IT folks. What should I be getting paid?

[daver676]

Hello All. OK. Since I'm having no luck other places, and I know a few of you here are seasoned IT pros, I need help.

I've been offered a job as an ISP troubleshooter/help center guy, but the job includes long hours, and other responsibilities, such as off site network installations and troubleshooting, and, well pretty much anything an ISP providers offers support for, I'll be doing it. I have a college degree in Computer networking, but very little experience. Most of my experience since I've been out of college has been MS office related, with some VB programming thrown in. A little printer troubleshooting here and there. I have very little idea of what I should be getting paid, so I was hoping you folks could help me with a ballpark figure, or a good link to a website that could help me out in calculating it. Thanks a lot.

[Invictus]

Look for the Mercer Salary Guide for 2004. As far as I know, entry level techies are only getting in the 25k/year range these days, and even then, if you're lucky. :)

[Vengeance]

If you are just phone support, then yea 25 - 30K a year sounds about right. But if you going to be doing feild work 35 - 40K would be decent. Also take into account the fact the the IT feild is back on the rise again so, it will never be what it was back in the .com days but if you can get 30 - 35K to start your on the right path.

[daver676]

Thanks for the quick replies guys. I'm currently sitting at 28K before taxes at my current job (programming/occational tech support). My understading is that along with phone support, there are other network related responsibilties.

Invictus,

Is that guide available online somewhere. I need something fast, cause I think I'll be negotiating in less then 2 hours. :confused:

[Cruciform]

When I was doing Y2K contracting, all I had were a couple of MCPs and I was 2 months short of an MCSE when I got hired. Starting salary was 39k. This was for hands on work. As above, phone support will pay considerably less, and you need a special brand of patience to do it :)

If you're out in the field, a diploma is good, but any place worth it's salt will put you through a couple of practical tests to make sure you can actually get things done under pressure.

Mess around with everything you can and shoot for the 30s :)

[Invictus]

www.mercerhr.com

[Cruciform]

by the way, if you can add knowledge of linux, wireless (with encryption), and SSH support to your repertoire it will also make you worth more to their business customers.

[klein]

i currently have 4 year experience and work for a company as there sysadmin, i do phone support, network support, in charge of the win 2003 server, all the pc's, so on and so forth and i am currently making 45k, if that helps at all.

i would say just straight phone support with the odd network issue off site would be good around 30k-32k/year ... JMO though

[daver676]

This has got me flustered a bit. I think I want to shoot for about 34K. I have very little on the job experience regarding the responsibilities for this position, not to mention I'm just a young pup trying to scratch out an entry level IT job. There is probably a line a mile long for this position.....

[Cruciform]

If you feel cornered ask the amount you want, eg. 34k, with a probationary period of 3 to 6 months at an amount which you think they would find acceptable.

Provided you think they wouldn't screw you over in 3 months and say you're not worth the extra cash :)

[reptiguy]

Man I wish I was making those numbers!!!! I'm an onsite network technician for a large computer company and I make a piddley 28K. Then again I live in Kelowna BC where there is a "sunshine tax" -> you live in paradise but get paid crappy.
I'm sure that anywhere else in Canada I would make more

-Reptiguy-

[klein]

go for what you want, i am just a young guy as well, 24 to be exact, and everyone has to start out somewhere ... if you can get 34k i would say that is good, my first job i started at 31k being a sysadmin, but i didn't have as many responsibilities as i do now ...

[klein]

daver you also have to look at what city this is in, the closer to TO the more you will make, i was in hamilton for my first job and now in Burlington, so that helped a bit as well

[daver676]

Originally posted by Cruciform
If you feel cornered ask the amount you want, eg. 34k, with a probationary period of 3 to 6 months at an amount which you think they would find acceptable.

Provided you think they wouldn't screw you over in 3 months and say you're not worth the extra cash :)

Well the bottom line is I'm a newb, but I just don't want to get screwed because of it.

I've got a little checklist going here that should hold me on the path I want to be.

[klein]

good luck in your dealings as well, that has to be one of the hardest things to do ... let us know what you end up getting if you want to, just curious to compare

[Invictus]

I'm horrifically underpaid for my job position, seniority, skill set, and years of experience, but that has nothing to do with Alberta. It has to do with the fact that company I work for is run by a bunch of cheap b*stards with no qualifications to be managing their respective departments, barking orders at the very employees whose intellectual talents are the only reason why this sh!thole company is moving forward, allowing the Emperor and CEO to put on a big toothy grin in front of the shareholders while their pockets get fat and the people doing the work practically starve.

Whew... I feel better now. Back to work. :D

[daver676]

Originally posted by klein
daver you also have to look at what city this is in, the closer to TO the more you will make, i was in hamilton for my first job and now in Burlington, so that helped a bit as well

Hmmm.... Well the population is about 40000 I believe. Chatham. Between Windsor and London. So the smaller the population, the less I'd make? Or vise Versa?

[daver676]

Originally posted by daver676
Hmmm.... Well the population is about 40000 I believe. Chatham. Between Windsor and London. So the smaller the population, the less I'd make? Or vise Versa?

Sorry I had a brain fart there. Salary increases with cost of living...

[klein]

i was offered a job in TO doing the same thing i do now and they offered me 10k/year more then where i am now, but i declined it because i didn't want the commute everyday from hamilton to TO

[daver676]

Well here is an update...

The job was definatly not the job I was thinking it was, but it IS closer related to what I actually want to do. It's an ISP help desk job. Longer hours and having to talk to people on the phone. But the job seems fast paced, and the environment is very relaxed, so I think I'm going to take it. It pays less then what I'm making now, but it's the experience I need that I just can't get at my current job.

Could I get opinions from other people that work a help desk?

What is the job like? Do you get a lot of assholes calling? How many hours do you work a week, and if your comfortable with it, I'd like to hear what your making.... PM me if you want. Thanks. :)

[marisa]

All I have to say is Rogers.

My boyfriend works for them, and they (the guys in his department) make more than anyone else in that particular job in North America.....and they have been called one of the top ten companies in Canada to work for and I can assure you, it's true. If you can get in there, in their call center which is like entry level, then do it. The turnover in the call center is so fast you can work your way up easily.

Marisa

[Vengeance]

I personally couldn't handle being in a call center after working as an Administrator. Being tied down to supporting just one product over the phone, day after day after day is enough to drive me insane. But there is nothing wrong with working in a call center, just not something I could do.

[klein]

i agree with you totally vengeance, i would kill myself if i had to do that day in and day out, i like to be able to get up and walk if i need to, not be tied down

[marisa]

Yeah well considering the call center people at Rogers can sometimes make above 50+ G's a year with certain amounts of overtime, talking about the internet with angry people can seem a little better.

Not to mention, the call center gets INSANE bonuses, which have included thousands of dollars before, gifts, credit cards, etc. My boyfriend wouldn't step foot into a call center again, but for someone wanting to start out, its WAY better than any call center I have heard about.

Marisa

[Vengeance]

My first job straight out of school was Admin. Never had to go the call center route. But even though I make less then 50K a year and don't get a ton of bonuses, I still wouldn't work in a rogers call center. Money isn't everything, I'd prefer to make 10K less and do a job I enjoy and be able to go home feeling happy and good about my job then make 10K more + bonus and hate my job, hate going to work, and generally being miserable. Besides at the end of the day that 10K is really only 4 - 5K cause goverment gets half :D

[marisa]

Well trust me, my boyfriend and I agree there for sure!

He could NEVER deal with the public or their silly net problems. Period. LOL. But for those people who really just want a great job even if it is phone monkey, it's a great place to start.

He wakes up in the morning so happy to go to work its actually sick. But then again he is a computer geek so it's like getting to play all day and get paid for it. LOL :)

Marisa

[daver676]

Well I must say, your replies don't fill me with much confidence in my decision , but I appreciate your honesty.

[marisa]

Well Daver if you mean that our replies about working in entry level/call center.....don't let it discourage you.

EVERYONE has to start somewhere. And sometimes, working in an area you may not like for awhile at first can get your further in the long run or to where you want to go. At first my boyfriend was his current boss's gopher....it was stupid! He did nothing but run errands, do easy work and grunt stuff...but he stuck with it and was lucky to get a position elsewhere.

I also know people in the call center and in other entry level places and franky they LIKE talking to the public, and enjoy their jobs enough they aren't exactly looking to move ahead or to another company. For ME personally, I also like the public so working in a call center is something I would like. Its all up to what you personally enjoy.

Marisa

[klein]

i was the same as you vengeance, didn't have to do the call center route, which i am happy for because i would have been fired very quickly i think ... as for the money agree completely again, i was offered a job in TO making 10k more a year then the job i was offered in burlington. I looked at it this way, travel for 3-4 hours a day and work 8, or travel 30min to 1 hour and work 8 hours, didn't take me long to decide.

[Vengeance]

Yea a 3 - 4 hour commute is an easy decision. You'd spend that extra 10K on gas, repairs, oil changes and other commuiting costs alone.

Starting out in a call center is not bad. In my company it is usually where all the employess are premoted from. When people are looking to hire another position internally, they usually look at who is in our call center first and pilfer someone from there. It is a very good steping stone, but not the most ideal place to work for some people.