$30/hr for Desktop Support?!

paintb4707

Check this out:

http://jobview.monster.com/GetJob.aspx?JobID=67105943&JobTitle=Desktop+Support+Technician&fn=660&rad=10&rad_units=miles&zip=11763&brd=1&cy=US&pg=5&vw=b&AVSDM=2008-01-09+04%3a12%3a00&seq=5

Either there's a typo or the job description is extremely lacking. $30/hr for desktop support is insane. I'm getting paid half that to do desktop support AND server support. It's like an incredibley overpaid Geeksquad agent.

I'm tempted to call up RHT and be like, are you for real??

KGhaleon

Not bad, I've seen Rescuecom and others pay people $50/hr for tech support.

Though Robert half tends to suck so maybe it is a typo.

phantasm

I saw an add for Entry Level Help Desk, MCSE required. Pay was $15 an hour. lol.

Knives Out

I currently make 20 per hour for Intermediate Help Desk... a friend of mine is leaving her current position (she's also intermediate) for another helpdesk at 25$ per hour.


LOL @ MCSE required for helpdesk

lnsomnia

I make $25/hr right now as a Desktop Support Tech II. Our Tech III positions are close to the $30/hr range. This position is located in NY which could be why it's more than other locations.

Darthn3ss

phantasm wrote:

I saw an add for Entry Level Help Desk, MCSE required. Pay was $15 an hour. lol.

I raise you a bachelors in computer science and 5 years of experience for the same pay.

i've seen that quite a few times on monster.

Mishra

They are hiring help desk people at the Census Bureau for 45K.

paintb4707

lnsomnia wrote:

I make $25/hr right now as a Desktop Support Tech II. Our Tech III positions are close to the $30/hr range. This position is located in NY which could be why it's more than other locations.

I don't know about the city but in Long Island that kind of money isn't easy to come by for such an entry level job. Not that I'm insulting your job though, I'm talking about the one I posted.

Where are you located yourself?

Daniel333

I've heard only good things about working with/through Robert Half. I know about 4-5 people from my Geek Squad days who went over to them. Then again a kick to the face is better than Geek Squad...

bighornsheep

It's probably not a surprise if you think about how quickly the field has grown. Imagine this, you have 2 or 3 years of experience on the help desk, in that time you've achieved your MCSE, you can probably move on to something bigger suppose you had the right educational background and attitude and what not.

Now I think this is the case for literally tens of thousands of IT workers out there, so what's left and who's willing to do level 1/2 tech support? Unless the company is/will outsource that function, the only option is pay people more.

One thing to consider for one's self though is the future of these "high paying lower level jobs", I'm saying lower level because this is entirely relative but generally speaking tech support or help desk is typically entry level. They're probably not going to be keeping you for very long or perhaps they simply won't be around for very long. As soon as somebody realizes that they can get the same workforce for much cheaper, they will do so. Besides, if you have all the qualifications and skills to do something more and bigger, it's pretty demoralizing to be sitting on the phone for years on end.

Like I always say, it's not just about the money, if that's what it comes down to, I would refer those to the solid waste management, no certs required, probably just your high school diploma, but you make a sh*t load of money, no pun intended

sthomas

Job titles don't always mean anything. Your job title could be Desktop Support Tech but your actual duties my be that of a Sys Admin or it could be the other way around.

undomiel

Or in my case the job title is Network Administrator but the actual job is designing catalogs, drawing in autocad, other odd jobs, and if you get all of that done then you'll be allowed to play in the server room. Quite frustrating actually. I have seen a number of Desktop Support postings that sound closer to Network Administrator though lately.

paintb4707

sthomas wrote:

Job titles don't always mean anything. Your job title could be Desktop Support Tech but your actual duties my be that of a Sys Admin or it could be the other way around.

Sure, it doesn't mean anything if there's no job description. But in this case... there is one. And that's exactly what it's describing, entry level desktop support.

Networkhead

That's about average for NYC desktop support jobs.

famosbrown

Yep...Lockheed Martin is paying Call Center techs (Tier 1) 60K a year in Indianapolis, IN...that's VERY good salary for Indianapolis COLA! A lot of them I've seen like that require clearances though.

KGhaleon

I did locheed helpdesk once...it's like normal helpdesk on steriods.

famosbrown

KGhaleon wrote:

I did locheed helpdesk once...it's like normal helpdesk on steriods.

Well...from a former co-worker I worked with a couple of years ago, it is boring, but he is doing it for the money.

What contract were you working for? Were you helpdesk for Lockheed Martin employees, or were you a contractor working a Help Desk contract that Lockheed Martin held? The positions I'm referring to is a contract with a big government agency that I will leave unnamed for obvious reasons.

In my opinion, answering phones for Tier 1 type support at 60K per year is WAY too much for the Indianapolis area, but I'm not the one paying .

JDMurray

If you could find a Help Desk gig from home you could be a day-trader at the same time. Or you could day-trade during the day and work Help Desk at night. What if you worked the Help Desk at a stock brokerage or investment firm? "Tech for tips" as it were. Hmmm...

Jammywanks

My buddy works for a company on Park Ave, NYC. IT support for hedge fund people... good money. You need to perform all of those responsibilities though, and he is very busy. So I would say the dough is good, but you will work longer hours.