Technical Support Representative

pearljam

Hey everyone,

I am graduating from college in three weeks and have been applying for jobs everywhere, however, companies want experience which I don't have. So I applied to an ISP here where I live in the greater Seattle area. I'm wondering if this is a job I will get some good experience from that I can put on my resume (so far I haven't been able to get it anywhere else)? Also I'm wondering how much I should ask salary wise for a job like this. I looked at the national average for technical support representative's and it was $40,000?

Thanks

aderon

My first job in IT was for an ISP with the title "Technical Support Representative." The pay was $12.75 plus commission. Commission came out to about $250-500/month. You could earn more or less depending on how good or bad you were at selling products. We also got pay for performance. Basically every 3 months they would review your stats and you would get a raise from $2-3 depending on how well you did. That raise would last for the next 3 months, at which point you would get re-evaluated and they would reassess the $2-3 raise to see if you would get it for another 3 months. Also, I'm in a state that has no state income tax. So our salaries are generally lower than they would be for the same job in a state that does have state income tax.

Experience involved configuring SOHO routers via GUI, installing anti virus products, general computer "tune ups", fixing connectivity issues, and sales.

Overall I'd say it was a good entry job, but towards the end of my time there I was getting tired of the back-to-back calls and so I started working on certifications and found a different job.

kenrin

Two words. Help... Desk...

pearljam

Thanks for the response. How long ago were you working there aderon?

pearljam

Every job here titled Help Desk wants 2-3 years of experience

aderon

pearljam wrote: »

Thanks for the response. How long ago were you working there aderon?

I left there about a year and a half ago

jamesleecoleman

Well you're going to have to be able to come up with reasons why someone should pay you a certain amount. It's going to be very hard to explain why you should be paid $40,000/year if you don't have experience but I'm not saying that it's not possible. You should give a range when they ask for the amount that you think you should be paid.

Working at an ISP can open many doors because you'll have the chance to be exposed to many things such as
-Linux/Windows/Unix
-Routers/Switches
-Firewalls
-POTS/ATM
--And more

Just make sure you show interest in certain things when you start somewhere and make sure you go hard at everything you do because PEOPLE ARE WATCHING YOU!! Volunteer for the things, even if it's carrying boxes with network equipment into the datacenter.. because, people are watching you.

If you mess up, it's okay. We all do it, even the most senior people in certain teams (departments) do it. Just make sure you learn from your mistakes.

Also, please do labs.... It wouldn't hurt to know how businesses work (or the one you will be working for works) and how to communicate tech stuff to where people can relate to.

*Sorry if it seems a little off. I'm really tired.

xenodamus

Any experience that's remotely IT related is better than none. I live in a lower cost of living area, but it's not uncommon for entry level positions here to fall in the $30k range. Being in Seattle I would think $40k could be reasonable.

nathandrake

I started my IT career as a Technical Support Representative (my exact title) as doing tech support for customers that bought PCs from Circuit City. I did that for about 3 years and it gave me a lot of good experience with troubleshooting and customer/end user interaction. I was able to move from that to Desktop Support, then VMware Administration, and now to infosec. I think it's a great stepping stone if you can't land a real help desk job. I wouldn't stay in it for more than 2-3 years. Get some experience and then get out.