would this be a good job for a fresh grad?

thekid007

hi everyone,

so im a 24 year old grad of a 1-year networking program in Canada. graded in end of 2013.

right now, i have an opportunity with a company, which is small-mid, with a couple branch offices. they are involved in a very interesting sector (and one which you would not get often to work with). they are a start-up right now, but because of what they are involved in, i would no less suspect them to be extremely successful in the upcoming two years. the position is for a jr.net/sys admin.

the main task would be providing internal IT support for all their offices. the rest is to assist in internal projects, backups, documentation, maintaining server equipment. fix a lightbulb here or there.

this is mainly an Apple environment, with linux back-end. which is cool because i think for a young/fresh grad, its hard to get into the linux side (or find a company thats willing to work with you). i enjoy linux, but im neutral to linux/windows.

the team seems very nice there, and the location is great. salary is fair (i think?) - mid 40s, with benefits after 3 months.

my question i know is vague, but do you guys think this would be the right foot to start on? i had a shadow day, and things were fairly slow, but i was told this is not usually the case.

i interview well, have good people skills, and my technical skills are alright. i was told by a programmer friend of mine, that the 1st year i should look for a position where i can work my arse off and learn a lot. initially i was looking for managed services as i felt you can learn more in those environments.

but this position came along, and the process came together very easy (which i think is a good thing). im pretty much sure i'll take it, but any tips or advice? i haven't negotiated anything (nor am i sure if i am in a position to do so).

thanks.

networker050184

Sounds like a pretty good gig to me and I'd be all over it. It's hard for a lot of people to find that first job, so don't pass this up looking for the perfect thing if it isn't exactly what you want to do. Worst case scenario this is good resume filler while you look for something else down the road.

As a fresh grad you probably don't have much negotiation power. There is probably a line of other grads willing to take the job if you don't. So keep that in mind, but don't let yourself get screwed over either.

Good luck!

the_Grinch

Definitely worth taking the position. Being able to ramp up your linux skills will definitely pay off dividends. Also, it being a start up, you might get stock options and other perks which can be hard to come by. I had a buddy who was with a start up and after several months he was given his stock options. After looking at everything they'd be worth about $300k in three years or so.

thekid007

hey guys, thanks so much for the reply. yup, this cements my decision, thanks for the tips.

interesting to know about the stock options. to be honest im a complete n00b to stock options, but i know that they are giving $3k in stock options...

thekid007

also this might be a silly question, but do companies pay anything for cell phone/data plans? I know some companies have an employee plan - nothing was mentioned to me...

also the environment is all mac..and i have a sony vaio *lol, they know this as well*. think it would be fair to ask for a macbook/purchase through them? or is that ridiculous?

thanks again!

Fidelity

Definitely take this job.

If you do 24/7 support, which means you will end up using your cellphone for work, they will usually provide the phone or pay for your bill.

I wouldn't be surprised if they gave you a Mac without you even having to ask.

ScrawnyRonnie

I'd take the offer. Sounds like you'll learn a lot working with those different systems too.

networker050184

thekid007 wrote: »

also this might be a silly question, but do companies pay anything for cell phone/data plans? I know some companies have an employee plan - nothing was mentioned to me...

also the environment is all mac..and i have a sony vaio *lol, they know this as well*. think it would be fair to ask for a macbook/purchase through them? or is that ridiculous?

thanks again!

Depends on the company what they do for cell phone. Usually companies offer either a company cell phone, buy your own phone on the company plan or a monthly allowance to do what you want with as long as you have a phone they can reach you on.

The vast majority of companies issue you a laptop to use while employed. Some give you an allowance to buy your own but that is more rare in my experience. If they are all Mac I'd assume that is what they will give you.