Thoughts on a job opportunity

[GLaDOS]

Hello all,

I have been trying to get into the IT field for about 2 years now. I currently work in the Operations department of an insurance company. I'm expected to move to their IT department in the next month or so, but I have received sparse details on what I could expect. From what I've heard so far, it seems like I may be doing development work earlier on - we are building a new policy administration system. I've been waiting for this move for a while, but am dissapointed in the lack of information I've recieved so far.

However, just tonight a friend contacted me with a potential new job opportunity. I didn't get a chance to get into many of the details yet but so far it sounds like it is remote IT support. The pay could be at par or up to another 5k higher and the commute would be much closer. However, I'm not sure I want to necessarily make a career out of IT support - I'd really love to one day get into IT security, but I'm keeping all options open.

So I guess my question comes down to - is IT support a good first IT job? Is it something that can help lead to new opportunities or is it generally something people make a career out of? I'm more than willing to spend the time to gain the experience, but I just don't want to find myself in a position where I cannot grow in the industry. I would really welcome anyone's advice or thoughts.

I know there's a lot that goes into a decision like this, and I'm still gathering more of the information (i.e. written job description, benefits, company info, etc.), but I would love to hear everyone's thoughts on the IT Support career path. Thank you so much for your help, I greatly appreciate it!!

 

[Lexluethar]

Almost any IT specific experience is good experience. The hardest thing imo in this field is landing that first job, a close second is keeping your skills and certifications up to par once in the field.

Sound like neither are solid locks yet. I personally would pursue both to the point of getting a formal job offer in writing. Up to that point its all lip service.

Once you actually get an offer at that point you can make a decision. If you get an offer earlier from this other company approach your current employer and tell them you are really wanting the IT job here but it seems to be dragging on with no movement.

As for IT support you don't have to retire doing this job. You currently aren't doing any IT work so experience is very important. Get the experience and after a year you want to do something else start applying elsewhere.

 

[GLaDOS]

Hi Lexluethar - thanks that I'm going to do: apply to the second job and just see how both play out.

And thanks for your thoughts on gaining IT experience. I really appreciate it and if this other company makes a good offer I may take that approach - get experience for at least a year and if it's not the type of work I want to make a career out of start looking for other opportunities.

 

[GLaDOS]

So yesterday my company offered me an opportunity to work with the IT Admin guys (there's three of them) doing desktop support (which will be phased out in the next year), helping in the datacenter migration, and working in "the lab" where we set up development environments. Each member of the team is also training to specialize in something (i.e. polycom phones, networking, virtualization) and then we cross-train one another. I was told I'd be able to specialize in Security which would be a big plus.

I've got mixed feelings about the opportunity to be honest. I would definitely like the opportunity to start learning security, but I know moving from my current role to an IT Site Adim comes with a huge learning curve (I know a little bit about desktop support but I don't have the extensive knowledge the other guys do). In addition, the guys who do desktop support are clearly burned out and their boss the CTO is not the easiest person to work for.

I know I ultimately have to make the decision, as this is my life, but I just wanted to get some thoughts from the community here. Does anyone have any similar experiences? I'm 25 now, so I know I'm still early on in my career, but it still feels like a big decision to make. I love the company and want to continue to advance there, but with this move I'd be moving to a whole new department with new bosses and co-workers (moving from Operations to IT). I'd really love to hear anyone's feedback on this. Thank you so much!

 

[Lexluethar]

Depends on what your priorities are, getting into IT or staying in your current role. I think in the long run being in IT will benefit you more, but in your specific situation it will be a rough year or two because of your learning curve and the fact that your new boss sounds like a d1ck. We all work with them, and that's something that definitely should be taken into consideration. I've literally passed up on jobs because the person I would work for looked like a ***** or didn't give a crap about your time (IE work 55+ hours a week). I work to live, not live to work.

Weigh your options, this would be the best case for you to learn IT though, as the learning curve outside of the company you've been working for would be bigger. You already have a head start because you know how the systems interact.

 

[GLaDOS]

Funny how things work out. I was originally slated to work with a Business Architecture team designing a new system. As the last minute they told me I'd be working with the IT Admin team, but would have the opportunity to learn and eventually specialize in Security.

Now after some more discussions, it turns out the reality is they are going to essentially utilize me across different teams. On paper, I'm working with the IT Admin team and that will take priority above everything else. But, as a result of the fact that I've been with the company for two years and have become an expert user on some of our systems, during the down time I'll be working with the Business Architects for one of our major system rollouts and possibly work with the Project Manager on a second major system rollout.

I'm really excited to be able to work across different disciplines and get a variety of experience in IT. I'm hoping it will one day help me narrow down the different IT career tracks and find the best fit for me.

I'm a little nervous about getting over the learning curve that will come with working with the IT Admins. I know how to do basic to intermediate desktop troubleshooting from what I've learned on my own, but I know there's a lot I still need to learn to catch up to those guys. I just need to be careful, because I don't think I want to get boxed in doing Desktop Support as a career. I know people who love and are great at it, but I also see a number of people who get burned out too, and ultimately I don't think I'd want to do that everyday for the rest of my life.

I guess there really wasn't a question in here. I just wanted to give an update of where I was at and see if there was any advice that could be offered. At this point I'm just trying to learn from everyone.

 

[Lexluethar]

Congrats man, great job!