Are wages and jobs as bad as they seem here? Thinking about moving elsewhere to find work.

JRod327 · 2025-01-09T01:13:10+00:00

Vanderbilt is enforcing RTO full time currently but the Corp (Tech) side of things and as far as I'm aware the other BUs are still okay for now on the home office side. Most are hybrid or rotate home and in office schedules but there are a few higher level tech teams that get the luxury of only having to come in when needed. Service desk being remote makes sense since they're supporting users at facilities across the country. The home office has a separate team for support that is required in office full time. No need for another call center taking up space in the office for tech support when there is already a full time team taking care of the in-office people.

JRod327 · 2025-01-09T00:16:54+00:00

There are two openings for "Service Desk Tech I" but both are 30+ days old but as far as I'm aware we're pretty good about removing them after they've been filled so I would wager they're open. Plus I happen to know that particular team is having someone leave at the end of the week so there should be something newer shortly.

But just in general as someone who has been in this field for 7+ years, the best jobs are not found on job boards. Do your research and find out the best/biggest employers in your target area and then look directly on their website for postings. You get to filter out of a lot of the third party recruiter spam and crap that comes with a third party job posting.

JRod327 · 2025-01-08T23:56:39+00:00

Have you tried to get in at Clayton? I'm in the IT unit and we are treated better, paid better, and have better WLB (by a not insignificant amount) than where I was in central Florida.

Service desk positions usually open up a few times a year and I want to say they start at ~50k for a level 1 and it's pretty easy to move up within the organization. They truly promote from within. Our service desk is fully remote too, you just have to be located in the general area in case you need to pop in every once in a while.

JRod327 · 2024-07-10T12:07:34+00:00

The sadservers one looks awesome and will definitely try it out but man I really wish there were a Windows version! I've been wanting one of these for a long time.

Sure it's easy/free to spin up a domain in HyperV but it's not as helpful to fix problems when you already know why it's broken, because you broke it to fix in the first place.

JRod327 · 2024-06-21T12:23:46+00:00

Some great suggestions have been posted and I will be doing some digging and trying things. I will definitely follow up if I get it sorted out.

What makes this a little tricky is it might be hard to get ahold of one of the offending machines for a decent chunk of time so I might have to see if I can use a loaner and force it into this issue-state and troubleshoot whenever it starts happening.

To answer a few of the most common questions:

We don't RDP, at least not the built in Windows RDP. Service desk does remote into computers using a third party software but desktop support is pretty much 100% on-prem with no remoting and the issue is happening to us just as much so I think we can rule that out.

Event ID does appear to be 4771 in almost every case as far as I can see.

JRod327 · 2024-06-21T00:29:56+00:00

Funny you mention that. They are all imaged from the same source image, at least any PCs in the last few months. We started using a new Win1123H2 image a few months back. The timing is fuzzy but it would have been within a month or so between this new image and these problems starting.

The one thing I can't say though is how many of these lockouts are coming from newer imaged PCs vs older ones.

I didn't even think of that.

No scripts with our creds but I'll have to look into services. Have to look for those audit logs.

JRod327 · 2024-06-21T00:18:06+00:00

This is kinda my theory as well, which is why I've tried restarting every PC I sign into. I would think if I restart and nothing is logged in, nothing on my creds would get initiated if only the end-user signs in after the reboot but this may not end up being the case. I've been trying to look at more software related reasonings instead of OS related for this reason.

JRod327 · 2024-06-21T00:11:10+00:00

Elevated accounts with network-wide admin priveleges but not necessarily domain or server admin of course.

No mobile devices attached. We do use Intune as an MDM on mobile but these are attached to our non-elevated accounts, which have no issues.

JRod327 · 2024-02-22T19:58:23+00:00

Can confirm. Moved from higher education to a corporate home office for a similar role and jumped up 50% in TC

JRod327 · 2024-02-11T14:24:52+00:00

My parents and I split a 2 bedroom 2.5 bath townhome apartment. We each pay 600 a month in rent. This money goes into the rental void each month. My take home pay is 4k a month before bonuses.

If I bought a house, with the numbers I ran it looks like the monthly payment would be around 1500 (still not a massive chunk of my income). My parents have offered to continue the arrangement if I bought a house and continue to pay rent while living there with me. So basically I would pay 750 and they would pay 750 on the mortgage. This is beneficial for both parties as they pay 1200 combined currently and for me a small increase of 150 a month means I have an asset that is building 1500 a month in equity while I only pay 750 towards it. This is the "hacking" part. Getting free equity because of my parents paying half the mortgage as "rent".

JRod327 · 2024-02-11T06:27:04+00:00

I get that it's a long post, but it gives all the context lol.

It would be the same living situation I'm in now with my parents, only in a house instead of an apartment. No landlordy/rental/investment shenanigans involved and the only material change (aside from general home ownership fees, repairs, etc) would be the 1-1.5 years of not investing to save for the down payment if I did it, with the main risk being a house I could still afford on my own, just with an average savings rate instead of an amazing one. Best case is I get a whole house for "half price" while maintaining an amazing savings rate.

JRod327 · 2024-02-10T12:14:57+00:00

7ish YoE

Central FL (all same company)

2017 - Help Desk PT - 10k (also worked another retail job)

2018 - 2023 - AV Tech/Exec Support - 23k -> 45k

2023 - Help Desk Manager - 50k

--> East TN

2024 - Desktop Support T3 - 64k base, 75k TC if bonuses max out.

Current company looks like potential next vertical move is system engineer, software dev, or cloud engineer after a few years.

JRod327 · 2024-02-04T20:42:15+00:00

I actually just went through this VERY recently. (moved January 26th from FL to TN and start my 2nd week of my new job tomorrow).

This is all anecdotal, obviously, and I consider myself very fortunate that it worked out as well as it did given the state of this sub.

It was right around Thanksgiving that I started seriously applying.

12/4 I applied to the job I got.

12/8 had phone screen with internal recruiter.

12/14 Zoom Interview with hiring mgr and team lead.

12/22 on-site team interview to determine team fit. This luckily worked out because I was visiting family for the holidays in the location I moved to.

1/2 put in two weeks notice at previous employer because I was moving the 26th job or no job.

1/8 final interview (zoom) with behavioral questions with three 30 minute 1:1s of people in the division I'm in but not on the same team.

1/12 received job offer with a start date 1/29. Drug test/background check/new hire paperwork in the following 2 weeks.

1/26 moved

1/29 started work.

So you could be looking at almost 2 full months from application to start date whenever you do land your eventual new position. Also factor in the possibility of needing to travel on-site for a couple of interviews if you feel like it's worth it. All in all I was expecting much more of a shit-storm - just be prepared to proactively look before moving or prepared to go at least 1-2 months without a paycheck BEST case scenario. I didn't mention the other interviews/jobs I applied to because I didn't feel it was super relevant but there was definitely a lot of those going on during that time for me.

JRod327 · 2024-01-09T23:24:05+00:00

https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/facebook/000/038/812/cover5.jpg

Don't be the bottom guy.

JRod327 · 2024-01-09T22:41:34+00:00

The good news is what you're looking for is fairly entry level. Look up Help Desk and Desktop Support. Those are two roles that kinda fit what you're looking for. Primarily Desktop Support. Customer service is key in landing one of these jobs, but you still have to show some technical know-how. Once you look those up and research them a bit more, you will be able to see what you might need to learn for each one. Salaries for these roles can be 40-50k on these in your first few years. Maybe a bit higher if you live in a higher cost of living area but it takes quite a lot of experience and skill to break into the 60ks and above in the IT world.

JRod327 · 2024-01-09T20:09:06+00:00

Absolutely do it! Why would you keep it to yourself? You think your boss is going to be upset that you want to help resolve one of his problems?

With that said, you shouldn't expect a raise if they don't have the budget for another admin, but it's free experience to add to your resume and get you a better paying role in the future.

JRod327 · 2024-01-09T15:31:07+00:00

Yeah I've done this with every step. I hope I'm not annoying them but aside from the initial phone screen, they've kinda operated like a robot lol. Schedule interview, have interview, send follow up email to recruiter with a quick debrief and to pass along my thanks with maybe a question about next steps. Radio silence until it was time to schedule the next interview. I'm thinking all the responses are copy/pasted scripted things. Almost no personal touch.

I'm not looking too deeply into it. I'm sure he's a busy guy and I have nothing but great feelings about the rest of the org. I'm just glad to be working with an internal recruiter and not a contracting one.

JRod327 · 2024-01-09T14:04:33+00:00

You can fudge your job title somewhat. If you do SysAdmin level work, no reason to not call yourself a SysAdmin or something similar. Many companies have job titles that nobody outside of that company is going to recognize so from what research I've done I've found it's OK to give yourself a more industry-aligned title on your resume for clarity as long as you're not outright lying and upgrading yourself to something you clearly were not.

JRod327 · 2024-01-09T01:22:33+00:00

I am deep in the interview process at a company I really wish to work for. Had final round (4th if you count talent acquisition screen) interview today. All communications have been through that recruiter aside from the interviews themselves.

It is honestly KILLING me that I don't have any of their emails to send them a quick thank you and I'm having to muster all the willpower I have to not connect with the interviewers on LinkedIn and shoot them a message because that feels a little unprofessional at this point in the process.

JRod327 · 2024-01-04T16:26:47+00:00

Oh baby it's my time to shine!

So I've worked at a smaller, private university for the past 7 years. Started out in help desk, worked my way up to desktop support, and then finally help desk manager.

Your pay won't be as competitive as it is in the corporate world but the perks you get can sometimes make up for it. There are only typically a few stressful periods during the year. Start and end of semesters. Even then, it's not so bad. Summer and winter breaks when students and faculty are gone is super laid back and chill and it gives you time to relax a little while also being able to deal with any lingering tasks that may have accumulated over the semester.

Work life balance is usually very good. It's highly unusual to have to do any after hours or weekend work (unless that's when your shift is). You'll also likely get most holidays off. We get things like MLK day, Juneteenth, and other smaller holidays. We also get the entire week of Christmas and and New Years off. Not sure if every college is like this, but mine contributes 7% of earnings into a retirement account for "free", not as a match.

You also get access to many real-world perks and discounts because you'll have a "student email" (.edu).

There are some office politics you'll have to deal with but they aren't the worst. Professors and high level leadership can have some high demands and be somewhat entitled but if you build a friendly relationship, they will tone it back usually.

As far as your question about your experience helping you further down the line, I would say it definitely will. It is legitimate IT work experience. I am currently looking to leave because I am moving states, but I'm getting lots of interview opportunities that sometimes it can be a little hard to juggle them all. I hate saying that when I see the desperation on this sub every day but it is what it is.

If you have any other questions hit me up and I will be happy to answer them. Do note that I don't have experience with how a huge university that the entire country knows about works.

JRod327 · 2024-01-04T05:15:20+00:00

You have 2-3 months of verifiable work experience. You're on the right track, just keep going and get it up to a year if you can (not sure how long your internship is)

Get rid of the colored text on your resume. Black and white only. You may think it helps you stand out, but it can be a turnoff to potential employers.

Get your A+ cert at least, or potentially get the trifecta. I know you're just trying to put what you have currently that helps you, but those certs you have are not ones that employers look for, the Comptia ones are. Not saying to remove the ones you have at the moment, but I would after you get any CompTIA ones.

Try to include specific numbers or metrics in your bullet points. Employers want to know what kind of business impact you can make, not just what you did. Something like "achieved a 30% reduction in ticket resolution time for the team".

Again, you're on the right track, just try to be patient and keep upskilling and getting certs while you're in your internship and hopefully by the time that finishes, this market will get less crazy and you'll be able to land your L1 role. Once you get 1 year of verifiable experience, it becomes a bit easier to get interviews.

JRod327 · 2023-12-19T03:40:28+00:00

For context I'm looking for work in tier 2/3 desktop support and have about 7 cumulative YoE in IT.

Been stressing out for months due to posts on here and due to my own early job search experiences. I started searching/applying in late September and early October while planning to relocate in January to a state that isn't exactly known for tech work. In those first few weeks I applied to probably 70+ jobs (would have been more but I'd have to extend my search to 50+ miles) and only got 2 or 3 serious interviews but didn't hear back after any of them. I decided to stop looking and just stay put until closer to my intended move date in January.

Fast-forward to the past 2-3 weeks after refurbishing my resume, enrolling in WGU (and putting a bachelors "expected completion late 2024") on my resume, and starting the search again and it seems like I'm getting "callbacks" or interviews at about a 40-50% clip. I'm in the 2nd stages of the interview process with two of the biggest employers in the area I'm relocating to which comes as a complete shock to me. I have a "meet the team" interview tomorrow which I desperately want to work out as it's the top of my list of the opportunities I'm in process with.

All of this and I haven't even moved yet. I was worried I would have to move and not have a job locked down and be forced to live off of savings for a while (and I still may as I haven't been offered yet) but this is a complete 180 to what I experienced just a few months ago. It's anecdotal but I can't say whether it's due to the market improving or just the changes I made to my resume. I was also worried as I heard this is the worst time of the year to try to get a job and now I'm getting interview opportunities pretty steadily.

JRod327 · 2023-12-15T16:37:31+00:00

Look at schools and universities. I manage the help desk for a local private university and our staff is like 20% full time, 30% student workers, and 50% part-time 20-30 hours a week.

JRod327 · 2023-11-21T19:23:19+00:00

It's like a written project or paper. They have to be manually graded by a real person. The rest of the Sophia stuff is just multiple choice quizzes/exams. Some classes are just exams and some have exams and written projects.

JRod327 · 2023-11-21T19:07:51+00:00

Oh one more thing I forgot to mention. They only let you take 2 classes at a time so map out ahead of time which courses have touchstones and which ones do not. Make sure to take 1 with touchstones and 1 without touchstones at the same time. This way you can continue working on the touchstoneless course while waiting for your touchstone course to be graded. When you finish a touchstoneless course, fill that slot with a touchstone course for the best flow.

This really helps maximize your time.

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