Wages?

[Sahjin]

Hey guys I'm just looking for some input here as far as to what I should be making. I started a job as tech at this computer shop on a 3 month probationary period at $8 bucks an hour, which is fine because it's my first job in this field. Now the 3 months is going to be up soon and I really need more money, but more importantly I need to know how much I should be earning. Here are some factors...
-High traffic area, we keep pretty busy
-I started with my A+, nearly completed computer science degree, and good personal experience, but no work experience.
-I'm good at customer service.
-I get frequent compliments from my boss.
-I can solve most, but not all problems.
-They're talking about opening another shop in the future and I know they need to keep employees.

Now I'm really hoping he doesn't see $10 bucks as a good raise since that's what I was making at my last cooking job, and that felt like I was back in high school. I know our other 2 techs do well since they've been there like 3 and 5 years, but I don't really want to ask them or even know what they make. So what do you think I should ask for? Thanks for any feedback.

 

[KSoD]

You wont get much more than $10. Since you dont have a degree yet, and have only the work experience from this job there isnt much ground to ask for much more.

I can tell you from experience that this field is all about work experience. I have over 15 years of PC experience at home and have had several certifications. A+ and Net+ included. Still i was not able to even find a job in my area.

The one that i find weird is you said you get frequent complaints from your boss? Do you meant you dont? Or is it that you get complaints from the boss about something else?

Being good at customer service is a plus. But not being able to solve all problems yourself kinda negates that fact. As you can talk to the customers but if you dont know how to fix the problem yourself then the task must fall on someone else to do it and they may already be doing something else which will cause that job to take longer than it should.

Just some input.

 

[Lexluethar]

Working at a local shop you probably aren't going to make a ton of cash. LIke you said it is about experience and experienced techs that have been at the same company probably make good money, but someone new in the field, no degree and only one certification (A+ would be probably the lowest when comparing the entire spectrium of certifications) probably won't make a lot.

It is tough to judge what you should be making as every market is different. When I lived in Springfield MIssouri I would make about 10k less than I do in Kansas City for the same type of job. So market is a big determining factor as well.

You are probably going to be the best judge because you know what techs make in your area, you know roughly how much the shop makes (or at least makes on an average customer).

If you believe you should be making more money they ask for it, if they don't give it to you go to another company. Assuming you live in the US it is a free country and an open market - if you feel you are underpaid ask for more money or go to another company.

IMHO with little experience at a local shop (in which a tech would make less money than doing desktop support at a corporation) you probably aren't going to get a lot more than $10. I mean think of it this way. You are only up for a 90 day evaluation, do you really think they are going to give you a 25% raise after 90 days? Think of it as percentages and you'll get a better grasp of what you will get in a raise. Don't think of it as 'well i'm only making 8 so 10 isn't that much more' - think of it as that being a 25% increase in pay, which is EXTREMELY HIGH.

 

[Sahjin]

Mak, that's compliments, not complaints.

Yeah 8 to 10 is big percentage wise, but 8 is like...nothing. Like I said I was making 10 as a no experience cook at a sports bar before. I'm in decent area in metro Atlanta, the guys at geek squad here start at 10 even.

Oh well maybe I'll ask for 11, end up with 10 and keep focusing on other certs and my degree. Thanks for the replies.

 

[DoubleHelix]

Wages are a function of supply and demand. There are millions of people available to do basic tech support jobs, so they will not command high salaries. The fact that you made $10 an hour as a cook is irrelevant. The problem is that you believe there's something inherent in technology jobs such that they should pay more. There isn't. The skills are a commodity that many people either posses or can obtain quickly and easily.

If you want to make more money, you'll have to obtain more desirable and elite skills. If you posses a unique ability to meet a company's specific need, you'll be able to earn more money than someone who just has a basic skill set.

Have you noticed that basic tech jobs are either being outsourced to third world countries for a fraction of what they cost here? Or they're being performed by immigrants more than happy to earn minimum wage and live in communal situations?

Entry-level tech jobs today are the equivalent of entry level manufacturing jobs of yesterday. Some people just haven't accepted that yet.

 

[KSoD]

Sorry your right. Blasted speed reading. XD

Helix is right though. Basic Tech jobs are a dime a dozen job. Dell has how many outsourced? Even Microsoft has a call center in India.

I mean just look at this site. We do basic and sometimes in depth support all for free. Cant expect a entry level tech position to pay much when there are many ways to get the same service for less price.

 

[wafflehammer]

yea..don't expect a big pay. I know you have more training than a usually min-wage job..but with this field you have to have experience and an education.

Only advice that I can give is to complete that computer science degree...

 

[Peter.Cort]

It also depends on what kind of work the company does. Like if all the company does is in house work, like end user repairs then you're not as likely to net more money even if it's pretty busy. Chances are there are other computer repair shops in the area so you're company needs to aggressively price their services which then makes it so there's less surplus blah blah blah I'm sure you don't need me to tell you about the economics of a business. BUT! if your company just does end user repair then there's probably less money for wages as they are trying to competitively price their services. I don't mean to brag here, but at my last job where I was a computer tech I was upgraded to $10 an hour after a few months of working there. The thing is that I was a high school Junior at the time with no prior work experience and a good knowledge of computers. One reason why I believe I was paid so much is that the business I worked for did only minor amounts of end user work. We maybe did 20-30 computers a week when it was busy and probably 20 max during slow times which I'm sure you know isn't a whole lot and isn't nearly enough to cover expenses, but our company did all the server maintenance and work for 2 companies and the town so there was a lot of money coming through there. So I think a lot of it is diversity of where the money is coming from, also the location. Big city jobs that are like middle of the road will net you less than the same job in a lower population area, in my opinion at least.

 

[Sahjin]

I understand what you guys are saying. I guess it's just frustrating that I've spent years studying only to make crappy pay that will barely keep a penny-penching bachelor afloat. I'm going to finish my degree...soon as I can get myself somewhat out of debt. Thanks again though.

 

[Harper]

Working at a local shop you probably aren't going to make a ton of cash. LIke you said it is about experience and experienced techs that have been at the same company probably make good money,

Very true. First IT Job I was at was poor pay. However it was the experience that I was after. When it comes down to IT later on in life, employeers normally look pass the certifications and look more at what experience you have.