Working for an ISP?

Hi, im opening this new thread because im working as a consultant but right now im on vacations but i was hired one year ago in a contract basis so i started to look for a new job because i don't want to be unemployed when these contracts expires and because of the economic situation i can't afford to be unemployed.
So im my country there is a huge project related to the new mobile network and core network(3gpp, iptv,wimax etc) the company in charge of this project hired me to be part of the core network department but again i was hired in a contract basis but for 3 years this is the first company offering 3gpp and iptv in my country so i can learn a lot and become the only one with field experience.
I have to take a decision because i have 2 weeks of vacation, i dont know if its better to work as a consultant for a partner or work for an ISP.
I think we all agree that working for a partner you learn more than working as a network/system admin for "xyz" company. But maybe its better to move to the next level and work for an ISP and learn new networking stuffs and more complex stuff, i will also be in charge of the unix servers that host the DBs and also of the DBs and i one year i have to be the only one in charge of this for my country.

It looks like a great chance but i dont know if its better for my career.
What would you do? Keep working as a consultant for a partner or take this chance?

PD: Im 22 yrs old(almost 23).

Thanks.

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Comments

qwertyiop

chmod wrote: »

Hi, im opening this new thread because im working as a consultant but right now im on vacations but i was hired one year ago in a contract basis so i started to look for a new job because i don't want to be unemployed when these contracts expires and because of the economic situation i can't afford to be unemployed.
So im my country there is a huge project related to the new mobile network and core network(3gpp, iptv,wimax etc) the company in charge of this project hired me to be part of the core network department but again i was hired in a contract basis but for 3 years this is the first company offering 3gpp and iptv in my country so i can learn a lot and become the only one with field experience.
I have to take a decision because i have 2 weeks of vacation, i dont know if its better to work as a consultant for a partner or work for an ISP.
I think we all agree that working for a partner you learn more than working as a network/system admin for "xyz" company. But maybe its better to move to the next level and work for an ISP and learn new networking stuffs and more complex stuff, i will also be in charge of the unix servers that host the DBs and also of the DBs and i one year i have to be the only one in charge of this for my country.

It looks like a great chance but i dont know if its better for my career.
What would you do? Keep working as a consultant for a partner or take this chance?

PD: Im 22 yrs old(almost 23).

Thanks.

If you feel that your ready then I would recommend that you take the new job at the new mobile network, but only if that is something that you really want to do.

networker050184

It sounds like a great challenging opportunity. If it is something that interests you then I would definitely go for it.

As far as it helping your career or not, I don't see how it could hurt. Being involved in the roll out of a large network is always great experience to have on your resume whether you want to be a consultant or continue on in the ISP role in the future.

Paul Boz

Do it. I worked at an ISP for my first real job and moved through the company. I picked up a ton of experience that I could not have gotten any other way. Understanding how service providers function makes understanding the enterprise much clearer. There is also a specific work ethic fostered in service provider environments that is both highly competitive and unforgiving of errors. It is a very fun environment that I would love to get back in to at some point. I definitely say do it.

chmod

Thanks for replying, i took the job.

So far what i have been reading and the topology is huge and its very complex a lot of terms that i've never seen before.
Completely different from what i used to do, i was working for an MS and cisco partner, i was in charge of linux projects, stuffs related to active directory and security mainly VPNs.

Now here is something completely different so im enjoyining what im doing so far because im learning a lot of new stuffs.

networker050184

Congrats on the new job! Sounds like you are getting some great experience and enjoying it. You can't beat that.

TXOgre

chmod wrote: »

Thanks for replying, i took the job.

So far what i have been reading and the topology is huge and its very complex a lot of terms that i've never seen before.
Completely different from what i used to do, i was working for an MS and cisco partner, i was in charge of linux projects, stuffs related to active directory and security mainly VPNs.

Now here is something completely different so im enjoyining what im doing so far because im learning a lot of new stuffs.

Having 10+ years working contract for major telecoms in the data centers and COs, you're pretty much on target there. The network is massive, and working in corporate IT seems like childs play to me when compared to that environment. It's challenging, exciting, and ever changing. It's also rife with strict rules and regulations, and competition is fierce. The people in that industry have a lot of knowledge, and many of them don't like to share it. You've got to be good to keep moving up, and you're always on your toes. There are a thousand directions you can go with your career too.

If you can travel, there's more money to be made. It also adds some excitement, and it's awesome if you're single.

I miss it, but it's something I can't do anymore.

Good luck and have fun.

chmod

Yes im single, i used to live with my girlfriend but not anymore.

So far im learning a lot about VoIP and QoS, the topology of the 3gpp network and pstn is huge and it´s interesting and there is a lot of concepts that i think i´ve never seen before in a corporate network.
Its nice because my boss is a nice guy, he doesn´t mess with me, nobody cares about the schedule(i mean punch in and punch out), they just care about the learning path of the engineers because they want us to be sharp in the technologies we deploy and support, and they also care a lot about the fulfillment of the projects on time.
No mistakes are allowed.

So far i´m having fun, and i´m still the only one in my department which means im going to have a lot of opportunies to travel.

And the offices are 7.5 km away from my house. Takes me around 8-10 minutes to drive to work.

dynamik

chmod wrote: »

Yes im single, i used to live with my girlfriend but not anymore.

That's better than passing an exam, congrats!

binarysoul

Working for an ISP is very intense and can bring many opportunities down the road. I used to work for one and it was kind of fun.

APA

Congratz!

I made the move from the enterprise arena to the SP arena at the end of 2008... I'm so glad I did as well!

Everyday you have the potential to pick up something new and like Paul Boz said there is alot you can pick up in the SP environment that you just wouldn't pick up anywhere else.

The reason for my move was the need for a more challenging environment... and that I got!

Wish you all the best in your new role.

chmod

So far i can't complain.

Because i was the first engineer for core i had(still have) a lot of opportunities.

This is a really complex field and it is true that the competition is fierce but i like it, i like the pressure and the money haha i have learned a lot in a short time.

I would highly recommend people if have the chance to work for an ISP (on field) to take the opportunity.
Making the comparison with regular IT jobs this is definitely the best way to go.