Job 1 or job 2?

CaliforniaKid

Hey guys, long time reader, first time poster. I'm in a bit of a pickle:

Job 1 (current): I started at a company which produces its own IDS/IPS technology about 6 months ago as a L1 security monitoring analyst (don't want to say where in Cali or the name of the company, because I'm not sure if anyone from work reads here). This job is my first IT job, and I do have a B.S. from a brick and mortar university, but that degree is NOT in anything IT/CS related. I have a few certs (CCNA and Security+ being the big ones right now), and I'm working on more. This job is OK, but I'm definitely not in love with it.

Job 2 (possible): A few weeks ago, I was approached by a friend who works for a firewall manufacturer in the area about some job openings where he works. This company has a product that I can get behind (really cool technology), and it sounds like I will be making significantly more money than where I am at now. The job title would be Technical Support Engineer, and I would essentially be working for this firewall company's TAC.

A few related facts:

1. Job 1 and Job 2 are basically the same amount of drive time/distance as I'm driving now, so commute is irrelevant.

2. Job 1 has been grooming me to be a L2 monitoring analyst, so that would be a pay raise, but it might STILL be less than what I would be making at Job 2. Also, it is not necessarily a promotion that I would want, as it sounds like a lot more hassle (more management/training duties than I would like).

3. I believe in job 2's product much more than I believe in my current job's product. Job 2's product is much more polished, which is a factor in my decision because these are both privately held companies looking to be bought by a big fish.

4. Job 1 has the better schedule (rotating 4-on, 3-off) whereas job 2 is more traditional (5-on, 2-off). However, job 2 sounds like it has some perks that job 1 doesn't, like 401k matching, vacation time (job 1 I don't get vacation), etc.

5. I believe job 2 is more in-line with what I want to be doing, as it is more networking and less security. Job 1 is almost all security; I don't really get to use a lot of my networking knowledge on a daily basis.

6. I know that staying at my first job 6 months is probably not the best way to start out with my career, but this job kind of makes me miserable, and my goal would be to stay at job 2 for a few years at least.

So I guess my question is, what would you do? I'm going to interview for job 2 no matter what, because I feel like if I don't I will regret it. I'm not even positive I can get job 2 to hire me with only 6 months of experience, but my friend seems confident that I'm the type of person they usually target (self-taught/self-motivated). I'm really not all about money, but I do have a wife to provide for, and getting more money at this point in our lives would help us greatly to get to where we want to be (not to mention, she's in college still, so me making more money will take some pressure off of her). I appreciate all the advice in advance.

ptilsen

CaliforniaKid wrote: »

2. Job 1 has been grooming me to be a L2 monitoring analyst, so that would be a pay raise, but it might STILL be less than what I would be making at Job 2. Also, it is not necessarily a promotion that I would want, as it sounds like a lot more hassle (more management/training duties than I would like).

3. I believe in job 2's product much more than I believe in my current job's product. Job 2's product is much more polished, which is a factor in my decision because these are both privately held companies looking to be bought by a big fish.

4. Job 1 has the better schedule (rotating 4-on, 3-off) whereas job 2 is more traditional (5-on, 2-off). However, job 2 sounds like it has some perks that job 1 doesn't, like 401k matching, vacation time (job 1 I don't get vacation), etc.

5. I believe job 2 is more in-line with what I want to be doing, as it is more networking and less security. Job 1 is almost all security; I don't really get to use a lot of my networking knowledge on a daily basis.

These are big selling points for job two, in my opinion. Six months is really bad, but if you stay with job two for years, it won't matter. It won't matter for internal promotions and raises within job 2, and it won't matter if you try to move one 3-5 years from now.

In my opinion, the only qualm someone should really have over switching jobs is if they are actually pretty happy at their current job. It doesn't sound like you are, so the choice seems obvious to me.

vinbuck

Sounds like you already know where you want to go, now you just have to go through the interview process and see if the grass is really as green as they are making it out to be. Best advice I can give is to ask to see things in writing during the interview process. If you start seeing a pattern of things that are promised in an interview but there isn't anything substantial in writing to back them up then be careful - not saying you shouldn't take the job, but you're taking a bigger risk because they can easily back out of verbal promises made during an interview or worse, string you along until you become disillusioned. Either way, it behooves you to figure it out on the front end. An interview is just as much about you inteviewing the company you want to work for as it is them interviewing you.

shaqazoolu

Job 2 is the obvious choice.

CaliforniaKid

I appreciate all the replies guys. I'm working on my resume as we speak, so hopefully this all works out.

YuckTheFankees

Just from reading all the points you made, it sounds like you already made the decision. Job 2, good luck and let us know how it all works out.

CaliforniaKid

I definitely will, I really hope that I get the job.

Ryan82

I agree with what Yuck said, it sounds like your mind is already made up.

You only live once man, pursue your interests. If it ever happens to come up about your short tenure with your current company then you can just say you outgrew the position or something similar.

CaliforniaKid

Yeah, my only issue with this position is that I've never worked in a TAC before, and I have relatively severe phone anxiety. My voice starts to tremble if I have to make a call, I sound out of breath, etc., not to mention that I tend to dread knowing that I will have to make a call at some point during my shift. My job right now is very limited on the phone, and this new job will be quite a bit of phone contact I believe. Any one else have this issue, or have advice on the situation? I've considered seeing a therapist/psychiatrist and getting therapy and/or medication for my phone anxiety.

ptilsen

CaliforniaKid wrote: »

Yeah, my only issue with this position is that I've never worked in a TAC before, and I have relatively severe phone anxiety. My voice starts to tremble if I have to make a call, I sound out of breath, etc., not to mention that I tend to dread knowing that I will have to make a call at some point during my shift. My job right now is very limited on the phone, and this new job will be quite a bit of phone contact I believe. Any one else have this issue, or have advice on the situation? I've considered seeing a therapist/psychiatrist and getting therapy and/or medication for my phone anxiety.

That's a serious issue, and probably not an uncommon one in our industry. This is not a factor to take likely. If you can "fix" it with therapy, that's fine, but it might just be a part of who you are. The most important part of a job is that you are happy and secure there. If phone calls to or from end users are a part of your day-to-day and you cannot do well on them, you will neither be happy nor secure.

hackman2007

CaliforniaKid wrote: »

Yeah, my only issue with this position is that I've never worked in a TAC before, and I have relatively severe phone anxiety. My voice starts to tremble if I have to make a call, I sound out of breath, etc., not to mention that I tend to dread knowing that I will have to make a call at some point during my shift. My job right now is very limited on the phone, and this new job will be quite a bit of phone contact I believe. Any one else have this issue, or have advice on the situation? I've considered seeing a therapist/psychiatrist and getting therapy and/or medication for my phone anxiety.

I have a similar problem. I get really nervous when I have to talk on the phone, but just take one day at a time.

For me, it helps thinking about every potential thing I could encounter. Don't try to overwhelm yourself with information, but have some sort of idea of what you will tell the person. You will eventually develop a "script" of what to say, how to get off the phone, and how to make customers feel like they matter. I don't mean to downplay the situation, but you will get through it. They won't just throw you on the phones without some training.

And one thing you need to keep in mind...People are calling YOU for help. Don't worry so much about what the person is thinking. They just want you to help them as quickly as possible. Sometimes it is OK to say "I don't know, but I will find someone that does. Do you mind if I put you on hold?", then take a deep breath, turn to someone you respect/know/know's a lot and ask them what they think.

Zartanasaurus

Product you believe in, job you prefer, better pay, vacation, 401K benefits. Not seeing the downside here.

lordy

Here is what you want to hear: Job 2.

After reading your post it's clear that you have already made up your mind. You are not looking for opinions you are looking for reassurance. Nothing wrong with that of course

malcybood

Zartanasaurus wrote: »

Product you believe in, job you prefer, better pay, vacation, 401K benefits. Not seeing the downside here.

Agree with this ^

If your current employer want to keep you, they will offer you more money - make sure you don't make it seem like it's all about money though. It's about career development and opportunity also......"where can I go in this company?"

I don't always think money is the big thing when you're learning the game either. It's about steady development to ensure you know what you're doing when you're higher up the chain. My timeline was as below:

- 1st line IT Support - 8 months part time whilst studying
- 1st Line IT support - 18 months (different company after graduating)
- Field Engineer (desktop, networks, servers) - 3 years (Sat CCNA during this time)
- Network Administrator (Enterprise) - 2 Years
- Network Project Engineer / Designer with global outsourcer - 2 Years
- Network Consultant / Architect - 1 Year to date

I have found that having a solid background has benefitted me when sitting in front of customers in a consultancy role and having to think outside the box around complex design issues, where as if I had jumped around without having the same experience it may not be the case.

My advice = Go with your gut instinct and the more confidence in your ability and experience you build up will resolve the nerves on the phone. Don't stress about it, take it in your stride.

Good luck!