Fresh grad, low job offer.. need advice.

I graduate in two weeks with my BBA in M.I.S. I have been sending out resumes non-stop for the past few weeks and recently I got a series of interviews with a healthcare IT service company. The job title was Systems Analyst 1 but really it's a help desk support job for their clients (IE: remote desktop and fix some garbage), but still it's one of the few jobs that have been posted in Memphis, TN in the past 3 months that don't require 2-5+years of IT experience. The company is new, only been around since 2004 and has since grown from 13 employee's to 84 and is pretty much doubling every year.

I was very excited when I went in for the interview b/c it's probably one of the nicest office suites i've ever been. I went to two interviews with the second one being with the CIO and CEO of the company who grilled me for about an hour and a half. I shrugged it off after I left the second interview b/c after looking at the sign in book I saw that they had interviewed around 15 people for the first round of interviews and 7 for this final round and I figured my lack of IT experience outside my degree would count me out.

Well I got a call friday from the operations manager saying that they loved my enthusiasm and felt that my interpersonal skills were top notch and that he would be e-mailing me a job offer later that day for me to review over the weekend.. so i'm immediately super excited... then the job offer came in...

21k/yr annual salary-OT exempt. I was baffled, Memphis is a very low cost of living city but still 21k almost made me upset considering how well the company is doing and that the job, although entry level, still isn't something that just anyone can do. I sent the operations manager an e-mail saying I was very interested in the position but the salary was below what I was expecting and asked if we could negotiate into the 25-28k range at least.

He replied back saying that he discussed my request with the executive team and that they have 21k budgeted for this position and since it's entry level it wouldn't be fair to the other candidates who have the same experience level as me. Then he said that they don't do your typical annual review and depending on performance most systems analyst get their salary adjusted after 90 days and that they still are very interested in me and hope that I take the position.

I'm not sure what to do. It pays $10/hr if it's a 40hr work week but since it's OT exempt they could potentially work me more and I would be making minimum wage ($7.25 here in memphis). During my second interview the CEO kept reiterating about how 70% of their employees started out in the position I was applying for and their were a ton of opportunities to learn and advance if I had the drive to take them. I like the company but I feel like i'm being taken advantage of in the fact that there's NO entry level IT jobs in Memphis and they know that if I don't take the position someone else will. It does come with good benefits and I really enjoyed everyone I met but the salary is 9k lower than the minimum I expected to start out. I can get a freakin management trainee job at walgreens or enterprise and start at 31k/yr.

For you experienced folks, should I suck it up and take it? Since raises are percentages of your current salary i'm guessing that it would take me 1 1/2y-2yr's to make it up to 30k before moving on to another company or a better position within this company.

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Comments

Forsaken_GA

If you've got nothing else on the hook, I'd go ahead and take it, better to start building your experience sooner rather than later. I wouldn't stop looking for a job in the meantime. But I think you'll find that alot of longtime IT folks spent a couple years doing bottom barrel jobs for low pay. We all pay our dues one way or another

stephens316

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

If you've got nothing else on the hook, I'd go ahead and take it, better to start building your experience sooner rather than later. I wouldn't stop looking for a job in the meantime. But I think you'll find that alot of longtime IT folks spent a couple years doing bottom barrel jobs for low pay. We all pay our dues one way or another

Agreed, Plus I believe there is no income tax in TN unless I am wrong. I would take the job asap if offered and work there for a year and then see where things are.

njxbean

I agree. if nothing better comes along take it. My first job out of college was a desktop support role that paid 27.5k. And thats in the NYC area! I took it however because i wanted to get my mac skills up. In addition, i was able to get experience working with everything. Lucky me, a month later, the main IT person left and i was left to run the show. The job paid me terribly, but i gained a wealth of experience at allowed for a big pay raise a year and a half later.

Worst case scenerio, you hate it, you can look for another job while there.

Dryst999

Yeh there's income tax... I went to a calculator online to figure out what my paycheck would be a week after taxes and it comes out to $341. Only upside is that I get full benefits that won't be taken out my check. Memphis is cheap, I have a nice two bedroom apartment with a friend and it's only $750/month split between us so I can live off this low salary... barely. It sucks b/c i've had two management internships in college that both paid more than this job, but I guess you guys are right I really have no choice. I don't want to do any sort of retail management and the MIS program here focus's alot more on the business side than the technical side unlike some other colleges so I guess i'll just have to suck it up and bend over.

In the past few hours since i've written this post I have came to the realization that I can either go management route and start as an MT at some random company and forget about IT, keep searching for a few months for another entry level IT job that will probably only pay $3 or $4 more per hour, or give up on life and apply to the only other IT option available the Best Buy Geek Squad.

I guess I should stop crying, at least I got an offer =(

Hyper-Me

That is pretty insulting.

My first IT job ever started at 18$/hour in TN. Granted that was a little high for a first job but 10$ an hour is like a slap in the face.

You could make that in a call center or flipping burgers.

Kasor

Experience..... is the key. Get the job and continue to look for better one

Turgon

Dryst999 wrote: »

I graduate in two weeks with my BBA in M.I.S. I have been sending out resumes non-stop for the past few weeks and recently I got a series of interviews with a healthcare IT service company. The job title was Systems Analyst 1 but really it's a help desk support job for their clients (IE: remote desktop and fix some garbage), but still it's one of the few jobs that have been posted in Memphis, TN in the past 3 months that don't require 2-5+years of IT experience. The company is new, only been around since 2004 and has since grown from 13 employee's to 84 and is pretty much doubling every year.

I was very excited when I went in for the interview b/c it's probably one of the nicest office suites i've ever been. I went to two interviews with the second one being with the CIO and CEO of the company who grilled me for about an hour and a half. I shrugged it off after I left the second interview b/c after looking at the sign in book I saw that they had interviewed around 15 people for the first round of interviews and 7 for this final round and I figured my lack of IT experience outside my degree would count me out.

Well I got a call friday from the operations manager saying that they loved my enthusiasm and felt that my interpersonal skills were top notch and that he would be e-mailing me a job offer later that day for me to review over the weekend.. so i'm immediately super excited... then the job offer came in...

21k/yr annual salary-OT exempt. I was baffled, Memphis is a very low cost of living city but still 21k almost made me upset considering how well the company is doing and that the job, although entry level, still isn't something that just anyone can do. I sent the operations manager an e-mail saying I was very interested in the position but the salary was below what I was expecting and asked if we could negotiate into the 25-28k range at least.

He replied back saying that he discussed my request with the executive team and that they have 21k budgeted for this position and since it's entry level it wouldn't be fair to the other candidates who have the same experience level as me. Then he said that they don't do your typical annual review and depending on performance most systems analyst get their salary adjusted after 90 days and that they still are very interested in me and hope that I take the position.

I'm not sure what to do. It pays $10/hr if it's a 40hr work week but since it's OT exempt they could potentially work me more and I would be making minimum wage ($7.25 here in memphis). During my second interview the CEO kept reiterating about how 70% of their employees started out in the position I was applying for and their were a ton of opportunities to learn and advance if I had the drive to take them. I like the company but I feel like i'm being taken advantage of in the fact that there's NO entry level IT jobs in Memphis and they know that if I don't take the position someone else will. It does come with good benefits and I really enjoyed everyone I met but the salary is 9k lower than the minimum I expected to start out. I can get a freakin management trainee job at walgreens or enterprise and start at 31k/yr.

For you experienced folks, should I suck it up and take it? Since raises are percentages of your current salary i'm guessing that it would take me 1 1/2y-2yr's to make it up to 30k before moving on to another company or a better position within this company.

Take the job. The important thing right now is to be in the game. If anyone gets laid off next year it may be a longtime before they work again.

rwwest7

For having zero experience I would take what I could get. Once you start working there and show them what you can or can't do I'm sure you'll move up or down the ladder accordingly. Welcome to the work force!

tpatt100

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

If you've got nothing else on the hook, I'd go ahead and take it, better to start building your experience sooner rather than later. I wouldn't stop looking for a job in the meantime. But I think you'll find that alot of longtime IT folks spent a couple years doing bottom barrel jobs for low pay. We all pay our dues one way or another

Pretty much what I am thinking. My first IT job paid 29 a year and this was during the .com boom. The economy sucks right now, take it bust your butt, learn what you can, get a few certs and move on when you get the chance.

networker050184

I agree with the majority here. Take it and gain the experience, but don't stop looking for bigger and better things.

Firemarshalbill.com

I have to agree with just about everyone, the economy is in the tank, the pay is low, you are entry level (not familier with Memphis except that rib place across the street from the Radison hotel) - take the job, be a good employee, learn everything you can, study for certs. See if they have tuiton refund and get more education etc.

AND KEEP LOOKING FOR A JOB

The upper end of IT can pay pretty well it just takes time and experience

BEST OF LUCK TO YOU

ULWiz

If you have no experience and just a degree you definately need to take the job.
Learn as much as you can and like some said start studying for the certs that interest you.

sambuca69

Dryst999 wrote: »

I graduate in two weeks with my BBA in M.I.S. I have been sending out resumes non-stop for the past few weeks and recently I got a series of interviews with a healthcare IT service company. The job title was Systems Analyst 1 but really it's a help desk support job for their clients (IE: remote desktop and fix some garbage), but still it's one of the few jobs that have been posted in Memphis, TN in the past 3 months that don't require 2-5+years of IT experience. The company is new, only been around since 2004 and has since grown from 13 employee's to 84 and is pretty much doubling every year.

I was very excited when I went in for the interview b/c it's probably one of the nicest office suites i've ever been. I went to two interviews with the second one being with the CIO and CEO of the company who grilled me for about an hour and a half. I shrugged it off after I left the second interview b/c after looking at the sign in book I saw that they had interviewed around 15 people for the first round of interviews and 7 for this final round and I figured my lack of IT experience outside my degree would count me out.

Well I got a call friday from the operations manager saying that they loved my enthusiasm and felt that my interpersonal skills were top notch and that he would be e-mailing me a job offer later that day for me to review over the weekend.. so i'm immediately super excited... then the job offer came in...

21k/yr annual salary-OT exempt. I was baffled, Memphis is a very low cost of living city but still 21k almost made me upset considering how well the company is doing and that the job, although entry level, still isn't something that just anyone can do. I sent the operations manager an e-mail saying I was very interested in the position but the salary was below what I was expecting and asked if we could negotiate into the 25-28k range at least.

He replied back saying that he discussed my request with the executive team and that they have 21k budgeted for this position and since it's entry level it wouldn't be fair to the other candidates who have the same experience level as me. Then he said that they don't do your typical annual review and depending on performance most systems analyst get their salary adjusted after 90 days and that they still are very interested in me and hope that I take the position.

I'm not sure what to do. It pays $10/hr if it's a 40hr work week but since it's OT exempt they could potentially work me more and I would be making minimum wage ($7.25 here in memphis). During my second interview the CEO kept reiterating about how 70% of their employees started out in the position I was applying for and their were a ton of opportunities to learn and advance if I had the drive to take them. I like the company but I feel like i'm being taken advantage of in the fact that there's NO entry level IT jobs in Memphis and they know that if I don't take the position someone else will. It does come with good benefits and I really enjoyed everyone I met but the salary is 9k lower than the minimum I expected to start out. I can get a freakin management trainee job at walgreens or enterprise and start at 31k/yr.

For you experienced folks, should I suck it up and take it? Since raises are percentages of your current salary i'm guessing that it would take me 1 1/2y-2yr's to make it up to 30k before moving on to another company or a better position within this company.

In my opinion.... Right now you've got people with twice the experience you have having a hard time getting a job, and the hardest thing for those starting out in IT is gettinig that first job.

Does the pay suck? Sure does.

Are they taking advantage of the situation? You bet!

However, you are not bound to stay here forever. You can accept, and still look. Who knows, maybe at year end they realize you are an asset and give you a hefty jump in salary.

You will be simply amazed at what having some experience will do to your future paychecks.

keenon

agreed, My first IT job was 10hr which was back in the 90s considering cost of living i would be looking at min 12.50 hr starting out.. otherwise as stated you could get a non-IT job and make 30k+.

hard call, experience and/or salary

have you considered looking outside of TN?

qwertyiop

That sucks but if I were you I would consider taking it since it will lead to something better. My 1st IT job was a workstudy position at my school and it paid $10\hr then I got a payed internship paying $12\hr but I did learn alot about working in a server environment and networking. Now I'm making $20\hr as a net admin

I would choose experience over salary because you can get a entry level IT job @ $10\hr, work and study hard and before you know it you could be making more than you would have with that boring retail management position.

laidbackfreak

Tend to agree with everyone else here and say take the job, however it might be an idea to see if you can get some kind of training budget out of them, pay for any exams you pass etc...

At the end of the day it's a foot in the door but only you know what the market\demand is like for your area if your confident on picking up another role soon then you have a real choice right now it's easy ... make a little money and get real world experience or dont !!

I know which I'd be taking.

Aldur

There's nothing more disheartening then getting all pumped up for an interview, having it all go very very well and then in the end getting offered something that is way below then the minimum of what you expected.

You've got the skill, you've got the knowledge, but you're lacking the experience. Any company will see you as a gold mine that they can exploit for pennies on the dollar, and sadly they are right.

But keep in mind that you are taking advantage of them as much as they are taking advantage of you. You'll be getting valuable experience and you'll be able to move on and make the money that you need/want.

I started off in IT making about 30k/yr, the job was incredibly hard and extremely stressful. Even though I didn't have any IT experience I excelled past my peers who had loads of exp. This was always frustrating to me because they'd be making twice as much and they'd be doing 1/2 the work. Fast forward a few years later and I was able to move on to a job that I love, is normally low stress and ended up paying almost 4x as much as I started out at my first job.

My point being that how far you'll go and how much you'll make is up to you. The pay may suck now but take this time to learn and increase your marketability and it'll all work out in the long run.

MentholMoose

Dryst999 wrote: »

He replied back saying that he discussed my request with the executive team and that they have 21k budgeted for this position and since it's entry level it wouldn't be fair to the other candidates who have the same experience level as me. Then he said that they don't do your typical annual review and depending on performance most systems analyst get their salary adjusted after 90 days and that they still are very interested in me and hope that I take the position.

That's just part of the negotiation process. They want to pay as little as possible, so they will have excuses ready (only X dollars budgeted, not fair, promised increases/promotions, etc.). You have to be a tough negotiator and know what you're worth. Do the other candidates have the same degree, from as good of a school? Do they have XYZ skills and qualities that only you have?

Check employment websites on how to negotiate offers, and do some research on the market to back up your requested increase. Do you know anybody else that does this job, and can you get their salary range? Check salary.com and other websites. Go to your school's career center and get help.

Good luck!

shodown

so many ways to look this.

1. Jobs are hard to find now so any hits is better than none.

2. Are you going to be able to pay your college debt if you have any. From how you listed 10 dollars a hour you might not be able to make it.

3. Let them know that we all have a right to make a decent living and give him what the going rate is in the area.

4. If you have to take it, have a exit plan. I have worked with a lot of people who didn't have exit plans and have stayed in dead in jobs for years.

5. Use your off time to cert up as fast as possible.

Dryst999

Thanks for the advice guys. I went ahead and went to the office today and took the position, even if the pay is shitty i'm pretty sure I can do the job in my sleep. The MIS program at the school I went to focused a ton more on business skills than tech skills so sadly there were no certifications offered in the curriculum like most schools.

I bought the Sybex 2009 A+ guide and i've scored over 80% on all the practice tests without reading a page, so I plan on studying and getting that cert first in a few weeks since it'll be a breeze, net+ before summer then spend the next year trying to finish the MCITP which my new boss said the company will pay for.

Quick resume question, the official job title I'm hired under is "Systems Analyst 1" however all the responsibilities of the job are help desk related. Should I put systems analyst on my resume since that's my job title or will that reflect negatively to other employers since all I'm really doing is IT Helpdesk work.

Kujo

Dryst999 wrote: »

Thanks for the advice guys. I went ahead and went to the office today and took the position, even if the pay is shitty i'm pretty sure I can do the job in my sleep. The MIS program at the school I went to focused a ton more on business skills than tech skills so sadly there were no certifications offered in the curriculum like most schools.

I bought the Sybex 2009 A+ guide and i've scored over 80% on all the practice tests without reading a page, so I plan on studying and getting that cert first in a few weeks since it'll be a breeze, net+ before summer then spend the next year trying to finish the MCITP which my new boss said the company will pay for.

Quick resume question, the official job title I'm hired under is "Systems Analyst 1" however all the responsibilities of the job are help desk related. Should I put systems analyst on my resume since that's my job title or will that reflect negatively to other employers since all I'm really doing is IT Helpdesk work.

Definitely go with "System Analyst I". Good luck.

veritas_libertas

Kujo wrote: »

Definitely go with "System Analyst I". Good luck.

+1 That sounds much better than Help Desk Technician.

Start working on some certifications while you are employed with them and you should be in a good position to push for more pay or find a better job next year.

laidbackfreak

veritas_libertas wrote: »

+1 That sounds much better than Help Desk Technician.

Start working on some certifications while you are employed with them and you should be in a good position to push for more pay or find a better job next year.

+2 added to the fact that is your official title so when\if you need a reference there are no discrepancies

And makes sure you take full advantage of all training availeble to you it's amazing what that's worth

MeanDrunkR2D2

Good to hear you took the position. Yes, the pay absolutely stinks. But right now it gives you experience which you desperately will need to help get yourself qualified for positions that are more in line of what you were expecting.

Myself, I graduated 4 years ago and have that much experience, however when I was laid off earlier this year it was a nightmare finding any position and interviews were far and few between. Things are better, and I am working now. However it's a seasonal position that pays me little. I haven't paid this little since the 90's. Not to mention that they pay me hourly, and frequently send me home early. I have yet to put in more than 30 hours in a week even though it's a "full time" position.

Basically if helpdesk calls aren't coming in the second you are off the phone, they will send people home. They are a large company and treat employees like a number with no face.

But take it and get your experience then move upward with them if they are fair in pay for higher level positions, or move onto another company when the opportunity arises.

blargoe

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

If you've got nothing else on the hook, I'd go ahead and take it, better to start building your experience sooner rather than later. I wouldn't stop looking for a job in the meantime. But I think you'll find that alot of longtime IT folks spent a couple years doing bottom barrel jobs for low pay. We all pay our dues one way or another

+1. That's about where I started out.

7lowe

It sucks, but you made the right choice. I'm in the same boat. I graduated in Aug. and had no luck finding a job and got offered a temp to hire position at a help desk. It only pays $11.30/hr and have a min. 1 hr. commute each way. After gas and travel time I'm probably making less than min. wage.

But, I figured it's better than the nothing I was making and it'll give me a little more experience and some contacts. Plus, everyone always says it's easier to find a job when you already have one.

7

dps

Glad you took the job! The job market sucks right now and I know a lot of people, my friends, that have been laid off this year - myself included. I got a new job after 4 months of intense job searching but that's another story.

I started out in IT back in the Philippines and I was earning about $200 A MONTH working for 48 hours A WEEK. Forsaken_GA is right in saying we all pay our dues one way or another.

Good luck. Build your experience and show them what you got.

JoJoCal19

Dryst999 wrote: »

Thanks for the advice guys. I went ahead and went to the office today and took the position, even if the pay is shitty i'm pretty sure I can do the job in my sleep. The MIS program at the school I went to focused a ton more on business skills than tech skills so sadly there were no certifications offered in the curriculum like most schools.

I bought the Sybex 2009 A+ guide and i've scored over 80% on all the practice tests without reading a page, so I plan on studying and getting that cert first in a few weeks since it'll be a breeze, net+ before summer then spend the next year trying to finish the MCITP which my new boss said the company will pay for.

Quick resume question, the official job title I'm hired under is "Systems Analyst 1" however all the responsibilities of the job are help desk related. Should I put systems analyst on my resume since that's my job title or will that reflect negatively to other employers since all I'm really doing is IT Helpdesk work.

You definitely made the right choice by accepting the position. With this job market entry level jobs are few and far in between and competition for them is fierce. Take what you can get.

Youre also in the right mindset of starting to knock out certs. Like others have said, have an exit plan or youll get stuck. Also Im sure you can knock out the A+ with a month of study and probably the Network+ with a month or two of study. Also I would probably mix in the CCENT/CCNA too with your MS studies as that will round out your knowledge.

Since your degreee focused more on business thats a good thing. Study for the CAPM project management cert and the Six Sigma Green Belt. That would really work in your favor down the road.

RouteThisWay

As most of said, good job on taking the position. Experience is key.

I am also in the great state of TN, just on the East side

And I started out doing basic desktop support for $7.00/hr 3 years ago. One year ago, I found a new job doing Desktop support, mixed in with some server administration/networking, and jumped up to $33k/yr. After about 6 months, I asked my boss what set me out from the other applicants. Experience, degree, and certs. I had all 3 (even if my experience was limited). It showed that I was willing to learn, and wanted to learn. I was taking my career seriously.

Don't be afraid to take a better job, but.. while you are there, get as much experience as you can.

One piece of advice I always give, is ALWAYS update your resume as you complete projects. You may not run into alot if you have a specific role, but many places (including my job) have a small team that are handed multiple projects. I work on many at one time lol. But if you don't record your projects/experience as you do it, you will let them slip through the cracks. And you don't want that! Then if you go to apply for a job, cut/slim the experience down to custom tailor to that job (i.e, if applying for a network job... leave on that you helped upgrade the IOS on 12 of your switches, etc, but you can cut how you made your bosses coffee right. lol, you get my point).

We are interviewing people this week for a sys admin position, and it is kind of funny being on the other side of the table. You can see AlOT of mistakes people make in interviews, lets you see what not to do lol. And a custom tailored resume always impresses us more than someone who seems to have a generic mass forwarded resume.

Turgon

Dryst999 wrote: »

Thanks for the advice guys. I went ahead and went to the office today and took the position, even if the pay is shitty i'm pretty sure I can do the job in my sleep. The MIS program at the school I went to focused a ton more on business skills than tech skills so sadly there were no certifications offered in the curriculum like most schools.

I bought the Sybex 2009 A+ guide and i've scored over 80% on all the practice tests without reading a page, so I plan on studying and getting that cert first in a few weeks since it'll be a breeze, net+ before summer then spend the next year trying to finish the MCITP which my new boss said the company will pay for.

Quick resume question, the official job title I'm hired under is "Systems Analyst 1" however all the responsibilities of the job are help desk related. Should I put systems analyst on my resume since that's my job title or will that reflect negatively to other employers since all I'm really doing is IT Helpdesk work.

Well done on accepting that position. Many people wanting that first break just can't get it. Forget the pay at the moment and get as much exposure as you can because your IT Professional clock just started running and every day is vital!

Congrats again.