frustrated and confused, and lost about what to do next

The Shadow

I hope that this post doesn’t sound like a rant, but I am frustrated and confused, and I honestly don’t know what to do next.

I am almost 32, and my personal goal is to be making about $85,000 to $100,000 a year by the time I am 40; and sadly it seems to be going nowhere. I have good certs and experience, but I all get are these lowball offers for help desk jobs that don’t even require any cets. I am not at the senior level simple because I haven’t had the opportunity to be exposed to things like SCCM and storage area networks. I can do the work; I just need someone to give me a chance. I know that the economy sucks right now, but I can’t just sit around hoping that things will get better.

I am currently just doing contract work, and I’ve asked to take on extra responsibilities. However, the systems administrator/engineer won’t teach anyone anything because he needs to project his job.

I want to become a full time Exchange admin/engineer/architecture, but sadly there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of full time Exchange jobs that pay that money that I want to make. That’s why I was thinking about shaking things up and doing Cisco instead. According to indeed.com there’s a about 10x more job postings for Cisco at that pay range then Exchange.

If it means doing Cisco over Exchange to make the money that I want to make, then I am all for it. I know that Cisco isn't a guaranteed job by any means, but if it's a lot closer to a guarantee (even if it's just doing hourly contract work), then so be it.

Or even if I get my CCNP and get a job doing a little Cisco and systems admin that pays $65,000 to $75,000 then I am okay with that just to get the ball rolling. I just want to move forward.

higherho

I would move out of LA. Sounds like the competition is crazy over their. You should be able to get a perm job if you look elsewhere.

Iristheangel

I'm not sure if others will agree with me but my feelings on it is that "Exchange admin/engineer/architecture" might be a little too specialized. A lot of jobs these days will want you to wear many hats in order to pay you the big bucks. If you focused too much on Exchange while certifying and looking for jobs, that might be your problem right there. These days, depending on the size of the company, an employer might want someone who is proficient in AD, Exchange, Virtualization, and networking. I would recommend not limiting yourself to "just Exchange" or "Just networking."

The Shadow

I have, I looked in Orange County, Riverside, San Diego, and the central coast.

Oddly enough, the jobs that I've interviewed for LA have paid about $10k more than any other places.

Plantwiz

http://www.techexams.net/forums/jobs-degrees/72580-so-many-youngers-do-well-i-t.html#post587800

The economy doesn't suck. People have forgotten how to work, charge for work and earn their worth. You can reasonable have a goal to earn $100K if that is all you wish to earn ...simply map out the plan for YOU and follow it. If you need more education, then what will it take for you to get more education? Time? Money? Set aside the time and money to complete that task. Will you need to network with people? Probably? So, how do you currently sell yourself? And how does someone you you find to be successful do it? What is different between you and those others? What changes do you need to make, if any to get there?

If you're 32 today and your goal is to have $100K income in 8 years, you have a LOT of time to make this happen or squander it. Set up a 1 year, 3 year, 5 year and end goal. I'll bet you get there faster than you are planning!

The Shadow

Iristheangel wrote: »

I'm not sure if others will agree with me but my feelings on it is that "Exchange admin/engineer/architecture" might be a little too specialized. A lot of jobs these days will want you to wear many hats in order to pay you the big bucks. If you focused too much on Exchange while certifying and looking for jobs, that might be your problem right there. These days, depending on the size of the company, an employer might want someone who is proficient in AD, Exchange, Virtualization, and networking. I would recommend not limiting yourself to "just Exchange" or "Just networking."

As long as I am not doing help desk, and making the money that I want to make then I am okay with doing AD, Exchange, Virtualization, and networking

Iristheangel

The Shadow wrote: »

I have, I looked in Orange County, Riverside, San Diego, and the central coast.

Oddly enough, the jobs that I've interviewed for LA have paid about $10k more than any other places.

Los Angeles is probably one of the easiest places to get an It job in California. The SF Bay Area has a lot of IT jobs too but that's a different situation altogether. There's a more competition up there.
Have you tried temp agencies? If you're looking for the best shot of someone "giving you a chance," that's the way to go. Robert Half, Insight Global. Technisource, etc are GREAT places to look for temp-to-perm jobs. You just have to show up, pass the technical interview, and do well once you get the chance at a job.

MrBishop

Exchange jobs are usually rolled up into a Network Administrator role and you'll see very few jobs just requesting an exchange administrator. I would definitely say go the Cisco route if you have interest in doing networking because you want to enjoy the job along with getting paid more money. I don't think it will take 10 years to break 85K if you don't take low ball offers with Cisco. I will rather refuse an offer if it going to back slide my previous salary. If you notice, when applying to new jobs, one of the first things you'll see on a application form is what was your last salary! <---Non of your damn business! They love to offer you the same salary or maybe just slightly above your old one. Offer me what you think I'm worth and for the job you want me to perform. Do your homework and research other salaries in the same area for the same job.

Just yesterday I was offered a position that was $8 off the going rate and it was rejected! Sorry, I don't have time to sign on with a company like that and I was ultimately offered more with another contractor.

The Shadow

Iristheangel wrote: »

Los Angeles is probably one of the easiest places to get an It job in California. The SF Bay Area has a lot of IT jobs too but that's a different situation altogether. There's a more competition up there.
Have you tried temp agencies? If you're looking for the best shot of someone "giving you a chance," that's the way to go. Robert Half, Insight Global. Technisource, etc are GREAT places to look for temp-to-perm jobs. You just have to show up, pass the technical interview, and do well once you get the chance at a job.

I've meet with all of those places, including kforce, AppleOne, and Irvine technology,

I am actually with one of the mentoned places, but it's j ust a contract job doing help desk. I may turn in to contract to hire, but it's still unknown.

Iristheangel wrote: »

I'm not sure if others will agree with me but my feelings on it is that "Exchange admin/engineer/architecture" might be a little too specialized. A lot of jobs these days will want you to wear many hats in order to pay you the big bucks. If you focused too much on Exchange while certifying and looking for jobs, that might be your problem right there. These days, depending on the size of the company, an employer might want someone who is proficient in AD, Exchange, Virtualization, and networking. I would recommend not limiting yourself to "just Exchange" or "Just networking."

The recruiter who got me my current contact job, told me that he placed a guy doing full time exchange work for a LARGE company (i don't want to say the name) making $110k a year managing 20k exchange accounts. Now that's some serious money. I know that's just one job, but I would sure love to be working there doing full time exchange work.

Plantwiz wrote: »

http://www.techexams.net/forums/jobs-degrees/72580-so-many-youngers-do-well-i-t.html#post587800

The economy doesn't suck. People have forgotten how to work, charge for work and earn their worth. You can reasonable have a goal to earn $100K if that is all you wish to earn ...simply map out the plan for YOU and follow it. If you need more education, then what will it take for you to get more education? Time? Money? Set aside the time and money to complete that task. Will you need to network with people? Probably? So, how do you currently sell yourself? And how does someone you you find to be successful do it? What is different between you and those others? What changes do you need to make, if any to get there?

If your 32 today and your goal is to have $100K income in 8 years, you have a LOT of time to make this happen or squander it. Set up a 1 year, 3 year, 5 year and end goal. I'll bet you get there faster than you are planning!

Thanks Plantwiz for the encouragement.

I was thinking about getting my CCNA this year, then taking a 12 day boot camp for CCNP. then studying CCDA and CCDP on my own.

NetworkVeteran

The Shadow wrote: »

I hope that this post doesn’t sound like a rant, but I am frustrated and confused, and I honestly don’t know what to do next... all get are these lowball offers for help desk jobs that don’t even require any cets. I am not at the senior level simple because I haven’t had the opportunity to be exposed to things like SCCM and storage area networks... If it means doing Cisco over Exchange to make the money that I want to make, then I am all for it.. Or even if I get my CCNP and get a job doing a little Cisco and systems admin that pays $65,000 to $75,000 then I am okay with that just to get the ball rolling.

Hey mate, sorry to burst your bubble, but I know people with CCNPs and a decade of experience being offered $70,000-ish. I won't call that a low-ball, because if that's your best offer, then that's what your skillset is worth. You are nowhere near the ceiling for a sysadmin. I'd suggest your fastest route to moving up is to get over excuses like "He won't show me anything" or "They won't give me a chance" and find ways to get the skills you need. I'm fairly self-reliant when it comes to getting my needs satisfied, and as I understand it, that's one of the qualities they like in senior-level engineers. If he's really the gatekeeper to what you need, do whatever you need to to strike a deal. Remember, it's worth ten grand a year or more, there's alot you should be willing to do in order to get that xp!

MrBishop

One last thing I have to say is get your resume out that and keep it up-to-date! Apply for positions even if you're not going to accept the position. Getting you resume in the hand of contractor has it benefits because they will usually mass email everyone on there list that fits the job description. I receive a nice email for a Network engineer position in California but I don't live out on that coast and it needed some years of experience. The jobs are everywhere and getting yourself out there to be seen is the key to finding opportunities.

The Shadow

NetworkVeteran wrote: »

Hey mate, sorry to burst your bubble, but I know people with CCNPs and a decade of experience being offered $70,000-ish. I won't call that a low-ball, because if that's your best offer, then that's what your skillset is worth. You are nowhere near the ceiling for a sysadmin. I'd suggest your fastest route to moving up is to get over excuses like "He won't show me anything" or "They won't give me a chance" and find ways to get the skills you need. I'm fairly self-reliant when it comes to getting my needs satisfied, and as I understand it, that's one of the qualities they like in senior-level engineers. If he's really the gatekeeper to what you need, do whatever you need to to strike a deal. Remember, it's worth ten grand a year or more, there's alot you should be willing to do in order to get that xp!

I never called $70k-ish low ball. I simply called the jobs I've taken interviews for low ball. But those jobs weren't in LA. I once had a 2 hour long interview for job in LA. They asked how much I wanted to make, and I made them an offer, and say said we can do that. Sadly, I never heard anything back. I called them, emailed them, sent thank you cards (over the course of a few weeks), and sadly I never heard anything back. It was the best interview I've had, not to mention the longest.

Akaricloud

It's nice to see that you have a goal that seems fairly obtainable.

What experience do you have and what contract position are you currently working? -It almost looks like to me you're forgetting about the intermediate level between helpdesk type work and an experienced systems or exchange administrator. A good jr. or entry systems administrator position will give you the chance to learn everything you need to get to the senior level.

I'm kind of in the same boat it sounds like. I'm 22, looking to make 85-100k by the time I'm 30 and just recently made the move from helpdesk/desktop support to systems administration. Having the chance to gain experience with VMware, SANs, exchange administration, ect will definitely allow me to move into a more senior position after putting in my time here.

It's great to have an end goal in mind but don't forget about all the steps along the way!

The Shadow

Plantwiz wrote: »

http://www.techexams.net/forums/jobs-degrees/72580-so-many-youngers-do-well-i-t.html#post587800

The economy doesn't suck. People have forgotten how to work, charge for work and earn their worth. You can reasonable have a goal to earn $100K if that is all you wish to earn ...simply map out the plan for YOU and follow it. If you need more education, then what will it take for you to get more education? Time? Money? Set aside the time and money to complete that task. Will you need to network with people? Probably? So, how do you currently sell yourself? And how does someone you you find to be successful do it? What is different between you and those others? What changes do you need to make, if any to get there?

If you're 32 today and your goal is to have $100K income in 8 years, you have a LOT of time to make this happen or squander it. Set up a 1 year, 3 year, 5 year and end goal. I'll bet you get there faster than you are planning!

Akaricloud wrote: »

It's nice to see that you have a goal that seems fairly obtainable.

What experience do you have and what contract position are you currently working? -It almost looks like to me you're forgetting about the intermediate level between helpdesk type work and an experienced systems or exchange administrator. A good jr. or entry systems administrator position will give you the chance to learn everything you need to get to the senior level.

I'm kind of in the same boat it sounds like. I'm 22, looking to make 85-100k by the time I'm 30 and just recently made the move from helpdesk/desktop support to systems administration. Having the chance to gain experience with VMware, SANs, exchange administration, ect will definitely allow me to move into a more senior position after putting in my time here.

It's great to have an end goal in mind but don't forget about all the steps along the way!

I know I need a plan (and your help) on how to get me to my goal of making $100k a year within the next 8 years. I do need to map out a plan of where I want to be in 1 year, 3, years, and 5 years.

In a perfect world, I would like to be a full time Exchange administrator/engineer/architect, but I understand that it's not perfect world.

Should I just continue going down the systems administrator/systems engineer path being a generalist doing servers, exchanges, VMs, and SANs?

As longs as I am NOT doing help desk (nor doing DBA works, databases just don't interest me) and I am making the money that I want to make, then I really don't necessarily care what type of IT job I am dong.

I was thinking about getting my CCNA just to make myself more marketable. But I've never gotten turned down for job (far as I am aware) because I didn't have my CCNA.

I have 7 years experience doing systems administration and I am having a hard enough time getting a decent paying job. Going down the network path is going to be even harder to get a job. Especially since I have ZERO experience with Cisco.

I was thinking about once I get a decent paying job doing systems administration, then I can ask to take on network responsibilities.

Akaricloud

You can make that kind of money in almost any area of IT and I really wouldn't suggest starting over with networking unless the move is to get into something that you enjoy better. Doing that could quite easily set you back in reaching your goal.

If you have 7 years of systems administration experience and still haven't gained exposure to SCCM, SANs, ect. then you might want to consider a laterial move to a different company that allows you to gain the experience necessary to advance yourself. Until you move into either a more senior, or more specialized position you're not likely to get the salary you want but it doesn't sound like your level of experience would allow for this yet.

My plan is simple: learning and advancement. As long as you don't let yourself grow stagnant in a position then you'll always be moving forward.

The Shadow

Akaricloud wrote: »

You can make that kind of money in almost any area of IT and I really wouldn't suggest starting over with networking unless the move is to get into something that you enjoy better. Doing that could quite easily set you back in reaching your goal.

If you have 7 years of systems administration experience and still haven't gained exposure to SCCM, SANs, ect. then you might want to consider a laterial move to a different company that allows you to gain the experience necessary to advance yourself. Until you move into either a more senior, or more specialized position you're not likely to get the salary you want but it doesn't sound like your level of experience would allow for this yet.

My plan is simple: learning and advancement. As long as you don't let yourself grow stagnant in a position then you'll always be moving forward.

Thanks Akaricloud!

I think that's what I am going to do. Make a laterial move with a different company so that I can gain exposure to SCCM, SANs, and VMware (I've only used Hyper-V).

I was thinking about contacting the recruiter who got me my current job, and seeing if I could tag a long with an Exchange guru doing contract work. Just to gain some more Exchange exposure.