From Operations to Projects and Design

Turgon

Support is where you pay your dues, like a rock band performing on stage. It is important. But it's clear you need to get in, and get out in an age where technical people are reduced to wrench turners, the available numbers to hire workforce onshore and offshore is rising and the salaries are falling.

What are the opportunities to get into infrastructure projects and design work and on to architect level in your shop?

Essendon

I have been in my current role for about 2 and a half years and have been doing mainly Ops, or BAU, or blue collar work as I mockingly call it. Project-wise, I havent really been able to work on anything major, just minor projects - setup a new site, built a couple of DC's, built a plethora of servers, helped a bit with a new archiving system roll-out, and other bits and pieces here and there. Basically, just leftovers from major projects. Such is the life of a sys admin, sometimes I think I am learning more at my home lab than I do at work.

But like you aptly said, everyone needs to pay their dues doing BAU. We are having our AD ramped up to 2008 R2 and there's Exchange 2010 around the corner and a Citrix upgrade on the horizon, so things are looking a bit better for the next few months.

Now that you have created this thread and I wanted to ask you this anyways, how did you make the switch to the Project/Architecture level. Did you get a lucky break, or you had something just dumped on you, or was it sheer hard work and knowledge that got you noticed and into projects.

Turgon

Essendon wrote: »

INow that you have created this thread and I wanted to ask you this anyways, how did you make the switch to the Project/Architecture level. Did you get a lucky break, or you had something just dumped on you, or was it sheer hard work and knowledge that got you noticed and into projects.

Sheer hard work, presentation, ambition and inituative and knowledge. But it was a different time when I started out. Things in flux with opportunities. Things have shaken down now. People my age carved a niche out for themselves and are sitting pretty on the job you want. Its much harder for self starters today I think.

shodown

I worked in a Design shop, before I took a step back to get back into VOIP. Currently there are no positions open that would allow me to get back into design with my current company. There are however several oppertunities outside my company for jobs outside of support. I'm hoping I prove myself to move up within the company, but at the end of the day its my career and what I can provide for my family, so if I can't get it internally after 18 months I will start to look elsewhere. I don't want to be 30 in support when I have already been in my mid 20's working design.