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Moving Up the IT Ladder in a Poor Economy?

Posted by Cliff on from the jumpstarting-your-career...again dept.

Andy asks: "As almost anyone who joined the IT industry on the tail end of the Dot-Com boom can tell you, trying to move up in the industry for the past couple of years has been like jogging up-wind in a hurricane. I have sent resumes to countless numbers of employers only to still be working in the same $13/hr. low-end outsource support job as when I started (and $13/hr. doesn't get you too far in Boston these days). Learning more and more languages/technologies/protocols has merely resulted in a larger skill set on my resume, with pretty much the same level of experience, and no new interviews. Has anyone else been able to get out of this sort of slump, either during this economic slump or a previous one? Should I just continue the path of learning as much as I can and applying for jobs? Would getting a cert (maybe an RHCE or some Cisco certs) help? Would it be worth it to get a degree in MIS or CS?"

7 of 892 comments (clear)

  1. Uncle Sammy will double your salary right now! by i_want_you_to_throw_ · · Score: 5, Funny

    The downside is that you have to leave Boston. Well one of many downsides......

    1. Re:Uncle Sammy will double your salary right now! by Zebra_X · · Score: 4, Funny

      Qualifications: Click on link below to view qualification standard. General Schedule Work may entail extended work shift of 12-16 hours a day. Generally, indoor work location has power, water, heating, and air conditioning, although outages should be expected. Lack of sleep may occur due to long work hours and uncomfortable living conditions. Employee will report symptoms of stress and fatigue to the on-site supervisor.

      Well at least it won't be any worse than my current Job!

  2. My suggestion is by thebra · · Score: 5, Funny

    to find a rich woman to live off of. I don't know where to get certified for that though.

    1. Re:My suggestion is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      We are talking about a tech guy here.

    2. Re:My suggestion is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
      My suggestion is...to find a rich woman to live off of. I don't know where to get certified for that though.

      I'm John Kerry and I approved this advertisement.

  3. In a Klingon economy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    You kill your boss to move up the ladder. I suggest this for a poor economy, too.

  4. Cold Calling for Women, eh? by Tim · · Score: 5, Funny

    555-1111...ring...ring...

    Hello! My records indicate that this number is registered to an eligible single female in my area code. As an eligible single male, I wanted to take this opportunity to extend a special, one-time off...*click*....

    sigh...

    555-1112...ring...ring...

    --
    Let's try not to let fact interfere with our speculation here, OK?