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Old 07-17-2015, 08:58 AM
 
26 posts, read 25,897 times
Reputation: 14

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Quote:
Originally Posted by 2sleepy View Post
The only jobs available for someone whose experience is "fixing moving parts in machines" are places like "The Geek Squad" at Best Buy and that pays around $13.50 an hour with no chance for advancement No tech company is going to hire you to spend your time fixing PC's or servers. My husband just retired from a fortune 500 company as a network administrator and he said that they have a contract for server repair and replacement, laptops and desktops are purchased with a 2 year warranty and are generally replaced every three years. Out of warranty repairs were performed by he or one of his staff but that comprised around 5% of his job. I just read your post to him and he said "tell him not to leave home without an MCSE and CCNP"

I made the "moving parts in a machine" bit sound generic because I didn't want to give a hint about my employer. There are many jobs in mechanical work that have higher pay and growth potential. Many industrial, medical, and productivity machines have moving parts in them that break frequently enough to require a full time maintenance person.

Just so you have an idea, I make close to 50K at the entry level position without any overtime, have all the medical/dental/ vision insurance, have a company vehicle to travel, free fuel/ paid for expenses, unlimited vacation, and get to have bonuses when company exceeds it's annual revenue targets (which has happened throughout the time I have been here). Granted, I may not have all these benefits with my next employer (especially unlimited vacation), but I can live without some of them if I am compensated about the same. Some of the senior techs do pretty well because they are an asset to the company. It's a specialized skill and they need those senior techs to train the new ones.

Maybe people here don't have exposure to the industry and just making blind assumptions.
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Old 07-17-2015, 09:05 AM
 
Location: Living rent free in your head
42,783 posts, read 26,085,747 times
Reputation: 33921
Quote:
Originally Posted by snaaaaake View Post
I made the "moving parts in a machine" bit sound generic because I didn't want to give a hint about my employer. There are many jobs in mechanical work that have higher pay and growth potential. Many industrial, medical, and productivity machines have moving parts in them that break frequently enough to require a full time maintenance person.

Just so you have an idea, I make close to 50K at the entry level position without any overtime, have all the medical/dental/ vision insurance, have a company vehicle to travel, free fuel/ paid for expenses, unlimited vacation, and get to have bonuses when company exceeds it's annual revenue targets (which has happened throughout the time I have been here). Granted, I may not have all these benefits with my next employer (especially unlimited vacation), but I can live without some of them if I am compensated about the same. Some of the senior techs do pretty well because they are an asset to the company. It's a specialized skill and they need those senior techs to train the new ones.

Maybe people here don't have exposure to the industry and just making blind assumptions.
I think you are talking about a completely different field of work than what you started this thread with. You specifically stated that you were "Second reason is due to my interest in the technology startup world which I want to be a part of, but I want to give myself a year or so to develop skills and contacts."
There is demand for medical and industrial equipment techs, but if you had made that clear from the beginning you would have saved other posters some time who THOUGHT that you were contemplating an IT or tech job.
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Old 07-17-2015, 09:19 AM
 
26 posts, read 25,897 times
Reputation: 14
Technically, IT IS an IT job, but I work on equipment that isn't computers or servers, but computer/server side of things are occasionally involved. And as I said, I wouldn't want to continue this because it is physically demanding, yet I have it open as a last resort kind of thing. I want to branch out into other areas as well, I am sure I can find jobs that relate to my skills but don't have the same exact job description. I will spend next few months getting certifications that can increase my marketability. The idea was to find an IT job with similar or better pay but if IT jobs are in such scarcity as everyone is claiming here, I could go for mechinal repairs. Again, IT jobs are not limited to software development. There are jobs available in domains of networking and installing equipment which I am sure I can handle.
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Old 07-17-2015, 11:09 AM
 
Location: SW King County, WA
6,409 posts, read 8,251,572 times
Reputation: 6588
Quote:
Originally Posted by snaaaaake View Post
I have been to many interviews and offered jobs before but never had to use that line; most recruiters understand a degree is not necessarily a proof of skill and college is not mandatory for skill development. College can work for those who have accessibility in life and no responsibilities. I know it wasn't for me. I work much better learning at my own pace.

May be you are just really bad at what you do so you do need network and "connections" to land a job. I can find work without connections, although I don't mind making them.
Actually, I'm not in tech or business, but I am a professor at a university in the Bay Area that deals with people like you all the time. The glaring reality that you refuse to accept is that the vast majority of my students land internships and competitive positions at hot startups and big IT companies based primarily on connections they make while in school. They are afforded opportunities that simply would not have existed otherwise. Many of my students are in the exact same position as you, only they are a bit older, and they find themselves in my classroom trying to finish up their degree since many of their peers have gotten promoted over them, simply because they have a degree or taken more courses. A few of them have massive chips on their shoulders, thinking they're above college and that it's them against the world. It's kind of sad, actually. You think that you're smarter than everyone else and that you can get by in life by taking shortcuts. As others in this thread have pointed out, tech in the Bay Area is not a meritocracy; it's cliquey and difficult for outsides to break into. Perhaps you will get lucky and be the rare exception, but given your attitude, I doubt it. Based on your posts, you seem to know how to work hard, but you refuse to play "the game". Sadly, that's mostly what it is in the Bay Area.
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Old 07-17-2015, 11:53 AM
 
26 posts, read 25,897 times
Reputation: 14
Quote:
Originally Posted by 04kL4nD View Post
Actually, I'm not in tech or business, but I am a professor at a university in the Bay Area that deals with people like you all the time. The glaring reality that you refuse to accept is that the vast majority of my students land internships and competitive positions at hot startups and big IT companies based primarily on connections they make while in school. They are afforded opportunities that simply would not have existed otherwise. Many of my students are in the exact same position as you, only they are a bit older, and they find themselves in my classroom trying to finish up their degree since many of their peers have gotten promoted over them, simply because they have a degree or taken more courses. A few of them have massive chips on their shoulders, thinking they're above college and that it's them against the world. It's kind of sad, actually. You think that you're smarter than everyone else and that you can get by in life by taking shortcuts. As others in this thread have pointed out, tech in the Bay Area is not a meritocracy; it's cliquey and difficult for outsides to break into. Perhaps you will get lucky and be the rare exception, but given your attitude, I doubt it. Based on your posts, you seem to know how to work hard, but you refuse to play "the game". Sadly, that's mostly what it is in the Bay Area.

I never said I have a problem with making connections. But I understand college is not the only place to make them. And unless I go for scholarship, which I doubt I will get, I don't want to pony up thousands of dollars to network in an elite university. I have nothing against universities, they are great for people who have accessibility in life. I think I can do fine taking MOOCs and networking at professional networking events. I have even taken night courses in a college so I am not against the idea of continuing education. But I have never run into hot programmer type person or internships (which usually don't pay).

You sound like a conventional person, I understand why you would have a problem grasping the idea that college is not mandatory to get ahead in life. It's not a shortcut. I don't think I am smarter than others. But I also don't want to follow a conventional path that I find less efficient than other paths that can lead to similar opportunities. Let me make it easier for you, I don't think I have the skill set to work at startups, but 5 years ago I didn't think I had the skill set to work at my current job. I don't think I will land an awesome job right away or live a luxurious life. I do think I have enough room to get by and develop my skills at the same time.

Oh, and I feel sorry for your students.
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Old 07-17-2015, 12:02 PM
 
Location: SW King County, WA
6,409 posts, read 8,251,572 times
Reputation: 6588
Ok man. Have "getting by" in life in the Bay Area while you watch others thrive and succeed.
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Old 07-17-2015, 02:31 PM
 
Location: Oakland, CA
28,226 posts, read 36,784,942 times
Reputation: 28561
Quote:
Originally Posted by snaaaaake View Post
Here we go again with this nonsense. I have said it a multitude of times. I have specialized skills as well as general skills. Mish mash also means having a diverse range of skills. My current employer is also hiring for the exact same position that I currently have in the bay area. I find it funny how you show concern over lack of diversity in tech while simultaneously discouraging a person from minority background from persueing their idea because they won't fit in due to their race.

I don't think I am the one with blinders on here.
I've worked in tech (or connected to) in Silicon Valley for about 15 years now. I also have a diverse set of skills and found before I specialized it was a lot harder for my resume to get noticed for any of my skills even though I had plenty of experience. Trying to save you the trouble. At this point, I have the right skills that move my resume to the top of the pile and find a job is way easier. But what do I know, I have no experience.

You are under estimating the "importance" of cultural fit in the current tech landscape. The easiest way to pass that hurdle is to have an inside connection, especially if you have a varied resume.
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Old 07-17-2015, 03:04 PM
 
Location: SW King County, WA
6,409 posts, read 8,251,572 times
Reputation: 6588
Jade, it's obvious we're both just conventional people who don't have any idea what we're talking about
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Old 07-17-2015, 03:08 PM
 
Location: Palo Alto, CA
901 posts, read 1,163,848 times
Reputation: 1169
Yes, O4kl4nd, this poster has no idea when he is wrong, which is often, and who to trust for advice. Creates his own reality, as if merely having the appropriate skill set is enough.

For anyone else reading this, this is a great thread to understand the obstacles to coming in to the tech economy here in the Bay Area. It's definitely do-able, but it's a game to be played, like any other business, and social connections are extremely important. Ignore any BS about meritocracy.
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Old 07-17-2015, 03:20 PM
 
378 posts, read 440,165 times
Reputation: 347
Default Salary and 'Minority' Background

Quote:
Originally Posted by snaaaaake View Post
My current employer is also hiring for the exact same position that I currently have in the bay area. I find it funny how you show concern over lack of diversity in tech while simultaneously discouraging a person from minority background from persueing their idea because they won't fit in due to their race.
How much is your current Employer is paying for your position in the Bay Area? Which city of Bay Area?

Re: "discouraging a person from minority background from persueing their idea because they won't fit in due to their race."

what are you talking about here?
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