Road Warrior vs Network Admin

Apok

So i'm a road warrior now for a small but successful consulting firm. i do mainly scheduled maintenance visits with a few different companies. one of my bigger clients is going to make me an offer to work for them full time. they actually do have a buy-out clause, so there isn't conflict there. But i'm torn as to which direction i want to go in.

Anyone have any comments about being one or the other? I like the fact that i get to touch a lot of different networks and learn a lot of stuff because of that. and working for an IT company, i have great support, and access to resources. i'll cut that off working as a normal admin, but then again there's something nice about actually "owning" a network, being able to see things through, and being able to make decisions about it instead of just doing what the client wants. and this client, its a theatre (like, plays), is very laid back and really great place to work. i'm really torn here. advice?

jdstone

hey...

how do you like your current job? i have an interview on monday for a job that sounds like the one you have now.

thanks for any input.

Apok

I like it fair enough. The things you have to put up with are driving around a lot, getting used to not knowing where you're working that day, and not knowing what to expect when you get to a client. Many times calls you get can be vague, the problem you see if different, and you never know if you're going to come across a network with novell servers, or crappy old pentiums with dial-up, or citrix farms. on the plus side, you get to see a lot of different stuff, touch a lot of networks, and so learn a lot of stuff you wouldn't have otherwise. Hopefully your company will have a decent support system, like all of our techs have nextels so we can communicate throughout the day, so that someone without much citrix experience can bounce ideas off someone who does, for example. some people hate the travel and the unknown, but if you're cool with that, its a cool gig. good luck with the interview.

strauchr

I see your dilema.

I have done both, and both have their ups and downs.

The open road and getting out of the office a lot I loved, but at the same time it can get hectic and you only get to do 'bits' of someone else network rather than develop one on your own.

I think 'owning' your own network is one of the best experiences you can do in IT. I'd say if you got enough experience from where you are and you like this company thats proposing a job have a go at 'owning' a network. You can always go back to travelling tech/consultant.