Career Help

Ccousins90

Hi guys need some insight.
Currently i'm working for Yamaha Manufacturing Corporation as a "IT Coordinator". I do a lot of things from Admin access, networking, help desk, etc. I've been in this position for about a year and its been so good so far. I spoke to my manager about Obtaining my CCNA cert within the next couple weeks and where would that put me , he stated that "we can put that on your file, but we don't give salary increases except for the 2.2% cost of living raise at the end of the year and that unless a employee leaves or get fires then you might be eligible for a position promotion.My question to you all is should i stay a few more months with this company then venture off into new job opportunities.

infosec_darren

Speaking from a hiring manager perspective, I really don't like to see people jumping from one job to the next very quickly. One time does not a trend make, so I'd want to know how your overall work history looks. For instance, two previous positions at 1 year or less and I'd be skeptical you'd stick around.  The overall US average for "professional-level" jobs (BLS term, not mine) is around 5 years. 

Could you get your CCNA where you are, do some of the duties (even if it doesn't mean a position and pay promotion) and then if it doesn't come in 6-12 months, look outside your organization for opportunities?

mikey88

Ccousins90

infosecinstitute said:

Speaking from a hiring manager perspective, I really don't like to see people jumping from one job to the next very quickly. One time does not a trend make, so I'd want to know how your overall work history looks. For instance, two previous positions at 1 year or less and I'd be skeptical you'd stick around.  The overall US average for "professional-level" jobs (BLS term, not mine) is around 5 years. 

Could you get your CCNA where you are, do some of the duties (even if it doesn't mean a position and pay promotion) and then if it doesn't come in 6-12 months, look outside your organization for opportunities?

Yes i can in the process of trying to get it in the couple the next couple weeks.

DZA_

Hey OP, 

It all depends on your scenario (the go to statement) on how you you want to tackle this. 

You could do self study and obtain the CCNA by yourself (although you expressed interest to you employer) and leave at your own leisure when the opportunity comes up. This might disappoint the employer but it is in your own best interests and career path. That way, they have not invested in you, there is no monetary value associated with the relationship so you can jump ship if you had the option.

If on the other hand you decide that you are willing to stay longer (e.g. more than year or two) after you obtain your CCNA certificate then it might be something that they're willing to reimburse you for and you can move up the ranks if the position fills up. How is it likely that you're able to move up vertically or move into another department? This all varies a bit too depending on your years of experience and work history. 

Cheers, 

DatabaseHead

Agree with infosec.  Depends on your previous history.  If this is your first gig, I would at least ride out 2 years in this role, unless you find something fantastic.  Then stay there for a while.....

Ccousins90

This is my 2nd gig actually, i did almost a little over a year at Triumph Motor Cycles as a Jr Network Administrator before they went out of business.

Ertaz

Man, I 'd hate for anyone to spin their wheels in a job they know is going nowhere. That said,  I would do several certs and push to learn the ins and outs of the technology path I wanted to advance in all while building a good work history beyond 2+ years.   There is also $ to be made in the PCN/OT  areas since you are in manufacturing.

DatabaseHead

Ccousins90 said:

This is my 2nd gig actually, i did almost a little over a year at Triumph Motor Cycles as a Jr Network Administrator before they went out of business.

That is brutal.  Sounds like you were on a good path.  

Ultimately you have to be happy with your condition, role etc....  As long as you are over 1 year, it's probably okay to bounce.  I'm just concerned that you may look like a hopper.  However, the first job did go out of business that's an easy explanation.  Then you can parlay that into you had to find something immediate due to the nature of the situation.  

Just curious what role are you looking at?   Another network admin role?

I think getting one of the CCNA sounds like a brilliant idea.  I know seniors who got in with the CCNA and never had to get another certification, leveraging experience all the way up.

pHumphrey

Try your best once again, yet I don't appreciate the opinion that you do need to waste your time on a job that's going nowhere for the matter of years

Ccousins90

I was looking for something on the network side "Network Technician" "Network analyst" somewhere in the neighborhood of those positions

Jon_Cisco

So it sounds like you like your job. Seems you get to work on a number of things. However your not happy your company does not offer raises based on your newly acquired certifications.

I have two questions.

1 - Are you still learning new things at your job?

2 - Did they ever indicate that they wanted you to obtain your CCNA?

Seems to me if you are still learning and happy then the choice to move should be based on the opportunities the new job provides. If you are not happy or not learning then the choice is more about what is practical.

My only suggestion is that when you are leaving jobs voluntarily try to make sure they are a step up to a higher position. This does not look bad on a resume. True job hoppers tend to keep taking the same level job each time.

UrbanBob

If your tired of your job and find yourself messing with other tech trying to implement it or just for fun it is time to leave.

EANx

This is kind of a unique situation in that you have the ability to dance around job-hopper status if you wanted to, assuming the stop/start dates are close. "Triumph went out of business and I'm sure you're familiar with how sometimes one company will buy part of another company so here I am, two years after starting my networking career in the motorcycle industry."

TechGromit

I certainly wouldn't hold it against anyone who spent only a year in there first couple jobs stating out there career. I think keeping an eye out for other opportunities is a good idea once you get your CCNA certification. If you have 4 or 5 one year or less jobs on your resume, this is when I would hesitate to hire you, figuring you jump in a year so.  Now is a great time to get another job, the economy is good, the job market hot.  Just remember the good times never last,  business cycles in the economy in the US averaged 38.7 months in expansion and 17.5 months in contraction between 1854 and 2009. The current expansion is in it's 84th month, it could last another 24 to 36 months, or as the crashes of 1929 and 2007 taught us, things can go from good to bad overnight. You certainly don't want to be looking for your next career advancement during a recession. 

Goteki54

Ccousins90 said:

Hi guys need some insight.
Currently i'm working for Yamaha Manufacturing Corporation as a "IT Coordinator". I do a lot of things from Admin access, networking, help desk, etc. I've been in this position for about a year and its been so good so far. I spoke to my manager about Obtaining my CCNA cert within the next couple weeks and where would that put me , he stated that "we can put that on your file, but we don't give salary increases except for the 2.2% cost of living raise at the end of the year and that unless a employee leaves or get fires then you might be eligible for a position promotion.My question to you all is should i stay a few more months with this company then venture off into new job opportunities.

Go for the CCNA but always keep your options open. I was talking to a co worker about a similar issue. I've been with my company for little of 2 years now. My co workers are great, but I'm no so hot on management. Oddly enough my job switched my job roles a little over a year ago from a hands on technical to a technical/administrative. At the time I was furious, but the duties I was performing actually helped me to get my SSCP. Anyways my co worker made a very valid point when I talked to her about this. You get certs to make more money and work in the roles you want to be in, if the company isn't going to pay you what you are worth and the job isn't worth it, another company can fix that problem for you right away. So I'm in the process of updating my resume and planning on leaving very early next year.

As it pertains to you, that same advice that was given to me should honestly apply to you. You are working on getting your CCNA, that is worth something in the marketplace and a company will pay you for that. Once you have that cert, your worth in the market places increases, so why should you stay and make less then what you are worth to another company? As for being there a year. That not bad actually. A co worker who worked for my company lasted 4 months. He hated the job, so he put out his resume, and a network security company Iron Vine Security liked his resume and made him an offer, and he accepted it. Well he was kind of on the fence about accepting the job, then AWS called him a few days after he accepted the other job and he took that job. Bottom line, he's now working at Amazon Web Services, and he hasn't looked back. lol