Should I take an lower paying helpdesk or an higher paying SEO job?

[pood]

Alright, I'm kind of at a crossroads.

I've got 2 offers. 1 is a helpdesk that pays around 17.50/hr (i have ZERO experience), but I've been wanting to get into IT. I've been there the last couple days, most of the time, you answer in-house calls for about 750 end users. Little active directory (that I know a bit of), rest is mostly just helping ppl with windows xp and office problems. I've noticed that maybe they actively work for 60%-70% time, rest is just surfing and waiting. This job is a 4 month contract.

The other choice, is for SEO, where I have over an year exp and this will be a very involved high leveled job that pays 40k+ that has all the benefits and 401k, with lots of potential for growth. Lots of flexibility as when i should work, just get my stuff done, that's what matters. Still have high interest, I still plan to do it when I'm not doing IT at home.

In the future, I plan on getting into IT (looking into Linux admin, assuming I don't start my own web startup, heh

I do plan on studying for a MCSE right now and then Linux. I can still ditch the helpdesk job and go for the SEO. Should I take the SEO job while I work on the MCSE or try to get some experience doing something really boring?

Do you think I can get an IT job off the bat if I have 3-4 years of non-admin-IT experience with an MCSE + Linux+/LPIC or will those few month of helpdesk be that useful?

The SEO job gives me a more time at home to study WHILE the helpdesk job I usually end up being super tired when I get home because I have to get up at 6 am and get home by 6pm. Although, I guess I can study for the MCSE while I wait around.

fuck, I can't decide.;X

what do you guys think?

 

[ViviTheMage]

good question

 

[ebaycj]

Might help to have some clarification on what exactly SEO stands for? At only $40k I can't imagine it's anything like CEO.

 

[trmiv]

What the hell is an SEO job?

 

[pood]

no, LOL

SEO is Search Engine Optimization.

I'd like to note, IT is my fail safe, I'm an entrepreneur at heart and I have a couple web projects I'm doing that hopefully will do well, but just in case. hmm. something to pay the bills I guess.

the SEO job, the guy that'll be mentoring me is a genius at it. so it will directly help me promote my own web projects.

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: pood
no, LOL

SEO is Search Engine Optimization.

I'd like to note, IT is my fail safe, I'm an entrepreneur at heart and I have a couple web projects I'm doing that hopefully will do well, but just in case. hmm. something to pay the bills I guess.

the SEO job, the guy that'll be mentoring me is a genius at it. so it will directly help me promote my own web projects.

wait...you know how to code? if that is the case and your entrepreneur will be with you the choice is clear, but as for actually getting real IT experience, I wouldn't expect everything out of it.

coding =! IT

If you want to be good at it you have to know how to run/setup this stuff...

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

I would go the SEO route if you truly know it. SEO offers far more opportunities for advancement. If you were to leave either the SEO or the helpdesk job after only two years, the SEO job would be worth far more in terms of experience and resume building.

 

[pood]

I've got around 5-6 years of web design/dev mostly in html/css.

doing Ruby/RoR right now, loving it. gonna pick up PHP soon next year too, but I really don't want to code for others, I'm doing it for myself.

SEO is pretty much internet marketing, manipulation of search results pretty much.

So, do you think the helpdesk experience is negligible?

What I'm thinking is, do SEO, and while I'm doing SEO, I slowly collect IT certificates at home. So one day, when the SEO industry dies or I get bored, I have IT to fall back on. I'm only 23 right now, so I still have a lot of time to decide.

Lol, its funny, I went to an university for an Finance degree haha. I can't decide what i wanta do;(

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

Originally posted by: pood
So, do you think the helpdesk experience is negligible?

What I'm thinking is, do SEO, and while I'm doing SEO, I slowly collect IT certificates at home. So one day, when the SEO industry dies or I get bored, I have IT to fall back on. I'm only 23 right now, so I still have a lot of time to decide.

If you are wanting to stay on the helpdesk, then it is great. If that is what you want to do, it is somewhat useless. The SEO job will likely get you past that gigantic "entry level position" barrier that a helpdesk position would not. The SEO position opens up more career pathways.

 

[pood]

Alright, thanks guys, I think after talking to a couple friends and some ppl on the forum (including you guys), I'm 90% certain I'll go with the SEO job. Just hope the SEO company will take me back since i turned them down last week because it took them too long to answer back. Otherwise, I'll have to default and go with the helpdesk ;(

 

[pood]

Originally posted by: SarcasticDwarf

Originally posted by: pood
So, do you think the helpdesk experience is negligible?

What I'm thinking is, do SEO, and while I'm doing SEO, I slowly collect IT certificates at home. So one day, when the SEO industry dies or I get bored, I have IT to fall back on. I'm only 23 right now, so I still have a lot of time to decide.

If you are wanting to stay on the helpdesk, then it is great. If that is what you want to do, it is somewhat useless. The SEO job will likely get you past that gigantic "entry level position" barrier that a helpdesk position would not. The SEO position opens up more career pathways.

Too be honest, all my friends are telling me to stay away from helpdesk. A couple of them have done it and they all hate it. lol, you eventually start despising ppl.

The only reason I was considering the helpdesk is because I was hearing ppl that I need to get a foot in the door and start low because I can go higher up into system admin

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

Originally posted by: pood

Originally posted by: SarcasticDwarf

Originally posted by: pood
So, do you think the helpdesk experience is negligible?

What I'm thinking is, do SEO, and while I'm doing SEO, I slowly collect IT certificates at home. So one day, when the SEO industry dies or I get bored, I have IT to fall back on. I'm only 23 right now, so I still have a lot of time to decide.

If you are wanting to stay on the helpdesk, then it is great. If that is what you want to do, it is somewhat useless. The SEO job will likely get you past that gigantic "entry level position" barrier that a helpdesk position would not. The SEO position opens up more career pathways.

Too be honest, all my friends are telling me to stay away from helpdesk. A couple of them have done it and they all hate it. lol, you eventually start despising ppl.

The only reason I was considering the helpdesk is because I was hearing ppl that I need to get a foot in the door and start low because I can go higher up into system admin

For a sys admin position I would guess that both positions are going to allow you to get into that position if you want, but the SEO position would probably enable you to get there faster since it is not the lowest level position in existance.

 

[pood]

Originally posted by: SarcasticDwarf

Originally posted by: pood

Originally posted by: SarcasticDwarf

Originally posted by: pood
So, do you think the helpdesk experience is negligible?

What I'm thinking is, do SEO, and while I'm doing SEO, I slowly collect IT certificates at home. So one day, when the SEO industry dies or I get bored, I have IT to fall back on. I'm only 23 right now, so I still have a lot of time to decide.

If you are wanting to stay on the helpdesk, then it is great. If that is what you want to do, it is somewhat useless. The SEO job will likely get you past that gigantic "entry level position" barrier that a helpdesk position would not. The SEO position opens up more career pathways.

Too be honest, all my friends are telling me to stay away from helpdesk. A couple of them have done it and they all hate it. lol, you eventually start despising ppl.

The only reason I was considering the helpdesk is because I was hearing ppl that I need to get a foot in the door and start low because I can go higher up into system admin

For a sys admin position I would guess that both positions are going to allow you to get into that position if you want, but the SEO position would probably enable you to get there faster since it is not the lowest level position in existance.

Hmm, even though it's not even remotely related (System admin and SEO) ? that's what I'm afraid of, they're gonna look at my resume and ask what real world IT experience I have, and I'm gonna have 0.

I'm hoping the certs will be enough.

 

[nageov3t]

I've been wanting to get into IT

well there's your first problem...

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: loki8481

I've been wanting to get into IT

well there's your first problem...

:beer:

Aye..with this guys dev background he should stay in the cubicle trenches and off of the killing floor

 

[ninu]

ya this is good with SEO job i am so happy..to to work...it's really my very good experiences with doing work as SEO.

 

[Jawo]

Originally posted by: pood
no, LOL

SEO is Search Engine Optimization.

I'd like to note, IT is my fail safe, I'm an entrepreneur at heart and I have a couple web projects I'm doing that hopefully will do well, but just in case. hmm. something to pay the bills I guess.

the SEO job, the guy that'll be mentoring me is a genius at it. so it will directly help me promote my own web projects.

Without a doubt take the SEO job!

 

[CptCrunch]

SEO job, IT guys (myself included) are a dime a dozen. And if you're on a helpdesk now, you wont leave for several years with difficulty moving to anywhere outside of the helpdesk with the ONLY IT experience you have is helpdesk.

 

[smack Down]

Will any self respecting company hire some one who was experience in SEO? Hell you might as well hire spammers for your email.

 

[Throckmorton]

Sounds like you'd be an idiot to do the help desk job. It's like "IT guy" to you is like "fireman" or "park ranger" to normal people.

 

[OhSnap688]

You need to choose what you want to be doing. Not what pays more IMO. Do something you enjoy doing. Who knows, promotions are likely if you are happy doing what you are doing and are good at it.

 

[XxPrOdiGyxX]

Originally posted by: Goosemaster

Originally posted by: loki8481

I've been wanting to get into IT

well there's your first problem...

:beer:

Aye..with this guys dev background he should stay in the cubicle trenches and off of the killing floor

SEO isn't realy developing. It's more like manipulating the site and some of the underlying HTML code to make it more "searchable" by search engines.

 

[XxPrOdiGyxX]

I'd say keep the Help Desk job because it will give you more knowledge towards what you ultimately want to do. Also, I say this because you could easily freelance as an SEO and not have to be part of a company. This will give you flexibility and allow you to get additional income from home. Yes, Help Desk sucks, but you gotta start somewhere.

 

[nanette1985]

SEO absolutely.

 

[dyna]

Is Help Desk typically preq to becoming a linux admin? The SEO job is much more likely to give you an oppurtunity at future jobs in web development which imho, is going to make much more money than a linux admin.