Ended up getting the job promotion back from the current company I work for!

Armymanis

Ended up getting the job promotion back from the current company I work for! They made another guy a representative for their company and moved him to idaho so now I am going to be a Help Desk Tier 1 person! I am so excited! I know it's official this time because I have training this Monday. Yes, I know its labor day. When you have to work, you have to work!

I can do flips I am so excited Long journey ahead for this soon to be IT master GOOO HELP DESK

Essendon

I remember the last few threads you have posted and I suggest you wait for the first day before you get too excited. This said, I wish you the best and hope you get the position. And then after a few months we are going to hear you say that you want to get the hell out of HellDesk!!

Armymanis

Essendon wrote: »

I remember the last few threads you have posted and I suggest you wait for the first day before you get too excited. This said, I wish you the best and hope you get the position. And then after a few months we are going to hear you say that you want to get the hell out of HellDesk!!

This time its a sure thing that I am getting promoted. Training is scheduled 8am-5pm on monday.

Essendon

Have fun at training! Ask questions, but dont start pestering them and appear over zealous. Learn as much as you can. Use any spare time to go through their KB and other documentation, this'll help you do your job better. Network with people there and be warm and friendly but dont grovel upto your boss(es). Wish you luck!

Armymanis

Essendon wrote: »

Have fun at training! Ask questions, but dont start pestering them and appear over zealous. Learn as much as you can. Use any spare time to go through their KB and other documentation, this'll help you do your job better. Network with people there and be warm and friendly but dont grovel upto your boss(es). Wish you luck!

Thanks dude! I will be finishing my AA in Technical Support and starting my bachelors in IT. So they said I can bring my work and study for that when there's downtime. I am also trying to decide if I should get any certifications beyond A+. I am into learning, but I am not really sure if they are worth it in the long run. It seems like experience is what counts.

UniqueAgEnT

Armymanis wrote: »

Thanks dude! I will be finishing my AA in Technical Support and starting my bachelors in IT. So they said I can bring my work and study for that when there's downtime. I am also trying to decide if I should get any certifications beyond A+. I am into learning, but I am not really sure if they are worth it in the long run. It seems like experience is what counts.

Experience may be more important in some fields, but IT requires a combination of experience, education, and certifications to be the most successful. If you want to be stuck at a help desk job for the rest of your life, then yeah A+ is all you need. If you want to get a good server, database job, networking, etc. you need to obtain Microsoft or Cisco certifications. It is much harder to obtain one of those positions with help desk experience and education. Even if you are lucky to get into one of those positions, most companies will push you to get certifications that they prefer. While you are in school, I would not stress about certifications since you are working and going to school, but I would definitely disagree with "I am not sure if they are worth it in the long run" when referring to certifications.

Armymanis

UniqueAgEnT wrote: »

Experience may be more important in some fields, but IT requires a combination of experience, education, and certifications to be the most successful. If you want to be stuck at a help desk job for the rest of your life, then yeah A+ is all you need. If you want to get a good server, database job, networking, etc. you need to obtain Microsoft or Cisco certifications. It is much harder to obtain one of those positions with help desk experience and education. Even if you are lucky to get into one of those positions, most companies will push you to get certifications that they prefer. While you are in school, I would not stress about certifications since you are working and going to school, but I would definitely disagree with "I am not sure if they are worth it in the long run" when referring to certifications.

I personally thought certifications were worth it in the long run before and am starting to again, but many people just kept saying to me that experience is better and should be concentrated on more. I am going to finish my AA in Technical Support and get my Bachelors in IT, and then work on certifications while I am working.

universalfrost

school and certs are what is important.

work on both and if you have and IT or CS degree and certs to back it up then you will be set. also, work on the basic certs first and then work your way up to the more advanced certs...

here is what I did .... certs in A+, net+, sec+, MCP, MCSE, CCNA, then got my AAS, then went in to the military and got my CCNA renewed, and got out of the military, finished my BS in IS, renewed my CCNA, worked as a senior network engineer (made 125k plus bonuses, and you sure as heck cant do that with no certs and only an AAS) and then finished my Masters in Information Systems Engineering.

Now after I have my masters I went out and renewed my Net+ to a CE and my sec+ to a CE (I opted to take the latest tests) and I am also planning on renewing my CCNA, work on my CCNP and finally sit for my CISSP (I have been studying for that one for over a year).... lot's of the folks at work have degrees and a few have some certs, but they are all old and outdated, so they always wonder why i get job offers from other organizations (I work for the gov't now) and also contracting firms.

you have to be well rounded, don't fall into a rut with only one path....

after you spent a little time in the help desk environment you will want to get the hell out of it, either that or strangle the idiot users with the cord from their mouse and beat the keyboard over their head.... (I currently manage a helpdesk and we are short handed so i help out my techs and I have to hold back from telling users that a village some where is missing it's idiot and they should go there).

Mike-Mike

universalfrost wrote: »

, worked as a senior network engineer



(I currently manage a helpdesk and we are short handed so i help out my techs .

how/why did you go from a Senior Network Engineer to managing a helpdesk?

WiseWun

universalfrost wrote: »

I currently manage a helpdesk and we are short handed so i help out my techs and I have to hold back from telling users that a village some where is missing it's idiot and they should go there.

hahhahaha, this just made my day. I have been doing helpdesk/network support back and forth but now I manage the helpdesk team. I sometimes interact with end users and this can get really frustrating but as always, I keep my cool!

universalfrost

Mike-Mike wrote: »

how/why did you go from a Senior Network Engineer to managing a helpdesk?

I worked for DISA as a network engineer ( GS-1550). I now work for the Army and the position I was hired for was a policy and planning position that would dictate the direction that the army would go forward with procurment of distro and access infrastructure and a little on the core side (especially with what 5th sig is doing with the lucent DWDM infrastructure in europe)... long story short is that the position i was hired for (and I moved across the country for) went away before I was even able to show up on the first day (gotta love BRAC) and they could not lay me off due to it being a lateral transfer and my seniority, so they stuck me in the only other GS-1550/2210 position they had available. a very big step backward (I did the helpdesk thing and managed one about 7 years ago). some good did come about as I am next in line for a promotion (once they lift the hiring freeze) due to the degrees, certifications I have and am working on and also due to a high work ethic (that and I know how to suck up to the 4 star general and her aides )...