Job offer: more money but a step back career wise

jukem

Hello all,
I currently do onsite desktop support for an auto finance company. After updating my resume on various sites, I was contacted by a fairly large hospital with an offer to do 100% teir 1 phone support. If accepted this position would raise my income from $12hr to 17.50. I had originally planned to sit for my ICND2 tommorrow and start aggressively looking for a NOC position once passed; but the hospital stated many times career pogression happens faily quickly there.
I'll admit I have been struggling with my current income so I'm having second thoughts on rather I should take this opportunity or stick to my original plan and wait it out for a NOC position. Any advice you guys could give me would be very much appreciated.

Thanks

networker050184

I'd try and stick to your original plan. You want to progress in your career.

That being said, if you need the money you gotta do what you gotta do!

ehnde

I think you should take the hospital job. If a future employer wants to know what your previous/current jobs wage are, $17/hour makes you look more valuable. You are underpaid...the janitors where I work make more than $12/hour.

About7Narwhal

I currently work in a hospital doing OPS and I love it. The pay was a huge increase and I am learning a lot. In addition, there have been a lot of people who have moved around quickly here. Sometimes you have to bite the bullet and take a position you weren't expecting. If the company works for you, the experience in Service Desk will be beneficial if you move to Desk Side or Admin.

Where I work, everyone is required to know a little bit of Service Desk before they go into Desk Side simply because most of the applications are not encountered outside of the medical field. You may want to look at this step backwards as required training for a fruitful career in medical IT.

That said, if you do not see yourself moving up in the company, I don't think you should take the job. Money is nice, but take it from someone who has been through it before; motivation is hard to find when you hate your job. The risk of burnout is not worth the extra pay.

Good luck and let us know what you decide. Also, congratulations on the opportunity.

Daniel333

Follow the money, it will ultimately provide you more flexibility.

Krones

I would take the job. There is no guarantee you will land a NOC job let alone pass the ICND2. I hope you do! You can always self-study to keep your networking skills up to par and look for employment in say six months if a promotion is not in sight and be in a field you really want to be in.

Chitownjedi

Take the gig, nothing stops you for continuing your pursuits if you take this position. The increase in pay may allow for you to get extra resources for your study

Roguetadhg

I also gotta put the vote to Hospital:
1) Who says you can't look for a NOC position while at the hospital?

2) Pay increase for the short term helps to pay for studying, and living. Certifications aren't cheap - Especially if you fail.

3) Phone support may help getting a NOC position (Answering Calls, Being able to handle troubleshooting over the phone without actually being onsite - this is a huge change. Gotta rely on the feedback to be correct, knowing when to use terminology. Restart =\= Shutdown.)

4) Hospitals with their various health-type laws (HIPPA) can also provide more backing that you're capable of following the guidelines set by a higher entity.

Akaricloud

Take the gig, pass ICND2 then start looking again.

If you're able to find something quick then just forget about ever working at the hospital and you'll only have a small employment gap on your resume. If you are unable to then at least you're in with a better company making more money with opportunity for advancement.

ptilsen

I would take it. It's almost oxymoronic for a pay increase to be a step back. Pay level alone is a huge part of both how you measure your career progression and how much you'll make at the next job. If you were taking a temporary pay increase to work in something totally unrelated to NOC work, I would see it a as a step back. But phone support is not so unrelated as to be a step back, IMO. Also, if you've never done anything but desktop support, the phone support position will help you, both on your resume and in terms of your actual troubleshooting abilities.

Unless you already have something else lined up, I say take the gig. Plus, working for a big hospital could opens doors. It's one of (IMO) the few IT environments that often offers career progression. Most companies you will want to leave after a few years because you get stuck with no way to move up in any reasonable time frame.

NotHackingYou

I think the hospital job would be a good move for you.

jukem

Thanks for all the advice guys. I scheduled a meeting for monday morning to sign papers for the background check, offer sheet and orientation. I knew I could count on TE for some great advice!

nosoup4u

Take it big time sir!

powerfool

Sometimes it is necessary to take a step back to move forward, long term. That is substantially more money, so I would probably go for the money as you usually are going to move backwards that much if you are getting a pay increase... very unlikey that you are going to go from an senior engineer to help desk AND get a pay raise... may to a more junior engineer role or an admin role.... for from a junior admin to help desk, or something like that.

N2IT

12.00 an hour to 17.50 an hour is called moving forward.

Nice work and congrads!

lunchbox67

A near 50% increase in pay is NOT a step backwards.

cruwl

if the hospital is large enough to have dedicated phone support, and to pay 17.50 an hour that means the probably have a much larger shop then where you are at. So not only are you getting a huge pay bump! but your options to move around will be much better. Its a lot easier to land a NOC or networking job if you already work for a company.

Mike-Mike

Cash is King

more money job, go

W Stewart

I think it really depends on your scope of support. I don't think the title of tier 1 is gonna matter much if you're still dealing with complex issues and gaining some valuable experience. I've never done IT at a hospital but working as a nurses assistant I've known them to be pretty cheap so if they're paying you that much, I would imagine you're going to be doing more then a typical tier 1 helpdesk job. Not to mention if your good at your job you won't be tier 1 for too long.

WiseWun

I would take he hospital gig, it's a sure bet. The money is good, better benefits, the environment is bigger and you'll be able to network with lots of great folks. Healthcare IT is the next big thing says my director.

YesOffense

Absolutely take the new gig. Less money worries will definitely help in your studies. And who's to say you still can't apply for a network gig while working there, or even get a better position at the hospital? It's not a step back, your job doesn't determine your amount of knowledge, and it's something else to look good on a resume. Don't worry about leaving the new gig within a few months, i'm sure they're used to turnover in tier 1 positions.