i m totally confused and lost.....

NewAirJasonKid2007

hi people,

I have the A.A.S degree since 1998, yet I got no more $$$ for B.S. somehow i stopped. I only need 40 credits more toward B.S. thats y I was looking for a job afterward, then I was lucky that I landed a low pay IT job. around 10 $ bucks per hr.

Since then, I have been into the IT field, for 5-6 yrs. I am still working for this job. However, now I am stuck. As my parents are getting older, they always get laid off. So I need to get a better job to help them out and myself for the future.

I am trying to finish my MCSA 2003 then MCSE 2003. and I hope I could be lucky that I will land a better job than the current I have. I mean I wanna get a 30K or 35K FT job. I dont mind, and I dont care as long as I wanna help my family and myself for the future.

I only need 1 more exam to finish off MCSA 2003. Altho I am an experience network tech, I can't say I am so advanced. However, I am not like a paper certified. I actually work in front of the server. Yet my skills still needa develop.

What do you guys suggest? I am so confused , stuck, concerned and feeling like hopeless. I don know how to move on. I have no idea. Anybody has any suggestions?

sprkymrk

Hey, don't worry.

With an AAS, an MCSA/E and 5 years experience you can certainly get a job in the 40's or higher depending on where you live.

Some of it will depend on your motivation, drive, attitude and "soft" skills in dealing with people. Check the forums here for advice on making a great resume:

http://www.techexams.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=15164

Also seek out someone that can give you feedback on your resume before you start handing it out. Dress professionally and be confident on any interviews you get. Are you looking for more secific advice or just a little support? Either way we'd like to help. Hang in there!

SRTMCSE

don't lose hope. with an mcsa and an associates you should be able to land a job making at least $40,000. I don't have a degree yet (working on one) but I have a few certs (MCSE:2k3:Security and a few others) and I landed a job making low 40s with 3 years in the field.

what you really need to do is maybe get out of the job you're in now. odds are they still look at you as the same guy they hired at $10 an hour and those types of companies never forget "where you started". a good friend of mine just left his job of 7 years, they hired him as a tech and he worked his way up to manager of Info Systems and they still paid him marginally better than what I make but more than half what they paid the previous Manager (he reportedly was making 6 figures plus profit sharing).

i think a change of employer would GREATLY improve your salary, it did for me, I just got a new job and increased my salary nearly 40%.

davenport

SRTMCSE wrote:

what you really need to do is maybe get out of the job you're in now. odds are they still look at you as the same guy they hired at $10 an hour and those types of companies never forget "where you started".

First off, I'm not telling you to quit your job. So don't come looking for me if you do and can't find another one.

Having said that, the quote above is a VERY good point. Alot of companies hire people in on the ground floor and in their eyes that is all you are and all you'll ever be. No matter what you do to improve yourself, you'll always be "the entry level tech in IT".

Last but not least, keep your chin up!

NewAirJasonKid2007

sigh....i found its hard to break in for another job....i don know...i got motivation, i work hard, but....when u see all bills pile up the hell and families getting old.....u definitely losing faith....

i m trying to finish off the MCSA 2003....i just gotta kill the beast 291 and thats done for me...but i m sure i will be able to pass it....

however, i m not sure if my experience qualifies alot of jobs..... from hardware, i can build pc, from micro-atx to server, i build servers with server hardwares for my home lab, i build pc for my cousin, friends, when friends machines have problem, they gimme a call, then i m gonna go to their hoem, troubleshoot and fix it...

from networking, i can run wire, coaxial, cat5, able to run a short distance fiber uplink, make cat5, setup workgroup, build and install server , from scratch, promote it to AD, assign NTFS permission, group policy, etc, however my experience is only up to the single AD.........

also i can setup firewall, the business use m0n0wall with ipsec built in for remote connection, i attempt to install ISA for this company, but boss reject, i m able to setup IIS on DMZ....now..i m practicing the VLAN with routing....

mm...sometimes, i really wanna quit my current job. but when u see bills every month, you will be like..."oh well, what can i do?......" so i still stick with the current job.....u know...

so....do you think these experience may get me something????

SRTMCSE

I know what you mean from a family standpoint. From what you described you got about the same type of experience as me, probably a bit more. I think you need to just work on your resume and confidence and you'll hit a job. Trust me, there are few places in the US w/ as bleak a market as NE Pennsylvania.