Little dilemna with job offer

[LuckyTaxi]

Making $29120/yr at a private school as a network administrator.

I've learned A LOT since I've started last November and I've practically redid
the entire school's network. We're running Windows, Linux and FreeBSD.
So, the job pays rather poorly, but I have somewhat of an input in terms of technology.
The sky is the limit in this position meaning I can learn whatever I want and implement
things I consider useful for the students/faculty.

My friend says her place is willing to offer me $40,000/yr to do basic desktop support
but I get free tuition since it's a medical department (Drexel university).

It will take me many years to get to $40k at my current position, but I do have this
guy who I report to who makes $33k, but he's a moron. There are times I want to quit
because of this guy, but I figure no one is hiring and I should be happy I have a job.
Second, while he sits there and does nothing, I play with the bsd and linux box
and do what I want.

But $40k ... I could use the extra money!!!

 

[CChaos]

And the dilemna is?

 

[gistech1978]

sounds like your job affords you a lot of freedom.
basic desktop support doesnt sound like a whole lot of fun to me.
i would rather be the network admin and let someone else deal with the idiot users.
but, the raise in pay would be nice. bide your time & take over your boss's job, the 33k a year one. thats what i would do.

 

[LuckyTaxi]

going from a place where I can learn what I want and do what I want to a place where I do desktop support?

it's like going a step backwards, only I'll be making way more money

 

[maziwanka]

Originally posted by: CChaos
And the dilemna is?

yea, i missed that....

 

[LuckyTaxi]

Originally posted by: gistech1978
sounds like your job affords you a lot of freedom.
basic desktop support doesnt sound like a whole lot of fun to me.
i would rather be the network admin and let someone else deal with the idiot users.
but, the raise in pay would be nice. bide your time & take over your boss's job, the 33k a year one. thats what i would do.

he was here two years before I was hired. Nice friedn and all, but he thinks he knows everything. no one likes him cuz his not social, and I can't stand him cuz he recommends things that are useless in our network environment.

the CFO thinks he knows everything since he can talk the talk, but what they dont know is I do all the supporting in the background. he's not going anywhere unless he resigns. So, i dont think I wanna wait around for that.

desktop support is very boring

 

[TheCorm]

Originally posted by: CChaos
And the dilemna is?

I see the dilemma....not quite sure what I would do, sounds like your current job would be better for you as a person, you can increase your skills and knowledge with the free time it allows and it doesn't sound like you have bad stress.

The other job although more stressfull does pay more though....

What about generaly prospects in each job....the other one is entry level and at $40k....so the supervisory and managerial positions must pay really well....that's something to consider.

In your current job it sounds like you may never earn more than $40k and might get "left behind" in employment progression terms?

It's a difficult decision that's for sure! If you are living comfortable on your current salary and you are generally happy.....then why change? is one way of looking at it.

 

[Frdm51472]

You are going to need experience in dealing with other peoples restrictions as well as the technical experience you have gained. It doesnt hurt to work in a more structured environment especially when its more money. Unless you plan on being that guy making $33k/yr in 10 years, and maybe retire making $45k/yr you need to move up. You need a company that has room for advancement and this is probably going to mean you having a little less free reign. You never know, you might get lucky and work for someone who can teach you. It is a lot easier to learn from a good co-worker than to try to learn it on your own. It could be a valuable career move, and hey, its more money.

Stagnation is bad for your career.

 

[LuckyTaxi]

Originally posted by: TheCorm

Originally posted by: CChaos
And the dilemna is?

I see the dilemma....not quite sure what I would do, sounds like your current job would be better for you as a person, you can increase your skills and knowledge with the free time it allows and it doesn't sound like you have bad stress.

The other job although more stressfull does pay more though....

What about generaly prospects in each job....the other one is entry level and at $40k....so the supervisory and managerial positions must pay really well....that's something to consider.

In your current job it sounds like you may never earn more than $40k and might get "left behind" in employment progression terms?

It's a difficult decision that's for sure! If you are living comfortable on your current salary and you are generally happy.....then why change? is one way of looking at it.

Atleast someone sees it!

There is stress at my current job. I still do desktop support (what I was hired to do in addition to managing the email/web/DNS/AD servers!!!

I take the drexel job and can move within the organization to a higher level. Where I am now, I'm not going anywhere. even if i take over as the head of technology I wont be making $40k

need money w/ loan repayment,car and apt. so yea it is a no brainer

 

[PlatinumGold]

the problem with lilcam's current position is that there is a LOT more responsibility there than pay. unfortunately when a potential employer looks at the resume, what lilcam claims he did and how much he was paid, the employer might conclude that the resume has just been made to look better than it really is.


people do associate how much you were paid with the amount of responsibility you had.

i think the 2nd job would CLEARLY be moving upward career wise.

 

[LuckyTaxi]

Originally posted by: Frdm51472
You are going to need experience in dealing with other peoples restrictions as well as the technical experience you have gained. It doesnt hurt to work in a more structured environment especially when its more money. Unless you plan on being that guy making $33k/yr in 10 years, and maybe retire making $45k/yr you need to move up. You need a company that has room for advancement and this is probably going to mean you having a little less free reign. You never know, you might get lucky and work for someone who can teach you. It is a lot easier to learn from a good co-worker than to try to learn it on your own. It could be a valuable career move, and hey, its more money.

Stagnation is bad for your career.

EXACTLY!!! My fiance is pissed cuz I'm not getting anywhere now, but I told her I'm learning somethign new everyday and hopefully I can use that knowledge to try to get another job.

I dont plan on working for anyone 5 years from now, so I figure take the $40k and do something on the side. web design/hosting business.

 

[LuckyTaxi]

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold
the problem with lilcam's current position is that there is a LOT more responsibility there than pay. unfortunately when a potential employer looks at the resume, what lilcam claims he/she (sorry not sure of your sex) did and how much he/she was paid, the employer might conclude that the resume has just been made to look better than it really is.


people do associate how much you were paid with the amount of responsibility you had.

i think the 2nd job would CLEARLY be moving upward career wise.

right! i went for an interview a while back and told them I was a network admin making $28k. he said "what?!" i told him i work for a private school so the pay sucks!!!

now that i have gained the experience i could just move forward and do the desktop support thingy and make $40k. internally there are jobs in other depts and i can move up once the opportunity comes around

 

[FoolishMcNasty]

You will really be making close to 65k a year if you take full advantage of the free tuition...

 

[Ameesh]

Originally posted by: lilcam

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold
the problem with lilcam's current position is that there is a LOT more responsibility there than pay. unfortunately when a potential employer looks at the resume, what lilcam claims he/she (sorry not sure of your sex) did and how much he/she was paid, the employer might conclude that the resume has just been made to look better than it really is.


people do associate how much you were paid with the amount of responsibility you had.

i think the 2nd job would CLEARLY be moving upward career wise.

right! i went for an interview a while back and told them I was a network admin making $28k. he said "what?!" i told him i work for a private school so the pay sucks!!!

now that i have gained the experience i could just move forward and do the desktop support thingy and make $40k. internally there are jobs in other depts and i can move up once the opportunity comes around

you do not tell them that yo are making 28K! oh man, you'll be lucky if they offer you 40k now.

 

[xcdhridr]

never tell your current pay.

ps
I'm the network admin AND support man for a small business. Get paid squat and have to deal with idiots all day. But get to surf a lot when the boss ain't lookin =-)

 

[Scarpozzi]

Don't go for the desktop support position. It's a step down. When you're a sys admin, you're offiicially behind the curtain if you play your cards right. That's the best place to be, though pay is bad. I know cause I'm a sys admin for a university. Top-end pay at my university for a server admin is $48k. You simply can't get a raise to achieve that level... You just have to apply for positions within the university you're already working for when they become available. That's how you climb the ladder and actually make more money. It's the only way unless you're friends with the boys at the top.

 

[sillymofo]

dude... you don't want to do desktop support, trust me on this. But with the extra 10 grands, and less responsibilities, you might be able to do something better with your free time, like what you've suggested. I would save money and open up my own business. In this country, it doesn't really matter what kind of education you have or how much you're getting pay at a job, you're still working for some body.

EDIT: Your intelligence is no longer measured by the piece of paper that hangs on the wall, but your bank account.

 

[sillymofo]

Holy DP batman!

 

[Argo]

Go to whoever your boss reports to. Tell them that he doesn't know anything and you could take on his responsibilities for a raise (let's say 40k). If they say yes, everybody wins - you get a raise and stay at the cool job, the school saves 20k by firing a guy who doesn't know anything.

If they say no - just quit and accept the other job.

 

[StageLeft]

Stay where you are. The money sucks, but $40k of deadendedness (which desktop support is, compared to your position) is a bad bad idea. 5 years from now you may still be doing desktop, whereas if you stay where you are now your resume will be top-notch.

As ameesh said they have no reason to know your current pay if you go and find a new job in the future. You can just say "I'd rather not say", IF they ask. I am sure anybody would leave it at that.

I know your pay sucks now, and clearly you don't want to stay where you are long term, but as the economy needs work you could definitely use another couple years solid experience. Then in two years go and apply for a nice job - maybe $50k with upward mobility. I just personally would be very wary of downgrading my job to a lower-quality position, pay notwithstanding.

Glad scarpozzi agrees with me. It would be neat to see the opinion of IT people vs. non-IT people. Being in IT I can vouch for the fact that when it's time to get a new job your resume is exceptionally critical and they will want to see what you've done and what skills you have, and what projects you've worked on, etc. and desktop support is bottom rung in this business.

 

[DrPizza]

I would still contact the better paying job offer... discuss with them where you're at now. Tell them that although you'd enjoy the salary increase that it would afford you, professionally, you wish to grow, rather than take a step backwards. Be as positive as you can with them while turning them down... then ask them if they'd keep you in mind if they have an opening for something at the level you're at now or higher.

I think this approach would be most professional and get your foot in the door, while not sacrificing your job growth and potential for future advancement.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: lilcam

Originally posted by: gistech1978
sounds like your job affords you a lot of freedom.
basic desktop support doesnt sound like a whole lot of fun to me.
i would rather be the network admin and let someone else deal with the idiot users.
but, the raise in pay would be nice. bide your time & take over your boss's job, the 33k a year one. thats what i would do.

he was here two years before I was hired. Nice friedn and all, but he thinks he knows everything. no one likes him cuz his not social, and I can't stand him cuz he recommends things that are useless in our network environment.

the CFO thinks he knows everything since he can talk the talk, but what they dont know is I do all the supporting in the background. he's not going anywhere unless he resigns. So, i dont think I wanna wait around for that.

desktop support is very boring

I was in the same position at a catholic school... the person responsible for the network and computers in the school knew virtually NOTHING. One day, every mouse in one of the computer labs "went bad"... She reasoned that since they had all been purchased at the same time, they'd probably all wear out at about the same time. It made sense to her. She was ordering all new mouses to replace them when I (the lowly math and physics teacher) suggested that it was just a hardware setting. One of my tech savvy students thought the whole thing was hilarious... I'd bet money that he was the one who changed the settings... Nonetheless, new mice were purchased. And quietly, outside tech support was called in to change the settings back...

 

[element]

"She was ordering all new mouses to replace them"

That's the problem right there, she should have ordered all new miceeses.

 

[LuckyTaxi]

I see what everyone is saying about stepping backwards. My current position allows me a lot of freedom as one of the earlier post mentioned. Furthermore, 2-3 years from now when I want to apply for another position, they'll see that I went from a desktop position (forgot to mention i did desktop for 3 years - grrrr) to a network admin position and back to a desktop support position? not revealing that money was behind the motive, they would suspect something went wrong.

i've been in my current position for a little over a year now. i've gained a lot of respect and only a few ppl know the truth about what really goes on behind the scene. there are two network admin and only one does work. i actually said something to the CFO and was told I was strictly hired to do desktop support since my "boss" couldn't handle the desktop support part. He was to oversee the network and i would run around and deal with ppl. well, all he does is surf the net and do his homework. he is still seeking his BS degree while I have mine.

So, from a business standpoint the school would save over $20k by getting rid of him and keeping me for $40k. i might actually do that, but only once i know for a fact that i want to go to drexel.

on a bright note, i would be able to move up the ladder once i get into drexel. don't forget, there are plenty of other department and drexel is a big school. so, there are plenty of opportunities within the school to move up.