IT folks...making jump from private company to vendor

[vi edit]

Trying to feel out the "grass isn't always greener" thing here.

Long story short, I've supported a particular set of applications for over 10 years at two really high level facilities. These are very big name and highly specialized apps in their particular industry. I've got a ton of other experience and background that is highly appealing to the vendor. They are very interested in bringing me on board to their implementation team doing project work and site activations.

Upshots are:
75% work from home. No more chaos and cost trying to park daily. Plus flexibility with kids schedules in the AM.

No more call. I take call every other week. 50% of the year I'm on call. It sucks.

I get to install a site, wipe my hands and move on. Rinse repeat. Which after 20 years of support sounds really appealing. I'm done and over with support and just want to focus on project work. But I can't because we are so understaffed that I have to deal with the daily bullshit of tickets and basic level support of cables/reboots/ect in addition.

Pay will be higher base, but benefits take a hit so that's a net wash long term.

Cons:
It's a major player in the industry and not going anywhere. But it's still an implementation based job. No more sales, no more installs. Job security is not as good as I have now.

25% travel. Which isn't really a con...but still something I'm not having to do right now.

Working remote...means it's harder to get in contact with other peers for help if you need it. I know the systems very well so I'll pick up the rest of the stuff I know fast, but everyone needs a life line. I'm on an island for the most part in this gig.

Limited upward mobility. Not really a true career ladder with this position. Which isn't super important to me. I'm at a point in my life/career where I just want a decent pay with limited amount of bullshit and I can just sit down and do my work without mountains of paperwork and policies. This job hits most of those at the cost of options beyond it.

----

So that being said...anyone made the jump to working for a vendor from a typical corporate support role? Was the grass greener?

 

[Zeze]

My 2 cents,

1. Being on a call sucks and is illegal. You are doing 50% of the year on a call? That alone should be a MEGA plus for switching. You finally get to have a 'normal' job again like rest of us- clock in & clock out. Total freedom outside of work hours.

2. WFH is a solid perk. As we are getting older, family obligations take priority and become much more valuable. Do a simple math of commute time wasted, eating out, rush hours, and etc. If your daily roundtrip commute was a typical 60 min/15-30 miles, then you're probably saving about extra $2000-3000 a year (after tax), equivalent of $3,000-5,000 of salary.

3. Having a lifeline is crucial. When I started in a new company, all my team is in Minnesota (wtf). I had to make a noise and have my mentor meet with me on daily basis for half hour. It worked. So this can be mitigated based on your assertiveness.

 

[foghorn67]

Some notes on my previous experience vs. what my friend is doing now vs. what your presented with.
None of this is 100% applicable, but maybe insightful.

-My previous job was 100% in the office w/ 25% travel in a corporate setting. I hated it.
I loved the travel, got me out of the corporate office, got to see things and meet people in different regions of the US. I dreaded going back to the office.

Of course that all depends on the working environment, and the company culture. The culture sucked, so YMMV. Nobody trusted each other, my boss's boss is a micro manager that happens to be irritable and volatile. So, if your workplace is the opposite of this, maybe it's worth the look. If the most idle talk you hear about is ranting about middle management, or whacked policies, steer clear. Otherwise, you get to learn and master something I never want to master....being a sociopath. Only way to succeed at some places. Again, if it's a good place, it's an opportunity to get off that rock island, and get you noticed for some real cool things.

-My friend for example...I'll make this short...hated corporate politics, even though his workplace is known to be fair to very good. Career sites rank them pretty high. But he didn't like it still. He engineered his way into working from home, pretty much 100% of the time.
Cons: He will never be promoted. He painted himself into a corner. He is stable where is he is at, as long as he doesn't screw up. And he is removed from "feeling out" the culture there. It could change, and he could be left in a shuffle.

My two cents.

 

[ImpulsE69]

OP I did the opposite. I went from working for a vendor partner, to working for the vendor (major vendor) to working for a company (as a customer to the vendor).

Basically, travel expectations for vendors tend to be too much if you aren't single due to needing to go where the business is. I didn't mind the 1 or 2 night trips, but more and more it was 3-4 month projects. The culture was great, the company was great to work for, etc, but the constant living out of hotels is something you either like or you don't. If you don't mind travel it can be great, but after 5 years it got tiresome.

While my job now I would say is more stressful and I work more hours, I work from home so overall it's more enjoyable. Much of it simply will depend on who you are working for and if you enjoy the work.

 

[Viper GTS]

I spent 5 years working for a vendor in a very specific industry (broadcast television) and now I work for a network. I did similar things - Travel to a TV station, setup/fix/upgrade/whatever their broadcast system, then go get on a plane and go somewhere else.

In my experience with highly specialized applications on the vendor side you are never truly off. Unless the company is big enough and properly staffed the job never really ended. Your customers figure out that you're the one they should talk to, and then they call you directly. I was fortunate enough to be paid by the hour but in 2011 I averaged over 60 hours a week for 52 weeks (nearly 3200 hours).

I think it's just the nature of small market software, and although broadcast may be a (much) smaller market than medical I'd bet that some of still applies.

The hours and the travel, while driving my income for those years, were what eventually made me quit and move to the network. Same income with no travel and 40-45 hour weeks and the ability to know where I'll be in advance vs getting a call and being on a plane hours later. I wouldn't go back.

Viper GTS

 

[Insomniator]

If you are on call 50% of the time, leave that no matter what. Leave that yesterday. WTF how have you done it for that long already. Do you ever do anything? I'm about to go on an on call rotation of 1 week every 8 weeks and am super concerned about not being able to hangout/drink/have fun.

50% on call!!! Take the new job.

 

[maddogchen]

one downside to being the vendor is having to put up with nasty clients like maybe your current company

 

[vi edit]

This particular role really isn't travel dependent. The last site I worked at I couldn't even tell you what the implementation specialist looked like. They never came on site. There were installers and trainers devoted to the real on-site work.

I've been talking with my current installer about the job and feel that I've gotten very honest and accurate feedback. The PM for the current project fell ill so the implementation person took over as the PM and is onsite much more than normal. It's not typical for them to be onsite unless *a lot* of TLC is required. A bulk of their work is done from home. It's interface design and GUI building. Most of their travel is to corporate offices for training/corporate'y stuff. Not to customer sites.

One of the other neutral points of the switch is the focused specialization. Some of the skills could overlap to other positions, but the reality is that it's a deep dive into one particular application. Unlike my current job where I have to support 30 different apps and get an interesting diversity of experience. At this other one it would be high specialized.

Upside is that I could focus down and just worry about being good at one thing. Downside is that I only focus on one thing that doesn't translate well to other jobs should I move on. There's still relevant skills with the gig (interfaces and design are always good to have) but it's all tailored around one application.

Size wise the vendor is big. REALLY big. Although the area I would support is somewhat niche (relative to the rest of the organization) and .

 

[Exterous]

I get to install a site, wipe my hands and move on. Rinse repeat.

I would say there is some potential downside to this. Depending on your clients and your company you may be expected to shoehorn some absurdly designed and configured 'just make it work' square peg into a round hole. I've done that before and its not fun. That said I now work for a vendor that doesn't try and do this and (generally) clients that understand and respect when we say 'thats a bad idea'

You also may not always be able to move on as you might be expected to support that implementation that goes against any reasonable recommended practice.

Personally I'd find out a bit more about the travel and the company policies regarding it. Some can be quite stingy on per diems, hotels etc which can turn travel into a big nightmare. Big plus if they let you book your own stuff on your own card.

 

[brianmanahan]

i pity the fool who has an on-call support role

i say this as someone who was on-call %33 of the year for 5 years

 

[vi edit]

one downside to being the vendor is having to put up with nasty clients like maybe your current company

I have to put up with oodles of nasty customers in my current role...so I'll call it a wash. At least with the nature of the new gig you can largely wash your hands of that customer after 4-6 months and transition them to support

 

[ImpulsE69]

i pity the fool who has an on-call support role

i say this as someone who was on-call %33 of the year for 5 years

Eh it's not all bad. I was on call 24/7 for 3 years and that's ALL I did. I worked maybe 3 hours a month average. Compared to now where I feel like I'm never off call and it rotates every 6 weeks or so.

 

[vi edit]

I've had call of some shape or form for over 10 years now. Some was every other week. Some was every 4 weeks. Some was every 10 weeks.

Some call you literally *NEVER* got called. As in we had to check to make sure the phone worked. A call rotation I was on recently was the worst call I had *EVER* been on. It was dreadful. I was paralyzed to my home on nights and weekends because the damn phone rang so much. 2-5 calls a night through the week. Plus you took the pager through the day. And that was ON TOP of all of your other project work.

My current call isn't that bad. But it's still one added stress on top of project work and all of the other stuff you do on a daily basis. And it's not compensated in way other than base pay. Which doesn't change a penny if you are on call 365 days a year or 1 day a year.

 

[Zeze]

I've had call of some shape or form for over 10 years now. Some was every other week. Some was every 4 weeks. Some was every 10 weeks.

Some call you literally *NEVER* got called. As in we had to check to make sure the phone worked. A call rotation I was on recently was the worst call I had *EVER* been on. It was dreadful. I was paralyzed to my home on nights and weekends because the damn phone rang so much. 2-5 calls a night through the week. Plus you took the pager through the day. And that was ON TOP of all of your other project work.

My current call isn't that bad. But it's still one added stress on top of project work and all of the other stuff you do on a daily basis. And it's not compensated in way other than base pay. Which doesn't change a penny if you are on call 365 days a year or 1 day a year.

Disgusting. Take the new job.

 

[mvbighead]

one downside to being the vendor is having to put up with nasty clients like maybe your current company

This... so much this.

I work for a service provider. Customers figure that since they pay you they can treat you like shit. Not all of them do this, but it tends to be at or near more than half of them.

On call is one thing, but it depends on the odds of getting called. For me, on call currently is escalation, so calls get escalated to me if tier 2 cannot handle it. I might get a call or two that week, but usually none. And when I do, I work it from home. One week every 3 or 4 weeks.

Working as a vendor does get you the ability to see a lot you wouldn't elsewhere, but over time, it seems that since IT is the revenue generator, it seems (at least with my place) that hiring staff is discouraged as that cuts into profits. More staff, less profit. Less staff, more profit.

Right now, I have a number of projects and some can be fairly complex. And everyone thinks they're important. Learning to prioritize is key I suppose, but even then, at some point, some customer may try to make you look bad if they're not getting what they want. How good your manager is will play a large part in your satisfaction.

By and large, I am happy working as a vendor. But there are some days that dealing with some of the customers just does not feel rewarding at all.

One last thing... the sales team/engineers truly seem to do whatever the hell they want to. Oh, you need a full environment by the end of the week... sure thing, just sign here. There are a number of things that get sold that take time and effort which are currently being occupied by other clients... but gotta meet those deadlines, even if the sales guy promised something that usually takes weeks to setup. That stuff also can get really old.

If the management is good, you'll probably love it. If it isn't... good luck.

 

[Kaido]

Limited upward mobility. Not really a true career ladder with this position. Which isn't super important to me. I'm at a point in my life/career where I just want a decent pay with limited amount of bull and I can just sit down and do my work without mountains of paperwork and policies. This job hits most of those at the cost of options beyond it.

Yeah, that's pretty much where I'm at with mine. There is zero ladder & the pay is average at best, but I don't have high financial needs (outside of my new VR hobby, ouch!) & I really enjoy what I do on a day to day basis. No BS to deal with is HUGE for me. Travel is limited to in-state as well, which I don't mind at all.

Sounds like the pros outweighs the cons...I'd give it a shot, just don't burn any bridges on the way out

 

[Harrod]

I've never worked for a vendor, but I work closely with some vendors at my job. All I can say is I see these guys working 60 hours a week, if they are hourly it would be one thing, but as salary I wouldn't want their jobs. They constantly get called on stupid crap that should be handled by our lower support groups.

 

[nakedfrog]

1. Being on a call sucks and is illegal.

Er, pardon? Are you saying it should be illegal?

 

[TXHokie]

I've worked for a vendor (L2/3 support) and as a client (a few Fortune 100) - I'd have to say I'd rather be on the client side doing the yelling vs being the vendor getting yelled at.

I love WFH due to the cost/time savings of non-commuting, auto wear/tear, no need for new clothes. Downside is you lose on the office chatter and no face time means less recognition/promotion -- out of sight, out of mind. This worked out for me since I don't care about climbing ladder anymore. Also too many trips to the kitchen fridge.

Travel is great when you were single. Not so with family and kids (sports/activities), home emergencies and just being there. I have a chance to make 20% more to go consulting with 50% travel and have not pulled the trigger just because of this. When I retire, I'd regret not being involved with my kids growing up than the fatter bank.

 

[Zeze]

Er, pardon? Are you saying it should be illegal?

Yup. Brain fart.

 

[ViviTheMage]

3. Having a lifeline is crucial. When I started in a new company, all my team is in Minnesota (wtf). I had to make a noise and have my mentor meet with me on daily basis for half hour. It worked. So this can be mitigated based on your assertiveness.

heeeeey, what's wrong with MN?

 

[Zeze]

heeeeey, what's wrong with MN?

You and your never-winning powerball tix. :thumbsdown::\

 

[ViviTheMage]

You and your never-winning powerball tix. :thumbsdown::\

lol, tell me about it :'(

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I'd take the new job in a heartbeat - you can probably even cut that travel down to less than 25%. You will be AMAZED at how much more efficient you are both in and out of work when you work from home. For me, I had more free time - obviously I saved at least 1 hr per day not having to commute, but rather than wasting an hour per day on a lunch hour at work, I could mow my lawn, run errands, etc. and it freed up a lot of "after work" hours for me to use however I saw fit.

I worked from home for the last 2.5 years and recently switched positions and now have to go into an office. I loved my old position but with the lack of sales and an acquisition in progress, it looked like I was going to be out of a job within a few months so I started looking and found another good job to jump to and everyone is great. Still, I'd rather work from home any day of the week and I'd even take a pay cut to do it. I am still keeping my eyes open but at this point, I only care about two things - 1) working from home (obviously) and 2) money. I don't care about "career progression" or any such nonsense - I'm the CEO of Me, Inc. already and that's all I need.

 

[child of wonder]

Trying to feel out the "grass isn't always greener" thing here.

Long story short, I've supported a particular set of applications for over 10 years at two really high level facilities. These are very big name and highly specialized apps in their particular industry. I've got a ton of other experience and background that is highly appealing to the vendor. They are very interested in bringing me on board to their implementation team doing project work and site activations.

Upshots are:
75% work from home. No more chaos and cost trying to park daily. Plus flexibility with kids schedules in the AM.

No more call. I take call every other week. 50% of the year I'm on call. It sucks.

I get to install a site, wipe my hands and move on. Rinse repeat. Which after 20 years of support sounds really appealing. I'm done and over with support and just want to focus on project work. But I can't because we are so understaffed that I have to deal with the daily bullshit of tickets and basic level support of cables/reboots/ect in addition.

Pay will be higher base, but benefits take a hit so that's a net wash long term.

Cons:
It's a major player in the industry and not going anywhere. But it's still an implementation based job. No more sales, no more installs. Job security is not as good as I have now.

25% travel. Which isn't really a con...but still something I'm not having to do right now.

Working remote...means it's harder to get in contact with other peers for help if you need it. I know the systems very well so I'll pick up the rest of the stuff I know fast, but everyone needs a life line. I'm on an island for the most part in this gig.

Limited upward mobility. Not really a true career ladder with this position. Which isn't super important to me. I'm at a point in my life/career where I just want a decent pay with limited amount of bullshit and I can just sit down and do my work without mountains of paperwork and policies. This job hits most of those at the cost of options beyond it.

----

So that being said...anyone made the jump to working for a vendor from a typical corporate support role? Was the grass greener?

Having gone from being a System Admin to an implementation engineer at a VAR, then a pre-sales architect at a VAR, and now a pre-sales engineer at a hardware vendor, I can say each step of the process has been a step up for me, both in pay and job satisfaction.

My current job isn't without its stress, in fact I'd say when items of stress do come up the stress levels are higher than my previous jobs, but when those stressful events are surrounded by taking clients out for drinks, working from home, and being my own boss, it's more than tolerable.

I will NEVER go back to working in traditional IT and being on call, "asked" to work weekends, or being seen as nothing but a cost center ever again.

However, I will say that being remote, it's extremely important to reach out and network with other peers in the new company. You'll be glad you did when you have a question or concern and know of about 5 people you can simply call up to get help.