Career Change at 32!?

[chris1012]

So for the past ten years (I am now 32), I have been involved in IT Support (service desk - 1st line and 2nd line) as a contractor. I have managed to work for big corporate companies, and I guess due to the good day rates, I haven't really excelled with my skill set and therefore have made no career progression as such....

It has got to a stage now that I am bored with support and would like a job that challenges me, I can gain career progression/climb up the ladder and doesn't involve the same repetition of duties every single day (like I am doing now).

I have no PM experience nor any qualifications such as PRINCE2 or Agile. I have little understanding of the insides of a PM and my only real exposure of PM has been working with PM's during support projects such as tech roll outs.

I can afford to take a month or two out of work to go on a full-time course if it means after successfully passing the exams I can find a suitable job.
I am more than happy to take an entry level role with the aim that within 1/2 years I will be making a leap with job prospects in terms of progression/salary.

My current Salary is around 40-50k net however I understand I may have to drop to around 25k to get the experience/training, which I am willing to do.

Any advice on what route I should take?

 

[chris1012]

Where are you based?

London

 

[chris1012]

Have you thought about moving over to infrastructure? My boss did similar to you and now he runs our companies network infrastructure and earns good money doing so.

I have and its rare in London, to see 2nd line engineers progress through the ranks into infrastructure unless the company has a very good progression structure...
From what I have seen, those who have made that step up have had to self study and then only if they are lucky with an opening, they would be considered.

As my exposure to infrastructure is limited, it would literally be like a new job in a sense of training and knowledge gain anyway....

 

[chris1012]

i went from service desk to a junior dba role, pays quite good and i'll get the experience and certs to move on should i wish.
loving the job so far.

How did you move onto a junior DBA? Did you require any pre-requites for the role? Oracle, SQL?

 

[chris1012]

Well what ever way you go you're going to have to study. Without being rude, and I'm honestly not trying to be, from the comments above it sounds like you expect it to be handed to you.

What gave you that impression? I mentioned I wanted to take out time to study to up skill and I have also mentioned that I would be happy to change over to an entry level role for 1/2 years...
Maybe my expectations of a 2year turn around is due to having seen others manage to change things around within a 1 year mark of studding and an entry level role within London.