Moving sideways?

I recently have had a job offer working for a nearby company as a Junior IT Technician. It will pay about 19.50 an hour. Job description:

This person would be handling first level/tier one troubleshooting involving Windows troubleshooting, microfiche issues, handling trouble tickets, escalating higher tiered issues, helping with issues related to scanners and other peripheral equipment.

I do all of this at my current job and I do more. However, at my current job, there is no room for advancement. I am a Help Desk Specialist who they have also used as a Field Tech, but without the promotion. As much as I enjoy my current job, I am looking to move up in the field. I feel as if there is nothing more to learn from my current position.

This other position pays better, and I am told it will come with some project management experience. They also have a Tier 2 support that works closely with project managers and SQL servers, programming, and Windows Servers. The recruiter says that the last person he hired got promoted within his first year, but I've learned to take recruiters at face value.

Part of me feels I should hold out and keep applying for a higher paying/higher skill-level sort of position, but the recruiter said that he feels I still have plenty of room to grow before I reach the level of a Jr Admin (from what he has seen). I only have about three years of experience in the field and am working through my four-year degree at the moment.

How do you folks feel? Sideways step? Step in the right direction? Worrying too much too early in my career? :P

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Comments

Jon_Cisco

If your still in school and happy with where you are then what you probably need to consider is stability.
I would be inclined to take it for the additional learning experience but there are a lot of personal things to consider that probably outweigh the career advancement right now.

Good Luck!

edgar2387

Honestly there is nothing like the opportunity to learn something knew and add to your personal knowledge base, I think its great you want to grow and learn new things, it does suck when your employer either doesnt want you to because your probably doing to much of a good job at your current position or maybe they really dont have nothing right now, IT is in too high demand for your to settle thought so, think about this really hard and not just to yourself, but with your family, remember, opportunity is once in a lifetime

I am a Systems Administrator now, and I started as technician, I loved it, enjoy it, but once you pretty much master it, it because lesser of a challenge and you tend to get bored more and more often, thats just me brother, at the end of the day, this is about you, the ball is in your court,

Raisin

Three years of experience is enough time for you to move up to a tier two position. Recruiters don't care about your career they just want to fill whatever position that happens to be open at the time. If he had a Jr Admin position that needed an immediate back fill, he'd probably be telling you that now is the moment to move up in your career.

Your priority right now should be moving off of tier one. A few years looks great on a resume, but after awhile you start to look like a loser if you don't advance.

jibbajabba

Sideways .. I moved jobs sideways for a while and as a result I ended up working for those companies shorter and shorter, making it look bad on my CV / resume.

Bottom line is, unless your opportunities are mentioned in the contract, I'd take them with a pinch of salt. Every time I thought I learn more I ended up doing the same thing, and let's face it, there is a reason you were looking for something else, and when going sideways, that something is unlikely to change.

And never listen to recruiters .. they do whatever it takes to place you in order to get the commission .. The best thing you can do is asking the your future boss, which you should have an interview with eventually, what the options for you are.

Bear in mind - and that has happened to me twice - Just because he says today you can move up in a year, doesn't mean there is still a position to move up to in a years time.

Don't want to sound too "glass half empty" - just make sure you got everything covered .. Besides, if hiring managers insist that you can move up in a years time - there is no harm in putting it in the contract

(which they never do

)