Senior Member
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Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: TX
Posts: 1,196
Real Name: Daniel
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: TX
Posts: 1,196
Real Name: Daniel
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I'm probably gonna step on some toes with my opinion, but here goes.
I don't have near as much experience as some other people who have posted on here (about 8 years) but in my opinion, if you're looking to get into general IT (like helpdesk support), then DON'T go to school. You won't learn much of anything there that you can't figure out quickly for yourself, and you'll waste a lot of money in the process.
Stick with the CompTIA certs, and get a couple years experience under your belt. Then, use that experience to work your way up to bigger and better things.
Once you have a couple years under the basic HelpDesk scheme, start looking into working for a MSP (Managed Services Provider). Pretty much, these are companies that contract themselves out as IT guys for other companies. You'll work with a team (usually not too big), so you'll have help strengthening your weak areas without having to reply on internet forums too much.
You'll get a lot of experience with ALL SORTS of environments.
The MSP I work for works mainly in the medical field (dentists and opticians), but we also work with clients in advertising and manufacturing. Hell, we manage the CC Cameras for the underground tram at the Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. So I'm all over the city, and I'm never bored.
To the people who say that IT guys never get time off; that's not true. You just have to have standards that you will stand up for about what's expected of you. I do work some overtime; that is inevitable. But on average, I work less than 50 hours a week, usually less than 45.
We have rotating on-call weeks, and the on-call guy keeps his phone on him on the weekends and after hours, just in case, but any real work is rare.
Working overtime is usually a result of poor planning on someone's behalf. If your boss gives you a project after hours, then let him know that you'll take care of it when you get into work the next day. If he insists, reassess how important this particular job is to you.
If a client calls or e-mails, see how urgent it is, and let him know that if you address it now, there will be an extra after-hours fee, versus you handling it at 8 the next morning.
I work hourly, and would not have it any other way in this industry. When I work overtime, I make time and a half. I work set hours (plus a bit of overtime), but I'm in charge of arranging my own schedule (maintain communication with my team, of course) so as to not waste time. I do random overtime projects a few time a year (software upgrade, etc) and I can expect a nice hefty bonus in my next paycheck, because of the overtime. We just did an O365 migration for a client a few weeks back, where I remotely worked off and on over the weekend (and still had time to spend with my wife), and I made nearly $1000 extra because of this.
When you're interviewing for a job, the hiring manager should tell you what's expected. He'll tell you how you're paid and what hours are expected of you. I agree, if the pay is salary, with random overtime, think long and hard about accepting. If the pay is hourly with more or less set hours, you're probably pretty safe. He won't force too much overtime on you, because he won't want to pay you more.
That's not to say that you can't make good money with an MSP. I have consistently maintained my own personal goal for the past 4 years that I've been here, and that is to make at least $1/hr more than my age. I'm currently making $3.5/hr more, so it's going great.
Last edited by AntleredRuin; 08-31-2018 at 08:45 AM.
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