Ever taken a job as a stepping stone?

kohr-ah

Morning (Afternoon for others) all,

Have any of you ever taken a position to be a stepping stone to where you want to be? I don't mean take a job you have NO interest in or seemed like you would hated but a place that you could only see yourself one or two years?

Here is why I am asking this. I was recently reached out to during my search to become a Sr. Network Engineer for a Fortune 250 company that is about 12 miles from my home. This would cut down my travel time by over one hour each day per way. (For those wondering I live in the burbs and travel to the city every day)

They are offering great pay and seem to hold a lot of value in me continuing to get certified. The environment is large and it has a large series of technologies I haven't ever touched before. However they have consistent reviews online for only doing 1% raises and they offer no 401k matching. The matching is no big deal for me as I have money invested in other ways for retirement but the raise system is a bother. For everything I can find in my searches most IT people in the company seem to stay there 3 - 5 years if not longer before they moved on and the company isn't known for anything corrupt going on that has at least made it in the news.

In the end I know it is my decision and choice but I was wondering if anyone has gone to a position before to get the experience and title unsure of if it is a place they want to plan out a long span at.

Mutata

I have,

I have taken two positions now solely to get that title on my resume. I took a position with a "System Administrator" title that was quite a bit less technical than my previous Support Engineer role. I did this as a "stepping stone" type maneuver. For me personally, it paid off. Even though the position was far less technically rewarding I took it for a year. After, I was able to throw my resumes out specifically looking for more technical administrator roles.

E Double U

I joined the config team knowing it was only a resume builder (the hiring manager even said this). Stayed for over a year and my new skills got me attention from the SOC. Actually, I think of every job as a stepping stone.

tedjames

I agree with E Double U. Every job is pretty much a stepping stone, at least until you retire from your final job. Get as much as you can out of one job, and then use what you've learned to help you move on to something bigger and better. Sounds like you've been presented with a great opportunity. Don't worry about the low raises, etc. Get a year or two of experience there and use it to pivot off into something even bigger. It could be that this experience, even if you don't get a raise, could end up getting you a huge raise at a new job in the future.

NetworkNewb

I'll agree with what others said above about every job being a stepping stone. But one thing that seemed like a huge plus, at least for me, would be that 2 hours of driving time you get back each day. I know there people who don't mind driving, I actually don't either when I have to do it, but 2 hours each day adds up to a lot of time you get back in your life to do the things you love. Spending time with family, friends, working out, learning more... Seems like a pretty good job opportunity by itself as well!

I wouldn't be too worried about raises or people only staying 3-5 years either. Most people I find that write reviews online about jobs are usually from "not that great" of employees and reviews only get written when people get fired or they weren't a good fit for the job and they hate the company for that reason. Worse comes to worse, you'll get great experience and be able to find an even better job down the line with this role on the resume.

joelsfood

Cutting down commute is huge.

To original question, I took job in Kuwait to increase my network skills/knowledge, knowing I wouldn't be sticking there for long. I did it solely to add more network experience to my resume. Though the pay didn't hurt either

kohr-ah

Glad to hear I am not the only one.

Pay wise they are offering me my current salary + bonus now as my base salary which is awesome. I am able to use some of that money and get my Bachelors from WGU hopefully in the next year which the closer work to home would help greatly. Be nice to see my kids for more than 20 minutes in the morning and 1.5 hours at night :P

NOC-Ninja

Dont take the job if you are going to lose money. IMO the title does not really matter. You'll be surprise that title does not impact the pay. Its all about your responsibilities.

Now if you want to use it as a stepping stone then go for it. I dont see the problem in it. Although, I know places that looks into your resume and decide if they will hire you base on how long did you stay in your past employer.

Mutata

NOC-Ninja wrote: »

Dont take the job if you are going to lose money. IMO the title does not really matter. You'll be surprise that title does not impact the pay. Its all about your responsibilities.

Now if you want to use it as a stepping stone then go for it. I dont see the problem in it. Although, I know places that looks into your resume and decide if they will hire you base on how long did you stay in your past employer.

I've honestly had the opposite experience. I have found that titles are fairly meaningful when looking for a job. Of course responsibilities are of key importance. I took a small pay cut for a better title and I have to say it was one of the better career decisions I have made.

kohr-ah

Well I understand going from Senior at one place may be a Network Engineer 2 at another place so I get where he is coming from in terms of title.

bpenn

Even if the pay was a little lower, cutting your commute down that much is really big. Time is money, as they say.

culpano

Yes indeed. I have just taken a contract role as a Windows 7 rollout engineer just to get it current on my CV. I have 25 years experience of rolling out Windows 95, NT4, XP and Vista to thousands of PCs. However I had a gap of five years in Service Management and got made redundant end 2014. Since then I have "caught up" by pursuing MCPs in Win 7 and 8.1 and I am pursuing more exams. I needed this role just to get it on top of my CV and then hoping I will get roles in Windows 10 deployment when that starts ramping up. The role I have taken means I have to stay away (80 miles away) but it serves a purpose. It's also for a very big NHS hospital so hopefully it will make me more marketable.

TheFORCE

Every job is a stepping stone for another better one and so on. That's how experience and high salary is gained.

Christian.

A lot of positions I took (mainly in the beginning) were with the initial idea they were a stepping stone for something better. I cared a lot about building my resume and I believe that attitude helped in the end. Based on what you said, this doesn't look just a resume builder, you said they are offering you a great pay, it has a great name, great responsibilities, things to learn.. the only downside seems to be related to some reviews you saw, but I wouldn't pay much attention to that.

Not everyone receives high raises or big bonuses. I haven't heard of a company that treats everyone similarly, it doesn't work like that. Unless you know someone that was working there and can tell you more intimate details, the people doing the reviews could have been low-performers, or people that weren't able to deliver what the company expected from them, or any number of reasons that kept them capped at those numbers. Try to get the biggest number you can from the beginning, then see what happens. If a company really wants you, they will do whatever they can to keep you happy. If not, you can always leave, and this time with a better resume.

gorebrush

I wouldn't say it was a job I DIDN'T want - but when I took my current role (nearly 4 years ago) but it was definitely a sideways move. Turned out to be the single most enjoyable work experience I've had, not because I managed to get a CCIE done, but also because I work with some really great people. The money was nice too because I had 20% uplift... (shift)

Tilly

Based on your circumstances, I would take the job. I see several items you need to examine closely.

1st is your time is worth money and taking the job would save you TWO HOURS of your life and reduce your stress. Also you can use the additional time to learn more about the new equipment by spending extra time learning and playing with it and once your done you still are only 12 miles away from home. So you don't have to sit in traffic long.

2nd the pay is great! and you make additional money by greatly reducing your commute time (as said earlier).

3rd and final you don't make it sound like this is your retirement job so build your skill at this job and see what opportunities open up in 3-5 years.
Play to WIN!!! If you do that, you might get that BIG raise or promotion or a much better position at another company doing exactly what you want.

kohr-ah

I am definitely gunning for it. I have one more interview this week and was told if I am accepted I'll have the offer in writing next week.

I look forward to a large team environment again where they are all about me getting certified and going for my Bachelors.

abelamorales

Congratulations on the new opportunity - for me, time is extremely valuable and getting two hours a day back is more valuable. However, don't sell yourself short. You know that their raises are minimal so make sure you negotiate a salary that you will be happy with for the next 3 years. In addition, you should also look into the possibilities for moving up within the same organization - that could also lead to a title and pay bump as well...

kohr-ah

abelamorales wrote: »

Congratulations on the new opportunity - for me, time is extremely valuable and getting two hours a day back is more valuable. However, don't sell yourself short. You know that their raises are minimal so make sure you negotiate a salary that you will be happy with for the next 3 years. In addition, you should also look into the possibilities for moving up within the same organization - that could also lead to a title and pay bump as well...

That I feel I have done well. 13k increase and there is LOTS of room to move up such as Lead Engineer, Architect, Sr Architect, Management (should I choose)

abelamorales

kohr-ah wrote: »

That I feel I have done well. 13k increase and there is LOTS of room to move up such as Lead Engineer, Architect, Sr Architect, Management (should I choose)

Sounds like you're set, brother - make it happen! Congratulations, once again. You're very fortunate to be so close to home!

fmitawaps

From what I have seen, heard, and read about IT jobs, you get more raises from quitting one job and getting another than you do from staying at one job for 3-5-10 years.

kohr-ah

I accepted the job today. Thanks everyone!

I finally did it!!! I broke the 6 figure mark within 20 minutes from home. I am so very excited! :D

I bit my tongue as my work told me how networking is dead every week (even again today). How my previous bosses told me "I can't believe you are leaving to just be a network engineer (From a JOAT role)". I took that anger they brought and studied my butt off and in 2 years made myself a Sr Network Engineer for a Fortune 250 company!