A Rant (related to the IT field)

[mjolnir]

Just the standard disclaimer, I'm not looking for a pat on the back or for sympathy or anything, I just want to rant for a bit:

Before I go on, I will admit a number of things that make this situation less crappy than I may want it to seem. I am not a college graduate, in fact I flunked out in my first year. I have only recently been granted my MCSA and MCSE certifications, and most of my work experience was gained under practical application, not technical training.

I was hired on over a year ago as a sort of extended temp. At the time management said that they were desperate for help in the IT department but that the coming fiscal year would not allow for any new official positions. They offered me a position as a sort of loophole contractor, one paid by the company and listed as a temp. They also offered a 401K plan and a guarantee that if I stayed until the next fiscal year, I would be hired on as a full time employee with all the benefits attached.

The next fiscal year is rolling around soon, and I just recently got official notice that the president of the company has stated that he is unable to add to the company's headcount at this time, nor can he justify the added expense of any new employees and the benefits they would require. According to my boss this is horse **** and the president is making excuses and cutting corners and expenses anywhere he can because of the new plant expansion being worked on.

It also turns out I'm not the only one being shafted. Our benevolent president is also denying bonuses and the automatic raise that comes with increased certification and training across all departments, not to mention three other temps (two of which have been here for years longer than I have) getting the same deal as me despite multiple promises of change. Promotions and raises have been practically nonexistent for the entire four years this guy has been here, and he's lost roughly 30% of his employees because of it.

IT in this company is pathetic. We have three people running 11 servers, almost 200 computers, all the peripherals to match, not to mention the entire phone system, and one of them (me) is only a temp. As understaffed as we are (we need at least 3 more people beside me to get this department in decent working order) our president chooses to treat us like the red headed stepchild and cut us off at every opportunity. Whenever my boss came in to give me the news I would not be an official employee, he added at the end that he wouldn't be offended in the slightest if I sought out alternate employment. He also said that he was royally pissed they're screwing him and me on this and is going to push for a considerable raise if I decide to stay.

I think it's time I shopped around for a new job.

[/rant]

[Rattman]

Yeah... I've seen (and experienced personally) all of this abuse several times since the 'Dot.com" fiasco pulled out the carpet on a BIG chunk of IT pros. IT departments, IT managers, IT temps and "temps-to-hire" from Day One have a big, red bulls eye painted on their backs. This is how it is in that profession. Thats why ultimately I turned my back on it and walked away. No matter how many certs, no matter how many quals, no matter how many disciplines you've mastered.. its never enough. Be prepared for continued abuse as long as you stay in the IT field. We are apparetly "expendable".

[IAmTheDood]

put your resume up there! It sounds like things are not going to change where you are now.

One thing I've noticed is IT definately is not hurting right now.

I got my MCSE in 1998 (Windows NT 4!).

Got hired in immediately by EDS, and turned to programming. I went to college for 4 1/2 years and never graduated. I didn't like programming at the time, only liked hardware, didn't understand programming and got put on acedemic probation for a semester when i only needed 12 credits to graduate. Got my MCSE that spring instead and went to work.

Yet it's funny that I turned to programming in my first job. Since my first job in '98, my salary has almost tripled, and I expect more later this year. I havn't updated my online resume in over a year and a half and still get calls 2 or 3 times a week from recruiters.

right now with your experience .. that's better than a degree .. that and having an MCSE. You should be able to get in somewhere full time with a better salary.

[playinpearls]

i feel your pain, but unfortunetly i would probably kill to be in your position. I just graduated from devry, and i am very computer savvy just on my own without my degree. I can't get anyone in atlanta to even respond to my resume. I've gotten two hits off of craigslist, one phone interviewed me and pretty much made me feel like a ****** cause i couldn't name off layer two protocols off the top of my head with 3 minutes notice, and the other guy just blew me off after our phone call probably cause i dont have any working experience. I'm working on wireless terminals right now, but its not really networking, which is where i REALLY want to be....sometimes i wonder if I got in too late...job fair at devry tomorrow....hopefully that will help....

[michelle_andree]

IT is a rathole! I did 6yrs hard-time maintaining the corp firewalls, (Checkpoint on Sun/Solaris). Great learning experience but it's always 'the firewalls' and after working 36hrs straight you are branded 'doesn't play well with others' 'cause you told some idiot to f-o, (and don't even remember doing that). On-call is like being grounded.

I am so happy to have my life back with an 8-4 job back in the telecom side. NEVER again!

[msquared]

Originally Posted by playinpearls

i feel your pain, but unfortunetly i would probably kill to be in your position. I just graduated from devry, and i am very computer savvy just on my own without my degree. I can't get anyone in atlanta to even respond to my resume. I've gotten two hits off of craigslist, one phone interviewed me and pretty much made me feel like a ****** cause i couldn't name off layer two protocols off the top of my head with 3 minutes notice

I wouldn't have hired you either. That is standard interview stuff if you're going for a networking job. Whether or not you think it's important (and for the record, it is), that is the kind of knowledge you need to have down cold if you are going to stand out from other applicants. It shows that you have a firm grasp of the OSI model and implies that you've done some troubleshooting in the past that's rooted in OSI.

If someone has a degree from ITT or Devry and has no other listed experience or training, I usually pass on their resume. I've worked with too many people who only had degrees from those places with no other experience who couldn't troubleshoot their way out of a paper bag. I've been pleasantly surprised by people from those places but typically they are in it because they love it and have gained most of their useful knowledge outside of the classroom.

To the OP: I second the recommendation of getting your resume out and finding somewhere else. That sounds like a toxic situation to begin with and I'm not sure why you'd want to actually stay on there. The grass is a lot greener elsewhere, especially if you're in Houston.

[tplyons]

Two places that are difficult to judge the effectiveness of are IT and marketing. First is my dad's line of work and the latter is my chosen profession. So I've seen it from both ends.

They'll ignore you when everything is working properly, and blame you when things go wrong. It's the curse of information technology. It's also the reason I opted not to follow my dad's career path.

I'd recommend staying onboard for now, but start looking for other jobs. Don't give up the paycheck while you look though.

[fenderhutz]

Your rant sounds like my last job I loved. The company was good to us, the job was right up my alley, and my co-workers were great.

I busted my rear end for a year going above and beyond the call of duty. We had 3 people supporting 200 machines, 15 servers, an entire Micros point of sale system (90+ terminals). We were busy, but we had a good time. I took a paycut for the job thinking my hard work would pay off and when my yearly review came around I got a pat on the back and a 50 cent per hour raise.

People at Sheetz get more than a 50 cent raise in 90 days for making sandwiches and I had to wait a year for 50 cents for a technical position.

I was gone in two weeks and found a job that gave me a 45% raise over what I was making at the time.

I still miss the work but I had to put my family first.

[The Golden Boy]

A few years ago the company my wife worked for went under. She had to look for a job that made about as much as she had been making... As a network admin with like 14 years experience, salaries weren't too much more than I was making as a helpdesk/pd guy.

[megadan]

I'm in a similar sort of situation, under employed in IT, with most of my experience being hands-on and not on a piece of paper.

In my case there's hope for advancement because I work for a non-profit; the work is very rewarding but sometimes it sucks making no money for specialized skills.

[mjolnir]

Thanks for the replies and the advice, Gents.

Here's how I've chosen to deal with the situation: my boss's boss is just as mad about this as I am, and he told the president flat out they couldn't afford to lose me. As a result the president chose to extend my position as an intern indefinitely, just with no raise and no additional benefits. This leaves me some wiggle room. I don't want to screw over my boss because he's understaffed as it is, so I'm going to stick around 'till August or September to see what they can come up with for me. If a hefty raise does indeed get approved, I think I'll be able to tolerate this for another year. Until I know, however, I've been (very quietly) looking around elsewhere, seeing what comes up.

We shall see what we shall see.

[The Golden Boy]

Originally Posted by megadan

In my case there's hope for advancement because I work for a non-profit; the work is very rewarding but sometimes it sucks making no money for specialized skills.

One of the places my wife looked at was SPEBSQSA.

Of course, you know that is the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America.

http://www.barbershop.org/web/groups..._homepage.hcsp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbershop_Harmony_Society

[Sir Edward V]

seams like there are a lot of IT guys on TB, haha

"They'll ignore you when everything is working properly, and blame you when things go wrong."

-sounds pretty similar to the role of bass player in a lot of bands

supporting roles... all the work, none of the fame

[mjolnir]

Originally Posted by Sir Edward V

seams like there are a lot of IT guys on TB, haha

"They'll ignore you when everything is working properly, and blame you when things go wrong."

-sounds pretty similar to the role of bass player in a lot of bands

supporting roles... all the work, none of the fame

Truer words have not been spoken.

[buzzbass]

Originally Posted by mjolnir

Just the standard disclaimer, I'm not looking for a pat on the back or for sympathy or anything, I just want to rant for a bit:

Before I go on, I will admit a number of things that make this situation less crappy than I may want it to seem. I am not a college graduate, in fact I flunked out in my first year. I have only recently been granted my MCSA and MCSE certifications, and most of my work experience was gained under practical application, not technical training.

I was hired on over a year ago as a sort of extended temp. At the time management said that they were desperate for help in the IT department but that the coming fiscal year would not allow for any new official positions. They offered me a position as a sort of loophole contractor, one paid by the company and listed as a temp. They also offered a 401K plan and a guarantee that if I stayed until the next fiscal year, I would be hired on as a full time employee with all the benefits attached.

The next fiscal year is rolling around soon, and I just recently got official notice that the president of the company has stated that he is unable to add to the company's headcount at this time, nor can he justify the added expense of any new employees and the benefits they would require. According to my boss this is horse **** and the president is making excuses and cutting corners and expenses anywhere he can because of the new plant expansion being worked on.

It also turns out I'm not the only one being shafted. Our benevolent president is also denying bonuses and the automatic raise that comes with increased certification and training across all departments, not to mention three other temps (two of which have been here for years longer than I have) getting the same deal as me despite multiple promises of change. Promotions and raises have been practically nonexistent for the entire four years this guy has been here, and he's lost roughly 30% of his employees because of it.

IT in this company is pathetic. We have three people running 11 servers, almost 200 computers, all the peripherals to match, not to mention the entire phone system, and one of them (me) is only a temp. As understaffed as we are (we need at least 3 more people beside me to get this department in decent working order) our president chooses to treat us like the red headed stepchild and cut us off at every opportunity. Whenever my boss came in to give me the news I would not be an official employee, he added at the end that he wouldn't be offended in the slightest if I sought out alternate employment. He also said that he was royally pissed they're screwing him and me on this and is going to push for a considerable raise if I decide to stay.

I think it's time I shopped around for a new job.

[/rant]

You have the official certs now, so you're golden.

Careerbuilder.com and Monster.com are awesome. Every position I've had over the last 12 years has come from one of those sites. I'm a fromer MCSE, now I work in SAN storage and disater recovery, specifically EMC equipment. Set up agents on both of those sites and get a good, professionally written, resume posted up there. You'll do fine. You have something now, so you can afford to wait and find that "golden opportunity". If you need any help with the resume' or anything, PM me. I have a decent amount of experience and contacts in the IT field. I even have some contacts in H-town

[buzzbass]

Originally Posted by Rattman

Yeah... I've seen (and experienced personally) all of this abuse several times since the 'Dot.com" fiasco pulled out the carpet on a BIG chunk of IT pros. IT departments, IT managers, IT temps and "temps-to-hire" from Day One have a big, red bulls eye painted on their backs. This is how it is in that profession. Thats why ultimately I turned my back on it and walked away. No matter how many certs, no matter how many quals, no matter how many disciplines you've mastered.. its never enough. Be prepared for continued abuse as long as you stay in the IT field. We are apparetly "expendable".

I've been dealing with this for most of this decade, and it sucks. My issue has been the "outsourcing" more than anything else. Why should they pay me a 6 figure income, which my experience and credentials warrant, when they can hire someone from India or Pakistan for 1/2. So what if they're here on a 12 mth work visa, at that price it's cheaper to train a new crew every 12 months. I'm at my last IT job now. I'm an employee this time, instead of a contractor. I'm at a company that should be fairly immune to economic conditions, the Associated Press. Whether times are good or bad, someone still has to report the news. Anyway, if this doesn't work out, I'm going back to my true love....the automotive industry. I'll buy a MAC tools dealership and me & my dog will ride around garages all day and sell tools. I have a good situation now, thank god. But that doesn't mean I still don't have one foot out the IT industry's door.

[buzzbass]

Originally Posted by playinpearls

i feel your pain, but unfortunetly i would probably kill to be in your position. I just graduated from devry, and i am very computer savvy just on my own without my degree. I can't get anyone in atlanta to even respond to my resume. I've gotten two hits off of craigslist, one phone interviewed me and pretty much made me feel like a ****** cause i couldn't name off layer two protocols off the top of my head with 3 minutes notice, and the other guy just blew me off after our phone call probably cause i dont have any working experience. I'm working on wireless terminals right now, but its not really networking, which is where i REALLY want to be....sometimes i wonder if I got in too late...job fair at devry tomorrow....hopefully that will help....

Wanna move to NJ, I may have something here @ the Associated Press you might be interested in.

[disenchant]

Sounds like the IT field is a lot like the advertising field. We have a lot of freelancers that have been freelancing for years with the promise of a hire. We call them "permalancers." And the higher-ups don't listen to your marketing suggestions and then when you do what they want and it doesn't work out, they blame you.

I had the opposite problem in that I have 8 years of experience and I couldn't get hired because companies didn't want to pay what I was worth. Instead they wanted cheap people with barely any experience. I saw the turnover at those companies and it was high. Once in a while a company will get smart and realize that one person with a lot of experience is actually worth the salary in terms of efficiency and results. But not often.

Good luck, there ARE a few good companies out there that will treat you right. The others are just someone out to make a buck at your expense. The owner drives around in a Porche or a Mercedes and you drive a beat-up Ford and yet you are doing the down-and-dirty work. That's the American Dream.

[tplyons]

Originally Posted by disenchant

Sounds like the IT field is a lot like the advertising field. We have a lot of freelancers that have been freelancing for years with the promise of a hire. We call them "permalancers." And the higher-ups don't listen to your marketing suggestions and then when you do what they want and it doesn't work out, they blame you.

I had the opposite problem in that I have 8 years of experience and I couldn't get hired because companies didn't want to pay what I was worth. Instead they wanted cheap people with barely any experience. I saw the turnover at those companies and it was high. Once in a while a company will get smart and realize that one person with a lot of experience is actually worth the salary in terms of efficiency and results. But not often.

Good luck, there ARE a few good companies out there that will treat you right. The others are just someone out to make a buck at your expense. The owner drives around in a Porche or a Mercedes and you drive a beat-up Ford and yet you are doing the down-and-dirty work. That's the American Dream.

I take it you're in Advertising, Dis? Not painting too great a picture of my future, are you?

[Pilgrim]

I'm glad the OP has earned the pertinent certifications...that will put him in good position to look. But in the long term, my advice is to work through that Bachelor's degree as well.