work related - where do i stand?
 

im currently IT technical support for a media company, and due to our location we earn nowhere near as much as industry standard wages. not a great start! i applied for a unix system administration role in april and got it. happy days i hear you say? well..

we work nights currently so theres a pot of money allocated for nightshifts and this is spread out between our team for working for unsocial hours. for various reasons the past 2 years iv done way more nights then anyone else and same with overtime, nearly 4 times more then anyone else on my team. so clearly iv done a lot more money then them too.

its come down to sorting money for my new job and i was asked what i earnt last year. so i told them. my boss wants to match my current BASIC wage and has asked for my BASIC nightshift allowance pay and a tiny bit more on top (coupla hundred quid) to cover as he knew i did extra - obviously this is nowhere near what i actually earnt, as its the same everyone else on my current team who hasnt worked as much as i have. so clearly im not happy at this.

WTF do i do, financially im better off staying where i am but with unix sys admin on my cv iv got loads of prospects later down the line, but it means taking a huge paycut until i get somewhere because my current employer wont even match what i earnt last year, im not asking for a huge rise, i just want to draw even - what should i tell them / do? is there anyone outside work i can speak to regarding it or should i just sack it off for a new job?

a not very happy wrighty :mad:

Not a bad job, when you can moan about work, on a forum, in works time.

A good rule to live by is never to rely on extra income, make sure your basic is adequate as if/when the extras dry up you'll be left wanting. Sure, we'd all get used to having regular o/t income, but as you are now realising, it doesn't always last. From what you say I'd accept the new role and class it as a loss-leader to get the necessary qualifications, but be looking for a better option right from day one. I assume that the new role won't have any/as much additional income opportunity, and nights aren't required ? Sticking where you are wouldn't be a good move IMHO, as you're clearly ready for a new challenge and advancement, so you'd be bored and considering moving again soon anyway. As for looking elsewhere, we should all be doing that all the time anyway.

better the devil you now mate especilly if they will match the new boys

yep, no nights in new role, more work, less basic rate and 5 days a week mon-fri meaning less scope for OT, as opposed to 3/4 day weeks. i see what your saying.

Nice to have a job these days!

Les

In my experience no one leaves a job just because of money. If you're unhappy enough to be looking for other work then it sounds like it's time to move on anyway. IMHO, it's more important to think about future career prospects than current wage, as long as you can cope on the current wage.

Jonny lad, look at my scenario and see if it helps you mate :thumb:

3 years ago I was working permanent nights in a boring warehouse. Was earning £21k basic for that which for me was a kings ransom at the time. Had a Scoob, the house, a Mrs with new clothes etc etc. Then my wrist started to go on me - tenosynovitis (sp?). Lots of time off and lost earnings. Eventually dismissed on capability grounds. Out of work for 18 months, miserable, piss poor, sold the Scoob and other posessions to pay bills and slave off bankrupcy.

I got my apprenticeship @ Corus and I've not been happier since. Enjoy my work, earn naff all for the first 3 years BUT get up in a morning looking forwards to the days challenges...

what am I getting at I hear you say? Well would you be happier in this new job role in the long term. You say money and overtime would be less; would that be permanently or just for a couple months/years? Ask yourself would you be happier working at this new job even with less monies to play with.

I found out that money isn't the be all and end all - job satisfaction with a good wage is a better compromise.

HTH :thumb:

Can't put it any better than that!

Les

i think im gonna try get the defecit out of them via training courses and feck off.

I was in a similar position, I did all the Oracle DBA training, became Certified and left, went from 29k to 36k, then to £1500 plus a week contracting :D for a bit.

You are master of your own destiny, you cant expect to just drop onto a better paid job, you need to raise what you are offering in terms of skills and qualifications, once I realised it took me about a year.

Im a Solaris Unix contractor :-) 15 years and still going.

Im not sure how old you are, but Im assuming your in your 20's ? ( Im 38). So, this decision is more about investing in your future, than ultimately what you get in terms of basic wage.

I left my first job of being a helpdesk boy ( £10,500 - I was 22 ) and went on to be a jnr sys admin (£11,500) not much ££ improvement and had to do more hours. However, my new position allowed me to master multiple platforms - HPUX/AIX/SUN/IRIX so was great for my career. I left that job after 1.5yrs, and moved up to the city and was a unix admin on a trade floor. I blagged my salary, telling my new employers I was on £20K, and managed to get a salary for £38,500 ! which at 25 or so, treeeeemendous.

I only stayed there for 6months before I went contracting, and moneywise, well, Im happy, lets just say that.

So, dont get caught up in arging about a few pounds here and there, but look at what the job can do for you and your career. As long as you can live on the basic salary, then cool.

As for unix sa ? mmm times are different now, and SA work isnt how it once was. Solaris is dying as Oracle are determined to ruin the OS, and linux due to cost, seems to be the flavour of the time ( I hate linux pi55 poor OS, easy to design an OS if your nicking all the other's best bits ).

If I could do my time age, I would be an Oracle DBA. Platform irelivant, tons of work around as everything is now database driven. SA's need to have a large selection of skills in their toolbox now, and you need to know abit about everything.

Take the job, learn as much as you can, and then move on.

SBK

As above take the job short-term, get the training and some experience then move on. Be prepared to push for training as its a fight to get it anywhere at the moment. Also set yourself some target dates because its far too easy to get comfortable. I've let that happen (waiting for promised training) and am now feeling stuck.

If you can find a job that you enjoy such that you look forward to going to work, the money is not so important.

Les

Leslie, those jobs are now few and far between.

As for training, some companies have a condition on training that if you leave before a certain date, then you pay for the training, a tie in clause to stop people being trained up and leaving.

I looked at your profile and saw your in your early 20's. Dont be blinded by money now, as what seems alot now, when your 40 isnt. I know a few guys that were, when I was 22, on big money, but now arent on much more.

I would plan for 4/5 years of learning up, moving jobs every 2.5 years or so, then you will be ready for bigger and far more £££ jobs. After about 2.5 years in a permy role, you become rooted and your job becomes easy and same-same. Need to move around to a) increase your salary b) pick up new skills / experiences.

Yes, we all aim for a high paying job, that we not only enjoy and love going to, but in all honesty until a position on the Top Gear presenting team opens up, we have to be more realistic. :-)

Invest in your future now, will give you far more rewards later. Go for the cash now, will limit you later. Big fish in little pond, or little fish in big pond situation.

SBK

Yes I fully accept that, I suppose it is what you set out to do while you are still in full time education so that you can plan your later training to fit in with it. That might give you a better chance if you are lucky.

Your advice above is good.

Les

I left school not knowing what I wanted to do. I went to college and study a BTEC in computers, then went on to do a degree, somehow managing to get a 2:1. Naturally you would of thought my direction was in the IT world, but no, I wanted to be a scaffolder ! :-)

I was into the weights, and saw working on the pipes as a great upper body work out, in the sun, reading the Sun, oggling birds and relaxing. I can still remember watching my dad's face changing from white to red, and shouting "LIKE F*CK YOU ARE" when I told him. Arrh, the saying is right, you just cant put a wisehead on young shoulders.

Anyway, he won the battle which lasted a good few weeks and 18 years later here I am in the lovely world of IT. when I hit the big 3 0 I had a major mid life crisis. IT was out and becoming a DJ was in :-) That lasted 3 days before I sold the new decks I'd brought.

I then became a doorman and decided maning the door was for me, wine, women and song, all night, every night, yum. I stuck with that for a good 6 months and have tons of fun, but knew in my heart it was a crap career and the bright ligths of IT called out "Come back SBK".

Once thing I have learnt though, IT is not all about skills and technical abilitly ( or spelling thank god :-) ) but its about how you work with people, work under stress and how well you can truely 8ullsh1t ! :-) Being a contractor Ive got to always know whats going on in my market, be quick to learn, pick things up and suss out each office's politics that I work in.

I know that sounds like a joke, but IT is full of buzz words and people who pretend to know more than what they actually do. Its all about allowing that person to keep that image, whilst getting people to think your way and get things done with the person thinking it was his idea to begin with.

SBK

I must have hit my mid life crisis at 18 then :D I'm 25 now so looks like I'll die at 36 :lol1: