So, a bit of context.
I work as an Escalations Lead (Ticketdesk) in an ISP/Telco's Tech Support Department. I've been in this role for 15 months, and have done pretty well.
I have a wide variety of work/tasks in addition to Tickets and Escalations. I train all Tier 1 (residential services) and Tier 2 (enterprise/corporate services) agents (equivalent of CCENT material). Document troubleshooting procedures and hardware in our internal wiki. Take part in on-board meetings for mergers or new services, Co-Manage/maintain our KB (knowledge base) server. I really enjoy this variety, and have learned a lot the past 15 months. Prior to this I was a Tier 2 agent.
I also cover for Teamleads now and then, and know their job pretty well.
That brings me to the point of my post. There is a Full-Time Teamlead position opening up, and I'm already being prodded by others to apply for it.
The Teamlead position would come with a shift premium/bump in pay that amounts to about 10% more than I earn now. It would be more responsibility for my shift, as well as some added duties (like watching Nagios, ok'ing employee breaks, assisting agents...). I would also have the joy of taking escalated calls from angry customer's who demand a Supervisor, and be judged on my shift service levels, which as I see it are primarily affected by scheduling and projections (neither of which I have control over). My schedule would be about the same as it is now.
You can probably already see the reservations I have. The pace of the Teamlead job in general means you sometimes only have 2-3 minutes to spend on an issue before you have to make a decision to punt it somewhere or call up someone (and I think this causes TL's to err in judgement sometimes). That time crunch is ok with me for the most part though, as I usually have an idea of what is going on in within 2-3 minutes. However, issues where you need to really look at what's going on, like with a PCAP, I wouldn't have time for...and I tend to really enjoy those issues!
Teamleads also tend to use their 'hard skills' much less than I do, and I think it causes a degradation. They don't get to do the fun stuff like troubleshoot an IPsec tunnel, and regularly seek my advice and guidance. I worry that if I take the job, my skills will erode as well. If I continue to pursue certs, that shouldn't happen though...I hope?
Another thing I really enjoy about my current role is the Test Bench and Training Lab I just got the CEO's approval for. This is a big deal for our department (can't believe we didn't have one until now, and yes other departments like OPs naturally have a test bench), and will help a lot with training. I am nearly drooling when I consider the scenarios I can lab and use as training examples. The possibilities are endless as I am getting demarcation points for our major services, as well as access to any gear I need. I am stoked!
But, if I move to the Teamlead position, will I have time to setup the lab and train agents? Will I have time to test a config or new hardware? I don't think I will, even if management agrees I can continue to work on and manage this project. Maybe I could put in extra/overtime on it... I'd almost be willing to do it for free after hours...almost.
Lastly, as annual raises are ~5% per year (had mine back in May), if I took the Teamlead position I'd be looking at making ~15% more than I do at this very moment, 9.5 months from now. Considering my financial goals and situation... that's a big deal for me.
So here I sit, wondering if I should apply or stick with my current role, which I really enjoy. I don't think either position bars me from further advancement within the company, so my eventual goal of Network or Sys Admin should be possible either way, however I feel that my current role is more technical, while the Teamlead position is more managerial.
I apologize if this stream on consciousness has hurt anyone's head
Any and all input is appreciated.
