Two job offers - Help me decide...

So a little background right now I have a full time job doing mainly desktop support stuff and some server stuff atm. The job is going no where hence me finding a new job.

Job 1:
Contract to hire 6 months but this job has incredible risk/reward potential. Only 2 IT guys to control like 60 servers and all the network gear. The risk is not getting hired on full time (i don't know about contract work I've never done it. how often does that happen?)

Job 2:
Full time position slightly less money but not much. There are a lot of IT people like 12 sys/network admins so learning potential will be down as far as new projects and stuff. It is also at a hospital for what it's worth so you're doing medical software for half your job.

My overall goal is to learn a lot and move ahead quickly which you would think job 1 but it is contract to hire.... any insights?

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Comments

DEC901

The saying goes the greater the risk, the greater the reward. Contract work CAN BE spotty but you'd be calling your own shots. Conversely, is there much healthcare situations where you are? If not, you MAY want to study that option more closely. It does APPEAR safer of the two in every aspect, which is why it APPEARS that you are leaning toward the contract situation.

Iristheangel

Every time I moved ahead in my career, it was taking the riskier but potentially more rewarding choice, but if you have a family to support or large debt, the safer bet might be better for you. I'm not sure where you live but if you're in a good area for IT and it's easier to find new jobs, the riskier bet might not be so bad if it doesn't pay out. It depends on your situation.

RouteThisWay

You failed to mention what jobs these two places are offering. You are doing desktop with some server stuff now- are these both the same thing? Either one a sys admin position?

1) "only" 2 people for 60 servers is not bad at all. It sounds like you would get to touch a lot more tech in this position. I assume being the new guy, you will be doing a lot of help desk. My (soon to be former) boss and I were a duo who managed about 100 servers or so. We hired a contract guy to handle the help desk for us so we could focus on systems. Make sure this isn't the same type of deal. Also, Contract to Hire usually means they fully intend to hire the person on- but, it is easier to cut someone if they aren't working out if they are contractor. Is this a 1099 contract or will you be W2 through a job placement agency?

2) This sounds like a large enterprise environment. You may be hamstrung at first- but the opportunity to "move up" would be greater here. In this position, you really need to make sure you understand the role. Would this be a Help Desk job? A Desktop Support job? An admin job? Your role will be more defined and you wont be able to stray as much- but like I said, you can apply for higher level positions as an internal candidate as well.

I'm with Iris, my progression has always been rewarded with the riskier move. But you need to do what feels right to you.

loxleynew

RouteThisWay wrote: »

You failed to mention what jobs these two places are offering. You are doing desktop with some server stuff now- are these both the same thing? Either one a sys admin position?

1) "only" 2 people for 60 servers is not bad at all. It sounds like you would get to touch a lot more tech in this position. I assume being the new guy, you will be doing a lot of help desk. My (soon to be former) boss and I were a duo who managed about 100 servers or so. We hired a contract guy to handle the help desk for us so we could focus on systems. Make sure this isn't the same type of deal. Also, Contract to Hire usually means they fully intend to hire the person on- but, it is easier to cut someone if they aren't working out if they are contractor. Is this a 1099 contract or will you be W2 through a job placement agency?

2) This sounds like a large enterprise environment. You may be hamstrung at first- but the opportunity to "move up" would be greater here. In this position, you really need to make sure you understand the role. Would this be a Help Desk job? A Desktop Support job? An admin job? Your role will be more defined and you wont be able to stray as much- but like I said, you can apply for higher level positions as an internal candidate as well.

I'm with Iris, my progression has always been rewarded with the riskier move. But you need to do what feels right to you.

Thanks for the feedback.

the first job is a network admin and the second is a system admin. I made sure both jobs I would never really touch a desktop or laptop again unless it's an emergency. These would both be tier 3 work only with some tier 2 sprinkled in.

onesaint

1. I don't think we can answer this for you, but rather pose lots of questions for you to determine what's best.

2. I think you need to heed what Iris said. If you take the con->FTE position and don't go FTE, can you land another position quickly? How marketable are you?

3. If you're looking at it from a strictly pay/advancement perspective, they seem the same with the single difference being healthcare vs. contract. Does the contract work put you in a better industry? Why are you changing jobs? If experience is what you're after, RouteThisWay pointed out some direction. The con work seems better. If you're looking to move up then the hospital may have more potential. So, what do you want / need in your career?

Good luck on whichever you choose.

lantech

The contract to hire may or may not actually be contract to hire. Did you hear that from the agency or did the person that you interviewed with say it was contract to hire. Always make sure that what the agency says matches what the company you will be working at says. I've had a couple of contracts that said they were contract to hire but then found out that there was never any intent to hire. So it is a riskier proposition. It really depends on the company. I think it's safer when it's a larger company.

It also depends on your situation right now as some have pointed out. It may look like the contract job is a better opportunity right now and vice versa depending on your circumstances. Right now because of my circumstances I would take the job at the hospital. But then again I have a house and a family to worry about so the perm position would be better. But your circumstances may be different.

Zartanasaurus

loxleynew wrote: »

Job 2:
There are a lot of IT people like 12 sys/network admins so learning potential will be down as far as new projects and stuff.

How do you know this?

Job 1: Any virtualization? Blade servers? SAN? Do they contract out the "hard" stuff and let you deal with the day to day stuff?

I'd lean towards Job 1, but just because Job 2 has 12 admins doesn't mean you won't be able to get your hands dirty in a lot of areas.

baseball1988

I would pick Job 2

In this economy, it's already hard to find a good job. I did a 4 month contract job in the past. I was doing well but they decided not to extend my contract. So, I ended up being unemployed and was surprised by their decision. Go for the contract job if you are still a young person. All I have to say is that it's hard to get a job offer from hospitals IT.

mjnk77

The Contract to Hire is that they want to make sure that you know what you are doing before they invest in you with all their benefits. I worked for one of the biggest Pharma companies in their data center and they would have you be a contractor for 2 years through a contracting agency before being brought on as a full time employee. I didn't go to the agency to get the job, directly to the company and then they set it up with the contracting agency. I was able to get benefits through the agency, and the pay was better than being full-time, but that's also because I didn't get vacation or holiday. If you want reward and a chance for growth, go with Job 1. If you want a job with low growth potential, go with Job 2. One other thing you have to think about, if they need to "trim some fat", they look at the new employees that their responsibilities that can be divided up amongst the other employees. If Job 1 is a "project" type contract job, go with Job 2. Hope this helps.