Salary Expectations & Resume Advice

I'm getting closer now to graduating WGU with a BS and I'm going to be getting my resume out there soon to try and land a new position. Should be finished in the next 3 months or so. (FWIW, I'm also planning on obtaining MS degree from WGU)

I'm being paid peanuts right now at my current job, and after years of busting my ass studying for 5 ~ 8 hours on a daily basis and having nothing to show for it monetarily speaking, I want out. Seriously, if I told you guys how much I was being paid right now for the job I'm doing some of you would probably laugh. I spoke to my employer a few months ago about my grievances and it completely fell on deaf ears. They basically said if you want more money you need to move away from this area and find a new job. (there is a severe lack of IT opportunities in this area) I've never had a raise or promotion the entire 4 years I've been with this company. They even cut out bonuses 2.5 years ago and never reinstated them.

I've stuck with this job for the past few years solely because I can study at work in my downtime. So in that sense I've stayed positive by viewing it as if I'm being paid to go to school & work on certs. But like I said, the degree is almost complete and it's definitely time to move on.

My apologies if that's too much information or if it comes off as overly negative, but I feel stressed out, underpaid, and under-appreciated. And the more certs I obtain and the more classes I complete, the more I feel that way.

Okay, so here's my resume. Probably won't send this out until I graduate in a few months, as these last few classes are taking up a tremendous amount of my time and I want to complete this degree ASAP.

So considering my experience, certs, and degree, what is a realistic salary expectation if I'm willing to relocate? I'd be willing to hop over to a neighboring state or to move across the country if necessary. Whatever it takes to get out of this area and start making a real living for myself and my family. (I have a daughter who just turned 1)

I really don't have any sort of reference at this point regarding a realistic salary range.

Also, if anyone has any advice on how to improve this resume, please let me know.

My Resume.pdf

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Comments

sizeon

Maybe WV is not a good market for IT. But based on your experience/certs in NYC you can make $80 - $90 depending on the company.

pramin

How about looking at DC/NOVA?

jthunderbird

With your experience in virtualization, degree and VCA (you should really get on with Stanly CC for the vmware course if you havent already and get your VCP) I would put you at around $70k-100k depending heavily on location.

Put your resume up on monster and careerbuilder and ensure it is open to share (most jobs I have gotten have been from recruiters contacting me about unlisted positions)... if you are open to relocation, there are lots of places just booming with IT jobs. I am in San Antonio and the Rackspace here cant hire enough people, not to mention Austin going crazy with positions too.

Nutsacjac

Move.

Just putting in filler for the post requirement, but it's really that simple. Move.

Akaricloud

In Washington state I'd expect you could walk into a $75-95k position.

TomkoTech

You need to take into consideration that a salary may seem like a boat load of money comparatively when it's really not. Let's say you are making $30,000 a year right now. If you moved to New York city the cost of living is completely dis-proportioned. You would need more than double your WV salary to just live how you live now.

With that said. Looking at BLS data and your credentials, in your area you should be making $55-65k a year. If you aren't making that I would suggest format your resume a bit better and work on your interview skills.

If moving is something you are really willing and able to do, then research areas that interest you. Moving for money isn't a bad thing, however moving somewhere you would enjoy living AND making more money is a great thing. Find somewhere you would WANT to live and then look at the median and base salary info on the BLS website. Put your resume out there, contact recruiters, even take a trip to that/those areas and do some research on the area.

A lot of IT places will do interviews over Skype or other video conferencing software so taking time off to visit before you have the job offer isn't really a necessity.

4_lom

In my area I would take no less than $60k.

srabiee

Thanks for the feedback guys, it certainly helps. How does the resume look? Any suggestions for improving it?

kohr-ah

I think your resume looks good. I dont see you having any trouble finding work at all. It is much nicer than a lot of resumes I have seen and isn't over cluttered.

coreyb80

Your current job sounds much like my old job. I was there 6 years. I had to ask for a raise at year 5 and when I did get it they swore it the 2nd coming of Jesus when it really wasn't much. I remember my old boss telling that I would be successful somewhere else. Once I heard that I was on the hunt and had to exit stage left. Your resume is pretty solid and I wish you much success on your future endeavors.

TechGuru80

sizeon wrote: »

Maybe WV is not a good market for IT. But based on your experience/certs in NYC you can make $80 - $90 depending on the company.

Except that translates into mere pennies in that city. I would think maybe in the $60-80 range depending on the job and location. Higher cost of living areas will be on the higher end and lower obviously in lower cost areas. Also will depend on the job but remember...higher pay doesn't always mean more money (example NYC).

jdballinger

Come north to Pittsburgh. There are a ton of jobs in this area. Are you open to moving?

hell911

@OP
That's some bunch of certifications. On which path are you going to enter? *curious*

srabiee

jdballinger wrote: »

Come north to Pittsburgh. There are a ton of jobs in this area. Are you open to moving?

Definitely open to moving. We are hoping to stay in the vicinity of WV due to our families living here (surrounding states), but really we are prepared to move anywhere in the county if necessary.

hell911 wrote: »

@OP
That's some bunch of certifications. On which path are you going to enter? *curious*

sys admin\sys engineer\virtualization engineer. Focusing on Microsoft and VMware for now, maybe Linux and Citrix down the road. Also want to become more of an expert in Exchange, and maybe Lync and Sharepoint as well.

thenjduke

I actually like your resume and in the Tri-State area expect to make 80k to 100k depending where you go. I moved out of that area as it is way to expensive. I would suggest Atlanta or Texas markets right now.