Next move in possible IT career
Discussion
Sorry for the wall of text and possible ranting, I hope someone cares to read it all. Reached a bit of a stale point in my current job and having read through loads of the various PH forums I thought I would maybe sign up and hopefully gain some advice as the jobs forum seems to be pretty helpful and knowledgable.
Bit of background, I finished uni 2 years ago with a degree in a creative field (I know, I know) but relating to technology then basically fell in to a temporary job working on IT projects as part of a major overhaul of the IT and infrastructure at the uni I went to. The role wasn't highly paid but better than retail work and while initially was simple stuff after a few months I was given a pay rise and put in charge of leading few of the other guys I worked with as the PM had noticed I had a good understanding of the tech we were working with and picked things up quickly. Initially worked on the network side of things for a year or so and then when that project finished up moved on to a another project and throughout the last nearly 2 years there I have been exposed to basically any kind of technology you could imagine at an large educational institution and learnt a great deal and am now doing things at work I would have never imagined I would know how to do two years ago.
In the last two years the amount of technicians on my level working on the projects has thinned out as the hard workers and those who demonstrated good abilities were kept on to continue working on other projects. Now those couple remaining including myself are all on same level of pay (the level I got put up to after a few months of being there), but are still on 3 month contracts that always get renewed and never really given anymore than that at a time but always informed of what will be coming up. The current major project we were working on has just basically come to an end as funding has run out and it is now being wrapped up by other staff with some assistance here and there by us. We have now been given another 3 month extension under a new manager and basically told "sorry we can't offer you permanent positions here or anything more exciting but maybe in 6 months time there might be something permanent for you guys".
The new role myself and a colleague have been moved in to is to put it bluntly not enjoyable or challenging at all and is the kind of work that could be completed by anyone with 5 minutes of training. To put it in perspective, the team often has people with social disorders on work experience assisting them (I mean no offence when I say this, these guys also find the work boring and not mentally stimulating as well). We basically feel like we have been kept on and put in to this role to keep us working there so they can retain us in case something they could use our skills for comes up in the future. I feel like they are taking advantage of us and getting the benefit of essentially having had us there as full time employees for 2 years but due to our contracts we get none of the benefits of being full time employees and it has become apparent to me that continuing to accept these contract extensions is beneficial to them but not getting me any further in my career and life.
I currently live with my partner and her parents and could almost afford to move out but at the moment it makes no financial sense. Without actual full time employment other than 3 month contracts I can't rent a property without guarantors so am stuck for foreseeable future unless I do something about my job situation. There has been talks of full time job roles coming up within departments at the uni although the pay level is a massive jump but senior people in the departments have told us to apply. For the level of pay in question I would be happy to stay there. The other alternative I see is to look elsewhere for similar project work but at a better level of pay as from what I can see we are very underpaid compared to other project technicians. The only worry I have is I don't actually have any IT qualifications or certifications and would be relying on my experience and references from this one job so feel like I would struggle to get work like this and also struggle to get the positions offered at the uni I am at. There was talk at various times of us getting proper training relating to the various projects we have been involved in but due to the associated costs it always failed to materialise and we just made do learning the stuff ourselves (which left us feeling mugged off more).
So hopefully just looking for some advice on what would be a good step or if anyone else has found themselves in a similar position with experience and desire to get in to this field but nothing else to back it up? Is it work looking at some certifications? Project management has often been mentioned to us and I have had exposure to the processes but the whole culture surrounding project management and a lot of the PMs I have met put me off this career path (money seems good though). Theres the obvious stuff like PRINCE2, ITIL or Cisco and Microsoft stuff but unsure of what real world value each of these really holds. Looking at similar roles to what I have been doing on recruitment sites the pay is roughly twice as much as what I currently get but often will mention qualifications I don't have although involving knowledge I probably do have.
Honestly any advice, personal experience or ideas appreciated. Cheers.
Bit of background, I finished uni 2 years ago with a degree in a creative field (I know, I know) but relating to technology then basically fell in to a temporary job working on IT projects as part of a major overhaul of the IT and infrastructure at the uni I went to. The role wasn't highly paid but better than retail work and while initially was simple stuff after a few months I was given a pay rise and put in charge of leading few of the other guys I worked with as the PM had noticed I had a good understanding of the tech we were working with and picked things up quickly. Initially worked on the network side of things for a year or so and then when that project finished up moved on to a another project and throughout the last nearly 2 years there I have been exposed to basically any kind of technology you could imagine at an large educational institution and learnt a great deal and am now doing things at work I would have never imagined I would know how to do two years ago.
In the last two years the amount of technicians on my level working on the projects has thinned out as the hard workers and those who demonstrated good abilities were kept on to continue working on other projects. Now those couple remaining including myself are all on same level of pay (the level I got put up to after a few months of being there), but are still on 3 month contracts that always get renewed and never really given anymore than that at a time but always informed of what will be coming up. The current major project we were working on has just basically come to an end as funding has run out and it is now being wrapped up by other staff with some assistance here and there by us. We have now been given another 3 month extension under a new manager and basically told "sorry we can't offer you permanent positions here or anything more exciting but maybe in 6 months time there might be something permanent for you guys".
The new role myself and a colleague have been moved in to is to put it bluntly not enjoyable or challenging at all and is the kind of work that could be completed by anyone with 5 minutes of training. To put it in perspective, the team often has people with social disorders on work experience assisting them (I mean no offence when I say this, these guys also find the work boring and not mentally stimulating as well). We basically feel like we have been kept on and put in to this role to keep us working there so they can retain us in case something they could use our skills for comes up in the future. I feel like they are taking advantage of us and getting the benefit of essentially having had us there as full time employees for 2 years but due to our contracts we get none of the benefits of being full time employees and it has become apparent to me that continuing to accept these contract extensions is beneficial to them but not getting me any further in my career and life.
I currently live with my partner and her parents and could almost afford to move out but at the moment it makes no financial sense. Without actual full time employment other than 3 month contracts I can't rent a property without guarantors so am stuck for foreseeable future unless I do something about my job situation. There has been talks of full time job roles coming up within departments at the uni although the pay level is a massive jump but senior people in the departments have told us to apply. For the level of pay in question I would be happy to stay there. The other alternative I see is to look elsewhere for similar project work but at a better level of pay as from what I can see we are very underpaid compared to other project technicians. The only worry I have is I don't actually have any IT qualifications or certifications and would be relying on my experience and references from this one job so feel like I would struggle to get work like this and also struggle to get the positions offered at the uni I am at. There was talk at various times of us getting proper training relating to the various projects we have been involved in but due to the associated costs it always failed to materialise and we just made do learning the stuff ourselves (which left us feeling mugged off more).
So hopefully just looking for some advice on what would be a good step or if anyone else has found themselves in a similar position with experience and desire to get in to this field but nothing else to back it up? Is it work looking at some certifications? Project management has often been mentioned to us and I have had exposure to the processes but the whole culture surrounding project management and a lot of the PMs I have met put me off this career path (money seems good though). Theres the obvious stuff like PRINCE2, ITIL or Cisco and Microsoft stuff but unsure of what real world value each of these really holds. Looking at similar roles to what I have been doing on recruitment sites the pay is roughly twice as much as what I currently get but often will mention qualifications I don't have although involving knowledge I probably do have.
Honestly any advice, personal experience or ideas appreciated. Cheers.
Sounds like you have the aptitude to learn things quickly which is a good trait in IT.
Have you been exposed to Linux? It's a good path to look into. The Redhat certifications (RHCSA and RHCE) are very well regarded in the industry and you need to know your stuff to pass (100% practical exams, closed book). I've done a lot of courses and certs over the years and they were by far the most challenging and satisfying to do. I get dozens of jobs sent to me weekly via LinkedIn so there certainly seems to be a demand for Linux skills at the moment.
Have you been exposed to Linux? It's a good path to look into. The Redhat certifications (RHCSA and RHCE) are very well regarded in the industry and you need to know your stuff to pass (100% practical exams, closed book). I've done a lot of courses and certs over the years and they were by far the most challenging and satisfying to do. I get dozens of jobs sent to me weekly via LinkedIn so there certainly seems to be a demand for Linux skills at the moment.
The current trend in IT is towards "Big Data" <shudder> and data science. I am an MS Business Intelligence specialist and am just putting myself through a Coursera online Data Science course learning R, Hadoop, Python and statistics to extend my knowledge base as Microsoft integrate these technologies into the SQL Server stack. I have done very well for myself these last few years, and the economic depression didn't really touch me.
Everyone is all about the data these days.
Everyone is all about the data these days.
I don't have much experience with Linux other than basic use of it, very familiar with OS X so got some level of familiarity with Unix like OSes. Not really got any experience in coding or software, mainly had experience in hardware, networking and VoIP in the projects I've done.
Done plenty of low level network admin stuff and lots of physical networking and infrastructure stuff, also dabbled with Cisco IOS and switch configuration. Last project was migrating whole uni to VoIP. Got familiar with CUCM and done lots of work with Infoblox products and few other things but never got any formal training or certifications. Basically spent hours watching Youtube stuff and reading documentation online and also messing around setting up virtual networks, VMs and servers myself to tinker with at home then apply the knowledge at work. From that I was getting given more stuff to do but since last project ending the current work we are on there is no incentive like before as it is just never ending basic tasks and mindless work.
I find myself really motivated when presented with a challenge and a technology I don't know about as I have always found it relatively easy as well as enjoyable to learn new things and during our project work if we ever got stuck we would try and solve the issues ourselves rather than call in 3rd party or other teams. Without that my enthusiasm has died.
Done plenty of low level network admin stuff and lots of physical networking and infrastructure stuff, also dabbled with Cisco IOS and switch configuration. Last project was migrating whole uni to VoIP. Got familiar with CUCM and done lots of work with Infoblox products and few other things but never got any formal training or certifications. Basically spent hours watching Youtube stuff and reading documentation online and also messing around setting up virtual networks, VMs and servers myself to tinker with at home then apply the knowledge at work. From that I was getting given more stuff to do but since last project ending the current work we are on there is no incentive like before as it is just never ending basic tasks and mindless work.
I find myself really motivated when presented with a challenge and a technology I don't know about as I have always found it relatively easy as well as enjoyable to learn new things and during our project work if we ever got stuck we would try and solve the issues ourselves rather than call in 3rd party or other teams. Without that my enthusiasm has died.
The qualifications are a good way to get something on your CV and a foot in the door, however, you need experience more than anything. Having memorised the ITIL or PRINCE2 book won't help much when you are in the middle of a situation. Hence if paying out your own pocket I wouldn't bother. Would be worth trying to get the University to pay - and to provide any other free training that you can get since the marginal cost to them is essentially zero (would they let you attend lectures, study for a Masters??)
While doing that, I'd look around for anywhere which is taking on real apprentices. You know about jobs.ac.uk don't you?
While doing that, I'd look around for anywhere which is taking on real apprentices. You know about jobs.ac.uk don't you?
I'd also be wary of staying too technical. This probably sounds like a strange thing to say to an IT person! There's method to my apparent madness though. Technical work is increasingly moving offshore (or being performed by offshore resource that is brought to the location of work on a temporary basis). Who would keep a tech team in the UK at UK salaries when that work can be shifted to India or the Philippines for less than 50% of the cost of keeping the UK team?
Roles that currently don't go offshore are around project management, business analysis, agile leadership etc. Most big companies who don't need a UK data centre don't have a UK data centre. Most big companies who don't need to keep their development team in the UK have shifted development offshore. As an example, my company has a small 'core' team in the UK, and a large resource pool in India that we call on as required.
So - look for a career path that doesn't lend itself to being offshored, or you may find that you have to re-skill yourself again in a few years time.
Roles that currently don't go offshore are around project management, business analysis, agile leadership etc. Most big companies who don't need a UK data centre don't have a UK data centre. Most big companies who don't need to keep their development team in the UK have shifted development offshore. As an example, my company has a small 'core' team in the UK, and a large resource pool in India that we call on as required.
So - look for a career path that doesn't lend itself to being offshored, or you may find that you have to re-skill yourself again in a few years time.
DavidJG said:
I'd also be wary of staying too technical. This probably sounds like a strange thing to say to an IT person! There's method to my apparent madness though. Technical work is increasingly moving offshore (or being performed by offshore resource that is brought to the location of work on a temporary basis). Who would keep a tech team in the UK at UK salaries when that work can be shifted to India or the Philippines for less than 50% of the cost of keeping the UK team?
Roles that currently don't go offshore are around project management, business analysis, agile leadership etc. Most big companies who don't need a UK data centre don't have a UK data centre. Most big companies who don't need to keep their development team in the UK have shifted development offshore. As an example, my company has a small 'core' team in the UK, and a large resource pool in India that we call on as required.
So - look for a career path that doesn't lend itself to being offshored, or you may find that you have to re-skill yourself again in a few years time.
Or big a niche (security, big data / analytics) that requires (even a basic) security clearance. Much harder to offshore.Roles that currently don't go offshore are around project management, business analysis, agile leadership etc. Most big companies who don't need a UK data centre don't have a UK data centre. Most big companies who don't need to keep their development team in the UK have shifted development offshore. As an example, my company has a small 'core' team in the UK, and a large resource pool in India that we call on as required.
So - look for a career path that doesn't lend itself to being offshored, or you may find that you have to re-skill yourself again in a few years time.
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