Two potential jobs, not sure which to go with

ck86

So I'm within a week of finding out if I'm going to get offered a couple of positions. One job is through a recruiter and I'm doing a final phone interview tomorrow and he said to expect to be offered the job over the phone by the client. The other position is through an ex-boss who moved on about 6 months ago and dropped me a line earlier today saying a job opened up under him and had me come by this afternoon for an interview and to meet people. In our conversation after the interview he told me pay numbers and said that it's ultimately his decision who they hire, but he doesn't just want to hire me without formal interview and interview process and said I'd hear from him within a week. All that said, there's a good chance I'll be offered both positions and they both want the position filled ASAP and an answer from me shortly after. So, now I'm stuck debating between the two positions and was hoping I could get a little advice for which you guys think is the better option at this stage in my career.

The first position is through a recruiter for a job listed as 9 months with possible long-term hire with a govt contracting company. It requires my Secret Clearance, which is active for another 6 months, but good until 2015. The pay is 61k/yr for a Windows Sysadmin role stressing mainly on AD and Exchange. I don't have any contacts at the job and have no clue what to expect really. This job is located in TX near family and I will be relocating.

The second position is through my ex-boss as I mentioned above. He's a great boss, super laid back and genuine guy that I worked for about a year before he moved on to this job. The position he is looking to fill pays 50-55k/yr plus overtime(in NJ). The job is basically a tier 2 helpdesk role for a few year old startup that is doing well. As the place is starting up it's pretty understaffed, so when I say tier 2 helpdesk I really mean basically tier 1-3 (whatever comes up). I wouldn't work much with Windows and would learn a lot of Linux. the place is extremely laid back, everyone I met seemed very friendly and all around an ideal work environment to me.

So I'm stuck debating between the two. The first job pays MUCH better (61k in TX is equal 93k in NJ by cost of living) but isn't permanent and going into the unknown and going through a whole move if things didn't work out for whatever reason would be rough. Both positions have pros and cons, I just can't decide which would be a better long-term choice for my career.


Any advice?

Just to add: I do have much more Windows experience, but do not have a preference to which OS I'd like to learn/specialize in long term. Linux admins seem to be higher in demand a pay more from what I've seen job hunting and I'm interested in at least spending some time learning it to at least be a well rounded sysadmin that can do both.

paul78

Personally, I would go with the position with your ex-boss. I have always tried hard tomaintain relationshipships like that and it served me well. The other big draw if it was me is the startup. I have worked several startups and it been great for my career.

matt333

I'm probably the wrong person to give advise, but if i was in your situation I would take the tier 2 helpdesk for the simple fact that you will learn a lot of Linux. In the long run... Linux Admin > Windows Admin. salary and overall knowledge(generally or at least the ones ive meet). like you said long-term. If you havnt got tried of windows go with the windows admin job, if you've tasted the fruit and want something more "interesting" take the helpdesk and learn linux. never hurts to like something new, windows will always be there:)

ck86

Just to add.. I feel a bit under-qualified for the Windows Admin position. I've been honest with my experience on everything, so I'm thinking they're a bit desperate just for someone with an active clearance and close enough experience. I took an Exchange exam for them, took educated guesses at most of it, and passed with a score the recruiter told me is good enough for the position.

I've only worked in IT about a year outside of my five years in the military with an IT related MOS. I currently have no certs and no degree and clearly these are both pretty good opportunities for me.

ptilsen

That's tough. The money difference is hard to say no to, even with relocating, but I think the NJ position seems like a better fit for you. It's easier and cheaper to quit and find a better job in two years if the pay doesn't improve than it is to relocate again if you don't like Texas or that position doesn't work out well.

spicy ahi

That is a tough one. Is it just you, or do you have family to consider as well? If you're moving a family I'd probably say consult with them and work it out as a family. If you're single, it should be a little easier. As for which opportunity to choose, I'd have to look at all the options. I've never worked for a startup, but have worked with folks who have and most of them told me that the pay usually isn't as good as you'd find for an established company (relative to the hours worked; seems you may put in a lot of hours at a startup) though they typically make up the difference by offering training opportunities, certification classes, and of course hands on experience! I can talk a little about the contractor side and would caution you to find out about the contract length. It may be temporary because the contract is in recompete and has not been "won" by the incumbent. Barring that, I can definitely see the draw of Texas (60k with no certs? Wish that job was around when I started in IT 10 years ago!)

Honestly, I think it boils down to whether you're happy where you are or not. Is Jersey the place for you? If so, go for it. If not, maybe a change of scenery is in order. Sure, it may be a bit risky but if you take the time to certify while you're there, you shouldn't have a problem getting a follow on job. And of course, you could always use your 9/11 GI Bill (if you haven't exhausted it yet) to help pay the bills while you go to school. That's my backup plan should I ever find myself unemployed.

jibbajabba

I made once the decision environment over money. I also had two offers, once financial company, a lot of money, big corporate or working for someone I know for 10+ years and who is (kinda) a good mate of mine.

I went for the latter. In fact, when I started this job, I even had to move countries and had a paycut (From Gibraltar to the UK) but I am not looking back. It was such a nice environment, very enjoyable .. at the end I stayed with this company for 4+ years and only left because "buddy" sold the company and they eventually closed the office.

I would also choose environment over money any day ...

ck86

Alright so it's looking like the linux tier 2 help desk role is the way to go. I was offered the job with 90 days to prove myself (have almost no linux experience) and starting at 50k. Going to give it another ~24 hours before I accept and put in my two weeks.

pcgizzmo

Tough choice. I don't know your marital status, monetary needs, stability needs etc.. but if I were a single guy which I'm not but if I were I think I would try for the contract job. Your security status should make you worth quite a bit more money because these are hard to come by and expensive to get if you don't have one. That being said, possibly this job would work into a long time position where you could continue to use that security clearance and have it updated in the future plus it pays more.

If your married, need the stability than take the known qty in your old boss hiring you.

Just my humble opinion.

Valsacar

That is a good one... overall I think I'd do the linux job to gain that experience. Neither seem great for long term (start-ups do tend to die, on average). It also has a huge advantage of being with someone that you worked with before, and from what you've said enjoyed working for them.

Since you mentioned the 6 months left on your clearance, you obviously understand how that works (most that have a clearance do not, they think they're always good until the 10 year mark). That is a factor I would consider as well, once that goes inactive it'll be hard to get back into that side of things (easier than expired, but still not ideal). You are probably right in that they put more value on the clearance over experience, it's cheaper to train someone than to get them a clearance.

My advice, take the Linux job and spend the next few weeks playing with whatever distro they are using. There's plenty of good CBTs out there to do a little crash course on. Look at getting the LPIC-1 (and then 2) while you're there, if you can get at least level 1 (do the CompTIA Linux+, it gives both Linux+ and LPIC-1) in those 90 days it should help both in doing the work (knowledge gained in the study) and in surviving past that 90 days.

grettlerj

I guess you need to ask yourself, which state would you rather live in? I would take the position in TX. Better pay without OT, Keeps your Clearance active, and no State Income Taxes. There are plenty of IT jobs in TX if it doesn't work out with that position. I grew up in NY and now live outside San Antonio. I will always keep a home in TX even if I move to another state.

ck86

Thanks for the continued feedback. I have decided to put in my two weeks notice either Thursday or Friday this week and have my mind made up. I am being offered both positions and still debating. Regarding me personally, I am single and basically have nothing tying me down. In NJ I have more work contacts, but most all of my family is located in TX (this job is in San Antonio, family is there, Houston, and Waco). Kind of always have felt like I am going to end up in Round Rock/Austin eventually. I've moved around my entire life nearly every two years (Air Force brat to active duty Army) so I'm used to it. My apartment lease is also up in 2 weeks, so it's pretty much perfect timing for relocating if that's the choice I make. Just feeling like I am making quite a leap into the role in TX and that I need more time to develop in a good learning environment. That's where the other job becomes appealing and will show me early in my career if I want to change direction to Linux over Windows.

Choices, choices.

spicy ahi

Sounds like you've got a good thing either way. With the additional info. I can give you the what I would do scenario. I love my family and the time I spent away from them was tough. So the first chance I had to be closer to them I took. So if my family were in SA, I'd go in a heartbeat. The bonus is that you'll refresh your clearance so it'll still be active for a time and with Lackland, Randolph, and Ft. Sam all in the area I'm sure it won't be tough to find a position should the one you'd be going into not work out. I've seen a lot of positions opening up there as well, especially around the hospital and intel fields. There may be potential to upgrade your clearance via the latter. And before my family (who used to live in SA) moved away, my plan was to work and save and if I got cut for whatever reason, I was going to go to UTSA and work on my EE degree while collecting on my 9/11. This was a few years ago so I'm not sure what the BAH rate is anymore so it might not be plausible anymore. Then again, if you can live with family for as long as you can and save as much as you can, it might work out anyway. You've got a tough choice man, and good luck on whichever you make. Just wanted to throw in my two cents to make your decision harder.

BradleyHU

me personally, i dont do contract-to-perm...i dont trust it. i'd go with the perm f/t employee job and not even worry about it. And you'll be learning linux too, thats always a plus...