Am I right in upskilling in server / infrastructure technologies?

Discussion in 'Employment & Jobs' started by mad_maxx, May 12, 2013.

  1. mad_maxx

    mad_maxx Bit Poster

    44
    0
    21
    Hi all,

    I'm currently earning £25K a year in a role which mainly focuses on desktop patching and management. I'm fairly established with family nearby, however the job is deskilling me, and in my opinion I would struggle to get a similarly paid job elsewhere in the locality should this one go pear shaped. My current employer is not keen on me completing any certifications, and is not supportive in my quest to maintain my existing qualifications. There is little scope within my current job for me to diversify my skills and capabilities and I do feel very pigeon holed. However, where I live, £25K P.A jobs do not grow on trees, and I see jobs asking for far more paying far less (eg £18-22k bracket).

    Through my connections (and reputation of being a capable and motivated worker), I have managed to get a job down south on significantly more money (will more than offset the increased cost of renting a flat down there) with an amazing company who are very proactive towards financing and funding training. Due to the company being relatively small, I'll not be compartmentalized and will get the opportunity to massively upskill and become MCSE certified on company time and expenses.

    A few years ago, I'd have been 100% sure of my decision, however with widescale cloud adoption and automation on the horizon, I have niggling doubts as to whether or not it is worth me uprooting my life to upskill in a tech area which could face declining demand in the future.

    What are people's opinions on this move? Am I right to be pursuing it and is there a future in doing what I'm doing with things like Azure and Office 365 on the horizon. Should I be developing my skills in other areas?

    Cheers

    Mad_Maxx
     
    Certifications: MCSE:Messaging
  2. JK2447
    Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    JK2447 Petabyte Poster Administrator Premium Member

    Top Poster
    of the Month

    7,191
    945
    318
    Hi Maxx, its a tough one, its only worth it if its where you want your career to go really mate. It is of course totally worth pursuing the infrastructure route if thats where your passion lies. A lot of this cloud melarky is just servers and vmware at its core. We infrastructure guys will still be needed. Automation is everywhere in every industry and can always potentially lead to less people required for the same work, that's just the way of the world. Its always best to be part of it than fight against it. We're still the guys who implement infrastructure automation and there's top dollar involved in knowing how to do that :)

    Should you move down south for your work, only you can answer that mate. Depends if you have kids, relatives etc etc etc Sometimes its not all about the money. I think you are right to see whats out there as there's nothing worse than being in a role where you feel deskilled. I do a lot of work anyone could do which sometimes gets me down a bit but then I get the really interesting, end your career if you get it wrong kind of work that gets me right back up there.

    Best of luck,
    James
     
    Certifications: VCP4, 5, 6, 6.5, 6.7, 7, 8, VCAP DCV Design, VMConAWS Skill, Google Cloud Digital Leader, BSc (Hons), HND IT, HND Computing, ITIL-F, MBCS CITP, MCP (270,290,291,293,294,298,299,410,411,412) MCTS (401,620,624,652) MCSA:Security, MCSE: Security, Security+, CPTS, CCA (XenApp6.5), MCSA 2012, VSP, VTSP
    WIP: Google Cloud Certs
  3. Gav

    Gav Kilobyte Poster

    447
    14
    27
    I think the low-end 'desktop' jobs tend to be paid slightly more than the low-end 'infrastructure' jobs because a lot of the work is so menial. I often get calls from recruitment agents about 'desktop' jobs (sometimes even paying more than my current role), and they can't understand why I don't want them!

    Until Skynet goes live, or Microsoft finally release Windows Server Sentient Edition, the 'Cloud' still needs humans to operate it. Hybrid cloud solutions are going to become increasingly popular, and someone with a broad infrastructure skill set will fit right into managing such a solution.

    - Gav
     
  4. Sparky
    Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

    10,718
    543
    364
    Cloud isn’t for everyone but as always when something new comes out there are consultants trying to sell it regardless if it’s the right solution or not.

    I remember when wireless was the next big thing and had to listen to consultants telling me that cabling buildings would not be required as a decent wireless infrastructure could handle it.

    If the company you are working for is relatively small then having various skills will help you out. You may be offering some cloud services (e.g. offsite backup, Office 365) but at the same time support a few on-site servers to support the domain\print services etc.
     
    Certifications: MSc MCSE MCSA:M MCSA:S MCITP:EA MCTS(x5) MS-900 AZ-900 Security+ Network+ A+
    WIP: Microsoft Certs

Share This Page

Loading...
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.