urgent help needed

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Urgent help needed, I have been through all the preliminaries with apprenta and am due to sign up.

This is my situation so far, I currently work in IT but in sales. I sell software and am on a package with a basic salary of around 20k and OTE (on target earning) of 45k however these are always exaggerated and I can expect about 5 thousand on top, if, big if, I do hit my target!

However, sales is sales, its a very cut throat business and if you don’t hit target for a few months usually three, you have some serious explaining to do and unless you hit targets the next month or get close you can be looking for a new job in some cases.

I am in my late 20’s, also graduated about 3 years back with a BSc degree in IT. So my background has always been IT. Also A’ level in computing science.

The thing is for a long time it has been bugging me that I graduated with a technical degree where I studied Ada, C ++ and Java but have never used my programming skills which are now very rusty.

Saw the advert with apprenta where they guarantee a job, and after talking to the consultant for a while he said he could do it for 1500 (plus 5 exams £80-£90 each) and I pay back the other 4500 (no interest) when I work but only in a .net position otherwise I don’t pay a thing apart from the initial 1500. (Which would be a struggle for me to pay)

The course apprenta is offering are the MCSA and MCSD in biztalk and Microsoft .net

Now, I am in a serious limbo and just don’t know what to do, the thing that attracts me back to the programming side is the big contractor salaries of £300 – 400 a day I have seen on some websites for .net people and the large annual salaries of 30-40k.

However, I don’t know if I should leave IT sales to get into programming?

I came across this website and you guys look like you could help.

Kind Regards

Rob

 

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Do you want to be a tech?

I abhor sales people. Particularly the ones that promise the earth on behalf of the developers that will have to work overtime to deliver that sales pitch.

That being said- pull up a chair I'm sure we can help you.

 

I dont mind being a tech if the rewards are there.

The reason why some sales people lie is because they feel under pressure to hit monthly targets, which are usually high.

The problem with this approach is that you loose integrity and the company won't do business with you again, so you loose revenue that way, recurring revenue is a good way of hitting target.

 

What 'rewards' are you seeking? The IT business is about hard work and long slog.

Are you looking to get back to your roots or looking for a different avenue that you're more used to?

This place is all about hard hard work

 

what are you expecting? you are in a predicament now, so you need an urgent solution now, so you figure, quickly do a few courses and land a comfortable programming job? come on, you're an infotech sales person, you should know better. these things take time, especially in programming. there are no shortcuts here.
if you want to get into programming, because that's where the big bucks are, then forget it, you'll never make it. if you want to get into programming, because that's where your heart lies, then go for it, but prepare for a long road.

 

This is the second thread in a row I've read where someone wants to get into IT for the money. What happened to just being a geek and having a passion for all things techy? It makes me weep. In fact, I'm moved to edit my signature.

 

You mean there's money in this here IT malarkey?
Jeez, I gotta get me a new job!

Don't do it for the money, do it for the love, the long hours, hard work and stress when things go wrong!

 

Just look @ SG avatar: that is what will happen, when you join the IT market

 

Passion.

Now there's a word.

You must have it, but you may never show it in a business environment because (and I think I read this here somewhere) 'passionate = unprofessional'.

Hmm...

J.

 

Or, in my case, passion = doesn't suffer fools gladly .

 

Hello shaqs101,

All I will say from your posting is that you appear to have a good all round knowledge of IT which is why you are probably reasonably successful at the sales side.

MCSA and MCSD are two different jobs, one networking, one programming.

What you really need to do do is look at what you have done in the past and take out of that the part that you really have a passion for and enjoy. That is the answer to your question.

Networking is a thankless but rewarding job (whoops, thats all IT jobs), Programming is for some one that has a lot of patience, thinks logically and definitely has an end goal to produce something of use.

You need to determine where your interests lie and if they are what you want at the end of the day.

No job is guaranteed, the wages quoted are for experienced people (contractors) and at the end of the day you have to produce the goods.

Some thoughts for you to think about.

Go for something that you have an interest in, do not take an eclectic course such as you degree. You do need to specialise in something that you have a love for.

Keimos

 

Some really good comments lads, the thing is I do like IT sales, because of the decent commisions you get to earn (doesnt happen too often though).

If any of the techies or non techies watch 'The Apprentice' you can see that sales is exciting, challenging, and competitive but its not a long term career, you just dont get guys 45+ in IT sales. And for that matter I dont know what happens to them.

A recruitment agent once told me that the reason for this is, by 45 they have made enough money not to work? but he really wanted to place me in this certain sales role, so I dont know how true his statement was.

 

another question, can you only contract if you are experienced and how much experience do you actually need?

 

The companies that I've worked for if you show passion in the work place you end up with a sexual harrassment lawsuit.

"But your honor! The server came on to me!"

But seriously, those large salaries you qouted from websites are hard to come by and only after many years of experience and typically you are working in a project manager position. I know several programmers that are quite good at what they do but they are having a hard time getting long term work or even short term work that pays decent money.

Mainly I think is because any large programming projects are being outsourced to India where it can be done cheaper.

GW

 

Contracting generally pays more but has less job security.

In theory to be a contractor you have to be a cut above and be able to walk in to any contract at any site and get stuck right in without having to be shown what to do. Basically be 'turd hot' in your field That being said I've worked along side plenty who weren't

Have a look at http://www.contractoruk.com/ to get an idea of what it's like.

If you've had enough of sales but want to get stuck in to another potential high paying comission based field why not have a look at IT recruitment. The market could do with a few more agents that know the difference between a CCNA and a CCIE.

EDIT- have a read of this:

http://www.contractoruk.com/first_timers/is_contracting_for_me.html

 

Where Where... Day in Day out I save my org £££££ but still get a straight salary. IMHO There are few rewards in the Techi Department.