Certifications and IT jobs/Salaries - What happened to the IT Industry?

Author

What happened to the IT Industry?

stack888

2004-01-19, 8:37 pm

I've now been unemployed for close to 18 months. This is the first time in my life that I have had ANY problem finding a job.

I have 13 years IT industry experience and have worked as an IT Manager, Systems Consultant, Systems Administrator and a number of desktop support type jobs. I have terrific references from senior people and have always got on extremely well with my co-workers.

A year and a half ago, the Company I worked for laid off the entire department due to cutbacks and I cannot for the life of me find another position. I've been told I'm over-qualified, under-qualified etc etc.

I have applied for over 180 jobs during this time. Recently, I moved back to the UK from Canada (where I'd been living for 6 years) in the hope that the IT market is not as dead here. Now, I'm trying to add some more certifications to try and perk up my CV/Resume. Should obtain MCSA within the next month.

To say its getting disheartening is an understatement! Any advice from good people out there who were out of work for a long period but finally managed to land a job?

thanks

Alan

bsdboy

2004-01-19, 8:44 pm

it is disheartening, i agree, but the it industry has basiclly come of age. no longer can you expect to get good job based on cetrifications and stuff. i have come to detest the term "over-qualified". how can you be "over-qualified??? but there are so many it people now that it is no longer easy. if you lose your job, there are 30 people waiting to take your position. at this point, i regard computers as a hobby, but have given up trying tio get a job in it. i have worked as developer and admin for year, but now make more cash as plumber.

namrak

2004-01-20, 12:17 am

Boy have I heard this before. It wasn't so long ago that I was thinking the same thing stack888 is thinking now. I went almost a year without employment since my training center closed its doors. I had no certifications on my resume when I started looking for another job. I took a couple of temp jobs to keep a little money flowing. I knew if I wanted to stay in IT, I had to improve myself and increase my chances for job interviews.

Certifications was the key for me. I went out and earned my certs while unemployed. Why not since I felt I had the time on my hand to do so. I truly believe certifications (plus my experience) was a vital factor for getting many of the interviews I had. Obtaining industry certifications allowed me to say I was productive, even while unemployed.

Now, I've been at my current job for 5 months as a net admin and pleased to be where I'm at. Keep at it.

Spides

2004-01-20, 4:44 am

Stack888 where abouts in the UK do you live? Unfortunatley sites like Jobserve etc have in my opinion a lot of phantom jobs, they just want cv's and also good jobs just get hammered. I called a consultant about one job I went for and he said he took the job off Jobserve after an hour as he had 350 plus CV's to go through!!!! The job was on the site for 1 hour......also shape your CV to the job, if you go for a desktop support role forget putting on management experience, they will not entertain you.........I am also stuck in a rut, I am looking to buy a place in Oz with my missus who is australian and rent it out, the problem is we will have to spend some time in oz so I will have to quit my job, go to oz and sort out buying somewhere and then return to the uk to look again........it is horrible I know, hang in there.......

stack888

2004-01-20, 5:43 am

I'm hoping the certifications can help my job search! I totally agree about Jobserve. Many of the jobs in there keep re-appearing months later and when I've phoned about some of them, I often get told that the job is 'on hold' - whatever that means!

I'm based in northern Scotland right now which is not ideal at all with regards to job hunting but its the only place I have relatives here where I can stay for free.

cheers

alan

Spides

2004-01-20, 6:03 am

Yeah North Scotland would be incredibly tough, and I guess if you are living for free get some certs and move down south.......at least your nuts won't freeze off down south mate.....hang in there...

JAYALLAN

2004-01-21, 7:53 am

Wow reading that makes me want to change fields and go into NURSING!

DaPunisher

2004-01-28, 10:20 am

quote:
Originally posted by JAYALLAN
Wow reading that makes me want to change fields and go into NURSING!

Would you want to wipe peoples a sses for $20 an hour?

bsdboy

2004-01-28, 10:48 am

better than kissing asses for $20 an hour

stack888

2004-01-28, 11:05 am

actually many nurses are much better paid than experienced IT staff nowadays. I know someone who moved from Canada to a US hospital for $60,000 + all relocation was paid AND she was given a $10,000 signing bonus. There's a huge shortage of skilled people in the medical profession. Quite the opposite from the glut of people qualified in IT today.
So, whoever is laughing at nurses should think again.......

bsdboy

2004-01-28, 1:15 pm

this would mean getting nursing degrees, though, yes?

LioKaiser

2004-01-28, 4:34 pm

No, you don't need a degree in Nursing.

You can go to at a very special school, for only $15000, which teaches you all you need to know in only 6 months. When you finish, you take this exam, and get certified. You Get the CHNE cert. ( Certified Hospital Nurse Engineer )
Its top dollar waiting for you afterwards, expect $45k-60k in start-out salary! Top Dollars!

And the best thing is, you don't even need to know anything about people or health. You don't really need to be interested in this field either, you will still get a good paying job, because the HR people wants you so badly. Even though you never have worked IRL in the field, you have that cert thingy, which means that you are an expert at nursing!

bsdboy

2004-01-28, 4:45 pm

oh yes, i forgot . . . cne is good for nursing too! lets hope the novell people dont hear of this.

LioKaiser

2004-01-28, 5:04 pm

And while you are at it, why not add some courses/seminars to your resume? ( fake of course )
That training should be in:

-Brain Treatment
-How to use a scalpel
-How to probe a big cable up someones a..
-How to say you know everything and don't need any more training.
-How to blame everyone else when things go wrong.

These courses will all together get you 10k-20k more than starting salary, but you may have to switch to another hospital.

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