3 years in IT

southside

Hello Guys,

I was wondering when you guys had 3 years of IT experience.

What kind of certifications did you guys have?

Also what kind of roles were you working on and what were your skill set?

Also what were your job title history and what kind of responsibilities did you guys have and most importantly what did you guys learn the most?

Also what was your salary from your first year to now 3 year mark?

olaHalo

i have less then 1 year exp
but...
Certs-None
Roles-Helpdesk, Desktop Support, Networking Tech (in that order)
Job Titles- Helpdesk Support, Web Design/Dev, Network Technician
Salary- 9.00$hr, 14.00$hr , 23.00$hr

Whats Next?- Get CCNA

gbdavidx

wow, i was a desktop tech @ 20 an hr (contract) then went to service desk 22.66 (soon a bit over 23... once i get a raise) and i am not sure where next

Essendon

I had the MCP (Windows Server 2003) cert that I got by passing the 70-290 test.

I was a Desktop Support guy back then and would do - PC builds, fix Outlook issues, replace keyboards/mice and everything else that an on-site Desktop Support tech would do.

I was ISP Tech Support for 3 months and a junior sys admin for 6 months before I got the Desktop Support position. I had been in the Desktop Support position for about a year or so before it dawned on me that certs were the only way I'd get noticed at work (in that company, that is)

When I first started in IT, I made about $14 an hour, the second one was about $19 an hour and the third one was the support position at $58,000 a year. Been in IT for about 6.5 years and make over $100k now.

dave330i

I'll come play after 6 months.

YuckTheFankees

I've been in IT for 15-16 months..I moved from Linux Support -> Network Operation Tech -> security engineer. I have more than doubled my salary from when I started in IT. By my 3 years, I would like to be a consultant or possibly a senior security engineer.

What I have learned so far in my IT career.

1. A lot of the IT people know eachother, so do not burn bridges!
2. Socialize with the department you are looking to get into
3. It took me a little bit to figure this out but the veterans are rights, certs are not everything and sometimes...barely anything to an employer
4. Always be on the look out for jobs and see what the requirements are for the job you want to end up at...just so you know what skills are wanted

ThePawofRizzo

I'd taken a pretty good cut in pay to move from what was basically a home healthcare equipment support job, to get into desktop support. During those first three years I worked the first two years for one company, and the third year for another, both performing as an outsourced, on-site support tech doing Tier III desktop support. The first company had a "pay for cert" program where you got pay raised for each cert you had. So, I had a BA, a couple Associates in Comp. Sci, A+, N+, and MCSE within about a year and a half. I had some HP and IBM hardware certs at that time as well. All of them helped me get the new job in my third year which increased my salary by about 30%. Unfortunately that was in 2000 when the dot-com bust happened, so I stayed at about that same salary range until about 2004, working a lot of long hours in a salary role. In the last 6 years I've doubled my salary, and it's quadruple what I made in healthcare.

I agree with YucktheFankees recommendations. I value the certs personally, because they give me a goal for my studies, but one must keep certification - and even a degree - in perspective as they are only one tool for training. I would say get all the training, education, and experience you can as each have their place.

southside

so you swapped 3 companies in year and 3 months so you do not care if you look like a job hopper

YuckTheFankees wrote: »

I've been in IT for 15-16 months..I moved from Linux Support -> Network Operation Tech -> security engineer. I have more than doubled my salary from when I started in IT. By my 3 years, I would like to be a consultant or possibly a senior security engineer.

What I have learned so far in my IT career.

1. A lot of the IT people know eachother, so do not burn bridges!
2. Socialize with the department you are looking to get into
3. It took me a little bit to figure this out but the veterans are rights, certs are not everything and sometimes...barely anything to an employer
4. Always be on the look out for jobs and see what the requirements are for the job you want to end up at...just so you know what skills are wanted

DoubleNNs

Honestly, I haven't started my IT career yet.
But, I know I PLAN to job hop as soon as I get in the field. I feel the 1st year has great potential for rapid career growth. And many of the entry level jobs probably go through employees quickly anyway. Why stay at a minimum wage Tier 1 Helpdesk when all your co-workers are leaving within 3-6 months of experience there and doubling their salaries/responsibilities and building new skills from their new positions?

YuckTheFankees

southside wrote: »

so you swapped 3 companies in year and 3 months so you do not care if you look like a job hopper

I stayed at my first IT job for 4 months and my second job for 1 year. I am early in my IT career, I need to challenge myself and learn..staying put in a position where I am not learning anything for 1-2 years just so I do not look like a job hopper is insane. I currently have a mid-level job which I start Monday and have lots to learn, so I expect to be here for some time. I'm not going to lie, I feel like I'm an asset to any team and companies see that, that's why I move up quick.

Mrock4

"Job Hopper" is a phrase coined by people scared of change. Moving job to job in a short time just because you're lazy is one thing, but moving job to job for career advancement is NOT a bad thing as long as you're smart about it.

I was at my last company only 1 year, but became the lead engineer there within 3 months, and left on GREAT terms with the management there. Guess what? They're now one of my customers.

southside

well if you guys do not believe job hopping is a issue, then in the interview say oh I will stay in the role for a short period of time if you hire me, cause once I get the experience I will hop because I want to learn more, you seriously think any employer will take a risk in hiring you, if they do it, its their loss, because they have to invest in you and if you leave after a short period of time. Seriously when you hop too much no matter what the reason is, you will quit your next job in a short time, that's just how job hoppers roll. It kind of shows that you are a quitter if you job hop and shows that you run away from problems. For an example, I have being in my company for 3 months and it is so hard because of the company culture and my boss, but I am putting in the hard yards and it is making me a stronger person, sure I can quit and get a more high paying job and learn different stuff but why would I?

WHY should a company invest in you and take you in? if you are going to leave in a short amount of time?

YuckTheFankees

You sound a little bitter southside.

I personally do not go into a role saying "I am going to leave for another if I get paid more or could learn more". I passed up 2 other offers that paid well before I took this security engineer role. I wasn't looking for the 1st better paying job that came my way but I would accept a role where I can gain experience in the field I love (which is security). You can think I'm a quitter or a weak person but past employers/managers can tell you otherwise, and that's what really matters.

I respect your thought process but I do not owe any company anything nor does the company owe me anything, it's purely a business relationship....so keep the feelings out of it. If company X had a bad year and needed to cut cost, do you think they are going to look at you and say...."oh he's been here 3 months and has been putting in hard work, we can't cut him" or "he just had a baby we cant fire him"...they do not have a choice, they have to think of the business first.

Finally, people will usually have more IT jobs earlier in their career when they are getting started or moving up the latter compared to when they have 5+ years in the field. If I would of used your style, I probably wouldn't of accepted a security engineer for another 2 years...why waste the time.

But those are just my opinions and they work well for me. I hope you stick with what you believe in and everything will work out.

paul78

southside wrote: »

WHY should a company invest in you and take you in? if you are going to leave in a short amount of time?

While I generally prefer to see a job candidate with a job tenures of more than a year, I generally will not hold it against them if they are early in their career or if there are other circumstances (i.e. if they are a contractor). For me, the interview goes a long way in determining the character and potential of a job candidate.

I come from the management philosophy that if an employee leaves an employer, it is because the employer is not competitive and not competent in retainment opportunities. Similarly, if an employee cannot offer value, than separation is often the best recourse. Simply put - if I suck, you will quit, if you suck, I will fire you.

blargoe

Entry level positions lend themselves to "job hopping". Companies expect it now. Nothing wrong with it. If you were sitting here in 10 years and had worked for 30 different companies, that would be different.

By my third year I was in my first official "Jr. Admin" role.

-hype

dave330i wrote: »

I'll come play after 6 months.

Damn. You haven't even been in IT for 3 yrs? And you have all those pricey VM Ware certs

Im jelly

prtech

southside wrote: »

sure I can quit and get a more high paying job and learn different stuff but why would I?

The better question is why wouldn't you? I wouldn't stay in a place that I feel is not the right fit even if I've only been there a few months.

I've only been in IT for almost 2 years. Started as IT Assistant. Now, I'm a Network Engineer.

Keep studying and keep learning. Don't hold off getting certifications because somebody said you don't have the experience for it. Every certification you get, if you studied the right way (no ****), is a great learning experience.

Mrock4

I forget what book I read it in, but I love this quote..it's one that my company's CEO embraces:

President of Company: "What if we invest in our people and they leave us?"
CEO: "What if we don't invest in them and they stay?"

YFZblu

Mrock4 wrote: »

President of Company: "What if we invest in our people and they leave us?" CEO: "What if we don't invest in them and they stay?"

Great quote!

dave330i

-hype wrote: »

Damn. You haven't even been in IT for 3 yrs? And you have all those pricey VM Ware certs

Im jelly

Looking back, I've spent $5500 out of pocket on VMware certs and training. $3000 of it when I was technically unemployed.

gorebrush

I had MCP within 4 months of starting my IT career.
I was MCSA and MCSA Messaging within 18 months
MCSE within 2 years.
After 3 years I'd had an MCTS as well.

Right now, nearly 9 years in: -

MCP
MCSA
MCSA: Messaging
MCSE
MCTS (x2)
CCNA: R&S
CCNP: R&S
CCNA: Security
BMC Certified Operator
ITIL v3 Foundation Certificate

Working on CCNP Security at the moment (hope to achieve this by August) then probably going to shoot for CCIE.

In terms of job roles, I did menial crap in the public sector for the first 18 months, realised I'd get nowhere and left for the private sector. Thus become a Systems Administrator looking after pretty much everything within 18 months of leaving university.

Nowadays I am a shift worker in a 2nd line networks team managing somewhere in the region of 8K network devices........

DevilWAH

Sadly after 3 years I was doing 1st 2nd and 3rd line support in a company that did not understand the idea behind managing an IT department. I would go from designing the network on large building projects to carry a printer across site.. After a few years of that I left to go to Pvt sector that I stayed in for 18 months and then moved back to work in a scientific research company running there network.

I still only have my CCNA, having to much fun at work to worry about rushing my CCNP as I have my foot in the door as they say. I some times think I should have got out of the first job a few years early, but honestly there are not many jobs in IT where you get taken on with out a single certification or experience and with in a month are giving the job of looking after an entire site network, Plus getting involved in all the server and software side of things. When I go to confrances and meet fellow IT people most are impressed at the variety of projects I was dumped with early on in my career.

In terms of salary in my first 3 years in IT i had a poor wage in terms of prvt sector people in jobs out side of the public sector where on about 30 to 40% more than me, and wage went up at about 3% a year.

however since leaving and moving on money has got much nicer I am still underpaid for what I do, and still get gasps and fellow IT engineers telling me I am crazy for accepting such low pay. However I can pay my rent, Have a fun job with lots of responsibilities and know that should i need to I can get another one.

My only issue is that I do find it hard to judge where are am and how my job compares because I have never worked under another network engineer.

So what have I learnt in my 9 years ish in IT?

1. No one will give you a promotion based on time, if you want to move up you have to work for it and ask for it. But don't ask unless you can demonstrate you deserve it.

2. If you go after Certifications then try to insure they match you experience you have (work or other wise), if some one comes to me with Certifications I will ask them about how they have applied it. If some one comes to me with a CCNP then I want to be able to chat to them about routing, not feel like I have a text book sitting in front of me. i have Google for facts, I want to work with people who can apply knowledge.

3. in your first years forget about pay. The fact is that only the lucky few in there early years get big paychecks, If you are dedicated and focus on becoming a skilled engineer the money will come, and you will enjoy getting there. Don't be the guy who moans about there job and money but never does any thing about it.

4. No one else will have a job like yours, or progress though IT in the same way as you do. Some will claim it was all to do with the certifications they got, other will say it was the experience that got them where they are. What is common to any one who succeeds in IT is that they enjoy it and spend there time figuring out how it all works. So don't judge your self against other people, Just look back on your self and see if you as an engineer have moved on.

5. Once you start to focus on you career and look for the roles that interest you, rather than those you think will move you up the ladder the fastest. You will find in a few short years you are looking back down the ladder with out ever feeling like you climbed the rungs.

FloOz

I have only been in the field for about 10months (full-time) and am a desktop engineer. Currently I am getting paid roughly 21.50 and hour non-exempt which I think is pretty good for a recent college grad. I also had an internship with the same company during my senior year in school but I dont really count that as solid experience since I was only working two days a week for a few hours. In the past year I have attained my A+/Net+/CCENT/CCNA. I may not have the title of network engineer however my achievements have been recognized and I have been given many more network oriented projects.

In 2013, I hope to get into a full-time network engineering position and also achieve as much of the CCNP as I can. In three years I hope to be a network consultant and actively working on my CCIE

f0rgiv3n

I was still in high school when I started in IT as a PC tech. I was there for about 3-4 years and made only $10/hr, but hey, it was a lot better than working at McDonalds for minimum wage (which was $5.15/hr).

the_Grinch

As we all know, they only way to truly get a raise in this industry is to switch jobs. At most companies (at least those I've worked at) that meant leaving them. I think a lot of people have the mindset of their parents, where you stay loyal and work somewhere for thirty years. Unfortunately, these are not the times we live in. The last three companies turned fair profits and provided minimal raises (citing that times are tough). I've had interviewers ask about my job history (I average about a job a year) and I give them an honest answer. I risen as high as I could in my current position and am looking to continue to expand my skillset. If they were to contact any of my former employers they would say as much.

That's not to say I don't wish to stay, but the environment has to be right for that. Honestly, any company that wouldn't hire me due to "job hopping" isn't a company I would want to work for anyway.

coreyb80

This thread serves as motivation for me. I'm preparing to take my A+ exam in about 2 weeks and land my first Help Desk position.

kurosaki00

I hit the three years mark not too long ago
around 7 months as tech support
2 years as a sys admin
so far a bit less than 4 months as a NOC tech
and I'm earning 12.75 an hour....

I'm honest, 50% of this is because Ive been lazy... but man lately my luck has been so bad...

southside

Yeah but you are in putorico so it is fine.

kurosaki00 wrote: »

I hit the three years mark not too long ago
around 7 months as tech support
2 years as a sys admin
so far a bit less than 4 months as a NOC tech
and I'm earning 12.75 an hour....

I'm honest, 50% of this is because Ive been lazy... but man lately my luck has been so bad...

vCole

I've been in IT for a little over 5 years now.

Year 1 - Help Desk Technician - $13/hr (bumped to $14/hr after 3 months)
Year 2 - IT Support Technician - $17/hr
Year 3 - IT Support Technician II - $20
Year 4- had some job changes, but SysAdmin roles - $30/hr
Year 5 - Systems Administrator - $90K/year

jibbajabba

After three years in IT I wished I'd gone into pigfarming or sofatesting ..

vCole

jibbajabba wrote: »

After three years in IT I wished I'd gone into pigfarming or sofatesting ..

Agreed, looking to go into Engineering myself now.