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I concur with Joe's words. I'm at a helpdesk environment in a
software company. I started out with content support, moved rapidly into systems
support (make their computer/network work) because I'm good, and because I dig
in and figure out what's going on and why. I've done the same in systems,
picking up MCSE and CCNA to document my digging in, not to be my ticket--they
validate depth of knowledge, but do not replace experience.
I'm talking to a local body shop (in Dallas) re a new NOC for
a major communications company. I'll have to take a small pay cut (my current
firm pays quite well), but I'm willing to do that to step sideways onto a better
path. As I recall, you said you're north of Dallas; if you can handle a commute
to Richardson, let me know at annleeh@xxxxxxxxxxx and I can refer you to
them.
Best of luck any way you choose to go.
Annlee Hines
Danny -
What type of help desk? What does the
company do? If the company is an ISP, you may want to consider the
job. Generally a help desk, or NOC (depending on the role
the NOC plays in an organization) are considered entry level jobs. Will
the help desk job provide you with any exposures to WAN support? If it
does, you may want to consider it. Even if it doesn't mean working with
cisco equipment. If you are required to determine where the problem lies
(i.e. server, communications line, router, etc) you will be gaining valuable
experience. Also, you maybe able to talk the router jockeys into letting
you play with their toys every once in a while. If the help desk
does application support, you may want to turn the job down. You wont be
gaining much by telling people how to double click on the icons. I will
warn you that a help desk job is consider a very low level job at most
companies. You probably wont get much respect from the end users, and
the 2nd and 3rd level support groups will require you to prove yourself before
they will give you much respect. It's not that way everywhere, but it
seems to be that way in most places. Hence the negative attitudes toward
help desk jobs. That said, I can tell you that I have never worked a
help desk, but I have managed a good size one for a number of years. You
can gain good experience at one if it is a good help desk. Like I said,
look at what they do. If they are supporting the things you want to get
into, it maybe worth taking. Otherwise, you may want to keep
looking.
Joe
What are the chances a new CCNA with no
experience, fresh out of the Cisco Academy, can get even an entry level job
working with routers? If the chances are too dismal, maybe I'll
just take that job on the help desk. (I won't even get out of the
Academy until the Fall.)
Danny
Mills
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