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Acceptable It Salary Requirments

james1701

james1701

Golden Member
Today I was asked what I wanted to be payed for my first IT position. I am A+ certified, an AS degree in IT in six weeks that I have held a 4.0 GPA the entire time I have been in school. I also have another degree and Certification in the medical field. I have excellent hardware skills, but lack experience in networking.

When asked, what is normally an acceptable salary to reply with when talking to a small company? I do have supervisory experience that would transfer over from the medical field. Do you think any of this should be taken into account when I negotiate salary?
 
Location and company profitability/industry? Negotiating salary would have some to do with their other candidates too. But I don't see how selling what you just said could hurt.
 
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The "salary game" is a tough one to deal with when looking for a job. The company will want to hire you for as little as possible while typically not giving you the salary range of the job. During the negotiations I would request the salary range for your position. They may give it but don't be surprised if they don't.

Some ads may list the range so you can use that as a guide or check with friends in the industry or post your location and check with users on the forum.

Location will be a big factor as will the size and financials of the company. I've seen entry level IT jobs (service desk, junior admin, junior network eng.) in the lower 30's to 50's depending on location and experience.

Might want to try this site for salary info:
http://www.glassdoor.com
 
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if you don't know anyone, then I'm guessing you're likely looking at the following

Tier 1 Help Desk for larger companies

Tier 1-2 Help Desk for smaller companies because they aren't large enough to have dedicated people to do just Tier 1

with no relevant IT experience, you're looking at "entry level" positions that typically are looking for 2 years experience. some will be willing to accept 1 year. others will be looking for 3+, but that's typically for Tier 2 level.

in terms of salary range, I'm guessing 30K to 40K. might be higher or lower depending on area.

most important thing to keep in mind is to build up whatever real world working experience you can. trying to get a foot in the door with no prior IT experience can be very difficult, but it will widen as you build up more experience.

so if you know someone that can get you an IT related job, network the hell out of them
 
Entry level IT I'd say ~$35k give or take a bit. This obviously depends on the area. Maybe $40 if you're lucky.

I work with a guy who is basically the exact same position you're in. He was a paramedic, has 2x associate degrees, has his A+, etc. He is kind of the tier 1.5 guy who does the stuff more advanced than generic help desk crap, but doesn't do any kind of engineering/design or major project work. He makes about $40k now about 6 months into working at my company.
 
20-25k range, 30 if you get lucky.

you gotta prove yourself and work on to bigger things and the $ will go up over the course of your career
 
check out glass ceiling and salary dot com.

it is a tough one. the more you're seen as a commodity, the less you'll make. you really have to find a good fit with your real skills and capabilities and position. otherwise you'll get pigeon-holed. also, look hard at the organizational fit. money is good (love the dough) but it ain't worth showing up to someplace you hate.

Find a salary you can live with, up it 15% to give yourself a starting point??
 
1. Remember any salary number you put out there becomes the "maximum salary offer" from the company's point of view during any subsequent negotiation.

2. Find out what the mean or normal salary is for people with similar experience in similar positions in similar areas. Ask for more than this (keeping in mind point 1.), but not so much more that the company decides winning you isn't worth their time.

3. The key to number 2 is to try to judge how much the company/manager really wants you and how easily your candidacy is substituted.
 
james1701 said:
Today I was asked what I wanted to be payed for my first IT position. I am A+ certified, an AS degree in IT in six weeks that I have held a 4.0 GPA the entire time I have been in school. I also have another degree and Certification in the medical field. I have excellent hardware skills, but lack experience in networking.

When asked, what is normally an acceptable salary to reply with when talking to a small company? I do have supervisory experience that would transfer over from the medical field. Do you think any of this should be taken into account when I negotiate salary?
Click to expand...

Not really impressed with your credentials on paper. Wouldn't be expecting employers to see much in you either bsed on this.

You might be looking at $18-19/hr. I'd say. And that is looking on the high side.


Source: IT department manager. 🙂
 
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Yeah I'd say ~40k sounds about right. When it comes to IT typically you will start at help desk, then move up. The company will have a job posting for server tech or other higher end jobs, it will get posted internally first for 2 weeks or w/e, chances are help desk people will apply. If by chance nobody applies or they're all incompetent, then it goes outside.
 
12 bucks an hour for A+ monkey sounds right, with a range of 10-15. nobody gives a fuck about your GPA
 
Shouldn't you have researched this before getting the AS?

Some states make salary surveys publicly available for their graduates. See if yours does
 
It may sound outrageous, but it is a valid opinion. There is a lot of places that start out at that.

Fortunately, there is one place I am working with that I won't just be a help desk monkey. They do managed service, cloud data center, email exchange, encrypted email, remote access, online backup, and several other services. They are also a Barracuda authorized partner.

It's a fair amount of travel, but I think its experience i can't get anywhere else on this level. I can also work on my BA to get farther up the food chain as time passes.
 
$35k-$40k sounds about right for IT... although it depends what you're doing. If you're just a call screener then obviously it is lower 😉
 
james1701 said:
It may sound outrageous, but it is a valid opinion. There is a lot of places that start out at that.

Fortunately, there is one place I am working with that I won't just be a help desk monkey. They do managed service, cloud data center, email exchange, encrypted email, remote access, online backup, and several other services. They are also a Barracuda authorized partner.

It's a fair amount of travel, but I think its experience i can't get anywhere else on this level. I can also work on my BA to get farther up the food chain as time passes.
Click to expand...

Travel is a negotiation point depending on how much there is (if it is under 10% that's not really a whole lot).
 
12 actually is realistic for one of those small business contract type IT shops. I would personally hate to work for one of those. Too much running around and improper processes and messy environments etc... Though if you are stuck you take what you can get, in hopes something better shows up.
 
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