Need advice from others in the industry.

[hanious]

My situation-

I am 27 and have been with the 8th largest bank in the country for 9 years. I started in Tech Support from 98-2002, was promoted to Data/Network Tech from 2002-2006. All this was in Montgomery, Alabama. About a year ago I was transferred to Memphis, TN to work as a Network Analyst which I still do. The problem is I met the girl of my dreams here and now my position if being eliminated (talking about timing). They have offered me a Server Tech Support position in Birmingham, AL.

My problem is that I have been with this company since I was 18 and haven't worked anywhere else. Had I not met my girlfriend and wanting to marry her I would definitely go to Birmingham and stay with the company...but she makes a decent amount more than I do (I don't do bad by any means).

So here I am 27 years old with tons of experiance in Tech Support and Networking. I made a ton of money when I was 18 and have done very well since. But I haven't been in the IT industry as far as hopping around jobs nor do I know the market for me.

I was lucky to land the job I did at 18 but making the money caused me to only go to college for two years and not finish.

What I have is a good working knowlege of Cisco and Nortel routers. I am what I consider an expert in switch's, hubs, cabling, and protocol. I have worked with T1-T3's, frame relay, switches, MUX's, DACS's, DMARK's, PRIM's, etc. Plus I did the Tech Support for three years so I definitely have some great experiance.

My certifications are as followed:

MCDST
MCP (extra test needed for my MCSA in addition to the two I took for my MCDST)
Network +

I am getting laid off in a year and my company is paying for all my certs untill that time. I plan to have my Linux + (it is a personal thing, doubt it will have much use) and finish my MCSA and getting a CCNA (Have the first test already knocked out-need my ICND) by then. It isn't a question of whether I can accomplish this, because I know I can.

And at that point should I choose the severance I will not have to work for about 12 months. But I want to use that lump sum to get married, honeymoon, and by a mini-cooper so I want to start work the following Monday of the Friday that is my last day at the bank.

Will I have a problem finding a job, or do I need to do something else in the next year?

Please advise.

[SeanC]

Well, I don't know about your area but in my area if you don't have your college/university you might have some problems.

I don't know for sure because I haven't met anyone in your situation before. What do you need to finish college? If it's not much you could try to get your company to pay for it in night school.

[hanious]

College? I would say that 9 out of 10 people I know who have a CIS/MIS degree are working at a helpdesk. We have around 1,000 in our IT department and unless you have experiance and certs you are at the bottom. In the department I work in I am the senior network analyst over tons of people who have degree's. Last year I trained two guys who just graduated from ITT and didn't know anything.

I lack a year and plan to have my degree next summer, though I doubt it will have much of an impact.

[SeanC]

Interesting, that's totally different than my area then. All I ever hear about is how people with tons of experience and even some certs are getting clobbered by people with degrees right out of school. There are exceptions of course but mainly that's the way it is here.

And in your case you've been with the company for around 10 years so they know you know what you're doing. But if the job market in your area is more into experience than education, you should have no problem finding another good paying job.

[M_Six]

Sean C is right. Most companies are going to want to see a degree. Doesn't necessarily have to be in IT either. My degree is in geology, yet I've been working at a decent level in academia IT for years. I have never had a certification (other than some Red Cross stuff). In academia, you might be able to find a low paying civil service job, but that'd be it. It isn't fair, I know. I personally know some really talented IT folks who don't hold four-year degrees and they can't get a decent job in academia.

On the other hand, there are some companies that will forego the degree requirement if you have experience (which you appear to have in spades) and good refs (which I assume you also have plenty of). The trick is to find those companies. If I were in your shoes, I'd start by talking to folks at your bank and see if they have any connections in other local banks. Maybe there's an IT slot open in one of them. Top references within the field, especially from someone local, can go a long way.

And finish your CCNA. Having that will always be helpful, regardless of where you apply.

[Sixpac_XP]

Good experience is great.. a degree would go along ways.

I personally would get your CCNA for sure. Its cheep to get if you have the knowledge.

[GroundZero3]

You have the experience and granted in some place a degree is needed, but there are plenty of jobs out there that don't require one. You aren't gonna get something overnight but i would look towards getting yourself a degree and a certifications. You shouldn't have any problems with the CCNA/CCNP with what you have been doing. Surprised you haven't gotten it already actually.

[famosbrown]

A degree is great!! In my MIS curriculum, I learned how to program. My first job was programming, so the money was VERY good. If you are leaning toward networking/systems, then certs are excellent, and depending on how well you sell yourself and learn, you may have to start a help desk first. If you do start at a Help Desk, and you see yourself surrounded by co-workers without degrees or certs, don't get discouraged, or big-headed...you chose a field that MOST colleges don't prepare you for and a field that certs rein heavily. Good luck!!