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    Money or Happiness?

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    • thanksajdotcomT
      thanksajdotcom @Dominica
      last edited by

      @Dominica said:

      Wise, mature decision, A.J.. Congrats, and well done.

      Thanks Dominica.

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
      • StrongBadS
        StrongBad
        last edited by

        Sounds like you are making a sound decision. Not a fancy or flashy one, but a sound one.

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
        • thanksajdotcomT
          thanksajdotcom
          last edited by

          If I decide I do want to get into management, the Expert job will be a perfect segway. It's a keyholder position, leadership position, etc. I do well at this for awhile and I don't doubt the other will just happen at the right time.

          Huw3481H 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
          • Huw3481H
            Huw3481 @thanksajdotcom
            last edited by Huw3481

            @thanksajdotcom said:

            If I decide I do want to get into management, the Expert job will be a perfect segway. It's a keyholder position, leadership position, etc. I do well at this for awhile and I don't doubt the other will just happen at the right time.
            a] Congrats.
            b] Segue. Just sayin' 🙂 Segway is a personal transport device

            thanksajdotcomT 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 5
            • thanksajdotcomT
              thanksajdotcom @Huw3481
              last edited by thanksajdotcom

              @Huw3481 said:

              @thanksajdotcom said:
              If I decide I do want to get into management, the Expert job will be a perfect segway. It's a keyholder position, leadership position, etc. I do well at this for awhile and I don't doubt the other will just happen at the right time.
              a] Congrats.
              b] Segue. Just sayin' 🙂 Segway is a personal transport device

              Ah, good to know. Learn something new every day. Thanks!

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
              • thanksajdotcomT
                thanksajdotcom
                last edited by

                Right now I'm looking into a way to possibly work both jobs full-time...you know, because who needs sleep?

                scottalanmillerS 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • scottalanmillerS
                  scottalanmiller @thanksajdotcom
                  last edited by

                  @thanksajdotcom said:

                  Right now I'm looking into a way to possibly work both jobs full-time...you know, because who needs sleep?

                  Probably a bad idea, but I appreciate the reasoning behind this.

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                  • scottalanmillerS
                    scottalanmiller
                    last edited by

                    I did spend most of my career doing more than one full time job at a time. It is exhausting and dangerous (career wise) but it also allows you to gain experience, exposure and skills at a pace that you can't easily do otherwise. Plus, obviously, you earn more money this way.

                    thanksajdotcomT 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                    • thanksajdotcomT
                      thanksajdotcom @scottalanmiller
                      last edited by

                      @scottalanmiller said:

                      I did spend most of my career doing more than one full time job at a time. It is exhausting and dangerous (career wise) but it also allows you to gain experience, exposure and skills at a pace that you can't easily do otherwise. Plus, obviously, you earn more money this way.

                      I'm trying to find a way to do this for my friend. I won't be able to keep it up forever, but if I can do it for at least six months, we'll see what happens...

                      ? 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • thanksajdotcomT
                        thanksajdotcom
                        last edited by

                        So an update on this: being the person I am who can't ever stop debating with myself about things, I've changed my mind about the Expert job. I've decided that maybe my first week of two jobs was just rough, as it has been in the past, and I'm going to stay on at my full-time gig full-time and stay at Staples part-time. The GM isn't real happy with me for changing my mind, but he's got 31 days still to find a replacement for the Expert position.

                        I had a convo with my friend who got me in here yesterday, who told me that he figures I can make L2 Engineer in about 1.5 years. Only one person to date has ever done that, and it was another friend of his, who got him hired on at this job, among a couple others. It's gonna involve getting a lot of Cisco certs, but I know I'm capable, it's just whether I can buckle down and do it.

                        This was not a decision I made lightly, or easily, but I really enjoy my new job, but I know I need Staples, so I'm gonna do what I can to do both. We'll see how that works out. If six months from now it's proving to be too much, I'll reevaluate from there.

                        Anyways, as my father loves to say, "ain't nothin' left to it but to do it".

                        Thanks,
                        A.J.

                        ? 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • ?
                          A Former User @thanksajdotcom
                          last edited by

                          @thanksajdotcom said:

                          @scottalanmiller said:

                          I did spend most of my career doing more than one full time job at a time. It is exhausting and dangerous (career wise) but it also allows you to gain experience, exposure and skills at a pace that you can't easily do otherwise. Plus, obviously, you earn more money this way.

                          I'm trying to find a way to do this for my friend. I won't be able to keep it up forever, but if I can do it for at least six months, we'll see what happens...

                          This usually ends up with people doing a bad job at both job and either losing both or at least burning bridges. I'd focus on one and to a good job at it.

                          scottalanmillerS 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • scottalanmillerS
                            scottalanmiller @A Former User
                            last edited by

                            @thecreativeone91 said:

                            This usually ends up with people doing a bad job at both job and either losing both or at least burning bridges. I'd focus on one and to a good job at it.

                            I totally agree with this generally but there is some behind the scenes stuff going on that AJ has shared with me and I support his logic on this. Not sure he can pull it off, but he's not doing it for the extra money, that's for sure.

                            thanksajdotcomT 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                            • ?
                              A Former User @thanksajdotcom
                              last edited by

                              @thanksajdotcom said:

                              The GM isn't real happy with me for changing my mind

                              I wouldn't be either. People like it when you stick to your word.

                              thanksajdotcomT 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                              • thanksajdotcomT
                                thanksajdotcom @A Former User
                                last edited by

                                @thecreativeone91 said:

                                @thanksajdotcom said:

                                The GM isn't real happy with me for changing my mind

                                I wouldn't be either. People like it when you stick to your word.

                                Well he's still got 31 days before the current Expert leaves. I didn't leave him high and dry at the last minute.

                                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote -2
                                • thanksajdotcomT
                                  thanksajdotcom @scottalanmiller
                                  last edited by

                                  @scottalanmiller said:

                                  @thecreativeone91 said:

                                  This usually ends up with people doing a bad job at both job and either losing both or at least burning bridges. I'd focus on one and to a good job at it.

                                  I totally agree with this generally but there is some behind the scenes stuff going on that AJ has shared with me and I support his logic on this. Not sure he can pull it off, but he's not doing it for the extra money, that's for sure.

                                  I do need the money, as I couldn't make it right now on either job alone, but I have a supplemental source that could offset that. No, the reason I'm doing this is because one is a good long-term prospect (ShoreGroup), but the other I most definitely need now for a variety of reasons (Staples), mostly emotional. I told my GM I'm not going anywhere, and I can still kick some pretty serious ass as a part-timer. I did for years.

                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote -2
                                  • IRJI
                                    IRJ
                                    last edited by

                                    I can't believe how low the pay is at Shore Group. You have a decent amount of experience, you should be making at least $18/hr.

                                    ? 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • IRJI
                                      IRJ
                                      last edited by

                                      @thanksajdotcom instead of playing around VPS Servers, you should train for certifications in your free time. Sure playing around with VPS servers gives you knowledge, but it doesn't help your resume.

                                      scottalanmillerS 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • ?
                                        A Former User @IRJ
                                        last edited by

                                        @IRJ said:

                                        I can't believe how low the pay is at Shore Group. You have a decent amount of experience, you should be making at least $18/hr.

                                        I only made about a quarter more than than even at my last job being the Network Admin. Technician jobs pay $10-11.40 around here. About the same as a retail job would be (unless it's walmart). I actually took a pay cut going into my first IT job from a non-it job, that only needed a highschool degree. was a temp job (though I stay for 3 years as a temp employee - at the same pay though)

                                        IRJI 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • IRJI
                                          IRJ @A Former User
                                          last edited by

                                          @thecreativeone91 said:

                                          @IRJ said:

                                          I can't believe how low the pay is at Shore Group. You have a decent amount of experience, you should be making at least $18/hr.

                                          I only made about a quarter more than than even at my last job being the Network Admin. Technician jobs pay $10-11.40 around here. About the same as a retail job would be (unless it's walmart). I actually took a pay cut going into my first IT job from a non-it job, that only needed a highschool degree. was a temp job (though I stay for 3 years as a temp employee - at the same pay though)

                                          That's sad. Florida which has relatively low pay compared to the rest of the country pays much better than that. A helpdesk job is going to get you at least $15 an hour here. If you have certs, you will get more than that. Any type of network job is going to get you at least $18 and more with certs.

                                          scottalanmillerS 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • scottalanmillerS
                                            scottalanmiller @IRJ
                                            last edited by

                                            @IRJ said:

                                            That's sad. Florida which has relatively low pay compared to the rest of the country pays much better than that. A helpdesk job is going to get you at least $15 an hour here. If you have certs, you will get more than that. Any type of network job is going to get you at least $18 and more with certs.

                                            Helpdesk in Rochester, one city over from AJ, starts at $11. Probably half of the helpdesk market in that town is between $11 and $13.

                                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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