Breaking out of Helpdesk, Into Network Support

nightelph

I turned 30 recently and have been bouncing around help desk centers for too long and want to get more into networking. I have a pretty foggy idea of where to go, I think I'd like to land a very entry level position supporting networks, instead of people.
I'm currently getting a B.S. from UoPhoenix in IT-Networking to aid me but I won't get that done until next year. IT jobs in California's Central Valley are pretty thin but I may be moving to East LA this summer. I have two excellent resources as well. Two older guys I work with who -are- the networking dept and are very open to discussing anything I want to know. I'm starting my N+ study this week.

Darril

Welcome to the forums and good luck on your path. Moving into networking will certainly broaden your usefulness to a company and your ability to move ahead in your career. Feel free to ask any questions related to Network+ topics. There are a lot of people that genuinely want to help.

Iristheangel

I actually posted in another thread about this yesterday so I'm just going to copy and paste my reply. Hopefully it helps you out:

I know I've posted in other threads about my "two year" rule. I would recommend jumping ship and finding a new company/role if you stay somewhere for 2 years and your job title hasn't changed. At least you should adopt this practice for the first 10 years of your IT career. If you do not get a title change in the first 2 years of your job, it is highly unlikely you will change roles internally. It's better to take a risk with the unknown than to be stuck in the same role for long periods of time.

I would recommend jumping on Dice, Indeed, Monster, Hotjobs, and Craigslist and applying away. Not only should you apply but you should also create a profile and post a SEARCHABLE resume so recruiters can call you. Also consider the idea of temp-to-perm. If you're good at what you do or can learn fast, you could find an amazing job this way. That's how I found my last two jobs.

As others have mentioned, networking is great as well. You could find local networking chapters. For me, I socialize with "Women of IT" type groups and am able to expand my network that way but there are tons of groups also aimed at virtualization, Cisco, networking, monitories in IT, etc where you might be able to get a leg up. I wouldn't recommend 100% on word of mouth but it's a nice thing to have and a great place to learn (like these forums).

Darril

Great post Iristheangel. Years ago, companies were known for hiring from within so you could often build a career with a single company staying with it for 20 years or more. Times have changed.

More and more companies do not hire from within and do not reward outstanding employees with raises and promotions. There are exceptions of course, but unfortunately they are exceptions rather than the rule.

If you want to get ahead in your career, you often need to move to a different company to build your experience and get paid for what you're worth. Leaving after just six months or a year makes it look like you can't hold a job so that's too early, but two years might indeed work for a lot of people.

With that in mind, it's best to do the best job possible where you're at, while you're there. It's good for your employer, but it's also good for you. Doing your best gives you an ideal opportunity to learn as much as you can while you're there and will make you look more valuable to your next potential employer.

Also, when you move, make sure you're moving up. This might mean moving to a job that gives you a significant jump in salary, a jump in responsibilities, or a jump in possibilities and opportunities. Unless you're in a horrible work environment, it rarely makes sense to make lateral moves or move down.