When did you move out of Desktop Support/Help Desk?

Hi all! Just as the title says, how long did you serve in Desktop Support/Help Desk before you finally moved into something different? I've been doing Desktop Support for 1 year and 3 months now, and my personal goal was to do 2 years of work before attempting to move into a Jr. System Administrator position. Would it be that much more beneficial to wait until I have about 3 years or experience or so, or has anyone made this change in a similar amount of time? If so, is there anything in particular that you feel helped your advancement (degree, certs, etc.)? I currently have a Bachelors in Information Technology, and am 3 classes away from finishing my MBA. I have my A+, Network+, Security+, Project+, MCTS Windows 7, and ITIL Foundation. Any thoughts? Thanks again in advance!

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imfrom51

This is an interesting subject. I worked with a guy once who had 2 degrees (in IT), PMP cert and a couple of others (can't think what they were). He was working as a level 1 support analyst for at least 4 years. The issue was that, though he had the head knowledge, he couldn't transfer this into practical work (ie: actually doing the work).

So, my advice would be that there is no time frame. If you can (or if you're cheeky think you can (this could backfire on you if you are not careful)) do the work, go for it. If you have someone that is willing to write a recommendation for you, that would help too.

Also don't forget your softskills. Reach out to people on Linkedin

Also, get the degree finished

. I noticed that in 2014 you posted that you only have 3 classes left. This will help you in the long run.

EANx

Not all helpdesk jobs are the same. Sitting in a call center is not the same as being the person who visits customer desks which is not the same as the guy that does mostly helpdesk in a smaller firm but occasionally assists or fills in for the other more senior guy. Stay as long as you are learning in that spot and can afford to do so. Even 20 years later, there are aspects of my early jobs that I still draw on that I haven't seen since.

kiki162

You have already done the work on the college side, now it's time to focus more on certifications. Start with working towards MCSE, and you can also look into the VMWare VCP certification as well. There's a whole forum dedicated to VMWare on here, plus look at (https://vmware.stanly.edu) to complete the class first.

From my personal experience, it took me less than a year from getting my MCSE to getting a sysadmin role. Just keep in mind because you are "entry level" and almost have your MBA, put your MBA on your resume may scare some employers off. Having your BS degree is plenty at this stage, so once you eventually obtain your MCSE, that will be more beneficial for you.

Remedymp

imfrom51 wrote: »

This is an interesting subject. I worked with a guy once who had 2 degrees (in IT), PMP cert and a couple of others (can't think what they were). He was working as a level 1 support analyst for at least 4 years. The issue was that, though he had the head knowledge, he couldn't transfer this into practical work (ie: actually doing the work).

So, my advice would be that there is no time frame. If you can (or if you're cheeky think you can (this could backfire on you if you are not careful)) do the work, go for it. If you have someone that is willing to write a recommendation for you, that would help too.

Also don't forget your softskills. Reach out to people on Linkedin

Also, get the degree finished . I noticed that in 2014 you posted that you only have 3 classes left. This will help you in the long run.

This has more to do with opportunity than ability to perform skills transfer.

imfrom51

Remedymp wrote: »

This has more to do with opportunity than ability to perform skills transfer.

I have to beg to disagree. If you want to move on in your career with the best chance of success, you'll need a combination of skills, luck, people you know, and opportunities. If you just use one avenue, then you'll limit your chances.

(this is just me speaking from my personal experience and what I have seen work)

nathandrake

I stuck around and desktop support a lot longer than I probably should have. I did help desk support for about two years, then desktop support for about eight. One of the reasons was the company I work for paid for my bachelor's and master's degree, so it was hard to leave.

Shortly after I finished my master's degree, I started looking for something else, but my company gave me a promotion to do more admin stuff (SCCM, application packaging, group policies, AD administration, Intune administration). I actually enjoy my job again, as I got pretty burnt out on desktop support. If I could go back and do it again, there's no way I'd stay in desktop support for that long. I'd rather have student loans and progressed my career further.

shochan

I was on helpdesk for almost 3yrs and I had to bail...so glad that I did.

jamesleecoleman

19SEPT is when I kinda sort of got out of the helpdesk role. I'm the only IT person here so I go as deep as I can with things before calling in someone else to help out or implement. I think that doing a few years of what I'm doing now could maybe put me into Windows Server or something in InfoSec later.

2 years in the same role should be enough time, IMO to move up into something. It doesn't have to be another position but it could just be new job duties.

I remember working at a small ISP and not being able to learn how to program phones because I didn't know the billing part that well. I was very bad at the whole billing part and thats one thing that I needed help with the most. I didn't understand that because I would test the DSL modems to make sure they worked... I left that job at about 8 months to go back to Russia and work on language/culture stuff.

My last job helped me transition into what I'm doing now because there was an overlap of skills but there are things that I'm dealing with here that I didn't deal with in corporate IT.

It really sucks when someone is in a helpdesk position and ask to learn how to troubleshoot higher level stuff but get told, "Just give us a call". It's not like jobs are trying to be taken, its just the willingness to learn and be more self efficient before escalating. Even with the certifications, it's a shame that people aren't willing to help others get experience or expand the knowledge that they have.

paul78

I worked about 2 years when I was in school supporting students in computer labs. I really enjoyed user support (there weren't really desktops back then) but I eventually got a part-time job as a software engineer which was what I wanted to do. I think it all really depends on what you like. I have a few friends that made a good career in desktop support. But they work at large corporations in financial services where desktop support is pretty complex. Some support trading desks so it's also pretty high pressure.

gespenstern

In 2001, I was 25 back then, spent 2 years in tech support (users, installing & configuring, office applications, computers).

DatabaseHead

First of all, I found desktop support >>>> help desk. Help desk is brutal, banging out resets and getting slammed because some infrastructure group has no clue what they are doing, yet it's your fault. No thanks.

Did help desk for ~2 years then moved on.

Cheers to those who got out.

TechGromit

Six years, as EANx says not all help desk jobs are the same. I worked as a Computer operator for a year and a Senior computer operator for 5 years for a small casino. I handled all types of user issues, including walking over to the users location. Often when people say help desk, you assume it's someone that is working in a call center taking queued call after call all day long, I never experienced that type of environment. But I'll have to agree, I stayed in that position too long, if I would have maned up and got some certifications early on, I could be a CIO by now.

EANx wrote: »

Not all helpdesk jobs are the same. Sitting in a call center is not the same as being the person who visits customer desks which is not the same as the guy that does mostly helpdesk in a smaller firm but occasionally assists or fills in for the other more senior guy.

7255carl

I did support for about a year and got promoted on the back of my CCNA

broli720

Great question. As some have stated, not all help desk positions are the same. I provided desk side support for a large engineering company when I first got out of college, 2 months into the job i was doing sys admin work half the time. I later took on some network administration duties as well, but was still considered support. My help desk position evolved and my year 2 and 3 I was also doing security related tasks as well and the support side became less and less a component of my job. I wasn't officially out of that role until year 3.

Remedymp

imfrom51 wrote: »

I have to beg to disagree. If you want to move on in your career with the best chance of success, you'll need a combination of skills, luck, people you know, and opportunities. If you just use one avenue, then you'll limit your chances.

(this is just me speaking from my personal experience and what I have seen work)

Oh, I am not calling you out. I am simply saying that, A person with a PMP on a L1 help desk, had to have some sufficient amount of hours involved in project management to earn that certificate. Same with CISSP. To have two IT degrees and a PMP and other certs and only be stuck on L1 help desk/desktop is a bit of contradiction, technically speaking..

Now a person with two IT degrees and certs being stuck in an L1 position because they can't transfer knowledge has a lot to do with opportunity.

I mean, how do you gauge that individual skill set without putting them into a practical situation?

MitM

I also stuck around desktop support a lot longer than I thought I would/hoped. Probably 4/5 years at a senior/executive level.

Looking back though, it was a great experience. It made me a much better server/network admin

markulous

I didn't get out officially until about 2.5 years into my IT career. Although, the last role in the timeframe was a JOAT and included network/systems admin and security. I'd get out when you can.

Tremie24

In the same situation, been desktop support going on year 3, and I'm itching to get out. I can't really move up or take on anything new. I'm working on my CCNA and MCSE right now, once I save up some more money I'll go back to school for my bachelors. In my experience 2-3 years in Tier 1 role is probably good enough.

crip1087

Thank you everyone for all of the replies! It definitely gave me a lot more clarity reading about others' experience in this situation. To explain a bit further, my current role is a Desktop Support Analyst at a University. I support roughly 1500 administrative employees spread out across 4 domains. I do everything from imaging machines, Basic AD, troubleshooting hardware/software for desktops/laptops/tablets/smartphones. Troubleshoot Multi-Factor authentication/VPN. Manage other equipment such as printers, scanners, conference room equipment, providing customers with quotes for new equipment, patching cables, network/internet connectivity troubleshooting.

Our Desktop team is about 8 people, but the IT department I'm in has over 400 people across different teams (System Administrators, Network Engineers, VoIP team, Cloud/Storage/DataCenter team, Programmers, etc.). I already spoke with a couple different managers of different departments about possible transfers once I put a little more time in (2-2 1/2 yrs of Desktop exp). The good news is that I got very positive feedback, and one of the managers asked that I speak with him again so we can engage in some cross training (encouraged by the university). The path I was looking to go down was more of System Administration/VMWare/AWS.

GreaterNinja

I've done Desktop, Helpdesk / Service Desk, Desktop Engineer, Systems Administrator, Systems Engineer over the years.

To make systems administrator or engineer, you typically need one or more of the following:
RHCSA, RHCSE, MCSA, MCSE, MCP (Installing, configuring, maintaining Windows...blahblahblah), CISSP, CISA, CISM, CEH, Linux+, VCP, CCNA, CCNP, and 2-5 years experience in IT operations.

Probably the easiest way to become a systems admin or engineer is to specialize in a niche technology or operating system such as VMware, CentOS/RedHad, Debian/Ubuntu, Windows 2012/2016 server, Storage Clusters, CCNA/CCNP. In particular, I find linux images and virtual machines pretty interesting.

Cardboard

I've been doing desktop support assignments for around 5 years. All contract jobs, never hired normally anywhere. I never did help desk phone support, always hardware support and end user support, imaging PCs, etc. I wouldn't be good in a phone support job and would not take one.

I've applied for better jobs and interviewed for them about a dozen times in the past year, but never got hired, even with my CCNA. Frustrating to say the least.

MitM

crip1087 wrote: »

I already spoke with a couple different managers of different departments about possible transfers once I put a little more time in (2-2 1/2 yrs of Desktop exp). The good news is that I got very positive feedback, and one of the managers asked that I speak with him again so we can engage in some cross training (encouraged by the university). The path I was looking to go down was more of System Administration/VMWare/AWS.

This is exactly how you want to approach it. Continue doing desktop support with a positive attitude, and eventually move into another department at your current employer. This is the easiest way to move over and gain experience.

LeBroke

Never really did it.

My first official IT job, they never expected anything more than helpdesky route tickets and replace hard drives type stuff, but I was working a graveyard shift at a data centre, so I was able to troubleshoot a lot of client issues before ever bumping it to anyone (really, only having to call people in for complex network issues), and got to work on a few cool projects (like implementing Cobbler for the entire DC). Quit it after about 8 months because I couldn't do graveyards anymore.

Second job was about 50% Linux sysadmin 50% helpdesky application support, but I got out when they started to overload me with helpdesk stuff. Was there for about 10 months.

Now a DevOps engineer and doing pretty well except when it comes to complex code stuff. The downside is, I have a line of like 3-4 people at my desk at any given moment in time. But I'm implementing (and designing) a lot of high-visibility projects like moving our non-prod to AWS (admittedly, consultants did a lot of high level architecture for the first few months, but everything since then was on me), building out our application stack via config management, and my current project is implementing our first true CI with scaling build agents in the cloud.

In the end, it all came down to being too lazy to commute downtown (about 1.5 hours away) for a desktop support job that paid about $2 more than the graveyard data centre job where I ended up learning a ton about Linux and had a lot of spare time.

Skryblz

Still working as Desktop Support/Administrator, 1 year done but I don't plan on leaving soon. Really depends on the place, I am the onsite IT support for an entire school district and I love my job. Before starting here I turned down several call-center deals that were closer to me and similar pay. Could not imagine just staring at a screen and talking into a headset all day; did that when I sold aftermarket truck parts years back and was burned out/disinterested within months. I visit different buildings every day, interact with staff and idiot students, and learn new things fairly regularly. Even though my company does not pay that well comparatively, it is low-stress for the most part and is an OK salary while I finish a bachelors and more certificates. I was only planning on staying for a year, but the experience is phenomenal and I will have ample time to study this year. Hoping within the next year to finish my bachelors and look for better opportunities in security!

I think support/help desk is great to give you that push to advance yourself. I knew when getting into this position what the pay ceiling was, I had no intention to become a career technician. Although this school has offered to hire me from my company, which would pay more and have a pension...

Trucido

Here's the thing though, you can't just get out without certifications or other skills. You can't go be a Jr level Network Admin/Engineer/Sys Admin/Security Analyst/ect without experience or knowledge (certs) in those areas. Unless you get really lucky, the only way to "get out of help desk" is to qualify by certifications.

LeBroke

Replying on top of text because if I reply on the bottom of a quote, space seems to be broken.

Not really. You can get out if you can demonstrate knowledge and skills in a certain area. Certifications is just one way to do it. But if you have good knowledge of, say, nginx (even if it's from homelab knowledge but you've used it for anything and everything from proxy to load balancer), by all means, go put it on your resume. If an interviewer asks you about it and you can demonstrate good working knowledge, half the time they won't even ask you about where you got the skills (and just assume it's from work).

The takeaway point should be you need to qualify for the higher level job first. Not think "Well, I've got 3 years of experience on helpdesk. I should be a sysadmin now. Let's hope they'll train me to do everything because I actually don't know how to do it."

Trucido wrote: »

Here's the thing though, you can't just get out without certifications or other skills. You can't go be a Jr level Network Admin/Engineer/Sys Admin/Security Analyst/ect without experience or knowledge (certs) in those areas. Unless you get really lucky, the only way to "get out of help desk" is to qualify by certifications.

thomas_

LeBroke wrote: »

The takeaway point should be you need to qualify for the higher level job first. Not think "Well, I've got 3 years of experience on helpdesk. I should be a sysadmin now. Let's hope they'll train me to do everything because I actually don't know how to do it."

I agree. I had a supervisor tell me once that you need to be qualified for the job above yours in order to get promoted into that job. Although, I don't think you need to have 100% of the skills and that you should always be stretching yourself professionally in order to grow, you do need to have some skills to work from.

Note: I was also having trouble with the Space key. I had to type this up in a text editor and paste it in.

DatabaseHead

thomas_ wrote: »

I agree. I had a supervisor tell me once that you need to be qualified for the job above yours in order to get promoted into that job. Although, I don't think you need to have 100% of the skills and that you should always be stretching yourself professionally in order to grow, you do need to have some skills to work from.

When I first learned of this I was annoyed, but as the years go on I have come to accept it. I was doing senior work while I was a analyst, now I am doing development / architect level work and I'll probably be in this role for 1 -2 years before I get my Architect / Manager title. Just the way it works.....

TechGuru80

I would start trying to advance to System Administrator after around a year. More than likely at that point your job has become repetitive and probably won't change that much in most environments. That doesn't necessarily mean you will get out of your current role but that is a good time to start trying.

Given your current certifications, I would start working towards MCSA Server because you will want it for System Administration work...after you get your MCSA, get your MCSE. Hopefully you don't have to wait until your MCSE to get out but that will basically set you up for success.

With all that being said...if you can't finish your degree at the same time as studying for the MCSA, you need to prioritize that degree and be done with it and then start studying for MCSA.

xxxkaliboyxxx

In the Army took me 4 years to move out of desktop support and then when I transitioned out took me 7 months to move out of the helpdesk.

In the military I had no choice because the Army told me where to go and what position I filled until I tried out for different units and in the civilian world it was hard work into every ticket, right place at the right time and networking. I was able to jump into management.