Lost-Please Help

I have recently moved to America from England as my American wife wanted to live nearer her family. I love it here but am concerned that coming from a very different environment is going to make it very difficult for me to get a job. Starting again from scratch will be hard to take at the age of 30.

I really want to get back into the world of System/Network Administration (which is where I started out in IT) but I have not been involved in such work for a few years. I am happy to start again as a Junior Administrator just so I can regain lost knowledge. I have not had any responses from jobs I have applied for; however, I’ve only been looking for just over a week.

I have posted my previous experience (taken from my resume) below and would really appreciate any thoughts on where I stand and the types of jobs I should be applying for.

As I said, any advice would be much appreciated. I really have no idea which direction to go in.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Department of Works and Pensions – Pensions Service IT Model Office Testing
System Developer and IT Systems Analyst (December 2005-July 200
• Recruited by business unit that tested all major Government IT initiatives to redesign their system used to record and resolve test findings. Carried out analysis of the paper based structure, then designed, developed and implemented a new MS Access Database driven system.
• Tested, diagnosed and resolved faults within the system which dramatically reduced man hours and increased profits. It enabled many different functional units of the business to access data at one time—turnaround times reduced from 72 hours to less than 1 hour and productivity increased by 1,000%.
• As requested, demonstrated the system to Accenture consultants from another Government organization which led to the back- end design being implemented into their business.
• Provided written operational documentation; developed and delivered product training for end users.
• Following the systems successful implementation, analyzed 50% of the findings that came out of business testing and ensured their resolution—these resulted in millions of pounds saved for the Department.
• Developed the Model Office business continuity plan.
• Produced a promotional DVD that was used as the primary promotional video for the UK’s new Pension Service IT Initiative—viewed by over 50,000 staff.

Department of Works and Pensions – Payment Modernization Program
Relocation Project Manager/System Administrator (December 2004-December 2005)
• Managed the relocation of 2 major Government Businesses and their 200+ staff to new locations. Carried out a detailed analysis of the businesses, their staff and the Windows XP based IT Infrastructure that was in place. Ensured that comprehensive project plans were drawn up, agreed upon and progressed within contractual timescales. Produced a detailed plan of the IT infrastructure requirements for the new building. Ensured all HR related requirements and requests by business staff were met, resulting in 100% customer satisfaction. Developed an internal and external project specific communications plan which ensured all stakeholders were kept informed at all times. Followed project methodologies to carry out risk analysis and produced risk logs etc.
• Directed 10 external contractors, 5 civil servants and acted as the liaison point between them and the businesses - included acting as a mediator between contractors and sub-contractors to settle disputes which ensured that the move was completed on time, on budget, to the agreed standard and without a single complaint. Due to the success of the move and the positive response to my post implementation review, was recruited as a consultant to other businesses involved in similar wholesale moves.
• Reverted back to System Administrator once I had successfully delivered the Project.

Department of Works and Pension - Payment Modernization Program
System Administrator/ IT Support Manager (February 2002-December 2004)
• Spent 6 months working solely as a System Administrator in a mixed Novell/Windows 2000 Domain network environment for a UK government project consisting of 500+ staff. During this time, received intensive in- house training from a specialist EDS administrator team, who were the external contractors at the time.
• Following initial training period acted as the primary administrator in the rollout of a new Windows XP based IT infrastructure—included the replacement of all hardware from servers and switches to PCs and printers. Set up a Civil Service IT Support Team to maintain and continually improve the new infrastructure.
• Administered the environment containing 300 staff spread over 4 separate businesses which was part of a larger 160,000 computer, 2,500 server Windows XP network.
• Managed teams consisting of 3 to 12 staff and successfully carried out the diagnosis and resolution of IT, security and accommodation related issues, consistently exceeding targets by up to 300%. Managed user accounts, groups, passwords and many other tasks associated with a Windows Domain Network environment. Evaluated IT requirements, produced business justification documentation and procured all hardware. Maintained and updated all hardware from computers and laptops to routers and servers etc. Planned and Project managed all internal business moves meeting 100% of targets. Backed up servers
• Designed, developed, implemented and maintained the businesses first IT website and database which dramatically reduced errors and Administrator man hours.
• Planned and managed the implementation of 2 major IT strategies involving over 100 staff spread across 2 business units.
• Produced the business continuity plan.

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Comments

sambuca69

It's all 1's and 0's. You have hands on experience, so I don't personally think your situation is as bad as you think.

andytbellamy

Thanks sambuca69. What kind of positions do you think I need to be applying for? As I said, I don't mind taking a backwards step into a junior position as long as I have the opportunity to re-educate myself. It's my long term career that is my priority.

Thanks again.

skrpune

yeah, I just started studying for my first certification exam when I was 31 and got my first IT job at 32, so don't feel like you're out of the game at 30. You have plenty of experience, and so you're in a pretty good position. The job market is kinda crappy at the moment in the US, but the same can be said for a lot of places in the world right now. But you've got several years hands on experience, which is more than can be said for a lot of folks looking for a job right now.

If you're not averse to it, you can try working some short term or contract jobs at first to gain some experience in the US. You'll definitely get past staffing company filters with a resume and experience like yours. And a lot of folks are going the short term or contract-to-hire route to try folks out before they have to spend the extra money on benefits, insurance, etc. so it might be a good way to break into a company to prove yourself.

And don't get discouraged by not getting a response yet - it's only been a week! Like I said, the economy is a little tough right now and so there are lots of people applying for the same jobs...hiring managers are probably swamped with resumes and it might take them a week or more to wade through the mounds of paper/gobs of emails they're getting.

Good luck!!

andytbellamy

Thanks so much for the responses. It’s the only feedback I have received from IT professionals in the US and gives me a better idea of where I stand.

I wouldn't be at all averse to taking on short term work. The main reason for me having not considered this before is that my biggest handicap is that I’ve been out of system administration for more than 3 years. I’m very confident I have a lot to offer a company but feel it will probably take me a few weeks to get fully back up to speed in terms of technical knowledge.

Does anyone have any thoughts on my applying for Junior System Administrator jobs and how often the positions come about?

MCPWannabe

It will work out. Survey the market; figure out what it takes to be extra marketable.. and then go after it.. If you are truly dedicated, you can move up quite fast.

andytbellamy

Climbing back up the ladder is not too much of a concern to me. The types and level of jobs to apply for to gain the opportunity is my biggest unknown. Reading many of the replies to this thread has given me a little more confidence that I'm on the right track though.

MCPWannabe

andytbellamy wrote: »

Climbing back up the ladder is not too much of a concern to me. The types and level of jobs to apply for to gain the opportunity is my biggest unknown. Reading many of the replies to this thread has given me a little more confidence that I'm on the right track though.

Good point. If I make a point, and you may find this strange.. but, it may be easier to actually get a top level certification (CCNP, CCNA-Voice, MCITP -- Enterprise Server, etc) and apply for a higher level position.

In a bad economy low-mid level positions are always the hardest ones to get because there are so many applicants for each position.

As you get up higher, you will notice fewer and fewer applicants. In some cases, I've seen jobs go unfilled for months because they couldn't find a person. On the other hand, the lower positions require absolute hell to get right now.

With your experience, all you would need would be a good certification to back you up and you would do well.

ComputerJunkee

Welcome to USA. I am currently going through this same battle pretty much. I left the IT industry in 2003, because the jobs were scarce and I was feeling a little burned out. I had a very cutting edge job at the time and although I was a consultant, I was working with the same group for about 3 years. Anyway, my dept was outsourced to a company in Ireland and that was that. I went in another direction and I was in finances for about 5 years. I decided that wasnt right for me, so here I am, and at the start of 2008, I went back to IT.

It was hard to get a job because of the big gap and everyone was on Server 2003, and the last bit of work I had done was on 2000 networks. My MCSE cert is severely outdated, being that it is in NT. So, its been a struggle and I've had to take a couple of short term, and part time deals just to get some relevant experience under my belt.

Now that I'm pretty ramped up and about to take the 291 for my MCSA, I feel like Im being taken advantage of with my pay, but at the time I had to take what I could get. That being said, back on the job market looking for the next best thing.

Sorry that was so long winded but I just wanted to let you know you're not the only one out there.

andytbellamy

MCPWannabe,

Your point doesn't sound strange at all. It makes perfect sense. There also seems to be an abundance of senior positions out there. The main reason I have not applied for such jobs is that I do not believe I currently have the knowledge to deliver in every aspect of the position from day one. It’s not that I do not enjoy a challenge (far from it); it’s that I want to be able to do myself and my employer justice. I considered that in a junior position a short adjustment period would be expected.

I notice that you have a lot of certificates yourself. Do you have any experience attaining certificates whilst not in a position to carry out any practical work? I have been reading MCSE books which have been very useful but I remember procedures being far easier to memorize while carrying out the work.

ComputerJunkee

Thank you for the welcome and please don’t apologize for the length of the reply. The more information I read the better. What type of short term positions did you take on? How were they advertised and what did they involve? Although I have worked constantly within IT for the last 8 years, I accept that to get back into System Administration it likely that I will have to accept a lower position and lower wage. That is not a problem for me because as MCPWannabe said, with dedication it’s possible to move back up quite fast.

Again, thank you so much for the feedback.

ComputerJunkee

My first position only lasted 4 months and they found my resume on Monster, I believe. It was a small company, 1 Network Engineer, 2 Developers, Secretary and Owner. When I interviewed with the owner he understood my situation and he gave me a shot but it was part-time. All he had me doing was monthly maintenance on desktops and servers. I did some remote trouleshooting, PC deployment and an office move but my main role was monthly maintenance.

I left them because I wasnt getting enough hours or experience. I felt like I was being held back. My second position was 100% field tech work on personal PCs and home offices. The pay was great but it was 100% on-call and the work was not abundant enough. I did alot of hardware work, file recovery, and software upgrades.

I left them for the position Im in now. I was hired as Level 1 Desk support but the role has teetered into more Level 2 and Administration which has been good experience wise, but my pay does not reflect the level of work I have been doing. Unfortunately, my contract ended which was 6 months long and now I'm just sitting around waiting for a new contract. It's a small company so opportunities don't seem to come quickly or often.

I've been looking at more desktop support/network admin roles, and they all seem to be paying more than Im currently getting which helps boost my confidence in either getting a better paying role or getting a raise if a contract comes through with the company Im at. Going forward though I think getting the certs upgraded will make us more marketable. As I mentioned before I have my MCSE but its in NT. I have taken the 4 core Win 2000 exams but you dont see that on my resume unless I list all my tests. I have also passed the 70-290 but again, employers arent seeing that. I think once I take the 70-291 (which will be this month) and I put the MCSA on my resume, coupled with the experience over the past year, it should make me more marketable.

MCPWannabe

Andy,

I'll sound like I'm digressing here, but let me go to a point. I remember my 30th birthday quite well. It was probably the most depressing day of my life. I had just finished dropping out of medical school, and I was working for $6.50 an hour.

My mother and little sister decided that I would need a birthday party even though they didn't have much money. My family didn't have much money; in fact, they were/are poor. So, it meant a lot for me that they were doing all that they could for my birthday. They came over, and my mother, sister, and wife celebrated my birthday together. My mother used her savings to buy me a shirt.

As you can imagine, I felt quite embarassed and sad that I didn't have the money to give back.

I went to the library one day and met a guy who was an MCSE. He was making 55K a year and I thought it was amazing. He told me that the key was that he was certified. So, I made up my mind to get certified.

I took my first A+ test and FAILED it. I couldn't believe it. I was devastated, but my wife talked me into not giving up. So, I took it again and passed, and then I took the NET+ test and passed it.

Passing those two tests landed me my highest paying job ever at $16 an hour. I thought I was living a life of luxury when the first check came in.

I then transitioned to Microsoft which was more challenging than CompTIA. I studied hard for 4 months reading a total of 3 books (all except for the right one -- the microsoft resource kit). I took the exam and failed it! But same lesson, I learned from my mistakes.

I haven't failed a test since, but even if I did, it wouldn't stop me.

Furthermore, I just recently put down a $2000 down payment on my mother's new car. For a woman who dosen't have much, she was very excited.

What I'm trying to say is don't let the fear of not being successful on a test, stop you. The most important thing that you can do is study for the test, and FOLLOW THROUGH and take it. Failing a test itself can be a quite valuable experience.

And you will notice within time, that you will have no problems getting a job.