Field Service Tech- Will it go anywhere?

I definitely need to get my foot in the door somewhere in the IT industry, and one of the companies I am talking to is for a Field Service Tech.

Has anyone any experience translating Field tech work into more of a career? Or have any advice on how to do so?

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Comments

Mind_Sculptor

Are all you going to do is repair computers? Replace hard drives, mother boards, etc. That is pretty dead end. Having to drive 1hour to each location to do so sucks too... I highly won't recommend it. Nothing to learn... grunt work =(

Whiteout

Hey I live in the Seattle area, where are you thinking about working? Also how do you like WGU? I am thinking about it for my masters...

the_Grinch

Depends on what the job entails. Our field techs (we call them senior engineers) do basically everything under the sun. One day it might be a computer wipe and reload, the next a complete server install. I'd find out what type of tickets they work on and go from there. Expect to be on the road and putting miles on your vehicle, that's a given and might not be enjoyable....

Psoasman

The job will give you some experience. Depending on the company, FST's do a wide variety of tasks. I worked for Telecom company in the Seattle area and their FST's did a wide variety of work ranging from troubleshooting phone lines, router and switch installations, and helping customers set up their networks. All valuable skills, plus you get the benefit of working with people and developing your people skills.

filkenjitsu

I would never baulk at your first opportunity at IT experience. You can always try it out for 90 days and turn in your notice if it is not to your liking. Also, if you use your vehicle for work there are tax benefits that can be assumed.

Jourdsh

Whiteout wrote: »

Hey I live in the Seattle area, where are you thinking about working? Also how do you like WGU? I am thinking about it for my masters...

WGU is pretty good, I definitely like the speed that I am able to get things done, compared to UW's master program you will save at least $40,000.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I am hoping something else pans out, but if this is the job that ends up giving me an offer, it at least sounds like it will be a learning experience.

Ryan82

Field tech work varies. Ours usually just go to the site and mount gear in a rack, swap out routing engines, and build and install cables. Basically they get the gear to the point where we can actually configure it remotely. Might not be a bad first gig to get some experience on the hardware side of the things but I wouldn't spend too long doing it.

Devilry

If you don't have any experience, anything is good. Take whatever you can get and move onto something else asap.

ddojew

I had a phone interview yesterday for a Field Service Technician position. After reading the details and horrible guideline I had to decline the offer due to fact it would interfere with my night classes. Also the job required for the technician drive at least 1000 miles or more week. Since I have an old vehicle I can't risk it from being blown up within the first week of starting the job. (If I accepted the position.)

Devilry

ddojew wrote: »

I had a phone interview yesterday for a Field Service Technician position. After reading the details and horrible guideline I had to decline the offer due to fact it would interfere with my night classes. Also the job required for the technician drive at least 1000 miles or more week. Since I have an old vehicle I can't risk it from being blown up within the first week of starting the job. (If I accepted the position.)

Seems like at that rate of driving, it would be cheaper for them to provide a company car.