Not a super glorious career move, but one that can set you up for a ‘foot in the door’ moment with big upward potential — consider the idea — of jumping head first into an IT Helpdesk position. (The bigger the company, the more room to grow, the better.)
If you’re asking yourself why you should start out at the [so-called] bottom of the IT food chain – here’s why:
Not only will you gain valuable experience in how the belly of an IT organization works, you have the chance to feel customer frustration first hand. Inherently this gives you a sharper and more wiser vantage point when climbing the IT support ladder — keeping you in the loop on how key solutions get implemented and ones that [if you tactfully propose to the right person] will win you a promotion.
On the Helpdesk you act as an interface between the next higher IT support tier and the customer — an ever expansive opportunity to develop your interpersonal skill set. –Ask a ton of questions to the nice IT systems administrator helping you out and she’ll most likely mentor you along. On the flip side — treat the customer nice and the kudos will flow steadily to your inbox. Your in a win-win situation now.
Hard charging Helpdesk staff have a tendency to morph their way into a lead position (i.e. Helpdesk Coordinator). Along with a move like this you could very well realize a nice jump in salary — some estimates say Helpdesk Coordinators currently pull down $45K and up – not too shabby for starting as low man on the totem pole. (Basic Helpdesk salary run anywhere between $30K and $40K — still not a bad salary bracket to launch from.)
Last and most important not to lose site of — if you’re a jobless graduate, now you have a job — if you’re in the middle of a forced career change, now you have stability — if you’re in search of better pay, now you have a salary ladder to climb.
Don’t knock the Helpdesk.
I like to help. How do i get the desk?
January 28, 2009 @ 05:06
I did my time at the Help Desk. I think everyone in an organization that has a help desk should start there or at least spend some time there. They are the key to an organization's success or failure.
January 28, 2009 @ 12:10
Totally agree. Those folks run the place! Not the VPs, not the Directors, not the Network Engineers — the Help Desk — the IT ambassadors.
January 28, 2009 @ 21:32
Help Desk's rock – they give you the best view of "the people" within an organization. By working on the HD you get intimately familiar with the inner workings of both the IT side and customer side of the house. It's an invaluable opportunity, especially for someone looking to get some OJT before moving on to bigger and better things.
January 28, 2009 @ 14:20
Worked at a small computer store in a village nearby, it was quite fun but it reminded me how much I hate working in an actual company. I prefer to do things my own way, hence I work as a freelancer :]
January 28, 2009 @ 15:22
You are living everyone's dream! Keep chargin!
January 28, 2009 @ 21:33
Haha, don't worry, I will :]
January 28, 2009 @ 21:46
That is quite nice! Methinks we all want to get the point where we can sustain our existing lifestyle while being "our own boss". Who wants to work for "the man" when "the man" can be you, right?
January 28, 2009 @ 22:06
Hey, that's where I started and there is absolutely no better way to learn about what's really going on, not to mention increase your IT skills if they need it. I know mine did back then, and I learned a ton. It truly made me the man I am today. Even though I'm currently a jobless beach bum, it was my choice, and I'm still glad I did that HD gig.
January 29, 2009 @ 06:42
I'm glad you took that gig too, Greg! (It made for a nice referral bonus!) Remember the Hooters negotiation? Man, that was heavy.
And don't forget The Superfriends night.
January 29, 2009 @ 07:40
This position does sound like it can be used a spring board into a better one pretty well. I think that for people with these skills it would be a great place to start. Great Advice!
February 28, 2009 @ 06:32
Thanks Val! We're glad to see you here.
February 28, 2009 @ 16:05
We can't hide the fact that there's a percentage of fresh college graduates that can't find a job that is appropriate for the course they had finished
January 9, 2010 @ 22:20
Well if you do this, you just waste your time studying a lot of things. But if you are really determined, happy and sure with that decision, there is nothing wrong with that.
April 7, 2010 @ 04:28