What to do?! - A job dilemma.
- Thread starter 2StepSteve
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Soldato
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Don't take this the wrong way, but it's coming across as staying in your comfort zone vs. moving out of it.
The best ways to further your career is sometimes to move somewhere else and relish new opportunities. It can definately be a catalyst to your career path.
The best ways to further your career is sometimes to move somewhere else and relish new opportunities. It can definately be a catalyst to your career path.
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This is the number 1 factor which is telling me to stay. Pay aside, the school is offering a higher position than the college. In turn it means that I am a key player here and I have total control over what I do and how I do it.
In a couple of years time with the title under my belt it would allow me to go for high paid education based network manager positions. I know it is only a title and it won't carry that well (if at all) in the private sector. However, in education having it down on your CV; I believe carries weight. I have tried in the past to apply for NM positions and have been not even considered for the interview stage, due to no experience.
I think that stale feeling I referred to is more like the feeling of being under valued. The college did feel very exciting though and different to walk around. But how will I feel if I don't like it there? If the students are jumped up idiots that cause trouble. I won't get this opportunity again to have this title so easily.
It's crazy as I have gone from being 100% committed to the college and ready to go, to not knowing due to the offer on the table at the school. It is attractive. You and others are right about it being safe and comfortable though, but I am just thinking how excited I was to go to the college, to feeling like this. It's swung my train of thought right around!
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Soldato
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Flip a coin.
As I mentioned, having the title may look good on your CV, until it gets to interview and they ask what experience you gained in that role and it turns out to be not much more than in the technician position.
When you say "a potential IT technician" is this for someone to replace your now vacant position?
What does the office network consist of? Are we talking AD with group policy, internal Exchange server etc, or 10 PCs connected to a 16 port switch in a rack?
When you say "will have a say in IT budget and where money should be spent" are you actually given the money and told to get on with it, or just asked for your opinion when whoever's in charge decides to buy new kit?
Sorry for the interrogation, but it just seems rather convenient for them to suddenly realise they need an additional technician and an IT manager when you're leaving, and I'm trying to work out if the new role is going to be what they say it is.
Do this - not because it will decide for you, but because in the few seconds it's in the air, you'll realise which side you want to come up
(horribly misquoted from somewhere!)I will just back up my suggestions, by stating that I worked as IT support in a college for 4 years, and the experienced I gained there was invaluable, purely because of the huge range of things I worked on - everything from hardware, structured cabling, Cisco networking, AD & group policy, website design, IP telephony, etc. along with soft skills like writing documentation, project management, staff management, etc.
It’s never an easy decision to move jobs, everything is new and the unknown can spark all kinds of anxieties.
I think that perhaps one good way to seek a resolution to your dilemma is to work out a sheet of Pros and Cons for both jobs; for a start the Pro for college is £140 extra salary, the Pro for the school is the job title.
However, I think when factoring in pros and cons (and besides considering things like journeys to and from work, hours, responsibilities etc) also factor in your personal choices such as social/leisure/family time and perhaps the most important of all, maybe ask yourself some searching questions like are you in a rut and just want to move? Will moving to a new job, no matter if it were at the college or somewhere else, make you feel happier with your life in general?
Only you can choose your path in life because only you have the answer to that final question as sometimes its not just about the money but more about what you feel you need to make the right choice for you.
Whatever you decide, I wish you well.
I think that perhaps one good way to seek a resolution to your dilemma is to work out a sheet of Pros and Cons for both jobs; for a start the Pro for college is £140 extra salary, the Pro for the school is the job title.
However, I think when factoring in pros and cons (and besides considering things like journeys to and from work, hours, responsibilities etc) also factor in your personal choices such as social/leisure/family time and perhaps the most important of all, maybe ask yourself some searching questions like are you in a rut and just want to move? Will moving to a new job, no matter if it were at the college or somewhere else, make you feel happier with your life in general?
Only you can choose your path in life because only you have the answer to that final question as sometimes its not just about the money but more about what you feel you need to make the right choice for you.
Whatever you decide, I wish you well.
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Here are my thoughts:
The money is not all that important to you. I know it is a consideration, but it does not seem like you're struggling financially. If you were it would be a no-brainer. So I would suggest discounting the pay as a pro/con as it just muddies the waters. Happiness and career progression are more important.
Current position - are you happy at the school? What aspirations do you have for the school network? Are there things you can do that would be immensely satisfying and actually realisable? If the budgets are already tight and you have aspiring plans on how to reorganise it, will you actually have a chance to? If you cant do anything that you aspire to do, then it's a bit of a dead end job.
College - Similarly, what will you have a chance to do at the college? Do you have an idea on the projects, work, etc, they have in mind for now & the future? Will the work be more satisfying? Will it challenge you?
I would highly consider whichever job pushes you and gives you a chance to meet your aspirations. How much more enticing a candidate would you be in a few years if you sit down for an IT job and you can talk enthusiastically about all the improvements you've made, challenges you've overcome etc, rather than day to day running without stretching yourself? It would be much more valuable than a job title, imo.
The holiday and work/life balance is the other consideration.
The money is not all that important to you. I know it is a consideration, but it does not seem like you're struggling financially. If you were it would be a no-brainer. So I would suggest discounting the pay as a pro/con as it just muddies the waters. Happiness and career progression are more important.
Current position - are you happy at the school? What aspirations do you have for the school network? Are there things you can do that would be immensely satisfying and actually realisable? If the budgets are already tight and you have aspiring plans on how to reorganise it, will you actually have a chance to? If you cant do anything that you aspire to do, then it's a bit of a dead end job.
College - Similarly, what will you have a chance to do at the college? Do you have an idea on the projects, work, etc, they have in mind for now & the future? Will the work be more satisfying? Will it challenge you?
I would highly consider whichever job pushes you and gives you a chance to meet your aspirations. How much more enticing a candidate would you be in a few years if you sit down for an IT job and you can talk enthusiastically about all the improvements you've made, challenges you've overcome etc, rather than day to day running without stretching yourself? It would be much more valuable than a job title, imo.
The holiday and work/life balance is the other consideration.
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As I mentioned, having the title may look good on your CV, until it gets to interview and they ask what experience you gained in that role and it turns out to be not much more than in the technician position.
When you say "a potential IT technician" is this for someone to replace your now vacant position?
What does the office network consist of? Are we talking AD with group policy, internal Exchange server etc, or 10 PCs connected to a 16 port switch in a rack?
When you say "will have a say in IT budget and where money should be spent" are you actually given the money and told to get on with it, or just asked for your opinion when whoever's in charge decides to buy new kit?
Sorry for the interrogation, but it just seems rather convenient for them to suddenly realise they need an additional technician and an IT manager when you're leaving, and I'm trying to work out if the new role is going to be what they say it is.
Do this - not because it will decide for you, but because in the few seconds it's in the air, you'll realise which side you want to come up
I will just back up my suggestions, by stating that I worked as IT support in a college for 4 years, and the experienced I gained there was invaluable, purely because of the huge range of things I worked on - everything from hardware, structured cabling, Cisco networking, AD & group policy, website design, IP telephony, etc. along with soft skills like writing documentation, project management, staff management, etc.
The potential future IT Technician would be employed if the school IT facilitates grow, to take over maintenance and support children. I can see it happening, but it's not 100% certain.
The office network would be a nice little project. Involves moving data to our servers, setting up permissions and mapped drives. Using AD and group policies. Also includes over seeing the school switching to a different broadband provider.
The IT budget would be worked out with myself and a member of the senior team, as always, everything has to be run through them.
I definitely see your point about experience gained from working within a college, I really do. The amount of hardware they have there is impressive!