Why are computer tech jobs paying so low?

[Saint Nick]

I think with the explosion in IT technologies and needs since the 90s, it is really hard to just push someone through a bootcamp version of a class. Too much to know, really only a college degree can prepare you.

 

[yinan]

I think with the explosion in IT technologies and needs since the 90s, it is really hard to just push someone through a bootcamp version of a class. Too much to know, really only a college degree can prepare you.

LOL, that is funny. A college degree is worthless. Too much stuff changes too fast that college can not keep up with. 4 years ago college classes would have been teaching stuff about XP/Vista and now we are almsot past Win7. Virtualization, WTF is that evey box does one and only 1 thing...

 

[Farmer]

LOL, that is funny. A college degree is worthless. Too much stuff changes too fast that college can not keep up with. 4 years ago college classes would have been teaching stuff about XP/Vista and now we are almsot past Win7. Virtualization, WTF is that evey box does one and only 1 thing...

Wouldn't want to goto your college.

Also, IT is a real college major?

 

[classy]

I've been seeing a disturbing trend in IT for awhile now, it seems that many tech jobs are paying lower and lower. Most customer service reps and in some cases cashiers can make as much if not more than a PC tech. I know that computers are getting cheaper all the time, but even still it's sad to see technical jobs like this paying close to the minimum wage mark.



http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/csr/2347002901.html - Customer Service Rep - 16-18 per hr
http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/lab/2356660847.html - Landscapers 10-12 per hr
http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/csr/2347702625.html - Call Center Rep - 12 per hr

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/tch/2356109164.html - PC Repair 10-12 per hr
http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/tch/2348779730.html - A+ Tech - 12 per hr

None of these are tech jobs. One is for a call center, probably using something like heat. One is a part-time learning spot. And the other is rollout that probably requires little to no experience. None of these jobs even remotely represent the computer tech industry.

 

[Saint Nick]

LOL, that is funny. A college degree is worthless. Too much stuff changes too fast that college can not keep up with. 4 years ago college classes would have been teaching stuff about XP/Vista and now we are almsot past Win7. Virtualization, WTF is that evey box does one and only 1 thing...

Bleh that wasn't the point I was trying to make.

 

[Ketchup]

The problem is most companies don't want someone who is just a hardware tech. They want someone who will handle their network needs as well, and that is where the money is right now. Like others have said, A+ doesn't mean much, for two reason. A reasonably intelligent person could study for the exam over a weekend or two, and computers are so darn cheap. If a computer breaks, a new one can be brought in, re-imaged, and files transferred by the network guy. If you look, any decent tech school now that offers a network admin degree will have an A+ course which will give you need for the basics. You will spend the rest of the time learning things that will get you the job that pays.

 

[Texashiker]

LOL, that is funny. A college degree is worthless. Too much stuff changes too fast that college can not keep up with.

I disagree - at the very least, it shows your dedication and ability to get the job done.

Just about anyone can take a crash course and get certified in a few weeks. Its quit another thing to spend several years of your life going to college.

 

[Wyndru]

I'm pulling down 45k/year doing tech support. I'm civil service (school district), so I get great benefits and an awesome pension (my whole package comes in around 80k/year). If you hunt around you can still make ok money in support. I make more with a BS my wife with who has her doctorate in psychology (not the best example, that field sucks).

I know it's not a high salary, but it's the least stressful and most interesting job I've ever had. I left a programming job making 5k more because I couldn't deal with debugging code all day long in a cubical. This job I get to be social, get to play with all the latest software and hardware, and it's constantly changing. I would never do anything else unless it was a significant amount more money.

 

[Mide]

Wouldn't want to goto your college.

Also, IT is a real college major?

Actually what he says is true. A college degree only helps if you're in CS or CE/EE. MIS/CIS which is for general IS is useless and does not prepare you for shit.

 

[Wyndru]

Actually what he says is true. A college degree only helps if you're in CS or CE/EE. MIS/CIS which is for general IS is useless and does not prepare you for shit.

Even CS, I wasn't prepared at all to be a dev right out of college, but the job I got out of school was willing to train me. They taught us intro classes in fortan and cobol in school lol. It wasn't until we started doing data structures that they pushed us into c. This was in late 90's though, I don't know if they are only teaching up to date stuff now.

I still think it's better to have a degree though, it shows that you at least stuck to something through the end. Unless of course it took 10 years and you don't have a reason for it

 

[Farmer]

Even CS, I wasn't prepared at all to be a dev right out of college, but the job I got out of school was willing to train me. They taught us intro classes in fortan and cobol in school lol. It wasn't until we started doing data structures that they pushed us into c. This was in late 90's though, I don't know if they are only teaching up to date stuff now.

I still think it's better to have a degree though, it shows that you at least stuck to something through the end. Unless of course it took 10 years and you don't have a reason for it

I'm a recent grad, a lot of my college friends were CS, and this is probably the best CS department in the country. Intro courses are Python. Mid level courses are Java or C++. They work summers in industry. They have no trouble finding extremely lucrative jobs, if not high tech sector then finance. So, yeah, it's better with a degree. Just don't get one in IT, get one in applied math or CS.

But if you learn one, you learn a whole bunch of them.

People don't hire college grads for "skills," per se, they hire them for their intelligence and their ability to learn. So again, better with a degree.

 

[Wyndru]

OK, maybe being in tech support isn't always great lol, I'm home today, but just logged onto webaccess...

 

[soulcougher73]

Supply & Demand. As others have said you guys are a dime a dozen now. Not so 15 years ago.

 

[JS80]

I've been seeing a disturbing trend in IT for awhile now, it seems that many tech jobs are paying lower and lower. Most customer service reps and in some cases cashiers can make as much if not more than a PC tech. I know that computers are getting cheaper all the time, but even still it's sad to see technical jobs like this paying close to the minimum wage mark.



http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/csr/2347002901.html - Customer Service Rep - 16-18 per hr
http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/lab/2356660847.html - Landscapers 10-12 per hr
http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/csr/2347702625.html - Call Center Rep - 12 per hr



http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/tch/2356109164.html - PC Repair 10-12 per hr
http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/tch/2348779730.html - A+ Tech - 12 per hr

404 "tech jobs" not found

 

[shortylickens]

Because the jobs keep getting shipped to India.

You wanna work construction?
TOO BAD! Bring in the Mexicans!

Factory?
NOPE! Chinese get it now!

IT?
SORRY! Indians are cheaper!

 

[Jaepheth]

To expand upon the previously mentioned points:

Plug and Play makes repairing a computer child's play. You no longer have to manually set IRQs and DMAs. Sockets are designed to be near-idiot proof. Basically if the socket fits, that's where it goes.

Tech experience is still a plus, but no longer necessary. Most repair outfits will have standard practices which the tech must use. You're limited in what you're permitted to do for liability reasons. So it doesn't matter if you know exactly what's wrong and how to fix it; if you have to use someone's software that you don't have a license for, or your specific position is not authorized to replace a specific broken part then your hands are tied.

Like the outsourced help desks, you're just a hired hand paid to run through a script. Also, you may not be considered a tech by your manager, but a salesman; expected to only know enough to know what to tell the customer they need to be billed for.

 

[Wyndru]

To expand upon the previously mentioned points:

Plug and Play makes repairing a computer child's play. You no longer have to manually set IRQs and DMAs. Sockets are designed to be near-idiot proof. Basically if the socket fits, that's where it goes.

Tech experience is still a plus, but no longer necessary. Most repair outfits will have standard practices which the tech must use. You're limited in what you're permitted to do for liability reasons. So it doesn't matter if you know exactly what's wrong and how to fix it; if you have to use someone's software that you don't have a license for, or your specific position is not authorized to replace a specific broken part then your hands are tied.

Like the outsourced help desks, you're just a hired hand paid to run through a script. Also, you may not be considered a tech by your manager, but a salesman; expected to only know enough to know what to tell the customer they need to be billed for.

Depends on what kind of organization you work for.

If you are talking hardware, there is still quite a bit of knowledge involved if you are building a pc or replacing a part. People tend to lose touch with what is compatible with what over time, or don't know old tech if you have some around. In the corporate world you don't really have this issue, but in some private sector jobs, if the computers are white box, you have to know what to order if something dies.

I even got denied from Dell the other day because (although I provided the part number), I didn't explain the full troubleshooting process I went through on their dispatch page. I basically wrote "the PSU was bad, and I tried a known working one, and everything worked". They wanted the post codes, the error lights, and to be sure you eliminated every other possibility. Try taking a dell tech certification...granted it's not rocket science, but not as simple as you would think.

Software on the other hand is a completely different subject. When people get an error, they stop, they get pissed and they call you. They expect you to have the answer immediately. Sometimes it's easy, others you have to research a bit. Although most people could figure it out on their own, and probably do for their home computers, at work they don't have the time and don't get paid to do this.

Basically if a company wants to have less productivity out of their employees, they pay their support less or have less of them. Easy or not, techs are necessary. Contrary to popular belief, computers don't maintain themselves and employees always find a way to fuck them up. (aside from normal depreciation)

 

[Macamus Prime]

Did you expect double these amounts to help people figure out they need to plug in a PC?

Even if you are opening up a PC and fixing something, all you are doing is swapping out the old part and putting in a new part. You aren't troubleshooting each part, just the over all system. Businesses have set it up to return defective parts not fix them.

Back in the day, sure you needed someone who could double as surgeon, but today, you just need someone who will take $12/hour; welcome to the workforce kid.

 

[Wyndru]

Did you expect double these amounts to help people figure out they need to plug in a PC?

Even if you are opening up a PC and fixing something, all you are doing is swapping out the old part and putting in a new part. You aren't troubleshooting each part, just the over all system. Businesses have set it up to return defective parts not fix them.

Back in the day, sure you needed someone who could double as surgeon, but today, you just need someone who will take $12/hour; welcome to the workforce kid.

FYI, there usually isn't a light blinking on the part that is bad/causing errors

It's not every time, but occasionally you do need to troubleshoot a few pieces of hardware.

 

[Texashiker]

There might be a lot of factors that help set the wages, but I think the major factor is market saturation.

There are too many people looking for the same type of job.

 

[destrekor]

True PC tech is hard to find and needed in business.

One of the problems with wages though is too many people are living at home and willing to take these ridiculous salaries.

I wouldn't mind getting back into PC tech and making it an entry level job on a potential road toward information security at the DoD level (something I'd like to do). Problem is, right now I have a job that is in the category of "can't do anything but live at home because I'd be on welfare otherwise." I am seeking a job that is above that, and dammit the good paying jobs would basically like to see you have experience at the shitty paying level. I did that, except it was in highschool and unpaid (my CCNA course was also sort of a tech support for the faculty's personal computers). And I refuse to take another job that does not allow me to financially support myself and finally get out of my parents' shadow (and dwelling, for that matter). And I kind of need to do this stat, I want something lined up when I get back from training in September...

ugh job markets are utterly fucked for me - because the things I want to do are not exactly in demand, or they demand years of paid experience or a B.S. degree. I have a B.A., and I wouldn't mind focusing on a more research-type career (analysts and whatnot), but getting into that career at the support-yourself level often requires a masters in a related field. My B.A. is basically in national security, but I'd need to get a Masters in Political Science to really make a career out of this. I plan to buckle down and work on a Masters, of something, at some point in time - but financially cannot afford it, and I want to get my life in order and stable before I commit to schooling once again. And getting into Masters programs might be a challenge since most want a 3.0 GPA, and I had like a 2.7 or so.

Here's to hoping after submitting a round of resumes one of the recruiters out there has a heart and thinks I look like I could handle a job, even though I don't meet all the qualifications. Really hoping the Military Experience section of my resume sells me enough.

Thoughts, anyone?

 

[Wyndru]

There might be a lot of factors that help set the wages, but I think the major factor is market saturation.

There are too many people looking for the same type of job.

This is true, we did a round of interviews last year, and had people with their masters in unrelated fields applying (even for 30k/year). However, the higher educated people were all turned down for 2 reasons, either because they didn't do well in the interview/didn't have experience, or because of the possibility that once the job market got better they would return to their desired field.

 

[Jeffg010]

Ya there are a quite a few $12/hour tech jobs but you have a very high turn over rate.

I'm very lucky to have my tech job that makes 50k+. I have been doing it for 10 years. I'm just like Wyndru in what he does. I'm in house and do all the support. We have 50,000 pcs that need to be supported.

The problem is we outsource our lease refresh to a vendor that pays their techs $12/hour. They have a very high turn over rate. Every other week you get a new tech that screws something up not because he is a bad tech but he is brand new and has not learned all the ins and outs of our systems. I'm always going around fixing their mistakes. I learned that if you want good support and to KEEP people around you better pay well.

 

[HumblePie]

Um let's see.

Started programming in basic at 8 on a Commodore 64

Graduated HS in 96 as a real computer geek taking 3 years of programming classes including AP computer science classes.

Joined the Air Force as 3C0x2 which was at the time a computer programmer. Was in it for 4 years and left as an E4. Didn't make much for sure, but had housing and food paid for. Not so bad at all really.

After the AF my college degree was not finished but I was almost done as I was taking classes while in the AF. I had a ton of certs, 4 years of experience, and a clearance. Yet I still couldn't find a job in the "IT" field for anything back in 2001 when I left the AF. So I had to putz around selling computers at Circuit City.

Finished up my Computer Science degree in 2003 from a big university. Landed a job right after as a contract writing Java programs. The contract only lasted a year and paid $40K for that year. Still I had no other offers and it got me another year experience to add to my resume.

Ended up working at Comp USA after the contract was up both fixing and selling PC's there. It was fun, but low paying again. You do what you have to inorder to get by.

Ended up getting a job for another programming position in Houston for $44K a year starting out. I was with that company making software for car dealerships for 3 years until that industry tanked about two years ago. I got raises and was making $55K a year with decent benefits when I finally got let go.

Was on unemployment for about 8 months until my current company offered me a job. It was another year long contract position that started at $70K a year. It lasted a year and a half. Got a raise after a year.

After a year and a half, since my contract funding went away, my company moved me to another contract with a higher base pay and a raise on top of that. Works for me! Since it's my current pay, I'm not going to reveal it just in case. But I will say I'm quite comfortable now. On my current contract, which is a new 5 year gig, I'm the sole developer. They are looking to expand with 3 to 4 more developers in the next few months and I'll be their supervisor with another pay bump. Can't wait!

I will state this: "Certs mean NOTHING." They are worthless unless you are looking for entry level only. Even then a college degree >>>>>> any amount of certs you may get.

If you don't want to be stuck working a $12/hour job in the "IT" field for the rest of your life then I suggest getting off your butt and getting a college degree in the field instead. Certs are nice additions on top of that for certain specific jobs you may be applying for, but a degree is most certainly what is needed.

I would also advocate to anyone to do 4 years in the military for at least some experience. I know it's not for everyone, but it has helped me get my foot in the door to where I am now.

 

[ibex333]

I cant believe there's so many people in this thread saying that a Techie job is "nothing" and easy... That's complete BS.

The A+ Certification is not easy to get by any means. I guarantee I give you people the A+ test on the spot and most of you, if not all WILL fail it. There are many questions on this exam that go far beyond basic hardware repair.
It took me 3 months to prepare and pass the exam. I passed on the 1st try because I dealt with computers for many years before this, but it was very difficult even for me.
A PC Tech job is NOT easy at all. I don't know what kind of techs you have where you live, but here in NYC you have to be a jack of all trades to be a PC tech.

It's really not just installing hardware components. It's using Server 2003/2008, it's troubleshooting AND repairing printers, both inkjet and laser, it's answering phone calls, it's troubleshooting software, troubleshooting networks, and many, many more things depending on what is needed.

Before I got this job, I really was, just a PC hardware tech. Now I know much more than just hardware, and on some days my job is far from easy. I get paid $20/h but because this is NYC, the taxes make it more like $12/h.

I find it funny how so many people here say that there's too many other people like me out there. Ya know.. I don't see much of them, outside of my workplace.. What I do see is millions of dumb morons who cant even use windows and cant attach a picture to an email. Someone's gotta help these people right? So why the fuck should tech be getting paid $12/h?

I do see some small stores offering PC repair, but these guys charge astronomical sums for their service. We are talking $50-100/h and sometimes more. There are many online services offering to do the same thing, but they too charge about as much. So $12/h doesn't sound fair at all. It's too little.