Calling I.T tech support/field technicians!!

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I've been stuck in retail most of my working life but I'm interested in computers and want to get into IT.

I've been accepted on to the CERCO course which will set me back £4000. Now I know it sounds like a lot of money and I know they have a bespoke qualification that not everybody accepts, but they are a recruitment agency too and almost guarantee you a job at the end of it.

Another reason for going this route is that it is a fulltime course (I would have to give up my job in retail) and I simply don't have the time or energy to work through a course in my own time after work.

However, if anybody has an alternative I'm willing to listen!

Basically, the job I would end up getting would be in tech support either over the phone or as a field technician. They suggest I could get £18k+ a year plus possibly a company car and/or travelling expenses. This is more than I get as a junior manager in retail (£16.5k).

Also, in time, I reckon if I continue to develop and get more qualifications my earning potential will increase dramatically beyond what I can get in retail (I don't ever envisage earning more than maybe £21k in retail).

I haven't fallen for any of their spiel and haven't signed up for anything, I just want to get an idea of the best route to go and whether the earning estimates are realistic.

I know I've waffled on a bit but I'm at a major turning point in my life so forgive me!

Thanks....

;)
 
Ratbag said:
I just want to get an idea of the best route to go and whether the earning estimates are realistic.

re earnings, are you referring to a field engineer type of role ? if so then £18k is very low , most earn £25-35k basic and £50k+ when on call etc are factored in ( a bit lower if it is on intel/windows stuff )
 
How old are you? Do you have any previous experience in computers?

Ive been quite lucky, but at 21 im on 24k working on a helpdesk. I only have GCSE's - no other qualifications. Depending on your experience, I would say start on a helpdesk and work your way up.
 
A[L]C said:
How old are you? Do you have any previous experience in computers?

Ive been quite lucky, but at 21 im on 24k working on a helpdesk. I only have GCSE's - no other qualifications. Depending on your experience, I would say start on a helpdesk and work your way up.

Don't suppose your company is looking for employees? :p
 
Ratbag said:
I've been accepted on to the CERCO course which will set me back £4000.
Don't do it, such a waste of cash. You can get on helpdesks with nothing and work your way from there, its all you'd do with a qualification and no experience anyway.

Rotty said:
re earnings, are you referring to a field engineer type of role ? if so then £18k is very low , most earn £25-35k basic and £50k+ when on call etc are factored in ( a bit lower if it is on intel/windows stuff )
I don't agree. Those are only the most senior technicians in our business. £18k basic is actually pretty close to a lot of them.

Sp00n said:
Sorry to jack the thread but what is an "IS" environment in an I.T context?
Probably Infrastructure Services. Looking after the central infrastructure of the client.

messiah khan said:
Where are all you people getting this money to tech support? Im helpdesk IT support at a college and im on a measly £12.6k :(
Thats a low amount on the face of it, but I started on £8k with the company I'm still with now 8 years later. You can move for the money or stay where you are and hope it improves. If there's no real opportunity for advancement I'd be well on my way in your position.
 
Gilly said:
I don't agree. Those are only the most senior technicians in our business. £18k basic is actually pretty close to a lot of them.

.


just going on the folks I work with, I suppose there is a huge variation in the defintion of technician/engineer ( I have never seen the "technician" tag used in reality ) , the salries I am referring to are for hardware/OS level engineers on servers ( non intel ) and SAN storage
 
"Good technical knowledge of IS practices and processes conducted in support of production service deliveries."

So does that just mean that they want you to have worked in an I.T role before?

Or is it more similar to something like SoX?
 
i did a degree in computing which didnt get me too far so im currently half way through my CCNA. ive just got a job as a helpdesk analyst. with no real experience and job specific qualifications i decided to work on both areas to improve my pay and quality of job.
 
Gilly said:
Thats a low amount on the face of it, but I started on £8k with the company I'm still with now 8 years later. You can move for the money or stay where you are and hope it improves. If there's no real opportunity for advancement I'd be well on my way in your position.


There isn't great scope for advancement, but I enjoy my job and environment, so im probably going to hold out for two years or so. This will at least give me the oh so needed experience to get other jobs. I still think its appalling that companies(And public sector) can pay such low amounts for skilled work. I know they can do this because people will fill the roles even for that money (me for example) but it still seems somewhat unfair.
 
I started same place. Helpdesk for a year and kept moving jobs.

Been in 3 different jobs in 3 years and finally in a senior role earning better money.

personally i found staying at the same place for too long doesn't get you too far, just learn as much as you can and move on.
 
In the same kind of boat as others at the moment. Have been in my IT support job for 14months now, the job is ok and the money is ok (17K ish depending on bonus) but theres just no-where to advance to within the company. I'm doing mostly day to day IT problems and the off bit of programming.

Plan on staying here for 2 years and then head off travelling for a while, comeing back and then hopfully getting the same sort of job in a bigger company with room for promotion.

I was very lucky to get the job friend of a friend type of thing, only walked in to see my friend one day at work when the MD took me to one side for a chat and offered me the job. Hopefully the 2 years experiance I'll have till make it easyer to get another IT job.
 
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