Advice welcome

[TigerDivision]

Greetings all!

I thought of posting this here in order to gauge some feedback.
I am 41 years old and I work as an Information Systems administrator for a private medium sized manufacturing company which unfortunately is a family owned business. I’ve been in my present post for 9 years and I am hoping to get promoted to I.T. Manager in 7-8 years time once the present I.T. Manager retires at that time.
I love my job although at times I’ve become somewhat disillusioned with I.T. as well as with my present post. The company still tend to look at I.T. as an expense rather than a driving force behind the business so one can imagine the hard time we’re given when we try to replace old technologies and introduce new technologies!
I’ve often considered changing jobs but unfortunately it is not an option for me nowadays due to my age and lack of opportunities in my country.
These past months I’ve been contemplating on whether to start studying for a degree and which area/s to study. I never had the chance of attending university to study for a degree due to financial reasons. I did however educate myself up to diploma level in I.T. and am a professional member of the British Computer Society.
At first I thought of taking a degree in Information Systems and Management but when I looked at the subjects such as Sociology, Organisation Theory and lots of theory I decided it was not suitable for me. Other degrees had a high content of computer programming involved something which I wasn’t too keen on since we hardly do any programming here and can’t see myself programming in the future. If I was involved in software development then it would have been different.
Lately I was considering taking a degree in Mathematics and Statistics after reading that having such a degree can be put to use in areas such as finance, management, research, I.T., etc.
The reason I’m attracted to it is that I prefer reasoning out problems and working out solutions instead of having to read lots of text and having to recall what has been read! Furthermore when I had studied subjects such as Quantitative Methods and Business Modelling which had a high element of Maths and Statistics I always got good marks in them.
Obviously I’d have to study part-time and it would take me 7-8 years to complete the degree but I am hoping that once I get promoted I’d have something more to show in addition to my experience and performance. Who knows maybe an opportunity might crop up around that time and having such a degree might prove useful!
I would be happy to hear from you all with your comments.

 

[CajunCenturion]

Most companies consider IT to be an expense, and a necessary evil. By the time you finish your degree on your timeframe, you'll be 48 years young. If an opportunity does present itself at that time, having a degree may very well make a difference, but what the degree is in probably won't matter at all. You'll be considered because you have a degree, but at that point, more importantly, experience and maturity.

Therefore, I would pursue the degree, but pick a curiculum that you'll enjoy, and a program in which you'll have fun.

Good Luck
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[DPlank]

As a member of the BCS, I'm assuming you're UK based. A quick zap on

http://www.jobserve.co.uk

shows 723 jobs in IT for Systems Admin.

I'm assuming you (obviously) enjoy the job and your current environment, or you would have considered moving before now.

I'd agree with CC that the degree should be pursued, and it should be a subject you are genuinely interested in as opposed to one you think would look good. If nothing else, you'll get a better final score in exams if you like the topic itself.

Cheers,
Dave

Probably the only Test Analyst Manager on Tek-Tips...therefore whatever it was that went wrong, I'm to blame...

animadverto vos in Abyssus!

Take a look at Forum1393!

 

[pugsley67]

You know that deep within yourself you know wether you are happy or not I think that the views of your employers is more of a reason not to want to continue employment there I might be off base but I think that you under appreciated and that your senior is taking credit for a lot of your hard work you find yourself making things work and doing work arounds instead of updating your equipment and you think it is a waste of your time if they would spend some money you could spend your time being more creative I say that good things happen to good people and I dont know you but asking for help says something about you so I say you are one of good guys and its easier to find a job when already have one than when you dont. I also think that you should look into being a consultant and specialize in wireless ISP and VOIP.

 

[TigerDivision]

Thanks guys for your helpful replies.

Unfortunately I am based in Malta which is a small island in the Mediterranean and so there aren't too much I.T. opportunities around :-( With regards to moving into consultancy, the local market is already saturated with freelance consultants so not much chance for me there. I did come across an I.T. System Admin vacany this week but they asked for a specialisation in Oracle Financials which I do not have. Why they asked for an I.T. System Admin I do not know.
Even though I've been working for the company for these past 9 years I can't say that I am totally happy. In fact if I was given the chance I would change jobs immediately. Working overseas is out of the question due to certain commitments both personal and financial. It's not I.T. which I'm fed up with but with the internal politics and lack of professionalism. For example I've been begging for extra help since Christmas and nothing has been done. In my opinion our I.T. Manager belongs to the Jurassic period and won't retire until the next 7-8 years!
Anyway enough grumbling. The only consolation is that I am working in I.T. Other people are being made redundant and are not so lucky in finding another job.

Pierre

 

[DPlank]

It's good to stay positive, but don't let them stop you from highlighting your needs for assistance.

Find things you can do which will interest you in your work. Take an Oracle course, for example...

Get yourself as much out of the job as you can, and when you see an opportunity to move up the ladder a touch, even somewhere else, take it.

All the best.

Cheers,
Dave

Probably the only Test Analyst Manager on Tek-Tips...therefore whatever it was that went wrong, I'm to blame...

animadverto vos in Abyssus!

Take a look at Forum1393!

 

[langleymass]

For future reference, please use a more descriptive thread title. You will probably get more response if you do. "Advice Welcome" tells us nothing about what this thread is actually about.

 

[SirHogaLot]

Hey Tiger,

I don't really have any ancedotes about what you should do. If you are considering a degree, by all means do it! I think statistics and mathematics could be very useful for many different areas...including IT.

As for your employer who thinks that IT is a necessary expense; It is that same mentality that promulgates the thought of IT being a commodity. That is not the case at all. Even though IT is a necessary evil, and is such commoditized, it is organizational capital that will give a company a strategic advantage. Try to remind your employer that IT works best when it is crafted with the business processes and not when it is inserted to create a tactical fix or solution. You obviously believe that you can create a difference, so show them the ROI.

 

[LoaferMan]

Business Process Modeling and Optimization is an area where IT people can use their expertise to help business people define and display their business processes graphically. Then opportunities for improving and eliminating work become visible. You become valuable not just expenseable when you can optimize, eliminate, and automate business processes. You create cash for your company.

Also check out GE Work-Out for more ideas on getting unnecessary work out of your business.

LoaferMan - There is no practice life. This is it. (Billy Crockett)