Job help (IT)

[PulseTurbo]

Sorry, I wasn't quite sure on where this would go to be honest...

I'm looking for a bit of advice about where to go from my current role. I know I'll probably get ripped apart, but it's worth a shot!

I'm almost 23, about to buy a house, and want to start moving on with my career.

I've worked for the same company for just over 2 years now, and want a change.

I firstly worked on an IT service desk, and I'm now employed as a Field Maintenance Engineer (Read: Fixing printers, not much else), and obviously it doesn't get very technical. Also, I'm not working as much as I'd like, and am getting nowhere with getting on training courses with my current employer.

Basically, where do I go from here? I'd like to go into something with more money (naturally), but more importantly something interesting, and something I could work my way up with, as at the moment, I would class myself as non-skilled.

My only 'advantage' at the moment is that I'm SC Cleared by the MoD.

Can anyone suggest perhaps a good path to go down, of either what job I could be looking for, or maybe what qualifications I need to obtain?

I'm tearing my hair out, trying to think of where I go from here, because I'm getting no mental stimulation from my current job, and also hardly any money!

Thanks in advance for any help!

[arfur]

PulseTurbo said:

Sorry, I wasn't quite sure on where this would go to be honest...

I'm looking for a bit of advice about where to go from my current role. I know I'll probably get ripped apart, but it's worth a shot!

I'm almost 23, about to buy a house, and want to start moving on with my career.

I've worked for the same company for just over 2 years now, and want a change.

I firstly worked on an IT service desk, and I'm now employed as a Field Maintenance Engineer (Read: Fixing printers, not much else), and obviously it doesn't get very technical. Also, I'm not working as much as I'd like, and am getting nowhere with getting on training courses with my current employer.

Basically, where do I go from here? I'd like to go into something with more money (naturally), but more importantly something interesting, and something I could work my way up with, as at the moment, I would class myself as non-skilled.

My only 'advantage' at the moment is that I'm SC Cleared by the MoD.

Can anyone suggest perhaps a good path to go down, of either what job I could be looking for, or maybe what qualifications I need to obtain?

I'm tearing my hair out, trying to think of where I go from here, because I'm getting no mental stimulation from my current job, and also hardly any money!

Thanks in advance for any help!

SC is not that much use anymore ... You need a DV to have some weight. If you can get your employer to sponsor a DV then that would be cool

Other than that I'd suggest one of the following, or both, one at a time


1. Get a HW tech job in data recovery ( try Vogon in Reading ). With all this data storage these days the MTBF on a lot of kit is starting to happen .. Think about all those family photos that have never been backed up.... Emerging market for the savvy and clued up

2. Resign and start your own business doing (1)

Cheers

Arf

[PulseTurbo]

Unfortunately I definitely won't be able to get my employer to sponser DV, as it's not needed in my role.

I'll take a look into what you've said, thanks.

[Riknos]

Can't you just go to a job agency and ask them what you can do?
I'm in the middle of looking at where my career can advance, looked on reed's website, went in and spoke to a 'careers consultant' and am proceeding from there.

[PulseTurbo]

Might be worth a go I suppose. It's that or carry on with the company (a very big company), and hope progression does at some point happen.

[Wigeon Incognito]

Is there no other position within the company you would like to try?

Talk to HR (it should be confidential) or your manager if you're on friendly terms. Maybe they could sort out a 'placement' elsewhere in the company to expand your knowledge base.

Build up contacts then take it from there.

[Puggit]

Vogon are in Reading?!

I'd suggest trying to join a large SI (Service Integrator) like EDS, IBM GS etc... That way you can actually try and get in to an area you enjoy after doing the generalist newbie thing.

[PulseTurbo]

Well I work for a large company at the moment (Fujitsu). The problem being that I'm needed for monkey work at the moment, and will be needed for monkey work for a long time to come, so there's no way I'm going to progress or even be seconded to another role for at least 2 years, in which time I will have done nothing useful.

[Puggit]

PulseTurbo said:

Well I work for a large company at the moment (Fujitsu). The problem being that I'm needed for monkey work at the moment, and will be needed for monkey work for a long time to come, so there's no way I'm going to progress or even be seconded to another role for at least 2 years, in which time I will have done nothing useful.

Well then - stick your CV on jobserve and see what happens!

Working for small company would be great, but realistically they can pick and choose staff from a wide pool. Hence why I suggested a bigger company, especially as you already work for FS/FSS - this would help move in to another biggie.

[TheLearner]

This is going to sound odd, but have you considered hunting around for a smaller company to work with? Fujitsu, IBM GS and the like are good on the old CV but you're just a disposable nameless drone and whilst some people absolutely love it, others find it rather annoying. Smaller companies tend to pay less but will throw more varied stuff at you because they can't afford BOTH a AIX4 and AIX5 person; if you see what I mean?

But if you want to continue in your large company and assuming you've not smacked in to one of the multitude of dead end departments (such as Operations in IBM GS) you should be clear to jump to another role internally, HR and whatever passes for your Intranet job board will be a boon there.

[drivin_me_nuts]

....try and get yourself into the consulting side of these large companies (EDS and IBM) are good examples. (These both run large SAP practices and there's pretty much always a market for these skill, which cover a vast area in which you can find a specialism)

[XJSJohn]

Puggit said:

PulseTurbo said:

Well I work for a large company at the moment (Fujitsu). The problem being that I'm needed for monkey work at the moment, and will be needed for monkey work for a long time to come, so there's no way I'm going to progress or even be seconded to another role for at least 2 years, in which time I will have done nothing useful.

Well then - stick your CV on jobserve and see what happens!

Working for small company would be great, but realistically they can pick and choose staff from a wide pool. Hence why I suggested a bigger company, especially as you already work for FS/FSS - this would help move in to another biggie.

... punt yer resume on Jobserve and regularly have a look / browse whats available. Get talking to agents about what you want to do.

Only way to move up the greasy pole in IT these days is by moving jobs.

Would also recomend getting away from the IT Outsourcers and into the end clients payroles.

Final tip, get yerself a "spare" prepay mobile to distribute to teh agents.

Ohh and one more ... good luck

[PulseTurbo]

Thanks for the help so far I need it!

[stigmundfreud]

SC cleared in your skill set means menial tasks I'm affraid - your best bet working for who you do is to try and get in with the guys working on F. Theres lots going on down at HQ, shame you cant easily commute to corsham or are you buying up this way?

SC is a good in to some contracts but they are mostly filled by cheap ex squadies or highly paid consultants. The middle grounds fairly well covered.

Also most SC roles are dull as dishwater, believe me - nothing exciting ever happens

[PulseTurbo]

Corsham isn't that far. Why do you mention Corsham?

I would be willing to commute if the money was right (i.e. Would at least cover my time and petrol). Like I said, it's about getting a job which is actually worthwhile, and something which will help me progress.

[randlemarcus]

Like anywhere, Fujitsu is as much who you know as what...

Look me up on the GAL and say hullo

Cant get you out of Basingstoke, but might be able to suggest things.

[Silent1]

As an aside, after a tour of "site 3" i did for BT does anyone know if their bid got accepted?

[stigmundfreud]

ok well in that case when at work tomorrow if you can get a chance in the spoc give Roy a call on the atlas desk at corsham and see if they are hiring

its a good place to start. I thought you were based further down the m4.From here you could also possibly look at Newport as a daily commute, i used to do it for eads. DFTS are alays looking out and their based here at north star.

[stigmundfreud]

arfur said:

SC is not that much use anymore ... You need a DV to have some weight. If you can get your employer to sponsor a DV then that would be cool

in that case you have just proven you know nothing about this on 2 levels

1.) DV is only per project/comission - you leave that role your DV expires unless it is transfered to another DV role. In the past if you went from a DV role you had to get SC vetted again, this changed and now you drop back to SC. DV is purely for the role you are currently undertaking.

2.) Even speaking about having DV or even SC for that matter is technically breaking the rules and could jeapodise your clearance if they were to be pedantic about it.

SC is as good as it gets as if you then need to be personal vetted you can and it speeds the process up nicely.

[TheLearner]

stigmundfreud said:

Also most SC roles are dull as dishwater, believe me - nothing exciting ever happens

Same as everything else But, if you have the skills, something odd happening around pompey that requires SC. Looks like Surface-Air radar programmers, sat' engineers, orbital communications people... I'd hazard a guess at the Trident upgrade gearing up.

And no I'm not revealing anything, they all landed in my inbox via a jobserve search on the word "Portsmouth".