you imarriedacow! I will most definitely keep that in mind when I am ready to move down. I really appreciate the help you're offering me and others here!

hustlin_moe20

My first IT job was $11/hr so I'd say $18/hr is pretty good! But I'm in Kansas of course.