Trying to convince myself that a raise is a good thing regardless.

swild

Here's my situation. I just got a 25% raise. Awesome, amirite? Well...

There are currently 2 people in my IT department, me with the job of PC Technician and the IT Manager. Our company is "restructuring" and laid us both off. I was making 36k and the IT manager was making 65k (53k before bonus). The new position is IT Support Specialist, a job that averages 43k according to industry reports, and will have all the duties of both old positions until new processes get in place, which should take about 6 to 9 months. Then that position should have less responsibility than just my position had before the change.

We were originally told that the position was to be IT Coordinator, a title that averages in the high 50s to the low 60s. I think it is quite irritating that they chose a different title just to pay the person less.

The manager decided to not move on since he had been the manager for 4 years and was ready to move up. So I didn't have any competition for the job. I was offered 42k and talked them up to 45k. I have only been with the company for 6 months but since then I got my CISSP. Unfortunately, I am not being hired by someone in IT so they have no idea what a CISSP is and even when I explained it, they don't understand.

I took the job because the benefits are pretty nice compared to most places around here and I would seriously have to fuc& up to get fired, since I am the only IT person in the building. I want to finish my degree through WGU and they will pay $5250 a year towards it, but I have to stay with the company for 12 months after the reimbursement check is dated or pay it back. Medical insurance for me and my wife is only $40 a month.

I want to be happy with my raise, but I just feel jaded. I can do the job in my sleep and it is a jack-of-all-trades job so I do get challenged from time to time.

I don't know what I am asking for by posting this. I guess I just have not been able to think of the right phrase to justify to myself staying at this job when it doesn't offer any professional growth. I am happy to have a job in the IT field but I feel like I am capable of so much more.

Thoughts?

pham0329

What exactly were your duties before? With a title of PC Technician, I'm guessing it was a lot of desktop support?

These "industry report" are often inflated. In my experience, an "IT Specialist" is just another name for help desk or something similar to that role, and 43k for that is very generous. Also, just because an "IT Coordinator" makes 60k according to the reports, it doesn't mean you should expect the same thing. It all depends on your experience, what you'll be doing, and the size of the company. The title of the job doesn't really mean anything...it's what you'll be doing that matters. Companies like to throw big titles around just to please an employee

swild

Technically my duties before were just desktop support. Over the last 2 months, I have taken over the duties of the IT manager so I could learn how to do everything. Now I do everything from desktop support through project management. I really hate the bs HR salary haggling process and could have probably gotten them to 47k but it was a Friday and I wanted to not have to dwell on whether or not I will be employed on Monday. The duties are the same as if I were the manager. The most ambiguous duty is "Value Add" or "whatever we feel like you should be doing for us right now". In 6 months or so, the job should be far below my skills. On the bright side, that should leave me with lots of time to study.

powerfool

I think you are doing relatively well, based on your previous position and your geographic location. Considering that you don't have a degree yet (I am assuming), and what little I know about income in Arkansas, that seems like a strong income. They are going to pay for you to finish your degree, as well. How long do you think it will take for you to complete it? I would think that you could finish it in 2-3 years.... so, if you don't want to pay some of it back, you work there 3-4 years. Does that sound like the end of the world to you? I think that hanging onto a job for that long would be a great opportunity for you. I was in a similar position when I started my undergrad and I really grew a lot.

Here would be my strategy:
1) Keep this job and get everything that you can from it: maybe you can keep an eye on leadership and move into a IT manager kind of position with the company when they decide to grow, again. They are paying a better wage than before... and they are paying for your education. Plus, $40/month for health insurance is pretty sweet. Plus, look for other opportunities to improve yourself... perhaps they can send you to training that you won't have to cover on your own.

2) Map out your undergrad studies and have a good plan: in order to keep your options open, you are going to want to complete this degree sooner rather than later. I would advise against completing it faster than two years, as it will probably not look good to future potential employers. Also, while you are in school... get the maximum subsidized loans that you can, even though your employer is paying, and stick it in a savings account and don't touch it; avoid all subsidized loans like the plague. This does a few things for you: 1) at minimum, it lets you earn a little interest and then you can immediately pay back your loans six months after graduation, 2) you have some credit history, if you don't already, and 3) it gives you an easy out if you find an opportunity that you cannot pass upon, as you could pay them back.

3) Start thinking about grad school: the BS is the new high school diploma... if you want to further yourself beyond this you will need to figure out what your options are for grad school based on a WGU undergrad (I am not sure what they are). I would advise against going to WGU for your graduate degree if at all possible... it is generally advised that you try to have some school diversity, anyhow.

4) Think of your ideal job in 5 years, 10 years, and beyond: Learn what preparation people have done to get themselves into similar positions and start posturing for it. If you want to be a CEO, you are going to likely have to start radically changing your life now... if you just want to keep earning a paycheck, then no big deal.... otherwise, it is somewhere in between.

This position is not going to be one you will want to keep after your obligation is met unless you just want to keep earning a paycheck. Either your role will need to change or you will need to take a good logical step towards your long-term goal. This may mean moving to a similar role in a larger company, or it may mean moving towards a different type of role. If larger is the answer, I would look to an employer with no fewer than 3k employees. Wal-mart HQ isn't too far away... they are always looking for talent.

swild

1) No chance of job growth unless I relocate to Phoenix or Chicago.

2) Because of previous college credit and IT certs, I should be able to finish my BS at WGU in one term.

3) Already thinking about grad degrees. I will probably get WGU's MS:ISA just because it falls in line with the certs I want to get. Then I will probably look at other schools, possibly brick-and-mortar and not online.

4) I have no idea where I will be in 5 years. I have tried to plan that far out and never seem to be able to hold on to anything. IT Security is the best I can say. Just working up as I can.

This did help. I think I am quite a bit better off than I was a year ago. Only getting more experience as we go along.

Thanks.