$55,000 Help Desk at Fortune 50 or 40K Junior Network Admin

Well, after several years of suffering in call centers, I finally got my first job offer. I've been offered 40K as a Junior Network Administrator. Too be truthful, it isn't much, but I would love to have a real networking job. I'm in the 'gung-ho' stage of certifications, and I know that it is my experience that will keep me from the real pay days in the future. I can take care of the certification part.

Now, on the other hand, I got offered a help desk role at a very, very nice company. I spoke with them and they told me that the starting salary would be 55K before bonuses (consequently, their average bonus was over 20K last year).

I like money as much as the next person.. but I have to wonder. Now, with a graduate degree and multiple certifications, would I be selling myself short by going with a help desk job that has NO (I verified it) server experience?

Does anyone have any recommendations about which would be better as a career path?

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Comments

MCPWannabe

I did want to say one thing.. These certification really have helped in my case. In October, I posted my resume and was only contacted by 1 recruiter who told me that it may be possible to find me a job for $13.00 an hour.

Now, I've been contacted by several recruiters with very few of them offering below 40K a year. I've also been contacted by some companies offering me employment with immediate benefits.

All of this with just a MCSA.. who knows what happens when you start doing things like getting the MCSE's and Cisco's..

But also, I wanted to say beware... I've been contacted by a bunch of scam sales jobs and even one construction job that waisted my time.

blayjin

I wish I was in your shoes! I would suggest starting with the help desk position as this will get you in the door of a very nice company with great benefits. Potential for promotion seems promising as employers will promote from within before pulling someone off the streets.

zen master

MCPWannabe wrote:

Well, after several years of suffering in call centers, I finally got my first job offer. I've been offered 40K as a Junior Network Administrator. Too be truthful, it isn't much, but I would love to have a real networking job. I'm in the 'gung-ho' stage of certifications, and I know that it is my experience that will keep me from the real pay days in the future. I can take care of the certification part.

Now, on the other hand, I got offered a help desk role at a very, very nice company. I spoke with them and they told me that the starting salary would be 55K before bonuses (consequently, their average bonus was over 20K last year).

I like money as much as the next person.. but I have to wonder. Now, with a graduate degree and multiple certifications, would I be selling myself short by going with a help desk job that has NO (I verified it) server experience?

Does anyone have any recommendations about which would be better as a career path?

I know how important the money is, so see if Fortune 50 is willing to negotiate the salary. Rather than turning them down outright (if you decide to go that route), see if you can get them to improve their offer. Personally, I took a pay cut to land the job I have now because of how important it was to me to get experience, but I know how much of a difference pay can make, trust me.

nel

If i were you and you wanted to get into a networking position then go for the J. network admin job! In the long run the benefits you will get with the experiance you get will be alot more valuable than a few extra $$ per yer.

See if you can negotiate the salary with them. Also im suprised that this fortune 500 company is willing to give $20K in bonuses (thats £10K for me) ? Somehow from my experiance they would never do this with a helpdesk position. Im not saying its not legit but im very very suprised because at the end of the day ive only seen big bonuses for the more "important" (in the eyes of most companies) which are high end architects, managers etc.

gojericho0

How much room for advancement in each position?

What about benefits?

jbrown414

How much are you currently making? If you really want to be in networking and can get by on the 40k a year then go for it.

Megadeth4168

When you are talking about salaries in that range, 15k per year extra (not including bonuses) is a huge difference! I know, because I currently make 40K and asked for a 15K per year raise recently (which I haven't gotten a Yes or No on yet).

If you can live with the 40k and would be happier doing the networking, there is a lot to be said for that as well.... I was offered a job making more somewhere else, but I knew I wouldn't enjoy that position. Also, the term "more" in that case didn't apply after considering several factors.... Drive time/distance and benefits. My current job pays all my benefits, not a dime comes out of my pocket or pay check for my benefits.

One big thing to consider, as pointed out above is what kind of opportunity for advancement is there going to be at each place.... Could you live at help desk for 6 months or year until a Networking position opened up at that company? There is a lot to consider.

MCPWannabe

Thanks for all the input. I have a couple of other questions..

I wanted to go a little further. The 40K Junior Network Admin position is my dream job in every such way except for the money. I would be working on Exchange Servers, Sharepoint, Cisco Routers, and even some Sequel services. The experience would be golden.

I was inclined to take it but my wife through a fit about the pay cut. She showed me our budget and we would basically be on Raamon Noodles while I worked there.

The benefits compared to the Fortune 50 compay suck. No bonuses, not as much time off, etc..

Now, for the other contestant, the Fortune 50. I would get no real networking experience. This is important to me because I've worked in call centers for years with no real networking experience.

The company is an oil company, so they have gobbles of money right now -- personal gyms for members, all kinds of vacation, and fully paid benefits.

The money would be great, but I would be miserable with the experience. I've worked the call center/ help desk role for a very long time, and there is no where left for me to go in this field. I wouldn't learn anything of real value towards advancing my career or salary.

Furthermore, I'm not sure if a networking position would open up. This is one of those companies that pays their network administrators very, very well. They are not so inclined to leave their comfy, 100K+ positions.

So, I'm at a standstill. My wife was angry when I told her that I'm thinking of going with the Junior Networking position. She even threw something at me. But I just wonder about the Fortune 50 company being a 'dead-end' in terms of skill development.

***By the way, I'm one of those people who has toiled in call centers for several years and I can attest to the learning experience being very, very minimal at most of them***

undomiel

If the Junior Network Admin is your dream job then figure out how to go for that one. Explain to your wife the long term benefits. Your skills increase, you have a better position title for your resume, you gain more experience with enterprise level software and hardware, you become more marketable. After a year or two at that position you will be golden for a huge bump in pay. Also when you go back to accept the job offer ask them if they have some room to jump the pay up a bit because that is all that makes it difficult for you to accept the position. They may be able to do that for you.

Megadeth4168

MCPWannabe wrote:

Thanks for all the input. I have a couple of other questions..

I wanted to go a little further. The 40K Junior Network Admin position is my dream job in every such way except for the money. I would be working on Exchange Servers, Sharepoint, Cisco Routers, and even some Sequel services. The experience would be golden.

I was inclined to take it but my wife through a fit about the pay cut. She showed me our budget and we would basically be on Raamon Noodles while I worked there.

The benefits compared to the Fortune 50 compay suck. No bonuses, not as much time off, etc..

Now, for the other contestant, the Fortune 50. I would get no real networking experience. This is important to me because I've worked in call centers for years with no real networking experience.

The company is an oil company, so they have gobbles of money right now -- personal gyms for members, all kinds of vacation, and fully paid benefits.

The money would be great, but I would be miserable with the experience. I've worked the call center/ help desk role for a very long time, and there is no where left for me to go in this field. I wouldn't learn anything of real value towards advancing my career or salary.

Furthermore, I'm not sure if a networking position would open up. This is one of those companies that pays their network administrators very, very well. They are not so inclined to leave their comfy, 100K+ positions.

So, I'm at a standstill. My wife was angry when I told her that I'm thinking of going with the Junior Networking position. She even threw something at me. But I just wonder about the Fortune 50 company being a 'dead-end' in terms of skill development.

***By the way, I'm one of those people who has toiled in call centers for several years and I can attest to the learning experience being very, very minimal at most of them***

I look at that in 2 ways (regarding your wife). On one hand she should be understanding of your dream to work the Network position. On the other hand, you share a responsibility in financial status of your household. Perhaps your wife is thinking long term (kids).

Honestly, to me it sounds like you already know which route you want to take, your real question now, is do take the less desirable job to provide more for your family. Sounds like you have a real tough decision, I don't envy you on that.

dynamik

I think the junior admin position will bring in more money long-term. Even if you can't move up within the company, the experience you gain there will take you other places. If you do the help desk work, you'll basically be in the same position you are now. Do you really want to be looking for a junior admin position in 3-5 years?

gojericho0

dynamik wrote:

I think the junior admin position will bring in more money long-term. Even if you can't move up within the company, the experience you gain there will take you other places. If you do the help desk work, you'll basically be in the same position you are now. Do you really want to be looking for a junior admin position in 3-5 years?

I agree, the junior network position will be moving you forward. Its a means to and end. If financially it doesn't work out and you have to take the call center position just keep your eyes open for the next opportunity and keep working on learning the material on your own. There will be many other in time

networker050184

I agree with everyone else. You should go for the dream job unless the money is such a pay cut you can't survive.

Also if you explain to your wife she may be a little more understanding. A while back I was thinking about taking a position with a very large network vendor, but it would have been about a 5k a year decrease. The experience would have been great though. My wife was against the pay cut at first, but once we sat down and talked about it rationally she saw how much it meant to me and she understood.

They ended up telling me I was over qualified anyway so I didn't have to take the pay cut. Instead I found a great job that was a 10k pay jump

nel

dynamik wrote:

I think the junior admin position will bring in more money long-term. Even if you can't move up within the company, the experience you gain there will take you other places. If you do the help desk work, you'll basically be in the same position you are now. Do you really want to be looking for a junior admin position in 3-5 years?

Exactly. I can put my own experiance down to that and trust me you mayswell stay at your call centre job!!!!

I would be more than willing to take a pay cut to get the type of job you described there - i have rent, bills, car etc to pay for (no kids, im only 22!) but i have alot to pay for which is why i havent quit already!

On another note....your current job, does it pay more than the junior network admin role? if it does not then obviously you wont be any worse of than you are now?

cbigbrick

That Jr Network Admin position looks to me like they are looking for a lot for very little money.

Just my 2 cents

famosbrown

I was in the same position a couple of times. I was actually making more money managing a Desktop support Team, but I wanted to move on into Systems Administration. Since I had the book/lab knowledge, but no experience, I was offered somewhat lower than what I was making, but was given the opportunity to get that experience. I took a pay cut, but I'm making more now than I have ever and getting close surpassing my salary I had out of college as an entry-level "programmer". I wouldn't have traded that experience for the world.

I also had an opportunity for a Help Desk Manager position that was paying about 20+K more a year than what I was making as a Systems Admin/Engineer at my last job, and I posted on here asking for advice. I actually turned it down because it was Call Center Management and everything I'd worked and studied for would have gone to waste, so I decided to stay where I was. Again...it paid off, and I'm probably a couple of years away from passign that salary doing what I love to do with far less stress than a Help Desk Call Center

.

You do have financial responsibilities, but the short run isn't always best in the long run. My suggestion is to look at your budget and see what is needed and what isn't needed. From that, see how you come out. If you really need this job and experience, maybe get a second job to supplement. maybe you can take the Help Desk job and continue looking for that Admin job as you pack more certs in, but someone is giving you an opportunity to come in without "experience", so it is tough to pass on it. It is good to see that there are more and more hiring managers remembering that they were given a chance without experience, so they are giving others and shunning everyone away because they are just starting out.

In short, family comes first, so make sure they are taken care of and crunch those numbers to see if it is doable for the short run. Like others have said...it sounds like a good opportunity for the long run, and it has been in my experience.

Good luck and let us all know what you decide to do!!

jbaello

You gotta ask yourself, if your ready to devote your time and focus on Jr. Net Admin, if there is a room to grow on the fortune 50 you might also want to consider that.

Ultimately this is a tough one, experiece is something you'll definitely have and help you later in exchange for making less, somehow it will help you in the long run with sacrificing your salary...

blargoe

cbigbrick wrote:

That Jr Network Admin position looks to me like they are looking for a lot for very little money.

Just my 2 cents

That's sort of what I was thinking, though depending on his location that might be about market average for his experience level. However, the 55k helpdesk job right next to it makes me doubt it.

This is one of the RARE cases where I'd at least seriously consider taking the money, just because of the huge difference in the numbers. 55K + good bonus vs 40K. It would depend on what "helpdesk" means to that company, and if there is a path for you to jump in to a jr. admin role in the future. You can do a lot with 15K+ extra cash... as long as you manage it wisely.

In just about any other conceivable scenario, I'd take the jr. admin and never look back.

snadam

blargoe wrote:

cbigbrick wrote:

That Jr Network Admin position looks to me like they are looking for a lot for very little money.

Just my 2 cents

That's sort of what I was thinking, though depending on his location that might be about market average for his experience level. However, the 55k helpdesk job right next to it makes me doubt it.

This is one of the RARE cases where I'd at least seriously consider taking the money, just because of the huge difference in the numbers. 55K + good bonus vs 40K. It would depend on what "helpdesk" means to that company, and if there is a path for you to jump in to a jr. admin role in the future. You can do a lot with 15K+ extra cash... as long as you manage it wisely.

In just about any other conceivable scenario, I'd take the jr. admin and never look back.

I tend to agree with blargoe. I would also take a look at the career advancement opportunities at each place. If your 40k jr admin job turns into a 60k admin job in 90 days, then it might be worth it in the long run, along with experience etc. Very interesting decision though. Good luck with all of it!

MCPWannabe

I wanted to say thank you to everyone. I've made my decision, and I won't go to the Fortune 50 job. I read all the comments here, and I thought about it hard. In the end, I decided that I have to get out of the call center environment and get my first real networking job.

I want to thank everyone for the comments. I talked with my wife and she understood after I explained it to her.

She did ask me one thing: if I could hold off the 40K and try two or three interviews first -- just to see what else is out there.

Overall, I feel a lot better. I know that I'm making the right decision for my career, and I will finally do a job that doesn't involve call centers.

networker050184

Good to hear you made a solid decision. It can be hard to turn down extra money, but being happy in your career is priceless.

gojericho0

Excellent, i think the new challenge will prove to have its own value that you wouldn't have found with more money

astorrs

Good luck in your new role (your wife sounds like a smart lady too).

nel

Congrats man!

Sounds like you've got a great opportunity - use it wisely! and believe me you'll thank us in the long run!

Mishra

Great call. Nice to hear that you are going down a good road. It pays off in the long run!

dynamik

Congratulations!

Keep us posted on your progress.

famosbrown

Congratulations!! Keep studying, keep applying what you know, and keep your resume updated and out on the market. I think you made a good career choice out of the two and you will be rewarded eventually. Good luck and keep us posted

zen master

I'm still a bit confused, did you accept the job or no? Also, did you try bargaining with them?

MCPWannabe

Okay, ready for an update..

I turned down both jobs. I turned down the 40K job after getting some other interviews and speaking with some HR people.

I've decided to wait one month for me to get my MCAD and MCTS: SQL Server Configuration before reentering the job market.

Perhaps I'm wrong, but I've noticed that employers are offering significantly more when you can show that you can handle yourself with scripting and databases.

So, I'll keep everyone updated as I go along.

Also, I got an even better interview selection from a state agency. I made the final cut of 3 people for 48K a year with 3 weeks time off, plus 2 weeks sick pay, and government benefits. I'll probably go to the interview, but I don't know if I'll hold off.

I've been working with a recruiting agency that says that they can get me $30 an hour with SQL certification. So, I want to wait and see.

I think at this point I'm starting to understand that the IT job industry is like any other job industry in that as you continue to develop rare, in-demand skills, your job prospects and pay continues to go up.

My MCSA is very common but my soon to be MCAD won't be as common and neither with the MCTS: SQL.

networker050184

Its always nice to see people with options in their career. Good luck on what ever road you decide to go down.