Trying to break in to IT infrastructure field

Just remember that, from a corporate standpoint at least, Microsoft is still very much king.

That said, you must have some skills in all areas to be competitive these days. The days of supporting a Microsoft/Windows environment and not encountering code or scripting or Dbs or anything else using non-MS code are gone.
 
drakioned said:
I would broaden your horizons... this isn't an either/or. Learn both.
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True. But I have to choose something now to complete. And I think I will focus on the LPIC.

I might play with Active directory and exchange if I can, but doing any MCP's (which would be awesome) I don't have the time for at the present.

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I've bought my self a workstation pc. To install Linux vm's and get cracking.

should have done this 4-6 years ago. :rolleyes:

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I am so epically bored in my current role. I just get thrown the crap no one else wants or can be bothered to do.

My manager treats me like 'if I mention something half interesting, this is above your pay grade, don't think about it. Not your job, leave it to someone else.'

I'm actually the most 'on the ball' in the office, the difference is I don't have the technical experience as no ones ever given me any projects to learn from. I'm also the most consistent and reliable out of my department.

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But bye bye, I cant stay here any more. It will be a shock to them as they are used to having the easy life, as I'm the 'water carrier' in the department.

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Using a football analogy, I'm the DM who does the dirty work which no one notices, which allows the rest of the team to play beautiful football.
 
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I've had two interviews in the last 2 weeks. One was 100% MS role and the last one was a Linux/Networking role.

The MS one as you can imagine I didn't get. But that's probably for the best. I want a Linux role. Also they called me up, this wasn't a role I applied for. They knew I had no exchange experience etc... :rolleyes:

The last one I interviewed for on Fri, is the break I'm looking for. It's junior level Linux and will involve some networking.

It's not perfect as it will be working in an office of only 10 people and I've never worked in a place with less than 70, so I don't know how boring it might get, but this could be my break I need to move away from technical support in to a server side role.

The exciting thing is that it will include training in NY for a couple of weeks.

We'll see what happens. I will keep applying and keep applying until I get something.

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I've set up my home lab and bought some books, including the Unix and Linux System Administration Handbook, ISBN 0131480057 Chicco recommended.

One of my ex work colleagues who is in Dev Ops is going to give me a crash course one day soon to bring me up to speed with a couple of things as in eight years at my current job I haven't even done some super basic things... such as spin up a new server using Vmware etc etc etc... He'll probably give me a run down of all the Devops stuff as well.
 
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I'm not sure why you equate less people to being more boring. The less individuals in a team the more diverse the workload tends to be.
 
working in an office of 10 people will allow you to do all sorts of things, personally ive had to dabble with a lot of different things. you get exposure to a lot more than you will at a bigger company. although if its an admin job get ready for the "how do you do this in word?", "why doesnt the xxxxxx work?" questions
 
Is there a legal free version of VMware I can obtain?

Vsphere Hypervisor is free, but I just want to familiarise myself with VMware. (Workstation I believe)

So I can learn about virtualization with that product.
 
Not sure what to do.

I have another interview set for Thu. This one however will be during the day which causes me an issue as I need a valid excuse to not be at work.

So far I have managed to have interviews at 9am. We don't start until 10am so I can get away with it, but this one is during the day.

I'm going to have to pull a sick day. Last week I was at the hospital. :rolleyes:

I don't know if it's worth me going for this interview. They want a minimum of 3 years experience, dealing with Linux servers, visualization, automation, HPC cluster administration, firewalls etc etc....

All the stuff I'm interested in, but at this stage don't know about. I have never touched these technologies.

Now they've seen my CV and still want to interview me. But I had another agent call me about the same role seeking more info, who ended up telling me that I probably wasn't the right candidate.

And I don't think I am. The reason why I'm apprehensive is the more interviews I go to the more obvious it is going to be at work what I'm doing.

If I go to the interviews for ones that I am confident of standing a chance of getting I think that is a better trade off than going to all the interviews I get offered.

I do know (hope) that I should be hearing back from another company regarding my second interview with them and potentially needing to go for another interview. (Face to face this time) This one wanted 0-3 years experience. So I was confident that this was a good opportunity.

Last week was the hospital, this week is a sicky, next week?

You get my drift....

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I personally think I'm going to pull out of this interview. They see 8 years on my CV, but they cant judge how much hands on Linux I have done hence the interview. The answer is 'not very much'.

I don't stand a chance for this role. For example I have only today just sat down to read about iptables amongst other things. I do not have 3 years of firewall experience.

Same goes for visualization. I haven't even used Vmware yet.
 
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opethdisciple said:
Now they've seen my CV and still want to interview me. But I had another agent call me about the same role seeking more info, who ended up telling me that I probably wasn't the right candidate.
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Be careful with that, if you've already been put forwards for a role by one agent and then start dealing with another it can cause a mess and sometimes just cause the hiring manager to drop you to save having the drama of two recruiters trying to claim a fee for you if you get the job.

As for your interview - when was your last dental appointment? ;)

Seriously just get a bunch of interviews lined up - keep on sending your CV out even though you've got this one lined up... ideally don't take sick days, if you've got a dentist appointment then you can take the hour or two you need and work late to make up for it etc.. your sickness record remains in tact and your boss stays happy.

Obviously when you come to hand in your notice they'll kind of realise but at least you'd have been doing your work and not causing issues by taking impromptu time off sick - that is much more likely to annoy people.
 
opethdisciple said:
I personally think I'm going to pull out of this interview. They see 8 years on my CV, but they cant judge how much hands on Linux I have done hence the interview. The answer is 'not very much'.

I don't stand a chance for this role. For example I have only today just sat down to read about iptables amongst other things. I do not have 3 years of firewall experience.

Same goes for visualization. I haven't even used Vmware yet.
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Go to the interview. At the very least you learn a bit more about interview technique and what the job market looks like. You might even learn a bit more about where your skills gaps are.

Do you really care if your current job gets annoyed at you? You've already said you're unhappy there. Worst case they can take you through their disciplinary procedure about your attendance, which could take weeks or months. In the mean time keep interviewing.
 
I'd personally go the Linux direction, it opens up more doors in the future, for example devops (automation, auto scaling, etc) where windows is behind in that respect and tends to look after itself more in the corporate world, generally seen as easier to manage thus commanding less salary.
 
I agree with El Pew. Successful or not an interview is a learning exercise. You're honing your own skills, gaining valuable experience on what questions to expect, how you react to certain situations, etc.

Go if you possibly can.
 
So I've got a few things in the pan. Three to be precise.

Two Linux roles and one general role (Mostly windows and Mac admin)

I want a Linux role as I want to kick off my career. The other role (Windows and Mac) is good for the pocket.

But I don't know how much of an impact doing a non Linux role will have on my future employability in getting a Linux role in the future?

For example, I've started studying Linux at home. Employers currently look at my CV and see I'm in a Linux role, so that helps convince them of my suitability for the Linux role I am applying for.

However, if I move out of my current Linux role, in to a Mac/Win admin job paying a nice bit more than I currently earn, THEN try and apply for Linux roles once I have completed my Linux certifications, will employers still look at me in the same way?

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Also one of the Linux roles I applied for is quite far away from me. But it was too good not to apply for. They want to interview me. But realistically it is 1.30hr travel time from my house by public transport.

Given how unreliable TFL is, if there are any delays in service I could be looking at more like 2hr travel time.

Would you consider a job, EXCELLENT for your career if the travel time was quite long?
 
I read this thread earlier, and it sounds like your current manager is an arse.

Now they've seen my CV and still want to interview me. But I had another agent call me about the same role seeking more info, who ended up telling me that I probably wasn't the right candidate.
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This may just mean you weren't the right candidate for that recruiter. You are a product for them to sell to clients, they're not doing you any freebies, you are a commission or fee to be earned. And they are an opener of doors to jobs and contacts you don't know about.

opethdisciple said:
However, if I move out of my current Linux role, in to a Mac/Win admin job paying a nice bit more than I currently earn, THEN try and apply for Linux roles once I have completed my Linux certifications, will employers still look at me in the same way?
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Tailor your CV for each role. If the role is looking for Linux/Admin and you've spent the last 6 months in a Mac environment, then emphasise previous experience and how you are keeping current with it.

If you are not strong on something, then talk up what you are good at. Anyone can be taught skills. So talk up your talents.

opethdisciple said:
Would you consider a job, EXCELLENT for your career if the travel time was quite long?
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Yes. A excellent opportunity for your career can mean a change in your entire life direction. (I say that from having ditched Microsoft roles 14 years ago to work on a big ERP which took me across Europe and Asia)

Travel is a necessary evil for most people, but there are things you can do to make it better. Negotiate to work from home sometimes. Schedule conference calls appropriately. Go before the rush hour. Be organised with your time and work-life balance and set other peoples expectations about what time you finish.

The company may move. You may move. This may be a springboard to the perfect job closer to home later on.

Good luck.
And your manager is still an arse.
 
opethdisciple said:
But I don't know how much of an impact doing a non Linux role will have on my future employability in getting a Linux role in the future?
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I wouldn't fixate too much on Linux, or indeed any technology. IT is very wide ranging and there are all sorts of niches that you can get yourself into. Don't focus on Linux as the be-all and end-all of your career, especially if you have no current experience on it.

opethdisciple said:
Would you consider a job, EXCELLENT for your career if the travel time was quite long?
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Is that 1.5 hours each way, or total? My personal cut off is 1 hour each way, I've done 2 each way for short periods and it's very unpleasant. It depends to an extent on how you are travelling (car, train, tube) and what you can do to pass the time whilst travelling. I listen to a lot of podcasts in my car, and work on my laptop on the train. The tube is generally too noisy and crowded to do anything other than music or reading.
 
El Pew said:
I wouldn't fixate too much on Linux, or indeed any technology. IT is very wide ranging and there are all sorts of niches that you can get yourself into. Don't focus on Linux as the be-all and end-all of your career, especially if you have no current experience on it.



Is that 1.5 hours each way, or total? My personal cut off is 1 hour each way, I've done 2 each way for short periods and it's very unpleasant. It depends to an extent on how you are travelling (car, train, tube) and what you can do to pass the time whilst travelling. I listen to a lot of podcasts in my car, and work on my laptop on the train. The tube is generally too noisy and crowded to do anything other than music or reading.
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1.5 hours each way.
 
I did it, changed from a job where I could walk to work in 25mins each way to a five hour round trip, so a net increase in commute time of 4 hours a day. Not exactly a like for like as the contracted hours are 30mins less per day, and I can work from home 1 day a week, but still around a net increase of around 13hrs per week away from home.

Obviously I'd prefer not to do it but the actual act of commuting I don't find too bad, it is just the time away from home that is annoying.

As for whether the job is 'EXCELLENT' for my career, only time will tell but they are generally a good employer, salary/bonus/benefits are all much higher, and it has massively increased the amount of speculative contact I get from agents on LI etc. To be honest it was mainly the salary that attracted me, if I could get the same money more locally for a 'worse' job then I'd take it.
 
opethdisciple said:
So I've got a few things in the pan. Three to be precise.

Two Linux roles and one general role (Mostly windows and Mac admin)

I want a Linux role as I want to kick off my career. The other role (Windows and Mac) is good for the pocket.

But I don't know how much of an impact doing a non Linux role will have on my future employability in getting a Linux role in the future?

For example, I've started studying Linux at home. Employers currently look at my CV and see I'm in a Linux role, so that helps convince them of my suitability for the Linux role I am applying for.

However, if I move out of my current Linux role, in to a Mac/Win admin job paying a nice bit more than I currently earn, THEN try and apply for Linux roles once I have completed my Linux certifications, will employers still look at me in the same way?
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I think you're still too fixated on Linux, and other people have chimed in with same.

My employers switched from Windows to Linux a couple of years ago, in a couple of years, we might switch to Solaris, or back to Windows, or whatever else. It's worth learning a range of skills.

Also, certs are nice to haves but not the big deal that agents and cert providers make them out to be.
 
I've just found a role, which is paying a base salary less than what I'm currently on (1k, 3k with bonus) but looks really good for breaking in to this industry.

Exposure to AWS, Firewalls, San Storage, Hyper V, IIS, Apache etc etc etc.... all the stuff we have at work, but that I don't use.

Am I crazy thinking that going slightly backwards in £ but for a role that will build up my skills will reap rewards in the future? :confused:

(Does mention excellent bonuses, so maybe this will make the difference.) I just need a role where I will start learning stuff and gain experience.

Experience is worth more than the money.

I applied for it anyway.

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I've also made more applications for more generic 'techy' roles. Good for the pocket. About 5-8k more £. But applying for these generalist roles doesn't rest well with me. My gut keeps telling me this is a wasted opportunity to get in to a junior role where I will pick up the skills that I will need to move on in to a bigger more demanding/higher paying role.

For example Im conflicted between applying/interviewing for roles where I am admin'ing windows/macs for a university earning 5-8k more than I do now or getting a junior level Linux admin role earning maybe the same as I do now but getting hands on experience with AWS, firewalls maybe some Cisco, visualization etc.... That kind of job will give me a spring board to move on in to a higher payed role.

The Mac/Win technician job, I will still be deficit in areas that companies want when I do look to move on/finish my home study.

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My friend who is also a former work colleague and who is currently working in Devops said to me last night, you just take the techy job, just to get out of current role and continue looking for a Linux role at the same time. :/

Guess I don't have much experience at playing the job market like a game.

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I've been doing a techy role for 8 years now, which is why I'm looking for a move in the first place.
 
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This is the kind of role I am trying to get.

I know that I could learn on the job with a little bit of guidance, but I doubt thats what their looking for. Plus other candidates will probably have better skills than me.

This is why I am undertaking my Linux study.

I suppose, if I must I can take a general IT role whilst I study and then in about a years time look for this sort of a role again.

My other alternative to all this is just to stay put in a comfortable role that current fits my lifestyle. I'm not happy, I'm under paid, I'm bored and I'm ready for a challenge.

But I'm comfortable and it's a steady role which I have been in for the last 8 years. I could just carry on with my study and move in to a Linux role when I have my certificates behind me and I will feel more confident of my own abilities.
 
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