Training in your current job?

Pulsedriver

Pulsedriver

Pulsedriver

Soldato
Joined
19 Dec 2003
Posts
3,112
Location
UK
Hey folks;

So i've been working in an IT environment for 9 months, a small support group, 3 to be exact, 1 being the manager.
Supporting worldwide, not just the office I am working at.

Now, when I joined there was a lot to take in, but I had taken it in pretty quick, and I remember thinking...Give it 3 months and they will teach me more as maybe they are worried I won't stay after training etc.

Still not, the problem is, I feel I am being kept at a certain level so that I do not get paid accordingly.
I am aware there is a huge (literally) gap in salary between what I earn, and the others.

In terms of modern knowledge, of the latest pc parts, etc etc, I am streets ahead.

You cannot keep someone on a set level, I often answer the phones first, and end up having to ask another for help, reluctantly, as I just want to do it myself, because i've not been taught.
Even then, if I ask to see what they do, I end up getting lumbered with a smaller task because someone else happens to call, and then by that time, the other problem is solved and I never saw how.
Essentially we all do the same job, just I have to ask for help when the others don't, and im convinced it's so I do not get paid more.

It's nothing I could learn outside of work, as it is their own system I need to learn more in depth.
Not even a one to one yearly appraisal that everyone else seems to get (except our dept)
I am waiting til i've been in the job a year, before I push for more money because I am well aware of what the salary should be in this job.
It's not a terrible wage im on, but in comparison with others, it is.

I came into the job with no experience or qualifications for that sector, however, I do have a strong customer service background, and definately much more approachable than one of the other colleagues (which is even more a problem as when people choose to approach me, if I don't know the answer, I feel annoyed and frustrated that I should).

I hate relying on others basically, i'd rather know the answers myself.

What about you all, what sort of development takes place at your companies?
 
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I'm quite lucky though, the company I work for are big into training and developing their staff. They like to hire from within - they'd rather have a manager who's been in the company for a long time than get someone in from elsewhere. I assume it's just to have more chance of you being properly indoctrinated with company propaganda :D
 
I'm at a small-mid sized company and there was very little training when I started. You've simply got to be more proactive - always take notes (you don't want to ask people the same thing more than once), read any and every bit of documentation you can get hold of (if your place is like mine then not everything will be documented thus leading to more frustration) and do whatever you can to extract information out of people.

It is really frustrating but it can have its benefits - plenty of people working with established technology have been spoon fed stuff through training courses etc... having the experience of working on some proprietary software with millions of lines of code and patchy documentation is very frustrating but can make you a better person as a result of it. Also it can mean a lucrative albeit rather small contractor market.
 
Mohinder said:
Training and development is absolutely awesome where I work.

Sorry, but you did ask. It's amazing.
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Same here.

We are Investors In People Champions and are known for our excellent staff development programmes.

Good isn't it :cool:
 
You've only been there nine months. You may well still be on a probationary period. I'm not entirely sure, but I believe the maximum time a company can class you as a probationer is 11 months.

It's not entirely unknown for unscrupulous companies to keep a person for the maximum probation time possible, then tell them that their work isn't up to scratch and let them go. Means they can pay cheap wages with minimum comeback. If I was in your shoes, I would be asking my manager for some feedback on how I am performing, in writing if possible. Don't approach the subject of further development until you are sure that they are happy with what you are currently doing.

In answer to your question though, I work for the government, so training is all talk with no delivery. Unless of course it fits into the current fad, such as Diversity Awareness or (currently) Safeguarding Children.
 
i have only been with my company for 10 weeks but from what i understand training is good. the guys on my team will help me with anything. they came in the times top 100 companies to work
 
The company I work for provides consultancy as well as training on the products. The great thing about this is when there are courses I can request to go on them and usually they are happy for me to do so. The more I learn, the better consultant I am, the more money I earn for me and the company.
 
Unfotunately this can sometimes be the way in small teams - they need someone to do the 'donkey work' (which often requires a fair amount of proprietary knowledge) but are a bit reluctant to move you up a level because it means they would have to replace you with someone less knowledgeable/skilled (since the elite wouldn't work for that salary).

There's a chap where I work who is getting screwed over a bit, works in a team of 3 (1 team lead) and earning pretty poor money. Been there nearly 2 years and not had a promotion or pay rise. Because the team is so small and deals in fairly proprietary technology, there isn't really anywhere for him to go. The company are laughing all the way to the bank because they are paying him under the odds, and then refusing to up his pay due to the failures of other projects he had nothing to do with constraining their budget.

From what I can see, large, tiered departments/teams give a fairly good likelihood of slow but steady career development (assuming you have the skills, of course!). Whereas small teams, especially those with little in the way of transferrable skills/training, are more of a risk. If you are lucky you can make very rapid strides, but equally there is the risk that no matter how hard you work, you won't be recognised for it unless you move into another area. In an old job I busted my guts for a pittance for 4 years, whereas now in a different company I work less hard and opportunities just seem to present themselves
 
Pulsedriver said:
In terms of modern knowledge, of the latest pc parts, etc etc, I am streets ahead.

put the time you spend learning this stuff to better use. the average business doesn't give a flying squirrel about how well various graphics cards do what, or if processor x is y % faster in app z than processor a. i'm sure this system of theirs has documentation - find it, and read it.

You cannot keep someone on a set level

yes you can, and you're letting them

l, I often answer the phones first, and end up having to ask another for help, reluctantly, as I just want to do it myself, because i've not been taught.

this is where self learning comes in. read up on the topic area from said documentation
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and if all else fails, speak to HR.
 
HR will do nothing.

Basically, it's a case of lack of reward and recognising someone who is working hard and just wants a salary increase to show for working hard, staying extra hours etc

Not even a cost of living increase! Petrol, food, all goes up, wages stay the same.

After nearly a year, i'd expected more.

If by a year in this job, there is no mention of it, I will look for another job, and it will be their loss, i've had several people tell me a higher member of the company has spoken highly of me.

I have ambition, I don't believe in waiting 5 years for a rise, I have a figure in my head, and it's 4 or 5,000 pounds more than what I currently earn, if you don't set yourself a goal, why bother?

I suffered in my last job with excuse after excuse about money, and I won't do it again.

Im definately not arrogant, im just getting older now, and with the prices of houses, petrol etc these days, it's hardly unrealistic surely...?
 
Pulsedriver said:
Not even a cost of living increase! Petrol, food, all goes up, wages stay the same.

After nearly a year, I'd expected more.
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Hang on! Nine months after starting a job and you're complaining you've not had a pay increase? Did they promise you one? Salary reviews are usually annual affairs unless they say otherwise.

What have you done to deserve this extra money? :) You say yourself there's a massive gap in wages between you and the others yet you admit to not having the same level of knowledge they do. What am i missing here?

Pulsedriver said:
I came into the job with no experience or qualifications for that sector
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Edit: Ah. Missed that bit.

Also, if the training is relevant to the job I ask and I get. :) My last job wasn't quite that supportive though!
 
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Hey :)
The only reason I don't have the same level of knowledge, is they know the system from working there longer, if i'd have worked there at the same time, i'd know the same, the problem is I am not being taught anything anymore, so being kept at a certain level underneath.

Well, I am approached more, because I am more approachable, more friendly, and generally faster to help someone, and people are starting to call me, speak to me as a preferance, which in turn, increases my work load, I have a strong customer service/facing/focused background which the others do not.
 
Pulsedriver said:
Hey :)
The only reason I don't have the same level of knowledge, is they know the system from working there longer, if i'd have worked there at the same time, i'd know the same, the problem is I am not being taught anything anymore, so being kept at a certain level underneath.

Well, I am approached more, because I am more approachable, more friendly, and generally faster to help someone, and people are starting to call me, speak to me as a preferance, which in turn, increases my work load, I have a strong customer service/facing/focused background which the others do not.
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They've been there longer and have more knowledge of the system. That's why they're on more money.

It's good that you're getting noticed as being more approachable/helpful and you can certainly use this to support your efforts in getting a pay rise. However, you'd really need to go about INSISTING that you are brought more in the loop with regards to the systems you use there - it would make the small team far more effective if you were all up to speed! ;) (not just thinking of yourself!) Speak to you manager, ask for an hour a day shadowing one of the guys that are a bit more ahead of the game. Something simple that would help you and make you look good to your boss while not distracting you from your job too much. It's good to have ambition but bear in mind that you have no experience in this field of work - you gotta earn it, son! Prove yourself!
 
I started a new job 5 months ago and I threw myself in at the deep end tbh. I was given very basic training on the systems we regularly use and half hour for each other department to get a general idea of what they do (which I had to sign up for and waggle time off to fit in). But I play with all the systems and if someone can't / won't answer a question for me I go over their heads. I multi-task so that I can work on other more in depth stuff while doing the routine stuff (usually talking on the phone) to make sure I get practice. I've made sure my TM knows that I'm not being pushed or using my full ability.

Now I can't remember the last time I had to ask anyone in my team a question while when my TC (who's been there 3.5 years) asks me.
 
The problem is;

We all know, how long you've been in a job means nothing, how many times do people come in on higher money?

On my last job I was earning £13,500, i'd been in the job 3 years, yet every new person came in on £15,999 and they would NOT adjust my wage no matter what I tried or did.

It got worse, when others came in on £17,000+ with no experience either!
 
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