Money doesn't buy you happiness

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Well all of you will know about my new job...Im doing what appears to be 1st line helpdesk support for a financial banking company earning £140 a day.

However, this is not the case...it turns out (after a week of being there) that its more admin based than IT.

I dont get to look at servers, look at active directory, check on back-ups, create new user accounts, remote onto machines or anything like that.

Instead what we do is we check the system for any tickets the users have logged and we deal with them...they can be anything from resetting passwords, to unlocking accounts to deleting users and that really is about it.

I do not feel challenged at this job and I also like I was bullied into this job when they offered me the money.

Add this to the fact that it takes me 1.5hrs to get to work and to get home (3hrs in total!!) and I am practically sleeping both at work and at home and I have nothing else to do. I got better things to do in my life.

So I have decided I will be leaving this job either to the end of the contract (6th June 2007) or get another job. And speaking of another job...the agency who offered me the job in Newcastle rang me this morning...turns out there is another 1st line helpdesk job at the college up here paying £100 a day, and it includes everything I was doing at my last job and more: hardware rolluts, building PCs, networking (that to me is pure heaven!). So I said listen, I am work on Monday so if they want me for an interview I will go. Also the people at the University still want someone for the out of hours job (remember this one?) paying £80 a day. Now imagine doing both jobs together? £180 a day and I will be laughing!

So I will be waiting for a call back in the next couple of days regarding both jobs and if all goes well its bye bye to banking company and hello IT again.

Question to all of you, if u were offered a lot of money for a job you thought was what you wanted but turned out it wasnt what would u do?

 

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It depends on the cash involved, if I was offered £180 a day to do basic admin jobs I would do it.

If some stupid company wants to pay me a lot to do nothing then thats their fault.

I would go to the job and catch up on my studies for more certs and keep an eye out for the job I want to do.

 

Sorry to hear that Noel! I'd start looking elsewhere!!

What you mention above - the duties - is more a 2nd line position. I haven't heard of 1st liners building PCs, rolling out hardware and networking??? Are you sure the agency aren't pulling yer leg on that description?

Good luck mate!

 

Thats all well and good but I didnt get sacked from an IT company to be sat doing some sort of Admin work...I didnt pass the A+ to do admin, I didnt learn computers to be doing admin work...I want to be in an IT environment and progress my skills further whilst doing more certs...thats why I did my A+ in my last job, cos it was the right time and I was in the right job...

plus this job im doing now...im not going to learn anything I wont be gaining any IT experience...if anything I am going backwards when I want to go forwards, thats my aim...my foot is in the door and I plan to open that door wider not have it shut back in my face again...

Yes money can be everything but when someone practically bullies you into a job and bribe u with more money I would start asking questions...

 

lol well they didnt say it was 1st line I just assumed it was...but hell I can building PCs with my eyes closed so it shouldnt be a problem...plus I will be gaining more and new experience and skills...its all I ever asked for...

 

Well if you take my position at the moment, I have studied IT since I left school in 93 its all I have ever been good at.

Technology wise I could programme a VCR to record programmes before I could do my 6x table and could program in basic before I was 10

I was basically lied to by the company I work for at the moment. I wrote to them in 2000 asking for any IT jobs they invited me for a job interview said I would be given a support roll in 4 weeks if I did the job I am doing now as they urgently needed someone to fill it. They guy who offered me the job left 3 weeks after I started and I have been doing the same thing ever since.

I would have left sooner but I had a very very large debt to pay of which I will be cleared by march next year so due to the financial problems I had which meant I couldnt look further a field for a job (as there are not many IT jobs were I live) I had no choice but to stay in the job.

But at the moment I am being payed for 36hours a week but only doing about 8 hours work although I am staying in the work place for those 3 12 hour shifts.

I am at work at the moment I have been since 5pm I have an hours work to do but cant leave till 5am but if theyre paying me for that then so be it

 

Ouch...well I admire you for you sticking it out and yes I know what its like to be in debt...I am too...im paying mine off but I still want to be in a IT based environment...I enjoyed it my last job...and at times it feels like im back in a call centre...and same thing as you they urgently needed someone to start...in the interview I was told I might start on Monday...when I got the job the agency said I will be starting thursday and I was at the interview on the wed and then when i turned up they were like well ur not due to start until Monday...but I guess it didnt matter...but as I say I will probably see the contract thru then I will leave...otherwise if these other jobs come up its adios amigos...

 

I plan to have my a+ within the next 6months and hopefully a new job, as I can see light at the end of the tunnel with my debts I feel it is now time to start looking for IT based job.

The only thing is I cant accept less money than what I am on now because of the remaining debt I have which is a CCJ (county court judgemnt) if you dont know what one is its basically one step away from bankruptcie and if I fail on a payment I could be made bankrupt

Do you think I could get a 1st IT job for £18000

 

go to reed.co.uk get registered and you will find jobs offering 1st line support about that salary...like I said the jobs im going for are paying between £80 and £100 a day...so it shouldnt be a problem...plus u got a lot experience im sure...so yes u can aim higher in terms of pay...

 

Cheers will look at reed.co.uk

I need some pointers on my cv if you have the time its posted below yours

 

Only thing I would say is that even with A+, N+, MCP in 270, 290, and 1st line experience 12 months previous the 150+ 1st line jobs I applied for with reed were rejected due to no up to date experience. So being out of the industry and not having a bunch of quals, I'd have thought to grab 18k a year for 1st line would near on impossible.

 

Realistically i personally think you may find it hard to get an IT job as first line support offering in the region of £18000. Im currently in an IT 1st line support role and have been for some months now, I only earn £14,800 PA. Thats after my raise from £13000.

If you find a job in IT paying you 18k as 1st line support, Tell me where and ill pack my bags and leave

As for you noel, Harsh circumstances your in pal. Personally i feel your deffinately doing the right decision in working in IT even if it is for less money. And £100 a day?? Well i for one wouldn't say no to that.

Good Luck

Craig

 

Noel, the things that you're describing *IS* IT administration. You may not feel like it's challenging you, but it's a stepping stone to move up to bigger and better things. Personally, I'd love to make £140 a day doing simple administration work.

If you're unlocking and deleting user accounts and resetting passwords, you're "touching" the servers... you may not think you are, but you most definitely are.

Bottom line, what you're doing is MORE advanced than PC rollouts and hardware troubleshooting... and is the stepping stone to be able to do more advanced server administration. Taking a level 1 PC support tech job would be a step backward in your career, in my opinion... with even less chance of being able to move forward until you've worked through this current "stage" of your career. If you want to check on backups, create user accounts, work with AD, and other advanced administrative tasks, work your way UP from what you're doing now. Show that you're the best candidate to advance, beyond any shadow of a doubt... and if you are, and there's a position to advance to, you'll definitely be in consideration to take that next step, I promise you.

 

Perhaps you are right, but it just doesnt feel like IT at all...and like I said its too far from where I am living and I get too tired when I get to work in the mornings...and its just not challenging enough...we dont even use Active Directory, they have whats known as Webadmin...its like AD but u dont remote onto a server to view it...and thats what I miss from my last job...plus I am more of a hardware person and hardware rollouts and building PCs will be more my thing than this...if I get the other two jobs im taking them regardless...besides like elli5on says £100 a day is still a lot...

 

How well would you say you know the AD interface from this? (dragging and dropping)

Banking experience is gold on the CV

 

Perhaps you're not cut out for server administration, then. Nothing wrong with that... you'll be stuck at a certain salary level, but if it pays the bills, it doesn't matter, does it?

 

A good point - In the Industry a server admin type that does some hardware like installs and rebuilds, earns more than a hardware fellow that does some server admin.

It is just the way it is - besides that is also where the advancement is with the specilisations such as Exchange ,SQL and Security etc on the server administration side.

For hardware, especially with PC's, it works or it does not..that is what the vendor and their warranty is for...

If you can make your coin and get loads of study time then great - but it can be easy to fritter way the spare time.

I am a one person IT section and I have no problems with doing my 2003 upgrade exams and making non-urgent stuff wait. As I have "dropped everything" and put work first for too long, it is now 2007 and my studies where lagging abit.

For instance a random objective by some user is not a priority, ie loading camera software on a PC. Also if a user does something real stupid with the internet or email I let them know VERY DIRECTLY.
[they dont D0rk me around too much as a result]

 

Thank you all for your input, I really appreciate it...however my mind is still set on the fact that its not challenging enough. If you say its IT Admin, why dont I get to see things like Server 2003 or Exchange Server 2003? None of that comes into play. Instead we deal with banking applications that the staff use.

If someone gets locked out of the account cos they entered the password wrongly, we reset it for them. That doesnt sound like IT Admin to me. Perhaps server admin isnt for me, but that dont mean I dont wana learn about servers and I have been playing about with Longhorn recently so I have an idea on how to create a server with DC, AD, DNS and File servers. That is what I am talking about, thats what I call challenging.

But the most importing thing of all is the distance, its too far and takes too long and I just end up being tired. So I would rather be somewhere thats closer and still pays alot of money even if its nothing near to what I am getting now (£40 pay cut wont matter much if I dont need public transport)