Pay Range for entry level A+ Cert. Job ??

Hello Group,

I have a question for everyone here. Without going into too much detail, I
am a recent high school graduate and hold the CompTIA A+ Certification. I
just recently entered the job market and am curious as to what pay range I
should be looking for based on my certification and skill level.

There are not many jobs for me to pick from, but most of the ones I am
looking at are entry level PC Technician type jobs. Job responsibilities are
fairly basic and include computer repair, maintenance, basic networking,
network software deployment, software installation, new PC setup, etc. I
would prefer a job that is a bit more advanced, but most companies what
someone with more "formal experience".



I have been working on computers my whole life; everything from a commodore
64 or a DOS based 8088, all the way up to recent technology. I also hold
several certifications from Microsoft based around the Windows 2000
platform. I have gained a vast amount of hands on experience over the years,
and feel that I am just as qualified as many technicians who have been
working in the field for several years.


I'm just trying to figure out what I should expect to be paid as a starting
hourly wage? I am on the east coast of the US in a fairly large city if that
helps at all!

Thanks for any help you can provide!! Please post to the news group.

 

In South Fl you could expect anywhere between $10 to $13 an hour.

Jose
MCSA, Network+, A+

 

Hi Michael and Jose,

Thanks for the responses. I can tell things in the IT industry have really
changed since the late 1990's. I remember when companies were paying $40k a
year for entry level A+ jobs. Most companies have been offering between
$9-11 dollars an hour for pc tech jobs these days. That is not far above the
poverty line. $8 an hour sounds awful for a professional type job. I could
almost make that by working at McDonalds.

Would it help to gain additional certifications? I already have some with
Microsoft. Would my job opportunities greatly increase if I have a full
MCSA, A+, and Net+?

Thanks!

 

I hired in to my company at $11.00 and hour. I was required to get my A+
within 60 days (I got it on day 33) and then I get a dollar an hour raise
after 60 days. I have an Associates degree from a community college in
Computer Networking.

I am happy, its a little lower than I was hoping for, but its OK, and a lot
more than I was making in college.

 

you got out of high school and entered the job market? i'll tell you
right now, don't expect very much.

someone with "formal experience" doesnt waste his time tinkering with
wintendo crap.

no unix, no mac, no cray, no sgi, no bsd, no linux, no amiga, no
as/400? no wonder. so what computers have you actually worked with?
(wintendo doesn't count)

considering that you have absolutely no experience with computers
(aside from obsolete commodore equipment from the 70s), i would have
to say that even at $5.15/hr, you would be a liability to any
competent and financially serious company.

if computers are your interest, and you desire to be respected by
people who actually know something about computer science, then i
cannot stress the importance of a college degree, otherwise you're
going to do no more than servicing junk that computer illiterate
morons buy from walmart for $8-10 an hour like most ayplussers. get
out of the job market and get into the education market.

btw, your "microsoft certifications" are completely worthless.
companies arent that stupid anymore. burn them.

 

To comment more on this subject, its possible to qualify yourself in
the job market after High School. I'm doing it. I make 42,000/year at
19 years of age working at a Learning Organization as a
Admin/IT/Operations Assistant. I work 50 - 55 hours a week, but the
money and experience I'm gaining is awesome. I'm working in Hardware,
Network, Security, and much more fields and am able to take CompTIA
classes and plenty of other of IT courses paid. The thing is that if
you want to go far. You got to really think on the subject and really
figure out the path you want to do. The way you associate yourself is
very important. One example was before I worked at this learning
organization I took classes here prior to me working here. The CEO of
the company worked on Saturdays and helped the Saturday Admin out. I
thought lets be cool and friends with him. He was a nice guy and me
and him had a lot in common. Months later because he knows that I"m
working hard he offers me the position. He knew I was working at a
Full-Time job already at a Warehouse place, but he was surprised that
an 18-year old would come to his school and learn these classes.
Reason is that mostly 25 or older adults come to this school to learn
this stuff. My family is poor and would not be able to afford college
so that would be the reason I can't attend. $42,000 a year is not
where I"m stopping. I plan to break the stepping stone of college and
make the big bucks just by my determined attitude not because I'm a
genious that has a 15 year degree.
-Rick

 

(idolic21) wrote in @fe12.news.easynews.com:

You aren't making 42,000/year. 42,000 dollars / 2080 hours in a year =
$20.19 per hour, assuming a 40 hour work week. You are working a 55
hour week. 20.19 dollar x 15 hours = $302.85. 302.85 dollars x 52
weeks = 15,748.02. 42,000-15,748.02 = $24,251.8/year. Unless of
course you are hourly, then you make $42,000/year.

SuperTech

 

Huh? If at the end of 365 days he has been paid $42,000 then he has been
paid $42,000 a year. Doesn't matter if he gets paid $151,200,000 per hour
for one second or $4.79/hr for 24/7, or $3500/mo for 12 months or just gets
a $42,000 check once a year, it's still $42,000.

 

Actually, he is making $42,000/yr. Of course, he works more hours to do it. Think of a lawyer that
makes $200,000/ yr. I know many lawyers that work way into the night and weekends. I am sure they
put in 80 hour weeks. So, that doesnt mean that they make $100,000 /yr. It only means they make a
less hourly rate.

Tony

 

Not were you not the only one thinking that, but idolic21 is in a really
great place, a place that many of us wouldn't mind being, and at age 19!
Best wishes to this person, he/she sounds like they're off to a great start
on a prosperous career and an honorable life.

smackedass

 

I get to see a lot of these guys (almost all guys), as part of this:
www.heathkit.com/susa-vica

Most of the winners are going to major universities on scholarship, but
quite a few of the others have gone on to great careers.

-John O

<shamless plug>
--we need judges for the 2006 contest...give me a holler if you're
interested.
</shameless plug>

 

Dead? Homeless? Drug Attic?

The Drug Attic? Have visited, left early.

heh heh...

smackedass

 

Paperwise, yes. However, a normal work week is defined as 40 hours. So
you can put like this: $42,000 paperwise and $24,000 actual in adjusted
man hours. Of course the employer never presents it that way.

The reason that this is relevant is that the poster boasts he is 19
years old and making $42,000/year. No sane minded adult would work 55
hours a week for a technical job and claim they make 42,000/year. I'm
just saying put things in the prospective they need to be.

No knock on the kid either: I hope he's the next Bill Gates or creates
the next Fortune 500 company.

SuperTech

 

No sane minded adult would work 55

I guess I'm just not sane...if I only had the opportunity to do the above,
and I did, I guess that would prove me to be insane? Just have a look at
some of the other posts, previous to this one, and lots of IT people have no
work, at all. It depends on the employment supply/demand schema, in the
area in which you live...in addition to your ambition, tenacity, and
God-given talent.

Anyway, $42,000 is $42,000, it sure sounds like he earns it, and learns from
it. In 1981, when I was 19, I would have been pretty plum happy to make
$42,000, and yes, I know, $42,000 today isn't what it was then.

Sorry, I can't get over how some of the people here scrutinize $42,000,
instead of just being grateful that we live in a society where people are
pretty much free to change their occupations, their jobs, or work 2, 3 or 4
jobs, if they have to.

In fact, look at one of the posts below, subject " disheartened", and check
out that dialogue. To repeat just one opinion from that discussion:
_____________________________________________
The problem is that those in the IT field are the modern day
equivalents of the "tube changers" of the 50's and 60's who called
themselves TV repairmen. Truth be told, a monkey can be taught how to
fix or build a computer.... or at least, a functionally retarded
person. Very little brain power is required.

The field is oversaturated. The work is boring beyond words. There are
some companies who pay as much as the local fast food joints. The
entire certification institution is a scam.

Focus on another career; a career where you can make good money... and
a good living... one that will allow you to use your brain.

Good luck
_________________________________________________________

I disagree with almost every word that this person says, but when people
talk about "perspective", remember that there are many.

smackedass
(43 yrs., MCSE, A+)

 

Just to be sure I understand your viewpoint--if the guy was working 40 hours
a week at one job for $35K/year and 15 hours a week moonlighting for
$7K/year, how much would he be making?

 

SuperTechwrote

Paperwise, yes. However, a normal work week is defined as 40 hours
So
you can put like this: $42,000 paperwise and $24,000 actual i
adjusted
man hours. Of course the employer never presents it that way

The reason that this is relevant is that the poster boasts he is 19
years old and making $42,000/year. No sane minded adult would work 5

hours a week for a technical job and claim they make 42,000/year. I'

just saying put things in the prospective they need to be.

SuperTech[/quote:a70c38305e
No I do not want to be the next Bill Gates and have 99% of th
population want to kill me. To comment on this quote yes it is prett
unbelievable for a 19-year-old to work this many hours. For proof tha
I'm 19 you can click this link http://www.myspace.com/37959504 or ad
it to your url bar and check out myspace.com account. One thing abou
my 55 hour week that I'm not proud of is that one reason is that I wa
a loser in High school and got not much friends. What else to do the
work my ass off

 

Thank you very much. I'm only trying my best.
-Ric

 

Good luck to you. Everybody is tired of hearing from these people who get an
education just so they can get well-paid secure jobs, whilst the rest of us
live with less ideal circumstances.

You are right that education is expensive, and can be something of a waste
of money and time. By reading books and even watching National Geographic
and Discovery television channels you can get a good education on a whole
range of subjects. Colleges and Universities must toe the line and make
their exams easy enough so that their less than brilliant students can pass.
Otherwise they would have a 90% failure rate.

There will always be a demand for technically skilled people, as the
technology always requires knowledgeable people to manage it at the ground
level. This where people like us will win out.

Cheers
William Wallace

 

Depends on the department and the number of applicants. As a teaching
assistant in a state university that was required to take all applicants
from that state, but which was not funded to teach the large number who
were accepted every year, I had standing orders to flunk 90% of my class so
as to reduce the numbers to a level that could be handled with the
available budget.

As for toeing the line, what line is that? Colleges are funded mostly by
grants, endowments, and in the case of state schools by government funding,
not by tuition. Students, until they've learned enough to become useful
research or teaching assistants, are mainly seen as an annoying
distraction.

 

I live in Scotland and things may be different in other countries. But
University courses here can grant grand sounding titles such as Masters
Degree in Computing, and those graduating simply do not know how a computer
works, and have never even opened the case of a computer. They don't want to
get their hands dirty, not with hardware nor with software. These are the
ones we "techies" dread having to work with. The just want a high salary and
an easy job, that is all. Whatever happened to doing an honest days work.

A University lecturer I know told they are passing students on some tests as
low as 35% pass mark. This because the govt requires a certain level of pass
marks.

I would not mind, but many young people go into £10,000's debt to enter
these unsuitable university courses.

With academics, sometimes it is only form that matters, not function.

WW