Low-pay IT Job Dilemna

Hello,

I have been to a few interviews and I just received my first IT job offer in a NOC Tech part-time position. The pay is $12/hr at 30 hours a week and it could "potentially" turn into a full-time position. I have a CCENT, CompTIA A+, a degree in Networking Technology Services, and I have been through the Cisco Networking Academy as well as Internship in the ITS Department at my college.

My question to you is, should I take this offer or continue my hunt? I would be moving 2 hours away and living on my own. Is this a typically starting pay for a recent graduate with certs?

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Akaricloud

If you don't currently have experience or an IT job then yes take it. You can always continue hunting and move jobs if you find a better one.

$12 seems a bit low for where I am but if the job is somewhere with a low cost of living and you have no experience then I wouldn't say it's horrible.

Don't forget you can counter offer. Go see if you can get $14/hr out of them.

jibbajabba

Even a low-paid job is better than unemployed. You can always just take it and continue your search and hand in your notice if something better comes up.

lunchbox67

It is paid work experience.
I would say take it with the thought of staying there at least 1 year. Work your butt off and learn everything you can ... not just IT stuff, learn how to be a good employee and co-worker. Keep earning Certs.

By next year you may be able to double that pay.

Tackle

Hold out until you get a 50k a year job. That's what I would do if I was you.

JK! Take what you can get.

NetworkVeteran

LauZaIM wrote: »

I have a CCENT, CompTIA A+, a degree in Networking Technology Services, and I have been through the Cisco Networking Academy as well as Internship in the ITS Department at my college.

Okay, so you have a 'CCENT' and a 'Networking Technology Services' degree.

I have no idea what a 'Networking Technology Services' degree is. If it's a B.S. from an accredited university then you should be able to do much better than $12/hour. If not? ::shrug:: We're left with a CCENT and usually a CCNA is sought in entry-level positions, so take what you can get until you earn an entry-level certification and/or gain some experience.

SouthSeaPirate

Actually I believe you are in a better position than most. I also believe you are looking at this the wrong way. Change your perspective to; this is an oppritunity for training and expereince that will actully pay you to do so. I say take it, give it 110%, learn and get your hands on everything you can.

I noticed what I was looking for once I was on the otherside of the interview; motivation, drive, and the person wanting the position. Show them what you can do and maybe you'll be next in line when a better position comes along. All the while you are learning and gaining experince whilst looking for oppritunities elsewhere.

You may not like it, but if youre going to crash into a brick wall, do it at 110MPH.

lunchbox67

SouthSeaPirate wrote: »

Actually I believe you are in a better position than most. I also believe you are looking at this the wrong way. Change your perspective to; this is an oppritunity for training and expereince that will actully pay you to do so. I say take it, give it 110%, learn and get your hands on everything you can.

I noticed what I was looking for once I was on the otherside of the interview; motivation, drive, and the person wanting the position. Show them what you can do and maybe you'll be next in line when a better position comes along. All the while you are learning and gaining experince whilst looking for oppritunities elsewhere.

You may not like it, but if youre going to crash into a brick wall, do it at 110MPH.

Yep, ... perfect!

kgb

I agree with all the above posters about getting experience and everything.

But, the bottom line is: Is it enough for you to actually live on your own? If it is, then why not take it, start your career. But, if it's not enough, figure out what that magical number is and counter with that number and go from there.

blargoe

If you have no experience, then take it. After 12 months, you should be able to do significantly better.

RouteThisWay

Keep in mind the cost of living. Some people will look at $12/hr and think that is pennies. Others, that is quite a bit. It just depends on your area.

For instance, in another thread "low pay Help Desk" was 55k/yr. But that was in LA and was the equivalent of $35k a year or so in my area. Just keep that in mind.

Good luck with the move. I would take this opportunity and really prove yourself as an asset and push for full time.

SteveLord

Surprised to see so much encouragement to take a job that pays less than $19k a year. I would keep looking for a full time job if you aren't under the gun to start with something right away. But at 30hrs a week and $12/hr...you're getting shafted in both pay AND experience.

LauZaIM

SteveLord wrote: »

Surprised to see so much encouragement to take a job that pays less than $19k a year. I would keep looking for a full time job if you aren't under the gun to start with something right away. But at 30hrs a week and $12/hr...you're getting shafted in both pay AND experience.

This is what I was thinking. After income taxes it comes out to about $1200 a month in pocket. The cost of renting a studio is about $600 and that doesn't include utilities. I was expecting with my AS, Certs, Internship, and nearly 5 years of Customer Service experience I would at least be able to make over $18k after taxes..

tecke

If you are desperate with no experience i would suggest yes take it, if you have experience and education you need to set your value higher!! good luck, stay flexible.

networker050184

It isn't the greatest pay in the world, but its better than nothing. The only thing that I would say is I probably wouldn't be willing to relocate for a part time gig that pays that low. If it is in an area with a much better IT market I would definitely consider it though.

onesaint

I'd have to go with Steve on this one. How much time do you have to find work? It could take another 3 - 6 months to land FTE. What's the market like in your area? You said you'd be moving 2 hours away, are all the positions out of town or more in that area? If not are you willing to expand your search to larger markets?

ptilsen

Where do you live? There's really no point speculating on whether that's a good rate for you without knowing.

You're more than qualified for an entry-level IT position. However, since networking specifically is what you're working towards, obviously a CCNA would help a lot. In the Minneapolis area you would be looking for closer to the $13-$15/hr range, IMO, and probably more if you did have CCNA. Again, your area is going to be very different.

Your life situation also matters a lot. If you can afford to live off $12/hr independently or have assistance from family/transformative assets, then the experience is worth it. If $12 at 30 hours is going to put you into serious hardship and you could earn more based on your qualifications relative to your region, then it would be worth waiting for something better. The experience is valuable enough to lose some money over, but not to risk being unable to pay bills and such.

Concerned Water

I'm making less than that in desktop support. I've been doing it for a year and when I go to interviews no one seems to care about it. If you work there for the time being you'll have experience that's worth it.

NetworkVeteran

LauZaIM wrote: »

I was expecting with my AS

This shows you're invested in a tech career but not much else.

Certs

Your certs did help. Without a CCENT I doubt you'd be getting this opportunity. If you'd taken your certs all the way to the entry-level (CCNA), you'd have a higher market value.

Internship

You didn't mention any networking work experience--you know, routers and switches. This isn't just any tech job, this is a networking job, and that experience will count most.

SteveLord

I am not seeing where the "Experience!" pitch is really applying here. Since it's a part time position...25% of the whole reason to take it is gone. Potentially more if it isn't permanent. "Potential full time" is a line used by every employer. Your motivation and work ethic may or may not matter in the end.

If it was full time, I would entertain it. Otherwise, keep looking. You do not need to accept the first job offer that comes at you. But only you can determine how much time you have to keep looking.

LauZaIM

onesaint wrote: »

I'd have to go with Steve on this one. How much time do you have to find work? It could take another 3 - 6 months to land FTE. What's the market like in your area? You said you'd be moving 2 hours away, are all the positions out of town or more in that area? If not are you willing to expand your search to larger markets?

I have about 2 months to find a full-time position. I would like it to be at LEAST over $18k/yr. The market is really bad where I am currently living (currently with the parents), which is why I am willing to expand my search to areas like Tampa, Orlando, Gainesville, Jacksonville, etc.

My networking experience has primarily come through taking the Cisco Networking Academy which involves working with simulated routers/switches and performing everything related to the CCNA material with them. In addition to simulated we worked with hands-on equipment in the school lab with Cisco 1800, 2960's.

Concerned Water

Jacksonville is pretty bad. The saddest part about my job is that most of the other guys at work are making what I'm making and they have degrees and certs. Some even have over 5 years experience on top of that. Companies are seriously abusing the system because people are desperate.

onesaint

Full time work at $12 an hour is about 25K gross. So, the pay is right. The hours are not. Depending on you other potential leads this position may be worthwhile. If there are no other promising prospects, I would accept the offer, take the extra 10 hours a week and finish you BS and nail down a few more certs. Then in a years time you would have a tough year, but walk away with a CCNA, and possibly a BS in IT from WGU or something. Ambition and free time can go a long way. That said, if living off of 750 a month (16K net, less 600/mo rent) is going to be tough, keep looking and applying to every position you can.

glenn_33

If you're going to be living on your own I don't think $12 would cut it. It might, but that's pretty slim. I make $10/hr and work full time and net a little over $1000/month. I'd keep hunting for something better.

prtech

Take it. To jump into the networking field right away is a great opportunity. I offered to work for a NOC for free and I had a Network Security degree with a CCNA. They still didn't entertain my offer due to lack of experience. It's part time so try to find another job to help pay for the bills.

techdudehere

Let's say you rent a dive no woman would ever step foot in for say a 1,000$ per month. Let's assume you do not have student loans or car payments. I am not certain what tax bracket you would be in, so let's say the government takes 1/3 of your paycheck. Paid training? No, you'll be losing money every month you work there. If they allow you to work from home then it might be worthwhile. That's one position I'd let them send overseas, keep looking!

NetworkVeteran

techdudehere wrote: »

Let's say you rent a dive no woman would ever step foot in for say a 1,000$ per month.

You can rent a single bedroom for less even in NYC or LA--with a nice kitchen, dining room, and living room--you'd have no trouble bringing girls over to.

I am not certain what tax bracket you would be in, so let's say the government takes 1/3 of your paycheck.

I'm fairly certain he'd be south of the 33% tax bracket.

onesaint

In LA for 600$ a month you can rent a room in a halfway house in downtown which is a gutted Victorian with 1 bathroom for 10 rented rooms. Adversely, you might be able to land something nice in Compton, Inglewood, or South Central for that kind of money.

NetworkVeteran

onesaint wrote: »

In LA for 600$ a month you can rent a room in a halfway house in downtown which is a gutted Victorian with 1 bathroom for 10 rented rooms. Adversely, you might be able to land something nice in Compton, Inglewood, or South Central for that kind of money.

Fair enough. This is what $600/mo buys in Jacksonville, FL--

GREAT POOL HOME

MiikeB

Id take it. This kind of experience can look great on a resume and no one needs to know that it was part-time or that the pay was so low.

I would first try to counter offer with $15/hr and see what they say though.

Live with a roommate and get a second job at Geeksquad or something to make ends meet if you need to. Thats what my first job paid and I worked at Best Buy at night and rode the bus from my apartment to work to bestbuy and home every day, 2 hours on the bus (small town, not a great bus system) but it got the bills paid and the experience was amazing. 6 Years later I am more successful than I ever could have imagined.

drkat

SteveLord wrote: »

Surprised to see so much encouragement to take a job that pays less than $19k a year. I would keep looking for a full time job if you aren't under the gun to start with something right away. But at 30hrs a week and $12/hr...you're getting shafted in both pay AND experience.

??? 18720?? awesome!

isnt the poverty line something around there?