Career Decisions (IT Professionals please read!)
- Thread starter Aaron445
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Soldato
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- 17 Sep 2007
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[TW]Fox;18002848 said:
March 2009 – July 2010
And before you dive into the engineer debate there are different titles. They don't just call everyone engineers, you have site/design/project manager etc etc etc.
And yet that is what I was told by my manager at the time, that is what its called on the intranet, therefore that's what I called it.
The point was generally a contractor is someone who is an expert with a specific set of skills, who is brought in not to learn how to do something in a few months, but who already knows how to do it inside and out. That's the point of them, and that's why they get paid what they do.
Someone who is brought in and needs to take a few months to learn something new is not a contractor.
You were brought in as a temp to learn how to do something for the project at the time. You were not brought in as a contractor, expert in your field, to instantly get on with the specific job that needed your specialist skills.
That's it. Nothing personal, nothing to do with what the project was or who it was for.
My official title with HR has 'Server Engineer' infront of it, I always drop this as it's naff.
I do have an engineering degree, but that's as far as it goes, am by no means an engineer!
Associate
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- 13 Dec 2010
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- London
I'm in the same position as the OP, but on the last year of my BTEC ND in IT.
Applying to do Computer Science (in Wales as one of my choices)
I pretty much want to be a Software Engineer, have you got any advice?
It is very interesting, I get exposure to some really new shiny kit and technologies. But believe me I work hard for the money, I often end up doing 12 hour days and the environment is humungous with the added bonus of being quite highly pressured. I often get screamed at down the phone.
We are meant to be getting a 15% pay rise in April
Oh, no doubt on the pressure front. It's kinda what intimidates me most about jumping into the corporate route. Take you long to work your way up to your current post? Is it you guys that own, or have something to do with, GotoMyPc?
Soldato
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- West Yorkshire / Market Bosworth
And what about after that job and I worked at Optilan for 7 weeks?
It was one of my previous colleagues at Siemens who got a job there and they needed reliable people who knew what they were doing already, so he put forward a punch of our CVs. Which I did as they were exactly the same projects and I didn't need any guidance in terms of doing the work?
Everyone also jumped on the fact I started on £6 ph and forgets the fact that only a year later I am on double that rate...
Of course if I was 20+ and had long term experience in a perm job then my situation would be different to what it is now. I thought I was doing okay considering I am 19, if you actually look to see what perm jobs are out there then you will see how it really is slim pickings.
Again not contracting in the sense I know it, that's just common sense, get some people who've done that job before. As you say the projects were exactly the same. How many people were hired for that one, had they all done it before? By the nature of him putting forward a bunch of cvs for it makes it seem to me it's like a temp role.
That position is a bit more contractor like but still not what I'd call it, but that's just me.
Everyone also jumped on the fact I started on £6 ph and forgets the fact that only a year later I am on double that rate...
Of course if I was 20+ and had long term experience in a perm job then my situation would be different to what it is now. I thought I was doing okay considering I am 19, if you actually look to see what perm jobs are out there then you will see how it really is slim pickings.
ffs stop talking like this! We dont' care about this bit, it's nothing to do with what we are talking about! I don't care if you were 50 years old on the dole, the fact is they were temp jobs, in my opinion.
Some one tell what everything in the cabinet it IS let alone how it works and I will give you a internet cookie.
Then using that information to put together a design package for a project...
They are krone strips on the E-side/D-side for a Telephone exchange. CBA to count how many pairs you've got.
We're currently ripping most of the wiring out of our main exchange as we're migrating to VOIP, Gone from a campus with 12 iSDX's, 1 Large. 3 normal ones and 8 smaller ones to the main one and 3 small ones. one of those is awating decomission
What's the project you're working on?
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![Shaz]sigh[](/styles/overclockers/avatars/4.png){kind=avatar}
Associate
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- 8 Sep 2003
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- 1,424
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- Outside
Is that a permanent role? Who is it you work for if you don't mind? Sounds awesome for a decently weighted ops role
Job Title/Description: Analyst
Typical day-to-day work: Analysing data and solving business problems related to automotive market 'intelligence' collection and supply
Highest qualification (GCSE/Diploma etc): A-Levels
Job satisifaction (do you enjoy your day-to-day work): Yeah pretty much
Job security(do you feel you are at risk of having your job outsourced to india?): Hmm not likely
Salary(optional): 250,000 swiss francs + benefits and bonuses
Typical day-to-day work: Analysing data and solving business problems related to automotive market 'intelligence' collection and supply
Highest qualification (GCSE/Diploma etc): A-Levels
Job satisifaction (do you enjoy your day-to-day work): Yeah pretty much
Job security(do you feel you are at risk of having your job outsourced to india?): Hmm not likely
Salary(optional): 250,000 swiss francs + benefits and bonuses
Job Title/Description: Jr Computer Janitor
Typical day-to-day work: Tickets come in, I ignore them or inform people how to fix their problems over the phone, very rarely do I leave the basement.
Highest qualification (GCSE/Diploma etc): Expelled from school at 15
Job satisifaction (do you enjoy your day-to-day work): Yes, I post all day and night instead of working, sometimes I install Windows XP on a brand new computer that has windows 7 already on it.
Job security(do you feel you are at risk of having your job outsourced to india?): The company I work for has no clue about computers so my team has the rule of the roost.
Salary: £45kish + Benefits.
Typical day-to-day work: Tickets come in, I ignore them or inform people how to fix their problems over the phone, very rarely do I leave the basement.
Highest qualification (GCSE/Diploma etc): Expelled from school at 15
Job satisifaction (do you enjoy your day-to-day work): Yes, I post all day and night instead of working, sometimes I install Windows XP on a brand new computer that has windows 7 already on it.
Job security(do you feel you are at risk of having your job outsourced to india?): The company I work for has no clue about computers so my team has the rule of the roost.
Salary: £45kish + Benefits.
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
Yup permie role. Not allowed to say I'm afraid, even remotely hint. It's in the City
Uh oh, another MI5 recruit..
Job Title/Description:
Capacity Creation design Grad
&
Graduate Engineer (company gave me the engineer part)
Typical day-to-day work:
Making reports justifying SDH backhaul upgrades from BT nodes our sites. Most are justifying 2.5gbps to 10gbps using either MSPP/Alcatel cards or CWDM couplers + 2.5gbps cards. I also do the same reports to try migrate ethernet traffic off MSPP onto MSP, so justifying alcatel 7210's or 7450's. Im not afraid to admit it, but im still a little clueless even after 4 months of training. tech is pretty advanced once you put legacy systems + configs into the equation. It's not something you learn from a powerpoint, dont quiz me.
Highest qualification (GCSE/Diploma etc): Bsc (network tech at Northumbria)
Job satisfaction (do you enjoy your day-to-day work): extremely good, I can’t think of anything better atm. I’m on this placement for another 3-4 months or so then I can choose another team. Trying to do this placement next...
LINK
If not, something in PJ man, or perhaps some 'core network design' or IP and Data testing.
Job security(do you feel you are at risk of having your job outsourced to india?): For the grad stuff...hell no. We have just had a reshuffle, other parts have seen question marks unfortunately, the dust is settling from what I can see.
Salary(optional): good
Capacity Creation design Grad
&
Graduate Engineer (company gave me the engineer part)
Typical day-to-day work:
Making reports justifying SDH backhaul upgrades from BT nodes our sites. Most are justifying 2.5gbps to 10gbps using either MSPP/Alcatel cards or CWDM couplers + 2.5gbps cards. I also do the same reports to try migrate ethernet traffic off MSPP onto MSP, so justifying alcatel 7210's or 7450's. Im not afraid to admit it, but im still a little clueless even after 4 months of training. tech is pretty advanced once you put legacy systems + configs into the equation. It's not something you learn from a powerpoint, dont quiz me.
Highest qualification (GCSE/Diploma etc): Bsc (network tech at Northumbria)
Job satisfaction (do you enjoy your day-to-day work): extremely good, I can’t think of anything better atm. I’m on this placement for another 3-4 months or so then I can choose another team. Trying to do this placement next...
LINK
If not, something in PJ man, or perhaps some 'core network design' or IP and Data testing.
Job security(do you feel you are at risk of having your job outsourced to india?): For the grad stuff...hell no. We have just had a reshuffle, other parts have seen question marks unfortunately, the dust is settling from what I can see.
Salary(optional): good
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Associate
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I'm intrigued... City makes you think finance obviously but that seems like a lot of x86 compute.
I'm tempted to say service provider (or Lloyds).
I'm tempted to say service provider (or Lloyds).
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Wish I'd gone into something like that, kind of IT and kind of a 'trade' like a sparky or plumber, but more engineeringy
Associate
- Joined
- 3 Feb 2009
- Posts
- 895
- Location
- Sydney
Job Title/Description: Tech Specialist - I manage all technology in 3 offices spread over Australia and provide cover for another 4 in asia.
Typical day-to-day work: Answering stupid questions. Dealing with incompetent vendors and playing flash games.
Highest qualification (GCSE/Diploma etc): Postgrad diploma - Software Engineering.
Job satisifaction (do you enjoy your day-to-day work): Depends how hungover I am.
Job security(do you feel you are at risk of having your job outsourced to india?): Pretty secure. Been here for 5 years and the company is growing quickly. Outsourcing would be completely alien to our company culture.
Salary(optional): $80k (AU) + bonus
Typical day-to-day work: Answering stupid questions. Dealing with incompetent vendors and playing flash games.
Highest qualification (GCSE/Diploma etc): Postgrad diploma - Software Engineering.
Job satisifaction (do you enjoy your day-to-day work): Depends how hungover I am.
Job security(do you feel you are at risk of having your job outsourced to india?): Pretty secure. Been here for 5 years and the company is growing quickly. Outsourcing would be completely alien to our company culture.
Salary(optional): $80k (AU) + bonus
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EDIT: And I do like how someone like Basher can say he just finished his degree and is earning £65k and has a mortgage and a car costing £20k (finance?)...
And no one bats an eye lid.
Excuse me? Just because I have done pretty well over the past few years you automatically assume I am lying?
There are plenty of recent (<3 years) grads earning more than I am. I was offering proof than you can exploit the opportunity University can give you to earn good money.
Where did I say I had a car costing £20k
