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Job Offer After College - $17 an hour - Demotivated, should I take it?

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bibbysoka

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I just graduated one month ago with a degree in IT. I feel like I am qualified for junior developer roles, system administrator roles, and networking admin roles however, I’ve spent every day applying for jobs and I’ve only gotten a few calls.

i just got a job offer to work help desk for $17 an hour. Part of me is pissed because I know its still slowlane, and I feel like a bachelors degree (which I have) isnt even needed for this kinda job. However, maybe its worth it since the experience will help me. I just feel like I could earn more from what Im seeing.

Any thoughts or advice on my situation? I greatly appreciate it.
 
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MJ DeMarco

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How long you been looking?
What makes you think you're qualified?

There's no shame in a job if you're just getting started, especially one that might lead you to some experience, and some opportunity.
 

Ismail941

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I don't know your whole situation.

If I were you, I would treat this as 2 things:
1) Opportunity
2) Opportunity with a Small Start = Join it and figure it out later & gain experience which is asset

I would take it without any second thought IF I were you
 

bibbysoka

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How long you been looking?
What makes you think you're qualified?

There's no shame in a job if you're just getting started, especially one that might lead you to some experience, and some opportunity.

I’ve been looking for almost a month. I feel qualified for at least junior IT positions because of my coding knowledge and schoolwork. I’m seeing tons of “entry-level” IT jobs that require 2+ years of experience which makes it tricky. but now I feel like I should be humble, and accept this job and use it to meet people, get experience and use it to find another job in a year or so. Thank you MJ.
 
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bibbysoka

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I don't know your whole situation.

If I were you, I would treat this as 2 things:
1) Opportunity
2) Opportunity with a Small Start = Join it and figure it out later & gain experience which is asset

I would take it without any second thought IF I were you

Honestly you’re right. That helps reframe my situation. Perhaps I’m being pessimistic about the pay.. I know I could still benefit from taking it. Thank you Ismails.
 

E-Sharp

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I’ve been looking for almost a month.

How long you can keep looking before you have to take something?
I don't know what your expectations are about how long a job search should last, but a month is barely beginning a job search IMO.
 

bibbysoka

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How long you can keep looking before you have to take something?
I don't know what your expectations are about how long a job search should last, but a month is barely beginning a job search IMO.

I have a lot of time I suppose, since I moved back in with my family. I agree, it hasn’t been very long, but I’d love to get started somewhere. I guess if I deny this job offer, my plan would be to just keep searching until I get a better higher paying job.
 
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Have you worked on any personal projects outside of schoolwork, because if not you’re likely not qualified for any of the roles you mentioned in your OP. It’s hard to say whether you should take a help desk job without knowing your level of skill in IT. Typically just schoolwork is not enough to get by, even for entry level IT work.
 

Jon L

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I once showed up to a company for an IT job, completely unqualified. I mean, I'd had basic computer troubleshooting experience, but in the words of my potential employer, 'you are so underqualified for this that I shouldn't even be talking to you.'

But.

'I'd like to offer you the job if you're interested. You clearly graduated with a GSD degree, and I can train you on the details as long as you work hard.' (he defined a GSD degree as a 'get shit done' degree.

He was going to pay me $45k/year, 20 years ago. I ended up taking a different job.

So ... ignore the minimum experience requirement. Go show up to companies and apply in person. Don't apply online. And, impress the hell out of them with your hunger.
 

minivanman

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Personally, I feel that I'm qualified to be president. I mean, in the last 50 years we haven't had one that has had an IQ over 3 and I'm at a solid 7. But ya know.... that's just my opinion of what I feel qualified for. I could also be a cake maker, I've met Martha Stewart so I have an edge up on lots of people.

How good are you at sales? If you are good, find out who you need to talk to at one of the places you have applied at. Now, go catch him when he is leaving the building and tell him why you are so much better qualified than the other 2046 applicants. This DID work for my friend. I don't know if he was more qualified but he sure was a great salesman.

Or, take the job, maybe make some connections and see what the real world is like ~vs~ school.

Either way, it sounds like you are going to make it. You actually CARE about your future and you are trying to look ahead.
 
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bibbysoka

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Have you worked on any personal projects outside of schoolwork, because if not you’re likely not qualified for any of the roles you mentioned in your OP. It’s hard to say whether you should take a help desk job without knowing your level of skill in IT. Typically just schoolwork is not enough to get by, even for entry level IT work.

yes I have multiple projects and I’m pursuing certificates relates to those jobs. It sucks that a bachelors of science can’t even guarantee a beginner IT job. Sadly I was tricked into going to college.
 

Johnny boy

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I think it’s most likely a poor path to end up where you actually want to be.

But it all starts with that.

What do you really want out of life?

If you’re just asking the best way to make money with computer skills I can say it’s a laughable way to do what you’re doing.

You can make 40 grand a year working a couple hours a day anywhere in the world making websites for people on WordPress, little skill required. Very easy. Year one.

Something would have to be very very wrong to be taking a $14 an hour job. Unless it very very obviously led to you doing exactly what you want to be doing.
 

Val Okafor

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Not sure where you are in life, but this could be the best thing that happened to you. I will say take it so that you begin to get clarity in what direction you will like to go in your career. I have first-hand experience with your situation and I can tell you that IT degree is borderline useless.

The proof is in your statement that you think you are qualified for roles that require completely different competencies yet, IT degree gives you 0.73% exposure in all these areas and gives you an illusion that you are qualified to do it. Here is my long route and in the end, I can tell you how you can shorten your path.

  • Aug, 2005 - arrived in the United States with a high school diploma and basic computer usage knowledge
  • Sept 2005 - Passed something called Comptia A+
  • October 2005 - Get a job as Helpdesk, making $10 an hour
  • Feb 2006 - Get a job as Field Service technician making $15 an hour
  • Dec 2006 - Passed something called Comptia Network+
  • Feb 2007 - Got a job as Network Operation Center (NOC) Support making $17
  • Nov 2011 - Got a job as Junior Sys Admin making $21 an hour
  • Dec 2012 - Got a Degree in Information Systems, a complete waste of precious 4 years and heavy student loan, still making peanuts
  • Jan 2013 - Got a job as a Junior Software Engineer making $25 an hour after self-teaching myself something called Magento and some WordPress
  • Dec 2014 - Got a Masters's Degree in Software Engineering in part to defer paying on the student loans.
  • Jan 2015 - made a life-changing decision to focus on ONE PATH - at this time I am a jack of all trade and master of none. I am a Junior Web Developer, Junion .Net Developer, Junior Android Developer, Junior System Admin, Junior Network Admin, Junior Magento Developer. Most of these self-taught. I choose to focus on the Android Development path.
  • Jan 2016 - Got first Android Development only contract job $48 an hour
  • July 2016 - First Android only development full-time position $100K annual
  • Today - Jan 2020 working as Lead Android developer $140K annual

I could have got here faster if someone had explained to me the different career paths/options that are available in IT, instead, I went to school for it, and learned through jobs. So for you, I can confidently say that the fastest way to get to where you want in IT is to increase your value to employers.

A degree does not increase your value. Focused learning (on your own) and practice increase your value. The only way to prove your value is through proof and degree is not proof. The best thing this $17 job can give you is clarity on what you want to become within IT. And once you discover it, I encourage you to do everything you can to apply the tag Senior to that title within 3 years.

Examples of proofs include Completed/published side projects, blog posts, past jobs, Stackoverflow answers, and the king of all proofs Github repository. A degree is also a proof if obtained from Stanford in the year that Steve Jobs was a student.
 
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Andy Black

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I just graduated one month ago with a degree in IT. I feel like I am qualified for junior developer roles, system administrator roles, and networking admin roles however, I’ve spent every day applying for jobs and I’ve only gotten a few calls.

i just got a job offer to work help desk for $17 an hour. Part of me is pissed because I know its still slowlane, and I feel like a bachelors degree (which I have) isnt even needed for this kinda job. However, maybe its worth it since the experience will help me. I just feel like I could earn more from what Im seeing.

Any thoughts or advice on my situation? I greatly appreciate it.
I took any old 9-5 office job when I graduated. I even ran across town, grabbed food, and worked 6-10 in a factory.

I got into Excel and Word and then got an entry level “systems assistant” role in a manufacturing company.

18 months later I got a part-time job as an IT instructor in a college.

A few months later I was a systems analyst in a gift manufacturer.

18 months later I got a job as a UNIX SA for Reuters in London.

Two years later I was an Oracle DBA for Reuters.

Two years later I was a contract Oracle DBA on £400/day.

10 years later I fell into Google Ads.

I took a couple of jobs in two and a half years to reskill.

Then went back contracting, but as a Google Ads guy and not an Oracle DBA.

Then I went freelancing (meaning I could work from home).

Then ...
 

jlwilliams

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If the job is in the field you want to be in, take it. "Entry level" means just that. It's a start. Don't turn your nose up at a cash flow, even if it's low volume.

Consider the point of view an intelligent employer has to have about a recent college grad. You are a complete unknown quantity. You might be bright and motivated. You might be......less so. Offering you a chance to get in the door and work is the best they ought to do for you.
 

GoodluckChuck

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Here's an idea:

Make a list of all the companies you want to work for, not just the ones that are posting job ads.

Ask to speak to the hiring manager so you can ask them questions about their idea applicants. Find out why they hired the last few people. Was it a degree? Was it experience? What experience in particular?

Just having this conversation could lead you to getting hired because nobody does this. Everyone is tripping over themselves to send resumes for job ads they feel unqualified for. F*ck that. Talk to some people.

Worst case scenario you find out what experience you need to gain to get the job you want and you go get it.

In the tech field there seems to be less and less emphasis on degrees and more on actual real world experience.

My friend started a help desk job with no degree and 7 years later he's a lead server engineer at GoDaddy. That first help desk position gave him a chance to shine and prove himself. It wasn't long and he was moving up.
 
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NMdad

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When I decided to switch careers & go into IT, I had bare bones experience--like I had hand coded some web pages (this was back in 1998) and installed a printer. My degree was in psychology, I had moved to a new city, and my prior job was teaching kids about nature.

AOL wouldn't even give me an interview.

I ended up getting a support job at a tiny software startup because the hiring manager liked my human services background.

That software startup died after 3 months, but I got a job at another software startup that I'd heard about from coworkers at the 1st (failed) startup.

The pay at both jobs wasn't much--I think like ~30k/year back then. But that 2nd job--along with hustle on my part to learn stuff that directly generated revenue (instead of just support)--led to my current "day job" being self-employed doing consulting in the same niche, making ~4x more than my salary, having way more flexibility/freedom, and identifying a SAAS need in the niche--a niche that has a fairly high barrier to entry based on knowledge of the clients, their clients, and existing niche-specific software. I'm not on the fastlane yet, but it feels like I might be on the on-ramp.

My "day job" is basically doing database coding for law firms who use a specific accounting ERP system. But I'm not a lawyer, have no accounting experience, and am not a software engineer. Everything I do was on-the-job learning--stuff that I took initiative to learn.

A few lessons:
  • Low-pay jobs can have the potential for future opportunities.
  • You make yourself more valuable to any employer by increasing their revenue--and there are always ways to increase revenue, even if you're not in a sales role.
  • Your domain-specific knowledge gets you past the barrier to entry that others will have in entering whatever domain/niche you're in.
 

Andy Black

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Guest24480

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The real question is, does a career in IT actually align with your goals? If not, there’s no point in dedicating 3-5 years to reaching 100k in salary in IT unless that’s to fund your business ideas or learn skills that help you start a business. Otherwise just take the lower paying gig, collect your paycheck, and put all your energy into starting a business. It’s hard to do both in my experience, but possible with enough hustle. However, the person 100% dedicated to business over IT will crush you 9 times out of 10.
 
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