Dell in Nashville, TN

rdzdubz · March 2014

Wassup Guys/Gals, I was wondering if anyone here is employed by Dell in Nashville, TN? I have an opportunity to work on the Army Enterprise Service Desk there and wanted to see if anyone is already on that project or works at Dell in Nashville, TN?

From what I gathered, Dell will put me through 4 weeks of training. During that duration, I will be receiving on the job training and training for Sec+, Wins7, and ITIL within those 4 weeks provided all by Dell. The pay is definitely above average for Nashville cost of living, so I am thinking about moving back to TN and taking the job.

I have a wife and 2 kids and VA has alot of opportunities that I receive to move on, but this opportunity in Nashville keeps calling my name, lol.

All thoughts/opinions/suggestions are welcome for a "what would you do" type of situation. I believe this position will catapult me out of Help Desk and allow me to learn more desktop support/network/security stuff all in one, so that I can hopefully move up within Dell or specialize in something within IT, in case Dell goes sour, I can move to something else with about the same pay rate in TN and not be forced to move back to VA.

thenjduke · March 2014

I do not work for Dell in Nashville but I do live in the Area and work for a Medical Firm here.

JasonIT · March 2014

I also live in the area and work for a service provider. My step-sister work for Dell in Nashville though. She likes it a lot. She is not in IT though, rather Sales I believe.

J

--chris-- · March 2014

Would you be a contractor?

I dont live in TN, but I do contract work for Dell. I imagine the setup is similar and the only real changed would be the SLA established by the client, but even then I think the whole work flow would be similar.

We have to account for every hour of every day via job codes/incidents/tasks that are tracked in service now and registered with Dell in changepoint weekly. Aside from that little bit of paper work, its been a great experience with them.

Will they be paying your exam fees after the four weeks?

Plantwiz · March 2014

Dell does/did have a support area in TN, and those were some of my favorite reps to work with. Then we were switched to OK, and while the people were nice, OK folks do not operate at the same speed as people in the North.

They do tend to keep people a while, so I can only imagine that plays into the type of work environment they have...good luck!

White Wizard · March 2014

Didn't realize we had so many members in the Nashville area, I'm about 2 hours from there but go down there quite a bit.

I thought Dell had a hiring freeze?

If it were me, I'd take it.

omi2123 · March 2014

hey rdzdubz, we have a dell here in OKC & i'm planning on getting in there as soon as i finish my MCSE 2012 server......just wondering what ur position is called & how much do they start with if u already have certs like net+, sec+ , ccna, mcse ? I'd be greatful if u can inbox me or tell me in the forum if u don't mind & feel okay......thank u

cd9000 · March 2014

Somebody sent me the link to this thread because I just started this exact gig at the beginning of this month.

You'll be a civilian contractor for the Army, complete with CAC and everything. You get 4 weeks of training, which consists of required training that the Army sets forth, going over various common issues and troubleshooting techniques, and shadowing techs that are already on the floor.

Seeing as how this is in direct support for the Army, it's not your typical help desk. You're supporting soldiers, civilians, and contractors working for the Army. Take that as you will...

As far as I know, everybody starts with a 4 month contract. If you do well when you hit the floor, which is calculated by a very specific set of metrics, Dell will typically make a perm offer 60-90 days into the 4 month contract (depending on who your recruiter is).

They do pay for your certs. You are required to get Sec+, ITIL, and either MS 70-680 or 70-685 (your choice) within 45 days.

Personally, I'm enjoying it so far. Granted, I've only finished up my second week of training, but it seems like a decent start. I would say to go for it.

As for the hiring freeze, these government contracts are not affected the same way.

rdzdubz · March 2014

Sorry for late response guys, but thanks for all the replies.

I'm being brought on by as a temp to hire company for Dell. No benefits, no PTO, nome of that stuff...just straight pay. Then, when I get hired on, I will become a Dell employee. I know the contract is up for re bid in November of this year...you can already see other companies like SAIC bidding for this same contract. I doubt dell losses it, since the army does alot of business with them, but you never really know...anything can happen.

CD9000 - Do you feel like they are actually resolving issues or just creating tickets? I will be hired on as a tier 2 tech, but I'm afraid it will be a glorified tier 1 position where I'll just be creating tickets and not actually resolving issues.

Back In 2010, I worked for SRA and they were apart of this same contract supporting army (AESD) and it was managed very badly by SRA and they lost contact after 2 years. We couldn't remote into users PCs, no rights to do anything...just create tickets and escalate them and I didn't learn anything. I'm hoping Dell is not the same way and it seems like they are more structured and have a way better training program.

Northern VA has many positions, but this dell one seems like a good deal, but I'm unsure. If the 4 week training is good then it is definitely worth it, and for the fact that it is forcing me to get those 3 certs, that is also a big plus. Hard decision indeed.

CD9000 - are you actually learning skills that would benefit you in the future? Or is it just another helpdesk?

Sorry for not replying to others who commented. Im On My Phone And Will Reply To The Others Who Asked questions when I get to tablet or PC.

rdzdubz · March 2014

thenjduke wrote: »

I do not work for Dell in Nashville but I do live in the Area and work for a Medical Firm here.

How is traffic in the area? I am looking to move just outside of Nashville, but I dont want to be too far. I used to live in Clarksville TN, but the commute is over 50 miles from Clarksville to the Dell building. Rent is cheaper in Clarksville, but when you add the gas money, it's all the same...so Im thinking about moving just outside of Nashville, but not as far as Clarksville. I've never driven longer than 30 miles 1 way to work, so If I was to move to Clarksville, then it would be ~110 miles a day to and from work. If there is alot of traffic going into and from Nashville during traffic hours, that could turn into a long trip and alot of gas money.

rdzdubz · March 2014

JasonIT wrote: »

I also live in the area and work for a service provider. My step-sister work for Dell in Nashville though. She likes it a lot. She is not in IT though, rather Sales I believe.

J

That's good to know, Im glad she enjoys her employment at Dell. I went on glassdoor.com and looked at the recent reviews from Dell employees and it seems as though they dont like the reorganization that is going on, but if you work hard and want to move up, Dell will provide the necessary training to make that happen.

In my current company, I have been on the same contract as a Senior Help Desk Consultant supporting proprietary applications of the Treasury department. I learned alot at this job, but since the applications are all in steady state (no longer in development/roll out stage) I'm not learning anything new anymore...it's becoming stale and I don't want to get too comfortable, because the pay is worthy enough for me to stay there for a year or more, but I dont want that to happen because I will not be learning anything new. I searched within my company, but no cigar...there are just other help desk positions or other positions that are in IT, but not what I'm looking for.

If I choose to stick and go to Nashville, I hope I will enjoy my stay at Dell, just like your step-sister.

rdzdubz · March 2014

--chris-- wrote: »

Would you be a contractor?

I dont live in TN, but I do contract work for Dell. I imagine the setup is similar and the only real changed would be the SLA established by the client, but even then I think the whole work flow would be similar.

We have to account for every hour of every day via job codes/incidents/tasks that are tracked in service now and registered with Dell in changepoint weekly. Aside from that little bit of paper work, its been a great experience with them.

Will they be paying your exam fees after the four weeks?

Yes, I will be a contractor on the AESD contract for Dell. First, I will be temp to hire through a staffing angecy, and then after 4 months, Dell will hire me as an employee. The staffing agency provides benefits, but they are pretty crappy, the recruiter suggested I try healthcare.gov, but I've never used it before...I will try and see what prices look like on there and see how that goes. They are paying more $/hr, since there is no Holiday pay, PTO, 401k, so I am not worried too much about that...it will only be for upto 4 months anyway.

The staffing agency Im going through has a pretty bad rep on glassdoor.com, but with this contract for Dell...it seem's like if you do good, they will keep you. Im not worried about being unable to perform on the duty, so I think this will be a good risk to take (in regards to going with a staffing agency). I am going from a Full-Time employee with good benefits into a new state AND a staffing agency that will provide no benefits during my 4 month or sooner temp period with. The pros seem to outweigh the cons, I just need to be sure that the pros that Im being told from recruiter from temp. agency / Manger on the contract I did phone interview with, are what they say/how they say they are. 4 weeks of good hands-on training and 3 paid-for certificates is a good deal. I was gonna take Sec+ this weekend since mine is up for expiration, but I think I will wait so Dell can pay for it.

rdzdubz · March 2014

Plantwiz wrote: »

Dell does/did have a support area in TN, and those were some of my favorite reps to work with. Then we were switched to OK, and while the people were nice, OK folks do not operate at the same speed as people in the North.

They do tend to keep people a while, so I can only imagine that plays into the type of work environment they have...good luck!

Thats good to know. I have noticed that there are alot of people who've been at Dell for 5+ years. If the work environment is good, and gives me the ability to move up provided the training the employee reviews said that Dell offers to their employees to advance their careers and move up within the company. It should be a great opportunity and a risk worth taking to move from Northern VA (Government Central, but hight cost of living) to Nashville (cheaper cost of living, but I dont see alot of IT positions, in case something happens with Dell contract or layoffs).

The best way for me to decide is to get a feel for what people within the area feel about job security, whether they work for Dell or not, it is all good information to know. If I was single or if it was just me and my wife, then I would do it because the risk is not gonna be that high. Having 2 kids involved, I want to ensure it will be a good move. My gut tells me that it will be good risk to take, but im gonna do more than usual research that I do when moving from one company to another.

rdzdubz · March 2014

omi2123 wrote: »

hey rdzdubz, we have a dell here in OKC & i'm planning on getting in there as soon as i finish my MCSE 2012 server......just wondering what ur position is called & how much do they start with if u already have certs like net+, sec+ , ccna, mcse ? I'd be greatful if u can inbox me or tell me in the forum if u don't mind & feel okay......thank u

I inboxed you.

thenjduke · March 2014

rdzdubz wrote: »

How is traffic in the area? I am looking to move just outside of Nashville, but I dont want to be too far. I used to live in Clarksville TN, but the commute is over 50 miles from Clarksville to the Dell building. Rent is cheaper in Clarksville, but when you add the gas money, it's all the same...so Im thinking about moving just outside of Nashville, but not as far as Clarksville. I've never driven longer than 30 miles 1 way to work, so If I was to move to Clarksville, then it would be ~110 miles a day to and from work. If there is alot of traffic going into and from Nashville during traffic hours, that could turn into a long trip and alot of gas money.

This really depends where you are from and what you consider traffic. I originally came from NJ and traffic there for norm was 15 miles at least a hour each way. I am in work from where i live which is about 20 miles in about 30 mins and that is with traffic. There can be bad days when a accident happens due to the fact that the law here is that when you have emergency vechile on the side of the road you must be out of that lane.

White Wizard · March 2014

Traffic isn't that bad, it's a two lane highway until you get into nashville and they have construction going on as well so traffic could be better. I would definitely get a place in nashville. I've seen alot accidents on 24, not to mention all the deer out here as well.

cd9000 · March 2014

There is a very limited amount of resolving issues that we can do because of the simple fact that we are based in Nashville and OKC, and we are supporting the entire CONUS army. But, we do have many issues that are considered resolvable and it's our job to troubleshoot and resolve them. If there's something that a tech needs to physically do, we create a ticket and their local NEC takes care of it.

We do have remote pc assistance. We're also "supposed to be getting Bomgar soon".

I'm not sure how many actual skills I'll be learning from this, besides the certs. However, I feel like it's a very good stepping stone.

If you're already comfortable in your area and can find a comparable job, then I'm not sure I would try to convince you to move your whole family down here for this one. On the other hand, I'm glad that I did and feel like it's somewhere I'll be happy with.

Regarding traffic: I live 38 miles away and the drive is 45 minutes. It's really not a bad commute.

tprice5 · March 2014

rdzdubz wrote: »

How is traffic in the area? I am looking to move just outside of Nashville, but I dont want to be too far. I used to live in Clarksville TN, but the commute is over 50 miles from Clarksville to the Dell building. Rent is cheaper in Clarksville, but when you add the gas money, it's all the same...so Im thinking about moving just outside of Nashville, but not as far as Clarksville. I've never driven longer than 30 miles 1 way to work, so If I was to move to Clarksville, then it would be ~110 miles a day to and from work. If there is alot of traffic going into and from Nashville during traffic hours, that could turn into a long trip and alot of gas money.

I lived in Clarksville and worked at Fort Campbell as a SysAdmin for Cordev for 2 years. Cordev also staffed the helpdesk prior to the transition to the Army outsourcing the contract to Dell. Assuming the responsibilities transition 1:1 then you will likely be doing a lot low level stuff. I am not sure where you are in your career but if you have been in IT for more than 3 years or so then this will likely be mind numbingly boring. That being said Nashville is a hot spot for IT and it might be a good spring board. It is such an awesome city! I can't wait to get out of this sandbox and home to watch my Predators and drink some Blackhorse beer (Clarksville brewery).

As for commuting from Clarksville, it really depends on where you are at within the city. If you live off exit 1 then it could take an additional 20 minutes between getting to the interstate and the additional miles on the interstate. if you live right off exit 11 then it isn't too bad. Clarksville isn't the only option for commuting to Nashville. Springfield/Robertson Co., plus plenty of suburbs around the city.

rdzdubz · March 2014

thenjduke wrote: »

This really depends where you are from and what you consider traffic. I originally came from NJ and traffic there for norm was 15 miles at least a hour each way. I am in work from where i live which is about 20 miles in about 30 mins and that is with traffic. There can be bad days when a accident happens due to the fact that the law here is that when you have emergency vechile on the side of the road you must be out of that lane.

I'm currently in northern VA, close to DC (about 20 minutes away) and during rush hour 20 mins can turn into an hour+ to 2hrs. Traffic can make or break a decision of accepting a job offer and the majority of offers I get, that are good, are in freaking DC. I had no issues with traffic when I was living in Tennessee, so I wouldn't mind going back JUST for that reason lol.
Ive been in VA for 3 years and i wouldn't mind staying, but if I had a chance to jump back to TN, then I definitely would.

rdzdubz · March 2014

White Wizard wrote: »

Traffic isn't that bad, it's a two lane highway until you get into nashville and they have construction going on as well so traffic could be better. I would definitely get a place in nashville. I've seen alot accidents on 24, not to mention all the deer out here as well.

Yea, I know all about the deer. Them mofos come out of nowhere in Tennessee lol. I will look in the surrounding areas of Nashville to see if I can find a spot to rent.

rdzdubz · March 2014

cd9000 wrote: »

There is a very limited amount of resolving issues that we can do because of the simple fact that we are based in Nashville and OKC, and we are supporting the entire CONUS army. But, we do have many issues that are considered resolvable and it's our job to troubleshoot and resolve them. If there's something that a tech needs to physically do, we create a ticket and their local NEC takes care of it.

We do have remote pc assistance. We're also "supposed to be getting Bomgar soon".

I'm not sure how many actual skills I'll be learning from this, besides the certs. However, I feel like it's a very good stepping stone.

If you're already comfortable in your area and can find a comparable job, then I'm not sure I would try to convince you to move your whole family down here for this one. On the other hand, I'm glad that I did and feel like it's somewhere I'll be happy with.

Regarding traffic: I live 38 miles away and the drive is 45 minutes. It's really not a bad commute.

ok, thanks for the info. I think I will keep moving forward with the dell position and look for something else in the area. If not, I may end up staying here. I will try and see if I can squeeze some more $/hr from my recruiter and if I can, I will make the move no matter what.

rdzdubz · March 2014

tprice5 wrote: »

I lived in Clarksville and worked at Fort Campbell as a SysAdmin for Cordev for 2 years. Cordev also staffed the helpdesk prior to the transition to the Army outsourcing the contract to Dell. Assuming the responsibilities transition 1:1 then you will likely be doing a lot low level stuff. I am not sure where you are in your career but if you have been in IT for more than 3 years or so then this will likely be mind numbingly boring. That being said Nashville is a hot spot for IT and it might be a good spring board. It is such an awesome city! I can't wait to get out of this sandbox and home to watch my Predators and drink some Blackhorse beer (Clarksville brewery).

As for commuting from Clarksville, it really depends on where you are at within the city. If you live off exit 1 then it could take an additional 20 minutes between getting to the interstate and the additional miles on the interstate. if you live right off exit 11 then it isn't too bad. Clarksville isn't the only option for commuting to Nashville. Springfield/Robertson Co., plus plenty of suburbs around the city.

yea, that's what I am afraid of. I don't want to go there and then not learn anything, I would stay here in VA if that was the case, but I am going to look at what else is available in Nashville.

i have been in IT for 4 years (1 at SRA, 1 at man tech, and almost two years at Akimeka) and for Helpdesk, I believe I am at the salary cap. I can either go for help desk team lead position and make a little more or work in DC, which I am trying to avoid. I believe I'm in a situation where my salary grew faster than my experience...so I'm trying different methods to get my experience caught up.

I have a face to face interview on Tuesday to be a one man corporate IT guy for a small company called eglobaltech for 20-30 people and they will provide training so I can be able to perform one man desktop support for that group of people. Even though I don't have much desktop support experience, I think it will be a very challenging position since I will be by myself and have to figure **** out myself for any issues that arrive and I don't know how to resolve. Crash course into some good experience and I welcome the challenge. It will pay more and be way more experience. I'll have to wait and see what happens with the interview...if anything I will use it to try and squeeze more $/hr from the recruiter of the dell position, if I move.

thenjduke · March 2014

rdzdubz wrote: »

Yea, I know all about the deer. Them mofos come out of nowhere in Tennessee lol. I will look in the surrounding areas of Nashville to see if I can find a spot to rent.

There is a lot of deer and he is right about the two lanes but they are trying to widen the highways.

tprice5 · March 2014

thenjduke wrote: »

There is a lot of deer and he is right about the two lanes but they are trying to widen the highways.

Widen I-24 from Clarksville to Nashville? This is news to me.

thenjduke · March 2014

tprice5 wrote: »

Widen I-24 from Clarksville to Nashville? This is news to me.

Oh no not that way but I was talking about the 40 sorry.

rdzdubz · March 2014

well, Im going over to Nashville this weekend. Not sure if I will be driving or flying...havent decided yet. I declined the interview for eglobaltech and will take the leap of faith and go back to Tennessee for this Dell position.

Huge risk, but I believe it is worth it. Butterflies all in my belly

tprice5 · March 2014

Good luck, buddy. +1 to send you some good vibes.

rdzdubz · March 2014

+1 right back at ya', Tprice.

Thanks for all the info. guys. This board is great!

rdzdubz · March 2014

CD9000 - I am unable to send you a private message. Do you mind if we speak in regards to the position? I had a couple of questions and wanted to see if I could reach out to you through email or phone just to get a little more background of position, if you dont mind.

rdzdubz · March 2014

Looks like I will be moving from VA to Clarksville, TN on April 4th to start at Dell. I found a townhouse that is close to Exit 11 and test drove the commute and it is 50 miles but i got there in 40-45 minutes...the commute is amazing. I live in VA and work only 20 miles away from my job and it takes me the same amount of time, but the traffic here is ridiculous. If anyone on this board is already at the Dell building on this contract, it would be awesome if I could speak to you in regards about it. I dont think CD9000 is apart of this board any longer.

tprice5 · March 2014

rdzdubz wrote: »

Looks like I will be moving from VA to Clarksville, TN on April 4th to start at Dell. I found a townhouse that is close to Exit 11 and test drove the commute and it is 50 miles but i got there in 40-45 minutes...the commute is amazing. I live in VA and work only 20 miles away from my job and it takes me the same amount of time, but the traffic here is ridiculous. If anyone on this board is already at the Dell building on this contract, it would be awesome if I could speak to you in regards about it. I dont think CD9000 is apart of this board any longer.

Congratulations, man! Where is your town house located? Also be careful on the 76 connector; that is the road you turn onto when taking exit 11. There have been some pretty gnarley accidents there, though, I hear it has gotten better since they installed the traffic signals.
I highly recommend going to Jazz on the Lawn once you get settled in. It is a music/community event at the local winery. HERE is the link to their site.
Also I am not sure what kind of hobbies you are into but if you are into cycling there are some clubs to ride with. Used boats can be had for < $5,000 if that's what you are into. Definitely go to Blackhorse and get a Red/Vanilla ale mix. Trust me.
Clarksville is a great town. I know you had mentioned you lived their previously but I thought I'd mentioned a few things to get you off your feet.

Dell in Nashville, TN

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