I would like to get an estimate on salary expectations.

My company is currently sending us through a few certifications in order to be compliant with certain regulations. Once I get these certifications though, they will not be paying us any more. Should I look elsewhere? We are getting out A+, Network +, CCNA, and SSCP certs. I have almost three years experience as an operator/tech. Where else should I look and what kind of salrary should I expect?

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YFZblu

Oh, the pitfalls of training your employees

First consider that the type of training your employer is providing you is pretty expensive and a tremendous benefit to you. If I'm on the job market one of the things I look for is a place I know I can grow. So first of all, it sounds like you have a pretty good situation where you're at now. Have you considered asking your management about moving to a more lucrative / higher responsibility job within the company once you obtain those certifications?

Remember, you typically get paid for the job you do, not how much you know - Also remember that once you and the rest of your team get trained, your knowledge is not unique; everyone on your team is certified. So it makes sense that you won't be paid more simply because you passed some exams that everyone else passed too. On the company dime no less.

Oh, and to answer your question: What do you want to do for a living? You'll need to figure that out first before people can tell you where to look.

higherho

I seriously would be so happy if my current company did this for me =/ I wrote a two page justification on why my company should pay for my CCNA exam test and how it will help my role. I quickly got denied =/

m3zilla

higherho wrote: »

I seriously would be so happy if my current company did this for me =/ I wrote a two page justification on why my company should pay for my CCNA exam test and how it will help my role. I quickly got denied =/

I don't know what's worse. The fact that you had to write 2 pages to get your company to reimburse you for the CCNA exam, or the fact that they denied it.

ptilsen

YFZblu wrote: »

So it makes sense that you won't be paid more simply because you passed some exams that everyone else passed too. On the company dime no less.

It makes sense from the employer's standpoint, but this is a short-sighted viewpoint and one of the biggest reasons why there is such high turnaround in IT.

Here's the employee's perspective: I'm worth more on the market now and I can get significantly more money elsewhere. You have to at least come close to paying my market value.

I agree that as employees, we should seek out promotions and responsibility changes for career growth and to help justify salary increases. But at the end of the day, we need to make what we're worth. I would literally be making $20,000 less yearly if I had stayed with employers who paid for certifications but didn't increase my salary accordingly.

The reality is that a successful IT professional who is constantly studying and getting new skills and certifications is going to appreciate in market value more than their employers are usually willing to pay, and as such the best plan is often to move on after a few years. If you can find a company that keeps paying for new training and gives reasonable raises and room for promotion, stay there, because they are rare.

To OP, as far as salary goes, it's a tough question to answer and we don't have nearly enough information. Frankly, we'd need to see your complete, post-certification resume to even get a half-decent ballpark.

drsketch

higherho wrote: »

I wrote a two page justification on why my company should pay for my CCNA exam test...I quickly got denied =/

Wow.. denied for a bootcamp or just the test? If just the test I personally would start looking. Those exams are very cheap. IMO I should be provided relevant books as needed and all exam testing.

I would consider specific requested schooling to be a bonus.

dontstop

chainusmc wrote: »

My company is currently sending us through a few certifications in order to be compliant with certain regulations. Once I get these certifications though, they will not be paying us any more. Should I look elsewhere? We are getting out A+, Network +, CCNA, and SSCP certs. I have almost three years experience as an operator/tech. Where else should I look and what kind of salrary should I expect?

Totally the wrong attitude mate

webgeek

chainusmc wrote: »

My company is currently sending us through a few certifications in order to be compliant with certain regulations. Once I get these certifications though, they will not be paying us any more. Should I look elsewhere? We are getting out A+, Network +, CCNA, and SSCP certs. I have almost three years experience as an operator/tech. Where else should I look and what kind of salrary should I expect?

If you do leave, it will be on bad terms after getting all this training. Not worth it IMHO

kurosaki00

higherho wrote: »

I seriously would be so happy if my current company did this for me =/ I wrote a two page justification on why my company should pay for my CCNA exam test and how it will help my role. I quickly got denied =/

This
Ive only worked in like 4 companies (IT and non IT) but none have paid for my stuff
I wouldnt mind a couple less $$$$$ in my check if they pay for certifications and trainings

When it comes to salary its difficult man
Depends on where you live and hows the market over there right now
Some places (for many reasons) you could find that Developers is the highest paid around, or maybe a System Analyst
Many factors to determine a salary, another example is the Experience. You have 3 years of experience in IT, but believe me 3 years changing passwords is not the same as someone lets say 3 years becoming a Unix Guru
The places Ive Lived, those certs would get you somewhere around 40k I guess? Give or take a few $Ks

mapletune

webgeek wrote: »

If you do leave, it will be on bad terms after getting all this training. Not worth it IMHO

agreed.

leaving on bad terms is like... not really getting much out of the time you had with a given employer. no references at least =(

dontstop

Also you may ruin your chance of using this employer as a reference, i'm not sure the rules in your country about previous employer slander but all he needs to say is "we trained him on x,y,z then he left". After that amount of training i would stay for atleast another 1-3 years as just a sign of respect.

MiikeB

dontstop wrote: »

Also you may ruin your chance of using this employer as a reference, i'm not sure the rules in your country about previous employer slander but all he needs to say is "we trained him on x,y,z then he left". After that amount of training i would stay for atleast another 1-3 years as just a sign of respect.

I'm of a different opinion. The company knows the risk they are taking by providing him with this training and then not paying him more. Odds are this training is on top of his regular duties and may require studying at night, so it is not like he is not having to put any effort in to it. They are not buying him a CCNA.

The company is forcing his hand here. They have to put him through this training and he has to do it and pass or I assume get fired since it is for regulatory compliance. He did not ask to be sent to this training.

ITHokie

chainusmc wrote: »

My company is currently sending us through a few certifications in order to be compliant with certain regulations.

I'm guessng the "certain regulations" are not internal, ergo compliance is to satisfy a customer's requirements. They're not doing this as a favor. At this point, I would just be concerned about actually getting the certs. Once you have them, I think it's fine to determine what your market value is and see if your company is willing to give you a bump or promote you as was previously suggested.

If you find a better opportunity elsewhere, move on. Just make sure you tread lightly and respectfully.