I hope the time I am spending as a field tech will pay off..

Matt_Smi

I have been a field tech for just five months now, I do mainly break/fix support on Dells, but also do other sorts of “projects” for companies, such as server installs, re-images, ect. I am already feeling a little discouraged with my job, I don’t want to turn this into a rant because I am glad that I have a job, a start in the field I want to be in, I just hope it gets me somewhere. I only make $12 an hour, I do get paid for mileage, .45 cents a mile, my car does not get great gas mileage so a good portion of that goes into my tank anyway. But it seems I have to **** more and more money into my car to keep it going because of the wear and tear I put on it everyday from my job, so a good portion of my paychecks are being put into my car because I have to use it, if I didn’t have to drive so much, I would not need these repairs, I usually drive 80-120 miles a day.

I am sure there are some others on here who have been a field tech at some point or are one currently, and I am sure they will agree when I say it is an extremely stressful job and some days it just does not seem worth the lousy pay. I won’t get too into it, but most days are a nightmare, from clients giving the wrong contact info so you cant even get a hold of them, Dell shipping the wrong or defective part, finding clients locations and keeping them all equally happy, which I consider myself good at doing.

The main thing that keeps me with it is I just keep telling myself that I’m only 21 and it’s just a start to get some relative experience on the resume and get me to a better job. Or at least I think. I hope potential employers don’t see field tech work as irrelevant to other IT positions because it deals with mainly hardware. I do much more than just swap boards, sure a lot of times a call goes perfect, put the new board in and everything is good and you are on your way. But many times there is additional troubleshooting that needs to be done because Dell misdiagnosed the problem or you run into other issues that need to be dealt with. At the least it should prove customer service skills, because there is no way one could do this job for long with poor customer service or a bad attitude.

Another thing that makes me uneasy, there are some techs who have been with the company for 4-6 years, some have their MCSE, yet they still cannot find something better and only make $17 and hour, I don’t want to end up doing this for a career. Anyway I hope this isn’t too long and like I said I didn’t mean for it to be a rant although I guess it sorta turned out to be, I am just feeling frustrated by the job. It does have some positives to it, it is nice being on your own and having no one look over you all day, and it’s nice not being in an office too. Just the amount of stress for the pay does not seem worth it. BTW I average around 8 calls a day, and sometimes have 10 or 12, how many did/do you other field techs get?

sprkymrk

Hi Matt_Smi:
It sounds like you really are getting some good experience and at only 21 years old you've got time. The main thing you need that will help with your stress is a long term plan with a couple of short term goals along the way. Those other guys that make $17 an hour after 5 years and can't find anything else are NOT you - they are other guys.

First for the short term, can you find a used reliable car that gets better mileage? Second, do you have goals for certs/education? You drive a lot, so the audio tapes at Prep Logic may serve you well. Get some certs or maybe go to school for an AAS, do something to give yourself an edge. Third, prepare your resume. Update it every time you get a new cert, promotion or perform a particularly difficult task. Picture where you want to be in 1 year, 3 years and finally 5 years. If you set goals as described here, it would be very possible for you to have a nice lineup of certs (say MCSE, CCNA and Sec+ in addition to your current A+ and Net+) and 3 years experience which should make you very marketable. Those other guys are either not trying or doing something else wrong, but you are not them - you will move onward and upward because you have a goal and purpose. In 5 years they will still be driving their butts off for $18-20 an hour while you willl have found a nice admin/jr. admin/level2-3 tech job in a nice air conditioned office just a 10 minute drive from your 3 bedroom bungalow in your new SUV making no less than $25 an hour - no wait, you'll be salary making 58-60K.

mikey_b

I spent 2 years doing IMACs and on site work, don't let the bad experiences get you down. The experience you're getting is invaluable, and you are fairly young. Focus on making the best of what you've got and work on your certs. A deskside technician with the knowledge to obtain, say, an MCSA or MCSE and a few years of experience will do well because not only do they show they have the skills and the determination to improve themselves, but they have a good attitude and customer service skills and those will serve you well in any IT role.

blargoe

Many, many people would kill to have the kind of job you have just starting out. The pay isn't great, sure, but you are getting great experience. It seems like entry level tech are greatly lacking in hardware skills these days.

As far as the "stress" goes, that aspect is always going to be there. You might not be driving all over creation but you're always going to have to deal with cranky users, deal with others' screw ups, deal with not getting paid what you think you're worth, etc. The important thing is that you like what you do, or are on the right track to get there. I think you are on the right track.

bighornsheep

sprkymrk wrote:

First for the short term, can you find a used reliable car that gets better mileage? Second, do you have goals for certs/education? You drive a lot, so the audio tapes at Prep Logic may serve you well. Get some certs or maybe go to school for an AAS, do something to give yourself an edge. Third, prepare your resume. Update it every time you get a new cert, promotion or perform a particularly difficult task. Picture where you want to be in 1 year, 3 years and finally 5 years. If you set goals as described here, it would be very possible for you to have a nice lineup of certs (say MCSE, CCNA and Sec+ in addition to your current A+ and Net+) and 3 years experience which should make you very marketable. Those other guys are either not trying or doing something else wrong, but you are not them - you will move onward and upward because you have a goal and purpose. In 5 years they will still be driving their butts off for $18-20 an hour while you willl have found a nice admin/jr. admin/level2-3 tech job in a nice air conditioned office just a 10 minute drive from your 3 bedroom bungalow in your new SUV making no less than $25 an hour - no wait, you'll be salary making 58-60K.

That's a great encouragement! I'm 20, in my final year of Computer Science. I've been a computer technician for a year and a half and for the past 9 months, I've been a customer rep. for a PDA website.

Hopefully I'll be able to secure a help desk job on campus, and move into the job market with MCSA, Network+, CCNA and a few years of job related experience.

So Matt_Smi, cheer up! Lots of people are working hard, and you've just got to keep a positive attitude.

Matt_Smi

First for the short term, can you find a used reliable car that gets better mileage?

I have considered it, but overall it’s probably just not worth it, it’s going to be cheap so it will need repairs, plus registering and insuring it, too much hassle and money, plus I enjoy driving my vehicle.

Second, do you have goals for certs/education?

I plan to get MCSA, Sec+ and possibly a CCNA. Right now I am trying to study for 70-270, but it’s hard to get motivated after work sometimes, so I have only been studying a bit here and there. But I need to just buckle down and put in an hour or two every night for a few weeks.

Those other guys are either not trying or doing something else wrong, but you are not them - you will move onward and upward because you have a goal and purpose.

Yeah this is what I am hoping, I think some of them have just given up and except that they are not going to find something else, I won’t let that happen. Also some of the guys only have A+ and nothing else, with no real plans to get any more certs so I am sure that is not helping. Anyway thanks for the replies.[/quote]

Danman32

Matt_Smi wrote:

First for the short term, can you find a used reliable car that gets better mileage?

I have considered it, but overall it’s probably just not worth it, it’s going to be cheap so it will need repairs, plus registering and insuring it, too much hassle and money, plus I enjoy driving my vehicle.

You may not be realizing what you are spending in extra gas and more importantly, repairs. 45 cents/mile is great compensation for miles. You shouldn't be needing to spend most of that. You probably could get a used Corolla or a Civic that in the long run would save you money.

sprkymrk

bighornsheep wrote:

sprkymrk wrote:

First for the short term, can you find a used reliable car that gets better mileage? Second, do you have goals for certs/education? You drive a lot, so the audio tapes at Prep Logic may serve you well. Get some certs or maybe go to school for an AAS, do something to give yourself an edge. Third, prepare your resume. Update it every time you get a new cert, promotion or perform a particularly difficult task. Picture where you want to be in 1 year, 3 years and finally 5 years. If you set goals as described here, it would be very possible for you to have a nice lineup of certs (say MCSE, CCNA and Sec+ in addition to your current A+ and Net+) and 3 years experience which should make you very marketable. Those other guys are either not trying or doing something else wrong, but you are not them - you will move onward and upward because you have a goal and purpose. In 5 years they will still be driving their butts off for $18-20 an hour while you willl have found a nice admin/jr. admin/level2-3 tech job in a nice air conditioned office just a 10 minute drive from your 3 bedroom bungalow in your new SUV making no less than $25 an hour - no wait, you'll be salary making 58-60K.

That's a great encouragement!

Thanks. That was my Zig Ziglar impression...