Update 3 Years Later After First IT Post On Forum

oxymoron5k

Hi all,
I thought it would be cool to give an update for all the new IT guys that always post stuff like my original IT post::

[h=2]Career Advice (What route has the best potential)[/h]

Hello, my name is Steve and I entered the IT field 6 months ago. I am a network technician for a local shop in the midwest. We are a small company who helps small business's with their networks and also computer repair. I have just received my A+ cert and soon I will have my Network +. I am very interested in advancing my IT career to the next level and want to pick the route that has the most potential. I am very open to any route in the IT field since I am new I love every aspect of it. So my question is if you were in my shoes, what route do you think would be the most successful for my IT career? I have been considering the virtulization area as well as some "Cloud" certs.

Thanks for your input!

Well let me start by saying I am an IT Manager for a medium size company in CO. This job I referenced I worked at for a little over a year. I decided I was ready to upgrade to a better IT job so I found one in Colorado with a MSP. I worked there for a year and half and hated every day of it. This is where I learned I do NOT like all IT fields . Although I hated working for an MSP, I did learn a ton. Working next to 10 different IT guys really catapulted my IT knowledge and I felt like in a year and half I got 3 years of knowledge that a typical IT guy would get at a regular 9-5 job. I encountered failed servers on a regular basis. Learned my way around routers and switches, Windows servers, Cisco, VOIP, and SQL along with all kinds of other branches due to so many customer needs. Grant it is only basic knowledge on all of these I at least got my feet wet.

Now my current job is a really good one for a really good company. I have my own office and my own 250k budget I manage. I am still new and have a lot of room to move up. If you are new keep up the hard work and the jobs will come. My advice to anyone new would be to take advantage of any technology you find yourself near. You may not like it at the moment but its possible once you get more used to it you will find your passion there.

First job- 30k
MSP- 35k
IT Manager- 48k
(3 years in IT)

dialectical

Grats on your success! I guess you're right that what we have available right in front of us is what we should dart for as far as gaining expertise (since it's there). Our next opportunities would have other things.

Deus Ex Machina

Congratulations! Experience trumps all. Let your ambition drive your life, its your greatest asset. Like a reservoir of infinite energy. I'm sure you will continue to rise up the ranks with time and effort.

kalimuscle

Deus Ex Machina wrote: »

Congratulations! Experience trumps all. Let your ambition drive your life, its your greatest asset. Like a reservoir of infinite energy. I'm sure you will continue to rise up the ranks with time and effort.

well said !

congrats OP

keep this up ! And lets see where you will be in 3 more years !

by the way speaking of future, do you have any plans for it?

oxymoron5k

My future plans are steering me towards SQL I think. My current main software I manage is built on SQL and although we have outstanding tech support that pretty much handle all of the back end SQL stuff, I am going to study it. Like I had mentioned earlier if SQL is in my reach and I have an opportunity to gain work experience where I am currently working at, I might as well take advantage of it.

I started another thread asking what peoples thoughts were on getting into SQL professionally.

dialectical

That's the best where you get to have some exposure to a technology but everyone's not relying on you (and just you) to fix it if something goes wrong