Need career and college advice

[Fraggable]

I need advice from people who are in the IT/IS field and know what experience in the field is worth, and what to expect jobs to pay.

I am currently a student at a technical and community college studying PC Support and Administration, with an emphasis on network administration. I work part time as a co-op position at a private K-12 school as a sort of assistant network administrator. I have full control of the network, and pretty much do all the work, only consulting my supervisor for clearance on using new apps, purchasing decisions etc. I get experience with Exchange 2003, Win Server 2003, AD, network administration, that sort of thing. Being a school, there isn't a ton of pressure to stay current and get things done immediately, so I have time to learn about what i'm doing and why.

My position here at the school is changing to a full time position starting next school year, and it pays $13.50/hr or $21,400/year. I will graduate with my associates' about that time. They of course offered the job to me before advertising. I would be getting a little more responsibility and accountability, which of course is work experience that someone in my posisition may not be able to get in the business world.

I intend to go to NKU, a fairly large university here in northern kentucky for my bachelor's in IS since they have an excellent program and they offer in-state tuition for me, even though I live in Cincinnati. I want to work full time, and possibly go to school full time also to finish my degree. If I can't handle full time classes, I guess I'll go part time and take a bit longer.

So far I've been able to pay for school as I go, and I plan to keep it that way.

I live at home, have only about $100 of monthly expenses + gas.

My question is, is it a good idea to remain in this possibly slightly underpaid position with great work experience for another 3 years or so till i'm done with my bachelor's, or should I go job hunting for a higher paying job that maybe won't give me the same experience? Remember, i'm only 21 now and I suspect getting the experience now is very important.

 

[Fraggable]

nothing? no input?

 

[ViviTheMage]

I have heard experience is a much better way then schooling.

This is comming from IT people who work at major law firms and brokerages. Most of the people I talked to had no college under their belt, jsut experience and got hired, but they also knew someone within the firms.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
I have heard experience is a much better way then schooling.

This is comming from IT people who work at major law firms and brokerages. Most of the people I talked to had no college under their belt, jsut experience and got hired, but they also knew someone within the firms.

thats what it seems like. every job position i have seen requires several years of experience AND a college degree.

the IT field is crappy now

my suggestion would be to find a different career.

 

[Fraggable]

Originally posted by: pontifex

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
I have heard experience is a much better way then schooling.

This is comming from IT people who work at major law firms and brokerages. Most of the people I talked to had no college under their belt, jsut experience and got hired, but they also knew someone within the firms.

thats what it seems like. every job position i have seen requires several years of experience AND a college degree.

the IT field is crappy now

my suggestion would be to find a different career.

IT is relatively crappy, but IS is something that can't easily be outsourced. That's my career goal.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Originally posted by: pontifex

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
I have heard experience is a much better way then schooling.

This is comming from IT people who work at major law firms and brokerages. Most of the people I talked to had no college under their belt, jsut experience and got hired, but they also knew someone within the firms.

thats what it seems like. every job position i have seen requires several years of experience AND a college degree.

the IT field is crappy now

my suggestion would be to find a different career.

It is so hard to stray from something that you like to do, and are good at.

 

[CVSiN]

Originally posted by: Fraggable
I need advice from people who are in the IT/IS field and know what experience in the field is worth, and what to expect jobs to pay.

I am currently a student at a technical and community college studying PC Support and Administration, with an emphasis on network administration. I work part time as a co-op position at a private K-12 school as a sort of assistant network administrator. I have full control of the network, and pretty much do all the work, only consulting my supervisor for clearance on using new apps, purchasing decisions etc. I get experience with Exchange 2003, Win Server 2003, AD, network administration, that sort of thing. Being a school, there isn't a ton of pressure to stay current and get things done immediately, so I have time to learn about what i'm doing and why.

My position here at the school is changing to a full time position starting next school year, and it pays $13.50/hr or $21,400/year. I will graduate with my associates' about that time. They of course offered the job to me before advertising. I would be getting a little more responsibility and accountability, which of course is work experience that someone in my posisition may not be able to get in the business world.

I intend to go to NKU, a fairly large university here in northern kentucky for my bachelor's in IS since they have an excellent program and they offer in-state tuition for me, even though I live in Cincinnati. I want to work full time, and possibly go to school full time also to finish my degree. If I can't handle full time classes, I guess I'll go part time and take a bit longer.

So far I've been able to pay for school as I go, and I plan to keep it that way.

I live at home, have only about $100 of monthly expenses + gas.

My question is, is it a good idea to remain in this possibly slightly underpaid position with great work experience for another 3 years or so till i'm done with my bachelor's, or should I go job hunting for a higher paying job that maybe won't give me the same experience? Remember, i'm only 21 now and I suspect getting the experience now is very important.

slightly underpaid? try excessively underpaid... level 1 HelpDesk in Houston TX. (very low standard of living) make 30-40k a year to start...

Desktop and level 2 and 3 Helpdesk is 40-50k a year...

AD/Server Admin is much higher than that...

you are beign flat out robbed.. unless of course you live in India... in that case your making bank!

 

[Fraggable]

Originally posted by: CVSiN

Originally posted by: Fraggable
I need advice from people who are in the IT/IS field and know what experience in the field is worth, and what to expect jobs to pay.

I am currently a student at a technical and community college studying PC Support and Administration, with an emphasis on network administration. I work part time as a co-op position at a private K-12 school as a sort of assistant network administrator. I have full control of the network, and pretty much do all the work, only consulting my supervisor for clearance on using new apps, purchasing decisions etc. I get experience with Exchange 2003, Win Server 2003, AD, network administration, that sort of thing. Being a school, there isn't a ton of pressure to stay current and get things done immediately, so I have time to learn about what i'm doing and why.

My position here at the school is changing to a full time position starting next school year, and it pays $13.50/hr or $21,400/year. I will graduate with my associates' about that time. They of course offered the job to me before advertising. I would be getting a little more responsibility and accountability, which of course is work experience that someone in my posisition may not be able to get in the business world.

I intend to go to NKU, a fairly large university here in northern kentucky for my bachelor's in IS since they have an excellent program and they offer in-state tuition for me, even though I live in Cincinnati. I want to work full time, and possibly go to school full time also to finish my degree. If I can't handle full time classes, I guess I'll go part time and take a bit longer.

So far I've been able to pay for school as I go, and I plan to keep it that way.

I live at home, have only about $100 of monthly expenses + gas.

My question is, is it a good idea to remain in this possibly slightly underpaid position with great work experience for another 3 years or so till i'm done with my bachelor's, or should I go job hunting for a higher paying job that maybe won't give me the same experience? Remember, i'm only 21 now and I suspect getting the experience now is very important.

slightly underpaid? try excessively underpaid... level 1 HelpDesk in Houston TX. (very low standard of living) make 30-40k a year to start...

Desktop and level 2 and 3 Helpdesk is 40-50k a year...

AD/Server Admin is much higher than that...

you are beign flat out robbed.. unless of course you live in India... in that case your making bank!

After doing 3 hours of reasearch, this is what i'm finding is the case. People with associates' degrees and a year or 2 of experience make 33-45K. I'm talking with my co-op advisor tomorrow and I'm leaning towards turning it down. I can't really afford to make 21K for the next 3 years when I could be making twice that while going to school.

 

[spidey07]

well the problem is your working in education which typically doesn't pay squat.

 

[Fraggable]

Originally posted by: spidey07
well the problem is your working in education which typically doesn't pay squat.

I know it will neve pay what I could get in business, but it provides some experience that might not be available elsewhere - though I'm finding that isn't entirely true. This is the first time I've seriously looked at openings for people with my experience and education and it's paying more than I expected.

 

[DougK62]

I think you'll be in good shape if you stay where you are until graduating. It'll be good experience that a lot of your peers will not have when you graduate from uni.

 

[BlueFlamme]

Originally posted by: spidey07
well the problem is your working in education which typically doesn't pay squat.

Look at what they pay teachers who have a degree and a teaching certificate. Private schools pay even less than public, to give you some idea of how bad it is.

Definetely find another job aiming at a good name company or specialty that'll help catapult you into that nice job after you finish your degree.

 

[spidey07]

then again if OP is in an environment where he can truly learn and maintains some respsonibility it could be very valuable. Something where some accomplishments can be listed instead of "maintained desktops and servers"

 

[gigapet]

Go into Genetics, nanotech or robotics. Everything else is just fluff in the future.

 

[Fraggable]

Originally posted by: spidey07
then again if OP is in an environment where he can truly learn and maintains some respsonibility it could be very valuable. Something where some accomplishments can be listed instead of "maintained desktops and servers"

My work is always very high quality, whether I am rushed or not, and that is recognized by my superiors. I do my research and make plans for what I do - that's how I learn about what I'm doing outside of class.

I may learn a little more at this school, but it seems I'm shortchanging myself in some ways by staying in education.

 

[theknight571]

I don't understand the "...can't be easily outsourced.." comment.

Everything is being outsourced these days... I know of mid-western companies where their applications programming, level 1 help desk, and some LAN Admin is done in India. Their goal for "local" support is 1 Tech to every 400-500 users.

Shoot..I read an article that said McDonalds was testing a program where they'd outsource the order box at the drive through to a call center in India (or sim).

- TK

Edit: Forgot the further comments...lol

If you have exposure to lots of different applications / networks / hardware / etc. and exposure to the planning / budgeting / management in your current position, and can afford that salary for the time being, then it might benefit you to stay there.

At a bigger corporation you most likely wont get as much exposure as they tend to departmentalize (word?), so no one person is responsible for very much.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage

Originally posted by: pontifex

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
I have heard experience is a much better way then schooling.

This is comming from IT people who work at major law firms and brokerages. Most of the people I talked to had no college under their belt, jsut experience and got hired, but they also knew someone within the firms.

thats what it seems like. every job position i have seen requires several years of experience AND a college degree.

the IT field is crappy now

my suggestion would be to find a different career.

It is so hard to stray from something that you like to do, and are good at.

all through HS i loved computers and working with them. got out of school and went to tech school and ms cert training. i now hate working on computers unless its my own computer.

wish i would have done something different.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: Fraggable

Originally posted by: CVSiN

Originally posted by: Fraggable
I need advice from people who are in the IT/IS field and know what experience in the field is worth, and what to expect jobs to pay.

I am currently a student at a technical and community college studying PC Support and Administration, with an emphasis on network administration. I work part time as a co-op position at a private K-12 school as a sort of assistant network administrator. I have full control of the network, and pretty much do all the work, only consulting my supervisor for clearance on using new apps, purchasing decisions etc. I get experience with Exchange 2003, Win Server 2003, AD, network administration, that sort of thing. Being a school, there isn't a ton of pressure to stay current and get things done immediately, so I have time to learn about what i'm doing and why.

My position here at the school is changing to a full time position starting next school year, and it pays $13.50/hr or $21,400/year. I will graduate with my associates' about that time. They of course offered the job to me before advertising. I would be getting a little more responsibility and accountability, which of course is work experience that someone in my posisition may not be able to get in the business world.

I intend to go to NKU, a fairly large university here in northern kentucky for my bachelor's in IS since they have an excellent program and they offer in-state tuition for me, even though I live in Cincinnati. I want to work full time, and possibly go to school full time also to finish my degree. If I can't handle full time classes, I guess I'll go part time and take a bit longer.

So far I've been able to pay for school as I go, and I plan to keep it that way.

I live at home, have only about $100 of monthly expenses + gas.

My question is, is it a good idea to remain in this possibly slightly underpaid position with great work experience for another 3 years or so till i'm done with my bachelor's, or should I go job hunting for a higher paying job that maybe won't give me the same experience? Remember, i'm only 21 now and I suspect getting the experience now is very important.

slightly underpaid? try excessively underpaid... level 1 HelpDesk in Houston TX. (very low standard of living) make 30-40k a year to start...

Desktop and level 2 and 3 Helpdesk is 40-50k a year...

AD/Server Admin is much higher than that...

you are beign flat out robbed.. unless of course you live in India... in that case your making bank!

After doing 3 hours of reasearch, this is what i'm finding is the case. People with associates' degrees and a year or 2 of experience make 33-45K. I'm talking with my co-op advisor tomorrow and I'm leaning towards turning it down. I can't really afford to make 21K for the next 3 years when I could be making twice that while going to school.

haha, thats funny. i would have loved to make that much starting out in lvl 1 tech support.
you know what i made 4 years ago when i started my lvl 1 tech support job? $19,200
4 years later i was making $27k and i was level 3 tech support. i'm now a network admin at a new company making $33k

 

[Fraggable]

Originally posted by: pontifex

Originally posted by: Fraggable

Originally posted by: CVSiN

Originally posted by: Fraggable
I need advice from people who are in the IT/IS field and know what experience in the field is worth, and what to expect jobs to pay.

I am currently a student at a technical and community college studying PC Support and Administration, with an emphasis on network administration. I work part time as a co-op position at a private K-12 school as a sort of assistant network administrator. I have full control of the network, and pretty much do all the work, only consulting my supervisor for clearance on using new apps, purchasing decisions etc. I get experience with Exchange 2003, Win Server 2003, AD, network administration, that sort of thing. Being a school, there isn't a ton of pressure to stay current and get things done immediately, so I have time to learn about what i'm doing and why.

My position here at the school is changing to a full time position starting next school year, and it pays $13.50/hr or $21,400/year. I will graduate with my associates' about that time. They of course offered the job to me before advertising. I would be getting a little more responsibility and accountability, which of course is work experience that someone in my posisition may not be able to get in the business world.

I intend to go to NKU, a fairly large university here in northern kentucky for my bachelor's in IS since they have an excellent program and they offer in-state tuition for me, even though I live in Cincinnati. I want to work full time, and possibly go to school full time also to finish my degree. If I can't handle full time classes, I guess I'll go part time and take a bit longer.

So far I've been able to pay for school as I go, and I plan to keep it that way.

I live at home, have only about $100 of monthly expenses + gas.

My question is, is it a good idea to remain in this possibly slightly underpaid position with great work experience for another 3 years or so till i'm done with my bachelor's, or should I go job hunting for a higher paying job that maybe won't give me the same experience? Remember, i'm only 21 now and I suspect getting the experience now is very important.

slightly underpaid? try excessively underpaid... level 1 HelpDesk in Houston TX. (very low standard of living) make 30-40k a year to start...

Desktop and level 2 and 3 Helpdesk is 40-50k a year...

AD/Server Admin is much higher than that...

you are beign flat out robbed.. unless of course you live in India... in that case your making bank!

After doing 3 hours of reasearch, this is what i'm finding is the case. People with associates' degrees and a year or 2 of experience make 33-45K. I'm talking with my co-op advisor tomorrow and I'm leaning towards turning it down. I can't really afford to make 21K for the next 3 years when I could be making twice that while going to school.

haha, thats funny. i would have loved to make that much starting out in lvl 1 tech support.
you know what i made 4 years ago when i started my lvl 1 tech support job? $19,200
4 years later i was making $27k and i was level 3 tech support. i'm now a network admin at a new company making $33k

I expect a level 1 tech support job to pay $20K. I don't expect, after being a network administrator - albeit a small network -, to have to work in a help desk level 1 position, especially with an associates' and working on a bachelor's.

 

[Fraggable]

bump

 

[Fraggable]

Well I met with my Co-op coordinator and we decided to turn down the position. He thinks that my work experience and skills will put me in position for a job that pays $30-40K/yr by the time I graduate and that I can get the same experience elsewhere getting paid much more.

If anyone cares.