What salary should i aim for?

Supermiguel

So im taking my 298 test in 2 weeks.. So ill have all this certs:

A+, N+ S+, MCP, MCSA, MCSE, and DCSE

Right now im making 28K (as a simple phone support person i know it sucks dont remind me...) I got that job when i was studying for A+ soooo Its time to move on...

Every time a employers calls me they ask me how much i spec as salary...

Im in Tampa, FL so what salary should i aim for?

fly351

Depends on the job and your experience. I would shoot for at least $45-50k.

Supermiguel

fly351 wrote: »

Depends on the job and your experience. I would shoot for at least $45-50k.

ok... deff need to get another job..

redline5th

Depends on your experience. How long have you been with the company you are with?

Monkerz

Supermiguel wrote: »

So im taking my 298 test in 2 weeks.. So ill have all this certs:

A+, N+ S+, MCP, MCSA, MCSE, and DCSE

Right now im making 28K (as a simple phone support person i know it sucks dont remind me...) I got that job when i was studying for A+ soooo Its time to move on...

Every time a employers calls me they ask me how much i spec as salary...

Im in Tampa, FL so what salary should i aim for?

When I started off as an HD tech, I was hired on at $35k and given a raise of $4k after my 180 day prob period. That was 3 years ago though. This is Memphis, and I think the price of living is a bit cheaper here than FL...

Aldur

The amount of exp is going to be a huge factor. If you only have 6 months exp and those certs then employers are not going to be willing to give you much more then you are making now.

But if you have a good amount exp then I'd be definitely asking for alot more then what you're currently making.

Supermiguel

redline5th wrote: »

Depends on your experience. How long have you been with the company you are with?

1.5 Years... but they don't have other positions than the one i have so they don't care what certs i have there is no way to go up.. and before this company i worked at compusa for 1.5 years selling computers and before at a computer repair shop for 1 year.. and thats all my work experience

chmorin

I'd say you would be worth 40k give or take.

redline5th

Supermiguel wrote: »

1.5 Years... but they don't have other positions than the one i have so they don't care what certs i have there is no way to go up.. and before this company i worked at compusa for 1.5 years selling computers and before at a computer repair shop for 1 year.. and thats all my work experience

You're definitely worth more than 28k a year with an MCSE. You've actually got decent experience on paper as well.

Supermiguel

so i should tell employers around 40k's ?

impelse

Yes, 40k would be ok so you can have another job very soon (try to go with a small company, you will ware many huts and will help you learn a lot).

cablegod

impelse wrote: »

Yes, 40k would be ok so you can have another job very soon (try to go with a small company, you will ware many huts and will help you learn a lot).

This man/woman/whatever (sorry, I had too many tonight ) speaks the truth. A smaller company will often pay more than average because you wear more hats, and in turn, you gain experience in all sorts of areas.

RobertKaucher

Supermiguel wrote: »

so i should tell employers around 40k's ?

You need to consider 1. the position applying for and 2. that what you tell them may become the high end of the negotiation. My opinion is this and it is taken from a pretty smart guy when it comes to improving professionally: If you are trying to get a job as a sys admin, write down on a piece of paper what you will be happy with for a sallary. Then when you get that job and 6 months into it someone says you should be making x amount more, break out that paper and look at it again.

My point being getting started in a new field might be worth 10K a year for the on the job training you get. I would be wary of thinking that an MCSE without some serious hands on with server hardware and AD is going to get you a 20K raise, though. The worst thing I have ever seen in my life was a guy who had no experience trying to negotiate a $60K salary because the latest "Salary Survey" said people with MCSEs in our area made that much on average. He was a good candidate and just stuck to his guns like a mad dog with a bone... Didn't get the job because of it.

Hyper-Me

Its probably worth it to take a little less in the event that you can learn a lot on the job.

Don't work for nothing, though.