Weird job offer would you do this, IT server monitoring

[yannick35]

So looks like my job hunting has paied off.

I am a senior computer technician with 12 years experience, I do have networking knowlege has well.

Now after being layed off last April I went back to school and just finished.

There is a women at school who help student find jobs, and she sent me to this weird but interesting job.

In all my 12 years in IT I have always been running around, fixing problems, computers, printers, dealing with all kinds of users, complaints and all.

Now the job she sent me to is a server monitoring helpdesk call center, you receive server alert and you investigate to see what happens, you have some intervention to do, and if you need to tranfer to call to level 2.

The job is not stressful at all, and quite easy, the salary is 17.58$ per hour during day time and 19.58$ during night time, you work a total of 35h a week spread on 3 days.

Meaning that you work 12 hours shifts for 3 days either day or night and you are off for 4 days, on top of that every 5 weeks they make it so you have a full 7 days off.

So the first week you can work from Monday to Wednesday 7am to 7pm and the following week from Sunday to Tuesday from 7pm to 7am

On top of all this since i would start at 7am and finish at 7pm I avoid traffic.

You get salary raise every 6 months.

[zimmy]

used to RUN a NOC (network operating center). It's great for continueing edjucation especially at night. It's not very challenging but it's a job and there usually is a chance to move up. I got promoted from analyst to shift manager to head manager to running the whole dept then I went to become a server engineer.

[*El Diablo*]

U can move to becoming a DBA (Database Administrator) and that pays Fvking Well my friend.

[Panzerfaust]

I'm sorry but you have been in the IT field for 12yrs and are looking at a job that pays $17.58hr?

Wow..just wow!

What is it you are exactly wanting to go/do in IT?

[Football_Bill]

I'm sorry but you have been in the IT field for 12yrs and are looking at a job that pays $17.58hr?

Wow..just wow!

What is it you are exactly wanting to go/do in IT?

THIS^^^^^!!!!! 12 years, under $20 an hour??????? If that is the best you can do, take it, but that job should be for some kid fresh out of college.

[calgarian]

i have seen this job....we have a full time network guy hired for this but heck we are paying him more then that........

[yannick35]

The current job market here in Montreal is a mess, plain and simple they just don't pay in IT. At some point you get mad, they ask you to know network, programing and tech support and will offer you bullshit salaries like 15$/h.

During my job search I ended up getting an interview in a very big company that has drug stores all over the country, I said to myself man they will pay $$$ they are so big.

They where looking for someone to do junior administrator task, like account creation on both Microsoft and Linux servers, mail and tech support, I ask for 40000$ a year same has I did before at my old job.

They gave me feedback, they loved my interview, my motivation and I did an exam there that I aced, but they said that they where going to go with someone on the inside instead.

I ask the women that sent me there (she is helping student find jobs) and since I went back to school for an upgrade I can benefit from that. She told me that the reason why they did not want to hire me is because I asked for too much money. They got someone to do the job and they payed him 25000$ a year.

[yannick35]

THIS^^^^^!!!!! 12 years, under $20 an hour??????? If that is the best you can do, take it, but that job should be for some kid fresh out of college.

Yes that is what I have been told. I know a computer techician that works for IBM, he is a simple technican, he doesn't know anything about networking, active directory, DNS and DHCP, nor how to create accounts, and he makes well over 45000$ a year.

Now recently IBM did some layoffs, he was very lucky because he was not part of them, but the market today is not like before, if he ever loses is job he will never find that amount of money with the knowlege he has.

And to answer your question yes that is the best offer i got so far, and i have been to over 10 interviews, and i did turn down offers, a guy wanted to hire me at 5 minutes from my house, he wanted me to get my a+ certification and get the microsfot certs has well, he wanted to pay me 28000$ a year because its a small company, but he said you would be close to home.

At some point that is very furtrating.

The company with the job I am talking about is CGI they are very big, everyone starts at 17.58$, good thing because back in 2003 the start salary dropped to 11$/h, the good thing is that when you are permanent after 6 months you get regular salary raise, there is a guy that has been doing that job for 3 years and he is at 26$ an hour with full benefits and pension, and when he works night time he does nearly 30$/h.

So its either i go with the boring job or do a fun job and get payed peanuts doing it with no advantages.

[zimmy]

oh you don't have a+ or microsoft certs...the pay makes more sense now.

[Panzerfaust]

oh you don't have a+ or microsoft certs...the pay makes more sense now.

Not really, only a jackass that doesn't know anything (usually some random interviewer) gives a shit about someone carrying those silly certs.

NEVER have I ever worked around someone certified that wasn't a complete ****up. Yeah, they might spout some MS shit like they are reading from a book but in reality most are horrible.

Now I am not talking about CCIE's or anything, they have no choice but to be legit but the MS certs can easily be breezed through.

I am over IT for North Aamerica, South America, Mexico and Canada for a global company. I don't carry any certs nor do I give a shit to carry any, well I wouldn't mind the VCP (VMware Certified Professional) because that is my thing.

This is of course my opinion on things.

[yannick35]

Not really, only a jackass that doesn't know anything (usually some random interviewer) gives a shit about someone carrying those silly certs.

NEVER have I ever worked around someone certified that wasn't a complete ****up. Yeah, they might spout some MS shit like they are reading from a book but in reality most are horrible.

Now I am not talking about CCIE's or anything, they have no choice but to be legit but the MS certs can easily be breezed through.

I am over IT for North Aamerica, South America, Mexico and Canada for a global company. I don't carry any certs nor do I give a shit to carry any, well I wouldn't mind the VCP (VMware Certified Professional) because that is my thing.

This is of course my opinion on things.

You are right about microsoft certs, I am not ready to put in all that time to go tru 5-7 exam and all that money, i got better things to do in life then study all the time, and yeah most people with microsoft certs don't know shit.

They are not asking for them right now in Montreal, they where really big back when i finish school back in 1998. We got some certs at my first job and they didn't last 6 months, because they knew there stuff but they never could stand the pressure of technical support, and didn't know how to change a network card or put a second hard disk inside a computer.

[yannick35]

used to RUN a NOC (network operating center). It's great for continueing edjucation especially at night. It's not very challenging but it's a job and there usually is a chance to move up. I got promoted from analyst to shift manager to head manager to running the whole dept then I went to become a server engineer.

That is great news Zimmy, yeah might try to work myself up from there.

At least the place look like people are having fun, I met the 2 supervisors and if you do your job right they don't get on your nerve.

My last job, it was hell, people did not respect each other and it was pure crap, there was also a lot of tension in our group.

[elpropiotorvic]

Bro here in Ottawa u can make so much money ... Don't knwo much about it but I know u come here and either government or hospital and ur set mate

[zimmy]

Not really, only a jackass that doesn't know anything (usually some random interviewer) gives a shit about someone carrying those silly certs.

NEVER have I ever worked around someone certified that wasn't a complete ****up. Yeah, they might spout some MS shit like they are reading from a book but in reality most are horrible.

Now I am not talking about CCIE's or anything, they have no choice but to be legit but the MS certs can easily be breezed through.

I am over IT for North Aamerica, South America, Mexico and Canada for a global company. I don't carry any certs nor do I give a shit to carry any, well I wouldn't mind the VCP (VMware Certified Professional) because that is my thing.

This is of course my opinion on things.

I would argue...but I only have my mcse 2k :P Everything else I let expire...

[Panzerfaust]

I would argue...but I only have my mcse 2k :P Everything else I let expire...

I rest my case.

[fig]

U can move to becoming a DBA (Database Administrator) and that pays Fvking Well my friend.

If I didn't like programming so much I'd be a DBA. Great pay and once you know you sh!t, that's it...not too much new cutting edge technology to keep up with. DBA's at my place got it reeeeal nice. $20/hr is way too low bud.

[yannick35]

If I didn't like programming so much I'd be a DBA. Great pay and once you know you sh!t, that's it...not too much new cutting edge technology to keep up with. DBA's at my place got it reeeeal nice. $20/hr is way too low bud.

I know but its the starting salary there, a guy that has been there for 3 years now makes around 26$/hr.

There are lots of advantage too, work 3 days you are off 4 days, and that hours are from 7am-7pm or 7pm-7am so no traffic.

I am just a bit scared for that 12 hours shift, and falling asleep.

[spywizard]

wow, i guess i should shut up.. my wife is quiting a $70k yr job to do the same thing on a consult basis for the same company at $120k yr..

no certs, medical vertical, software implementation.

[*El Diablo*]

If I didn't like programming so much I'd be a DBA. Great pay and once you know you sh!t, that's it...not too much new cutting edge technology to keep up with. DBA's at my place got it reeeeal nice. $20/hr is way too low bud.

FaaaaK!.. i hate programming, i am certified in Java and Oracle and couldnt stand that anymore, so i became a Business Analyst, i tell the Developers what i want. DBAtion is great cash.

[yannick35]

wow, i guess i should shut up.. my wife is quiting a $70k yr job to do the same thing on a consult basis for the same company at $120k yr..

no certs, medical vertical, software implementation.

Perrty amazing salaries, but companies here are cheap fukks they will never pay that, frustrating because someone at accounting will be payed a very decent salary while someone in IT has to deal with 30k salaries.

Well that is all going to change in 2012, employers are already having tones of trouble finding people to do that job they want too, and more IT people are turning down thoese ridiculous salaries. I have turned down many job offers due to low salary and told the employer.

[Panzerfaust]

I know but its the starting salary there, a guy that has been there for 3 years now makes around 26$/hr.

There are lots of advantage too, work 3 days you are off 4 days, and that hours are from 7am-7pm or 7pm-7am so no traffic.

I am just a bit scared for that 12 hours shift, and falling asleep.

With that attitude, it is no surprise you have gone nowehere in 12yrs in the field. I mean wtf?

[yannick35]

With that attitude, it is no surprise you have gone nowehere in 12yrs in the field. I mean wtf?

Well how the fukk do you want to go somewhere when you get in a company and are a computer technican, the only way you can go is up, become a senior computer technician. After that you can't just go and bump the network administrator now can you.

In a company if there is already a supervisor, a network administrator then you are a senior computer technician and that's it. You can have a luck and the network admin finds another job, retires or dies but most times it does not happen.

So you get stuck being senior computer technician, not going anywhere has you say would mean not learning new things like Windows server 2008, or the active directory, how to create accounts, manage mailbox and monitor servers.

I have met many technician that do not want to evolve and learn new things, big mistake, because there company runs on microsoft windows 2000 and they have an old exchange 2000 server where you need to defrag the database twice per week because it crashes.

12 hours shift i never done them, normal to be a big scared, of course there would be ways to deal with this too, 5 hr energy drinks are great and give you no crash after.

But starting a new job is always a bit scary too, after all i been true at my other job, with that supervisor from the army that yelled at us, my boss never putting on a pair of testicules to deal with the situation and more.

Its quite easy for someone that has not lived true a situation like this to say anything, but i guess you are that brilliant.

BTW nice set of abs.