# management or IT ?



## Magrocha (Nov 7, 2012)

Hello everyone..iam really happy where iam on my life now..there is tons of opportunity for me.and I can't complaint! But..I have a brutal decision to make! So let me start off by letting you guys know what's going on..I got involved in this project 9 months ago for a help desk team..I am a level 1 technician, and finally the project is ready to rampup, and they are hiring more people now..so there was 2 promotions..level 2 and supervisor position..I got the supervisor position with a salary increase..they will train me and everything...but there is another position on the IT team! Which is called syntellec engineer..it's pretty much to deal with the telephones..supporting voiP and dealing with some servers.and the salary will be more as well.the product syntellec is not a known product..so there is not a lot of people out there that knows how to deal with the product...they would train the right candidate..and I have apply for that job as well..my question is...which one should I go for?
I've always liked the IT side ..but the management side is awesome as well...if I go for the management side will I lose my IT SKILLS? and if I go to the IT side would I have management skills? Please give me some good advice...I hate being comfused..
Thanks guys


----------



## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

Here's my take on IT people and IT management and this is just my experience.

All the IT managers I know don't know anything about IT they used to before they became managers. Most IT managers I know are complete douches because they still think they are ahead in the IT field when they are not. Most managers get to finish at 5/5:30pm.

IT techs etc are the ones that stay in the know and sometimes get tasked to do things that can seriously damage their social and personal lives because quite often they have to stay late and start early.

But this is just my take.

My advice is do what you like the best not which role offers the best money. There is nothing worse than being in a job that you hate whether it pays well or not.


----------



## Corday (Mar 3, 2010)

If the syntellec engineer salary is 70-75K take it. If less, management unless you don't have a 4 year degree which would hold you back in the future since many management positions require it.


----------



## DDAoN (Mar 19, 2011)

I just figured I'd throw my 2 cents in.

My experience has been that if you don't use you IT skills, you won't lose them, but they will be rusty. It's sorta like "riding a bike". It may take you a bit to get back into the swing of things, but it will always be there. I used to be GREAT (personal opinion) at Internet programming. Then I joined the Marine Corps followed by 2 years working a service desk. My skills got rusty, and when I finally got to use them again, truly use them, it was slow. I'm still trying to get fully back in there.

A major problem to deal with, as greenbrucelee pointed out, is the advancement of technologies. It is never the same as it was a second ago, and it will never be that way again.

I have found that my supervisors/managers that have a background in IT do try to give the impression that they know more than they do and that they can still do your job better. However, I've also found that once they get a crash course in the changes of how things are now to how they were then, they catch on fairly quickly, though they'll never be as proficient as someone that never left the doing for the overseeing.

In the Marine Corps, I got a taste for "leadership", it was needed because of my rank, but I always had a need to do rather than lead.

So, my advice is: if the money is good either way, listen to what you have the urge to do more.


----------



## BosonMichael (Nov 1, 2011)

The best supervisors are the ones who get into the trenches and fight along with everyone else. They set clear expectations, not only for their subordinates, but for themselves as well. Instead of focusing solely on their own careers, they mentor and pass along their knowledge to those who don't have as much experience. Most importantly, they listen much more than they speak, and when they make decisions, they carefully consider the recommendations provided by each and every team member.

How does this relate to your question? If those above qualities apply to you, you might consider the management role, provided you would be allowed by management to not just manage, but also remain somewhat hands-on. That last part depends ENTIRELY on management... so you will have to rely on your own knowledge of the company and its management in order to make the best decision for you. As others have stated, you don't want to end up being the guy who manages, but can't really do the job anymore.

Hope this helps.


----------



## Magrocha (Nov 7, 2012)

Hello everyone., sorry it took me do long to reply..I have been thinking about this , because it's not an easy decision...I have a couple of more questions if you guys dont mind answering..first off ..if I get the management position, I will go to college for computer science...now my question is , in the future if I ever want to change to network admin (this is the role that I want)..do I have to start from scratch all over again? What would benefit me in the management side that I can apply towards my other role?and do you thino the management side gets paid a lot less than the IT side?, I don't want to lower my salary after changing my role for IT 4 years down the line after I finish college..please give me some inputs..thanks guys


----------



## Corday (Mar 3, 2010)

If you continue to work while in college (or on line), then a combination of all your experience and education will factor in your salary regardless off discipline.


----------



## BosonMichael (Nov 1, 2011)

Magrocha said:


> Hello everyone., sorry it took me do long to reply..I have been thinking about this , because it's not an easy decision...I have a couple of more questions if you guys dont mind answering..first off ..if I get the management position, I will go to college for computer science...now my question is , in the future if I ever want to change to network admin (this is the role that I want)..do I have to start from scratch all over again? What would benefit me in the management side that I can apply towards my other role?and do you thino the management side gets paid a lot less than the IT side?, I don't want to lower my salary after changing my role for IT 4 years down the line after I finish college..please give me some inputs..thanks guys


Although the names of degree programs differ from school to school, computer science degrees are typically focused on programming, not technical IT administration. Degree programs that focus on the admin side often have names like Information Systems/Computer Information Systems or Information Management. To be sure, check the degree program's course requirements to see what kind of classes you'd be taking.

That said, if you've got experience, the degree program doesn't matter a whole lot. My degree is in Chemistry, and it hasn't hurt my career one bit.

If you want to be a network administrator, get experience doing light network administration, perhaps by shadowing and helping out the network admin where you work. Eventually, you'll be given more responsibilities, and ultimately, you'll have enough experience to gain a network administrator role for yourself. A degree won't automagically qualify you to do network administration.

Like I said before, it would be best if you can get a management job where you can ALSO continue to get hands-on experience. If you are simply a paper pusher and task delegator, you'll stop building your technical skillset. Instead, you'll be building the skillset to be a good manager. That's not a bad thing... it's just different.

As far as whether management gets paid less or more than a technical admin... it depends entirely on the employer. I've seen both situations.


----------

