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dangittj posted:Most states are broke, and don't give raises. I'm in Illinois and they have already said no cost-of living increases, they are raising the retirement age, and asking us to raise our contribution percentage on the pension plan. (I guess that goes for working for the state in general, not just IT) My experience has been about the same (1% COLA my first year, nothing since). The salary you're hired at is what you'll keep until you leave or retire. I know I just described about 85% of private jobs too, but ah well. three posted:you're also stuck with dummies because job security is so nice. And this, a thousand times this. For whatever reason, the annual performance reviews are a guideline instead of a rule balakadaka fucked around with this message at Apr 23, 2012 around 12:56 |
| # ? Apr 23, 2012 12:54 |
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| # ? May 22, 2013 20:07 |
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Umbreon posted:Why not? I've been looking to snag an IT job in government once I get my Bachelor's degree. In the UK I've found that our customers that work for government departments have got utterly ridiculous bureaucratic hoops to jump through to get anything at all done.
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| # ? Apr 23, 2012 15:03 |
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Anjow posted:In the UK I've found that our customers that work for government departments have got utterly ridiculous bureaucratic hoops to jump through to get anything at all done. To be fair, this also describes any large company I've ever interacted with. Things like provisioning a new SSL certificate taking 8 weeks and such. Strangely though, we inevitably find out about changes on their side 1 day before they go live.
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| # ? Apr 23, 2012 15:18 |
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I've been constantly hearing from older family members and now most of the media that I'm pretty much hosed when it comes to finding a job. Reading this thread has been sort of a moral boost but is there anything else that I can do to 'sell' myself to a job? I'm currently getting a degree in Computer Science after doing 4 years in the military. (Network Systems Admin with Net+/Sec+ certs). Should I believe the family members or continue fighting the "they don't know what they are talking about" mentality 
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| # ? Apr 23, 2012 16:11 |
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You are not hosed, you should be a shoe in for a cleared helpdesk position at least without the degree, you're even in the right part of the country already.
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| # ? Apr 23, 2012 16:15 |
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Did you do internships during your college career? If so, enjoy the rich life of a software engineer. If not, welcome to being a very over-qualified junior network admin. Fortunately, this also pays well.
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| # ? Apr 23, 2012 16:17 |
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Are you looking to be a software developer? I assume so because of the CS degree. If so then you should check out this thread. They seem to be doing pretty well.
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| # ? Apr 23, 2012 16:19 |
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psydude posted:Did you do internships during your college career? If so, enjoy the rich life of a software engineer. If not, welcome to being a very over-qualified junior network admin. Fortunately, this also pays well. Yep and I've been trying to network the poo poo out of myself in preperation for graduation so I'm hoping it somewhat pays off. I just got off the phone with a lovely relative saying that I'm wasting time and should be doing "real" work and got a bit sidetracked mentally about it but thanks for the answers because it's what I needed to hear~ Ganon posted:Are you looking to be a software developer? I assume so because of the CS degree. If so then you should check out this thread. They seem to be doing pretty well. Thanks for the thread I'll probably post more there instead of this thread. I was thinking because of the military experience and the net+ and sec+ on the off chance that I don't finish my degree (worst case scenario playing out here) how it would play out. Zomodok fucked around with this message at Apr 23, 2012 around 16:30 |
| # ? Apr 23, 2012 16:25 |
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I'm getting out of State Government IT so I though I would chime in. Of the hundred or so people that I work with, maybe five are what I would call computer savvy. The rest don't know anything about technology outside of the one program that they use. We're talking about a network security technician not knowing what a UNC path is and server admins that don't know what regedit is. It takes two months to get a security patch for flash player approved. All that being said, the job security can be pretty fantastic, and it's far less stressful work than private industry. All my experience and opinions of course, I'm sure it varies by state and department.
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| # ? Apr 23, 2012 16:38 |
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Zomodok posted:I've been constantly hearing from older family members and now most of the media that I'm pretty much hosed when it comes to finding a job. Reading this thread has been sort of a moral boost but is there anything else that I can do to 'sell' myself to a job? I'm currently getting a degree in Computer Science after doing 4 years in the military. (Network Systems Admin with Net+/Sec+ certs). The job market sucks for unskilled laborers. The job market is just fine for skilled workers, especially with degrees.
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| # ? Apr 23, 2012 17:23 |
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Zomodok posted:Yep and I've been trying to network the poo poo out of myself in preperation for graduation so I'm hoping it somewhat pays off. I just got off the phone with a lovely relative saying that I'm wasting time and should be doing "real" work and got a bit sidetracked mentally about it but thanks for the answers because it's what I needed to hear~ Yeah, don't listen to your relative. Take your internship experience, your brains, and your degree and go enjoy swimming in your money pool. You put up with the bullshit of the military, you put up with the bullshit of college; you've earned it.
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| # ? Apr 23, 2012 17:41 |
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I just wish it was easier to get entry-level IT jobs.
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| # ? Apr 23, 2012 17:55 |
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Casull posted:I just wish it was easier to get entry-level IT jobs. In other news, I cleaned out my work inbox today. Very cathartic and I'm now ready to quit at a moment's notice.
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| # ? Apr 23, 2012 18:15 |
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teethgrinder posted:No idea where you live, but entry-level seems dime-a-dozen. It's getting past entry-level that I find frustrating. I'm in this boat as well. I hope I can stay in this position until I finish school and then move up!
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| # ? Apr 23, 2012 18:18 |
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Casull posted:I just wish it was easier to get entry-level IT jobs. Call up your local ISP's or check out their websites,  says they all looking for people who understand the difference between a router and modem
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| # ? Apr 23, 2012 18:23 |
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Geez, I guess what's worse is that theoretically I'm far beyond "entry-level" insofar as responsibilities are concerned. The problem is I'm on an entry-level salary.
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| # ? Apr 23, 2012 18:30 |
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I'm trying to get into an It job, but I honestly have no idea how to market myself. I am "good" with computers, am pretty good with Windows XP-7 (Been fixing computers for as long as I can remember), and I can install and work my way around linux, and I'm learning SQL (albeit slowly from that LearnSQL webpage someone posted earlier). Also really good with home networking. However, I have no idea how to sell myself, and my resume, to me, is terrible. I'm not really good at describing what I know, or if I don't know something, how I would go about finding it out. I have no certs, or anything official, but from what I hear from my brother in law, he knows people in IT positions where he works that can't crimp a CAT5 cable or be assed to troubleshoot basic Windows problems. Bah, what am I doing wrong?
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| # ? Apr 23, 2012 18:56 |
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Dradien posted:I'm trying to get into an It job, but I honestly have no idea how to market myself. I am "good" with computers, am pretty good with Windows XP-7 (Been fixing computers for as long as I can remember), and I can install and work my way around linux, and I'm learning SQL (albeit slowly from that LearnSQL webpage someone posted earlier). Also really good with home networking. The first is to use good ol' fashioned networking to get yourself a decent desktop support position right off the bat. The second and most plausible scenario here is to get into a helpdesk position, work there for a few months, lie about the position responsibilities on your resume to include your actual knowledge, apply for a better job, and ace the technical interview.
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| # ? Apr 23, 2012 19:02 |
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Zomodok posted:I just got off the phone with a lovely relative saying that I'm wasting time and should be doing "real" work Yes, as a blacksmith or stagecoach driver or an alchemist or something else important like that.
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| # ? Apr 23, 2012 19:13 |
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teethgrinder posted:Geez, I guess what's worse is that theoretically I'm far beyond "entry-level" insofar as responsibilities are concerned. The problem is I'm on an entry-level salary. I have the same problem. I have 5 years of experience as a sys admin and got a MS in Communication from the University while I worked full time. But, I haven't had a raise in FOUR years, and they told me it is not going to happen unless someone leaves or dies. So I am stuck at an entry level pay level and it seems like bloody murder when I tell a recruiter that called me or someone from HR at a company I applied to what kind of money I am looking for. Typically Sys Admins with the vast range of responsibilities, 5 years of experience, and TWO Big 10 degrees do not make $55k, especially in Chicago. I am looking for $70-80k and a sys admin or senior engineer title, which is more appropriate for my credentials now. As a side note, do you guys get recruiters trying to hustle you into lower level positions? I've had a couple in the past few weeks trying hard to get me into entry level positions that I am way over qualified for.
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| # ? Apr 23, 2012 19:16 |
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Welp ... I'm sys admin + web programmer + substitute network admin + helpdesk in Toronto, and I make 40K CAD. But I only have 1.5 years experience. The requirements for a raise are quite similar, but probably more dire in my case: I'm pretty sure this company is making less and less revenue every year. What I've done is attached myself to a startup however. I've been talking with the founders for some time. It's complicated because one of the partners is related to the owner of my present company. It's how we met. He provided some network admin services for them, but they won't leave him alone. I asked him for a reference and he offered to give me a job instead. The problem now is that we both need to extract ourselves from here. In the meantime, I'm going to start working nights and weekends for the startup, probably starting by separating all the accounts and systems that the family business shares.
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| # ? Apr 23, 2012 19:29 |
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mayodreams posted:I have the same problem. I have 5 years of experience as a sys admin and got a MS in Communication from the University while I worked full time. But, I haven't had a raise in FOUR years, and they told me it is not going to happen unless someone leaves or dies. So I am stuck at an entry level pay level and it seems like bloody murder when I tell a recruiter that called me or someone from HR at a company I applied to what kind of money I am looking for. Third-party recruiters are mostly scum. The less they are able to pay you the more they are able to pocket as a bonus. These are also the same people spouting off that in this economy you should be grateful they're even calling you, and that whatever they offer you should accept. gently caress them, and if we're lucky they'll accidentally get dragged into an industrial chipper/shredder feet first.
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| # ? Apr 23, 2012 19:42 |
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mayodreams posted:As a side note, do you guys get recruiters trying to hustle you into lower level positions? I've had a couple in the past few weeks trying hard to get me into entry level positions that I am way over qualified for. Yep. Usually they're desktop positions disguised under sysadmin or netadmin job titles.
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| # ? Apr 23, 2012 19:44 |
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mayodreams posted:I have the same problem. I have 5 years of experience as a sys admin and got a MS in Communication from the University while I worked full time. But, I haven't had a raise in FOUR years, and they told me it is not going to happen unless someone leaves or dies. So I am stuck at an entry level pay level and it seems like bloody murder when I tell a recruiter that called me or someone from HR at a company I applied to what kind of money I am looking for. I honestly find this situation quite shocking. Contrary to popular belief, most large companies are going overseas for talent, not because they are generally cheaper (they are), but beacuse the talent pool in the US is, by and large, dried up! In other words, they are having a hard time finding good people in the US to fill the techinical jobs. You guys may not agree with me, but from my vantage point, it's the truth. We fly people in from all over for just interviews because we can't find local talent easy enough (Houston). You need to start applying at the larger firms if you haven't already. The degrees + experience + native english speaker alone is worth a senior level title, or at the very least the high end of the starting scale at said company. I would be insulted with 55K after 5 years.
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| # ? Apr 23, 2012 21:22 |
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Dradien posted:I'm trying to get into an It job, but I honestly have no idea how to market myself. I am "good" with computers, am pretty good with Windows XP-7 (Been fixing computers for as long as I can remember), and I can install and work my way around linux, and I'm learning SQL (albeit slowly from that LearnSQL webpage someone posted earlier). Also really good with home networking. If you live near a Tribal facility (I'm totally assuming the US, if you're not here then I apologize) I recommend walking in and asking if they are looking for a sysadmin or an assistant for their most likely overworked sysadmin. Make a good impression and most of the time they'll at least talk to their network staff about you. If you can get in, you're ahead of the game. I don't have a degree of any sort, I did have a great reference but the previous techs made it in on confidence. Good luck!
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| # ? Apr 23, 2012 21:40 |
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Lear posted:I honestly find this situation quite shocking. Contrary to popular belief, most large companies are going overseas for talent, not because they are generally cheaper (they are), but beacuse the talent pool in the US is, by and large, dried up! In other words, they are having a hard time finding good people in the US to fill the techinical jobs. You guys may not agree with me, but from my vantage point, it's the truth. We fly people in from all over for just interviews because we can't find local talent easy enough (Houston). I have been applying to big companies and I haven't gotten anywhere. I applied to sys admin jobs at corporate headquarters of both Walgreens and Underwriter's Laboratories, and to an IT position at Argonne National Laboratory that I am PERFECT for, and not a peep after almost 6 weeks. Maybe I need out of here? I know you don't work in academia for the money, but yeah, my pay is horrible and the university is on the expensive side of town, which just makes it worse. Btw, I've heard that Purdue Engineering/Technology degrees are gold in Texas. You heard similar?
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| # ? Apr 23, 2012 21:43 |
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mayodreams posted:
ALL technical degrees are gold here in Houston, the energy capital and secret hideout for financial company's technology branches. I'm not joking here.
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| # ? Apr 23, 2012 21:50 |
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Liver Disaster posted:If you live near a Tribal facility (I'm totally assuming the US, if you're not here then I apologize) I recommend walking in and asking if they are looking for a sysadmin or an assistant for their most likely overworked sysadmin. Make a good impression and most of the time they'll at least talk to their network staff about you. If you can get in, you're ahead of the game. I don't have a degree of any sort, I did have a great reference but the previous techs made it in on confidence. Yep, live in the US, and nope, not near any Tribal facilities:( Anyway, Applying to places around here, lets hope YOTJ continues. Thanks for the advice anyway Liver, it wouldn't hurt to try to that some places around here. The most they can say is "no".
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| # ? Apr 23, 2012 23:55 |
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Lear posted:I honestly find this situation quite shocking. Contrary to popular belief, most large companies are going overseas for talent, not because they are generally cheaper (they are), but beacuse the talent pool in the US is, by and large, dried up! In other words, they are having a hard time finding good people in the US to fill the techinical jobs. You guys may not agree with me, but from my vantage point, it's the truth. We fly people in from all over for just interviews because we can't find local talent easy enough (Houston). I'm not trying to start a "YOUR REGION SUCKS!" debate, but a lot of it could be because the bulk of the IT workforce in this country resides on the coasts in the population centers and would much rather not move to Texas for a small to medium promotion. Your more senior people probably have school-aged kids, which is another big reason to avoid moving there. That said, if you double my salary then I will gladly come work for you. psydude fucked around with this message at Apr 24, 2012 around 00:33 |
| # ? Apr 24, 2012 00:30 |
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psydude posted:I'm not trying to start a "YOUR REGION SUCKS!" debate, but a lot of it could be because the bulk of the IT workforce in this country resides on the coasts in the population centers and would much rather not move to Texas for a small to medium promotion. Your more senior people probably have school-aged kids, which is another big reason to avoid moving there. Are you trolling? If you are serious, I'm not entirely sure how to approach this. You wanted a raise and a secure job, yet you won't even consider move to where a ton of high-paying jobs are because of misguided and hyper-generalized perceptions based on... no real credible evidence whatsoever? You are certainly entitled to it. Lear fucked around with this message at Apr 24, 2012 around 01:24 |
| # ? Apr 24, 2012 01:06 |
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Lear posted:Are you trolling? If you are serious, I'm not entirely sure how to approach this. You wanted a raise and a secure job, yet you won't even consider move to where a ton of high-paying jobs are because of misguided and hyper-generalized perceptions based on... no real credible evidence whatsoever? Hey, I gave you my terms. But in all seriousness I think you glanced over the part where I explained why people aren't moving to Texas. It's because they can already get high-paying, secure jobs on the coasts without having to move across half the loving country. And for more senior people, this means dragging their entire family along with them. Therefore, I posit that it is you, sir, who is being obtuse.  So yes, it's going to be easier to convince someone from Bangalore to move the extra 1800 miles to Texas when you consider the conditions that they're coming from. psydude fucked around with this message at Apr 24, 2012 around 01:46 |
| # ? Apr 24, 2012 01:36 |
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We're having a hell of a time finding GOOD people in Austin. I support a bunch of software developers and we haven't been able to hire anyone in probably 6 months. They either suck and don't make it past the interview process, or their current employer counter offers with a bucket of money that we won't match. I can't confirm, but I've heard rumors we've had to lock key people up with some expensive retention agreements paying out hefty bonuses if people stick around and hit project milestones. The job market for highly skilled folks right now is insane, no matter what the news says. Lear posted:ALL technical degrees are gold here in Houston, the energy capital and secret hideout for financial company's technology branches. I'm not joking here. I have an in law that works for Marathon Oil at a plant in Louisiana, I was looking at their corporate benefit package and it's insane. I've never seen anything like their relocation package for experienced folks. This time next year I'll be contemplating a move from San Antonio to Houston or Dallas... the tech market here just doesn't compare and both cities are closer to family than SA. Lear what kind of people are you looking for?
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| # ? Apr 24, 2012 02:00 |
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skipdogg posted:The job market for highly skilled folks right now is insane, no matter what the news says. Basically I disagree.
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| # ? Apr 24, 2012 02:04 |
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mayodreams posted:I have the same problem. I have 5 years of experience as a sys admin and got a MS in Communication from the University while I worked full time. But, I haven't had a raise in FOUR years, and they told me it is not going to happen unless someone leaves or dies. So I am stuck at an entry level pay level and it seems like bloody murder when I tell a recruiter that called me or someone from HR at a company I applied to what kind of money I am looking for.
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| # ? Apr 24, 2012 02:05 |
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Reminder that there's a Jobs Thread in SH/SC: http://forums.somethingawful.com/sh...hreadid=3075135
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| # ? Apr 24, 2012 02:05 |
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Where are you located at MC?
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| # ? Apr 24, 2012 02:08 |
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adorai posted:Without going into a shitload of detail, I can say that you should be making more unless you suck. Right. I have been poking around, but I haven't gotten very serious. The school wouldn't run with out me, so I know I don't suck.  I have heard amazing things about Austin too, so I'm looking in Texas to feel things out. I have nothing tying me to Chicago, so I am willing to move for a great job.
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| # ? Apr 24, 2012 02:18 |
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skipdogg posted:Where are you located at MC? I hope it gets better. I know I'm no unique snowflake - oh look, the world really needs another "active directory expert", I'm sure there's 700 of those for every position - but I don't know, I match all the criteria on so many of these jobs that it's disheartening so far.
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| # ? Apr 24, 2012 02:19 |
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MC Fruit Stripe posted:Laguna Hills / Orange County. Locked in, or I'd jump on the first plane to ____ if someone dangled a job infront of me. How the poo poo bad is your cover letter or resume that you're not getting recruiters on a daily basis? Seriously, I have to assume you need some work fixing your stuff up OR you need to loosen your OC requirements and get into LA proper. I know LA isn't the hottest tech market but it's sure not that bad that there are literally zero opportunities for someone with 11 years of any kind of experience. Seriously, there has to be something wrong with your approach if you're having that kind of luck.
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| # ? Apr 24, 2012 03:41 |
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| # ? May 22, 2013 20:07 |
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Telex posted:How the poo poo bad is your cover letter or resume that you're not getting recruiters on a daily basis? Seriously, I have to assume you need some work fixing your stuff up OR you need to loosen your OC requirements and get into LA proper. I edited out the 11 years from the quote because I think only this part applies to me (I've only got less than a year's worth of experience.) My problems, I think, are threefold: * I don't have enough experience for a desktop support/jr. sysadmin position that doesn't involve being a helpdesk monkey. * I live in the Bay Area. Combined with my lack of experience, it's crazy-hard and crazy-competitive to get a desktop support position here. The last helpdesk position I applied for showed how many people had applied for it; in two days, 28 people had applied, including me. * I think I'm doing something wrong with my application experience. Part of the problem is definitely my resume and cover letter; skipdogg gave me good advice from the resume thread which I need to incorporate into my cover letter/resume. The hard part's working on the last part when I do have a support job that I want to move out of. I need to find some good time and energy to expend on the last part. I guess I should suck it up and pay my dues in support desk hell, though it's not strictly speaking just technical support, but software implementation. Am I willing to move away from the Bay? Sure. How do I convince potential employers that, though? Just mention that I have family in the area and that I'm still young and could use a change of scenery? Inspector_71 posted:Reminder that there's a Jobs Thread in SH/SC Also a good idea, but I think I'll refrain from posting there too often until something lifechanging happens (My contract with my current position comes closer to ending, I get a new cert, etc.) e. Unless that was a hint to take it to the SH/SC thread 
Casull fucked around with this message at Apr 24, 2012 around 04:21 |
| # ? Apr 24, 2012 04:05 |
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