Job Title vs Actual duties - Does it match?

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Two things spring to mind

One you currently have a role where it sounds like you get to be involved with various technologies, and different levels, so that is a good thing, are you certifying your experience?

When you do look for a job that will be of huge benefit to your application chances.

Secondly they are providing training opportunities so in this climate that is worth a lot more (because that is money they are paying you and is TAX FREE, so effectively you are earning more than is in your wage packet, just you are forced to go on courses learn new things with that money).

I would take a longer term view here, if you are no longer challenged, and you have mastered all that is around you then feel free to look, if you have the chance to gain some great experience, then stay and in the long run, this should help you move the right way up the career ladder.

 

just a quick update... i have started my role and i will be working with things like citrix, blackberry server, unix servers, migrating servers, setting up intranet, installing new servers also supporting all the staff although support probably takes 20% of the day the rest of the day is infrastructure work.. i have never been in an environment like this and find it very exciting at the moment..

although i am not the manager i have most access rights there is little i am restricted to and in time i believe i will have all rights.. i think this is very valueable experience.. but i want to know

im being paid around 20k mark.. with this level of experience what would be the expected salary? I think it is reasonable for myself as a first role... however after 2/3 years experience.. what could be the potential?

 

I've never been paid 20k in my life. And I'm an old git.

J.

 

Nah have not looked into certifying it, I'd like to get into Networking for the long term, so when i did the courses i didn't think about getting the certs.

I am still learning, of course, but it's alot slower than i'd like, and like i said, would like to move into networking.

For now i think i will just work on my CCNA cert whilst working here and see how it goes, and see what comes up over the next few months.

Adzmobile, your position sounds great, and from the sounds of things on here your pay is good for starting salary. Just take in all you can, learn as much as you can from your boss and think about what you want to do in IT long term.

 

I just saw this post.. i remembered writing this 2 years ago... come quite far since then... im currently tring to study for my CCNA now seriously.. not like in the past...

daniel you still in that job? I managed to learn loads in that role and now currently on around 30-35k salary.. and contracting around £20 a hour... I think a 2 man team you learn just hugee amounts and are well respected for it... in large teams sometimes you cant even get access to AD to do anything because you have to work your way up the ladder for ages...

i mean ive only been in IT for 2/3 years now... and i think ive come a long way... hopefully after getting CCNA i can get a better salary..

let me know how yours went..

cheers fella!

 

Adzmobile, you sound like you have progressed same as me! I left that job in August of that year and now working for an IT services company as staff, but contracted out to a firm in Aberdeen and based at their office permanently (i say permanently, i'm currently floating on a north sea oil rig haha)

As i said earlier in the thread, i was looking to get into networking, and a couple months after this thread i found this job, which was for a junior network engineer position. Joined at a pretty good time as it's been busy non-stop so have managed to get hands on with everything and have learned loads in the time i have been here. This weekend i have been out re-instating a backup link out here, and moving from EIGRP to OSPF. This is exactly the type of work i enjoy so very happy. If i could just get time to schedule my CCNA! i did the CCENT a couple of months after joining, and have been trying to get the time to do the CCNA since then. Pain in the ass of it is i have to travel to Glasgow to do it! Pay is bang in with yours, £30k basic plus about £3k on call and overtime/offshore allowance.

What stuff are you doing now? Good luck with this Cisco, it's a lot of fun

Cheers
Daniel

 

Hey Daniel,

Mate you have progressed better than me i would say! I am looking to the exact same thing you are currently doing! This is the reason im studying my CCNA at the moment tring to get into a junior networking role.. it is not easy! But im hoping once ive done the CCNA, I can demonstrate that I have the ability to perform at these types of roles and hopefully give me a better chance over the competition!

Sounds really interesting what you are doing! Very jelous lol I would recommend a training application called 'TestOut' it is very good a instructor led course and quite immersive.. I think that might be easier than travelling far to get to the training course... I know how difficult it can be with work life and then tring to study on top.. work is sometimes can be enough to deal with without having extra piled on top.. If you want more details just pm me and can tell you more.

Since that role i did a contract for around a year.. i was in my previous role for about 1 n half years i think similar to yourself.. and the contract i got was another role which i was lucky enough to get as the entire IT team left the company and I was required to do all the support... I think these are such brilliant roles for a fast track progression because you are simply thrown into the deep end and you have battle your way through and find solutions one way or another... so really keeps you on your toes..

Great to know we seem to have had a similar career so far lol both starting off as IT assistants.. which sounds so rubbish and btw soo incorrect in terms of job responsibilities but honestly i think its total blessing to be in those types of roles otherwise it is very difficult to progress.

I hope it goes well for you! I'll keep you posted if I manage to get that networking role.. but i think you've done very well and will have a good career ahead of you now that you managed to put your foot through that door! I hope it works out for myself too! lol

 

Your totally right about the small IT dept, it has worked really well for both of us it seems! What systems do you look after there? What is the network set up there like? The reason for the travel to Glasgow is to sit the exam rather than training. I have been saying forever i am going to get it scheduled and done, but something just keep getting in the way! Are you going to go the one or two exam route for the CCNA?

Thanks mate, good luck in your search! Where abouts you looking? Get stuck into the study so you get the enthusiasm for it, i think that's what won it for me, as they were really interested at all in my previous experience, other than the work i'd done on the ASA's in my last job! JunOS is something that i would also recommend looking into, as well as Cisco. We just put them in here, and i've seen quite a few jobs asking for experience with them!

Best of luck mate!
Daniel

 

Hey Daniel,

I managed to get myself a job yesterday actually! something i've really very much wanted and tried hard to get.. its not a networking position however it gives scope to get into networking .. Im working in the Gerkin in London for a international firm... Im really happy and hopefully will allow me to progess.

Im still studying CCNA.. ive got a fairly good grasp of the theory but not so much with the actual router configuration i'll have to get some simulation labs or some routers to start doing that properly.. Im going to be doing the 1 exam CCNA.. i figured if going to go for it.. just do it all the way.

I have been looking at JunOS, thanks for advice.. I think its pretty interesting but will need to get the basics first... perhaps crawl even before i can run!

Will keep you posted how position goes and if i manage to break into the networking side of things... will be a real progression i think!

Take Care!

 

Hey Adz,

That's great news, congrats! Just get to know the network guys and see what they are like. Hopefully they will be good guys who are happy to share knowledge, and you have times where you can sit with them while they do stuff, or are just happy answering questions. It may be that if you show enough interest, they hand over some work such as enabling/disabling network ports.

Obviously it's up to you how you do it, but i'd definately recommend the 2 exam route, for a couple of reasons. First, when you complete the first exam, you get a cert (CCENT), which shows you have the basic theory and the ability to do basic configuration of Cisco devices. Second, it's also the same cost to do the 2 exam route as it is to do this 1 exam, yet you get the extra cert, for the time it takes you to complete your CCNA. You will obviously also be able to pass the first exam sooner than able to pass the 1exam, as it covers half the material.

Best of luck and keep us updated

Daniel

 

ive applied for 1st line roles that involve server admin work and such. sometimes a co. will say its 1st line to pay you less. Im not too bothered about titles so long as the money is good. i would say 21k is a beginners wage but it sounds like your a bit more advanced than that. have thought about contracting? you could do about £16an hour with your skills i reckon (£32K) not a lot in the contracting world but a lot more than £21k

hope this helps


andy

 

Old thread mate. Moved on from this position now.

Cheers though

 

that wasnt hampshire was it by any chance. ive just landed a contract with them?



andy

 

doh! soz! speed reading..friday afternoon and all that.. a bit of a cheeky skive before pub ;0)

 

hahah i know the feeling. Enjoy the pub

 

Hey Daniel,

Hows it going? I thought i would update you, i finally managed to pass CCNA! Im assuming your on to much bigger and better things now its been a few months ey? Hows your networking position going? Im moving job again lol This position didnt have as much scope as i hoped it would but never mind it was still a nice place to work.. Im off next week to a Consultancy company in the city so hopefully be getting exposure to many different technologies and hopefully can put my Cisco skills into practice at some point! That would be really cool!

Did you manage to go and do the ICND2? What kind of things are you upto now?


Cheers!

 

Hey Adz,

Not too bad mate. Sounds like it's going good for you, new position sounds like it will give you the exposure you have been looking for! Interesting it came 3 days after you passed your CCNA When do you start? Keep us updated on what it's like!

Yeh i finally went and sat the exam in June and passed! I'm still in the same position, got a few interesting projects ongoing plus the usual ops support stuff. The guys are doing a global win 7/Exchange 2010/SharePoint/MS Lync/ rollout, and one of the pieces i have been involved with was installing Alteon load balancers for the Exchange/Sharepoint front ends. That has been good to get involved in!