At a career crossroads, seeking advice

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PoundMan

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Good afternoon folks, I am hoping for some advice with making a career change/pivot in my mid-thirties.

I graduated with an undergrad Bachelors Honours Degree where I majored in Computer Science and minored in Business Studies back in 2012. Since then, I have worked for over a decade in IT Technical Support Helpdesk roles predominately within the Public Sector. I've worked my way up from 1st-line to 2nd-line but I am now feeling burnt out with this career and would like to find a new path. I am fed up with answering Helpdesk phone calls all day and there isn't much scope for me to progress beyond 2nd-line Tech Support so I need to specialize. The following factors are key considerations for me:

Employer:
Public Sector of any description (Civil Service, HSE, Local Authorities, Universities, ETB’s, Semi-State, etc) is my preference due to the job security, solid pension, flexi-hours and generous holidays. It is also important for to remain in the Public Sector as it would allow me to pivot into another field without having to take any salary reduction, given that my existing pay scale would be matched without much of an issue.

Salary:
I'm earning roughly €50k and I'm realistically never going to be able to earn much more than mid 50's in a Tech Support role, particularly as it is my preference to remain within the Public Sector or even semi-state. I moved here from Northern Ireland in 2020 and have found it extremely difficult to afford rent, so I know I need to work towards a more lucrative career. At the moment I don’t really envisage myself managing people, so I know I’m probably never going to earn a six figure salary but I would like to work in an area which would give scope for earning €60-90k.

Responsibility:
As mentioned above, at this moment I don’t have much appetite for managing people but there is a possibility that my outlook on this could change in the longer term. At present I care for a profoundly disabled parent, I have to try to look after all of their affairs at the same time as getting on with my own life. I don’t believe the added stress of management would be good for me to try to cope with, my home life is stressful enough without adding more to it in my work life. I’m also quite introverted so wouldn’t really consider myself to be the most sociable people person.

Location:
I am seeking a career with a bit more flexibility in terms of location. I would prefer to be able to work from home 2 or 3 days per week. The problem with working in Tech Support is that there always needs to be a physical presence covering the Helpdesk, so even the days that I am scheduled to work from home there is always a very high chance I could get called to come into the office to man the Helpdesk if someone is off sick or if things are particularly busy. When remote working was first introduced through a blended working policy, I was hoping this would enable me to occasionally work whilst up in Northern Ireland visiting family but unfortunately this has not been possible due to having to be available to come on-site at very short notice. Perhaps there are no Public Service jobs that would allow such flexibility? It would be great if I could even identify a particular government department or semi-state body that would allow me to work on projects with offices on both sides of the border.

Holidays:
I’ve always been lucky in public sector in this respect, ideally I would like something similar to my current entitlement which gives me 30 days annual leave (not including public holidays) plus an additional 13 days flexi leave. At the moment if I want to book leave, I have to check to make sure nobody else on the helpdesk already has it booked off. I would prefer to be working in an area where I can take leave whenever I want, without having to worry about ensuring there is going to be cover for me.

Interests:
There are a number of interesting IT sub-domains which I am thinking of potentially pivoting into, such as Cybersecurity, Data Science/Analytics, Software Development, Artificial Intelligence, etc. But I’m not sure which would be the right one for me given everything I have laid out above. My interest is predominately in Technology but I also have an interest in Finance, having minored in Business Studies at University where I always did particularly well in my Accounting modules. I enjoy working with Excel spreadsheets and analysing tables of data to see if I can identify a common trend or something that would allow me to make an informed decision. In my final year at University I did a module on Machine Learning and Data Mining which I really enjoyed. I also really enjoy automation, constantly finding myself scripting with batch files on my computer to try to automate boring repetitive tasks and save myself time. Saving myself time and money is two of my favourite hobbies. I’m also quite security-minded, always trying to ensure all my devices and accounts are secured from scams so I do enjoy the sense of purpose that would come with a crime prevention career like Cyber. I’m not really sure if there is a suitable career path or field that combines or incorporates many of these different interests?

Education:
I am quite keen to do an online part-time level 9 Masters Degree of PostGrad Diploma in the near future, for two main reasons:
  1. I am now in my mid 30’s so I really want to do a Masters before I settle down and have a family and won’t have the time to commit to such an undertaking given that most part-time courses take 2 years to complete.
  2. I want to take advantage of the Springboard+ scheme which funds 90% of the costs, I could never afford to do a level 9 otherwise. So if I leave it too late, who knows how much longer the Springboard+ scheme will be available for.
I don’t mind lifelong studying towards industry certifications as I like to keep myself updated, but I am realistically only going to be able to do a Masters Degree once in my life. I’m not the most naturally academic (generally prefer multiple-choice exams instead of dissertations and essays) person so I wouldn’t want to put myself through it twice. It is therefore crucial that I pursue a masters in the right career area. I wish there was one that covered lots of different areas of interest for me, as that way I’d still have the flexibility of using that masters degree to my benefit regardless of which field I ended up in. It was also probably be better if I could find a conversion course that was designed for people switching careers rather than one that required pre-existing specialist knowledge.



Apologies that this post has been so long, but I wanted to include as much relevant detail as possible for context. Given everything I have said, I would be keen to hear some thoughts and get your feedback if you wouldn’t mind please.
 
I would be closely following what major government announcement they are on technology projects (digitization, cyber security etc.) and get in touch with the appropriate department / agency as early as possible, so you are there from day one. These government entities are often using consultancies to deliver these projects, but they rarely go without internal support. Also, at some stage these project are due to be handed over to the government entity and someone needs to run / further enhance this.
 
Have you discounted Business Analyst \ Product Owner as it would involve engaging with a lot of different stakeholders?
 
I would suggest getting into AI/Automation. I would for a financial services company and this has become huge in the last 6 months. US parent company bought an AI company and already 30+ people (across BA, Development, testing) in Ireland working on this and will only grow over coming months/year.
 
Look at doing a project manager qualification. Project managers are usually grade vii in hse and there are a lot of it related projects happening.
 
There are likely to be good opportunities in all the areas covered by Springboard+, hence the strong government support to encourage people to move into these area.

You mention data analytics. This is a certainly a great option if you have the interest and aptitude. Some of the springboard programmes have an element of career placement which may entail taking a step back financially in the short term, involving a break from the public sector.

There will doubtless be subsequent jobs in the public sector but they will pay less than the equivalent in the private sector. It depends on the premium you attach to job security etc.

I know from my own experience that part-time study is quite demanding and is made more difficult when you have other demands on your time (a dependent family member, children etc). These difficulties aren’t insurmountable but you need to factor them into your planning.

In terms of career progression generally, the higher you go, the greater the requirement to manage people and their performance. Keep an open mind as to your willingness and capability to take on these responsibilities. Don’t allow yourself to believe that a quiet personality automatically precludes you from managing effectively. That’s not the reality.
 
PoundMan said:
Location:
I am seeking a career with a bit more flexibility in terms of location. I would prefer to be able to work from home 2 or 3 days per week. The problem with working in Tech Support is that there always needs to be a physical presence covering the Helpdesk, so even the days that I am scheduled to work from home there is always a very high chance I could get called to come into the office to man the Helpdesk if someone is off sick or if things are particularly busy. When remote working was first introduced through a blended working policy, I was hoping this would enable me to occasionally work whilst up in Northern Ireland visiting family but unfortunately this has not been possible due to having to be available to come on-site at very short notice. Perhaps there are no Public Service jobs that would allow such flexibility? It would be great if I could even identify a particular government department or semi-state body that would allow me to work on projects with offices on both sides of the border.
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I've since been told that some of the semi-state bodies such as EirGrid and ESB have offices in both Dublin and Belfast and they have flexibility in allowing employees to work from both locations. This would be ideal for me, although unfortunately it would probably mean giving up Public Service perks such as DB pension, flexi-leave, pay scales, etc. Does anyone know if any other Public Sector departments/bodies would have offices/projects on both sides of the border? Perhaps the likes of Fáilte Ireland or Waterways Ireland? Or maybe even if there was a government department that had a strong presence in Donegal?
 
1. Take your section Responsibility and rewrite it as what you have achieved; the skills you use; the improvements you have made; etc. Employers want to see achievements, and what you did and the skills you used.

For example where you say “ I don’t have much appetite for managing people “, you should recast it as a virtue “I provide guidance and direction to other team members to achieve their goals of ….”.

Basically, the idea is to determine what you have to offer; what (transferable) skills you have; what you have achieved, and present this in a way to show an employer how you can meet their requirements.

2. Buy the most recent edition of the book “What Colour is your Parachute” What Color Is Your Parachute? - Wikipedia . The exercise of rewriting what you have responsibility for as achievements and skills comes from that book (or it was in the edition I read).

3. It might be worth you while hiring a life coach who can analyse your career; tell you how to construct a c.v. to present your skills and achievements to meet an employer’s requirements and tell you what to leave out of your c.v (which can sometimes be as important as what you should put in).

Best of luck.
 
If you could pivot to a role in the private sector and quickly grow your salary that might offset the stability of a well paying public service job. You could decide yourself what to do with the extra money.

You are probably being very well payed for the role you are in, given your years of experience. However, you have not progressed much, you still seem to be in an entry level position (apologies if I mis-read that, I do not mean to offend), so if I was an employer I would be wondering why this person was not naturally promoted to higher roles in the last 10 years.

Cyber security, data mining, business analyst, project manager all seem roles that you are qualified for, and I think for you the main thing is just to pick one - and run with it. None of us can know with certainty if the choice is right but aspects of all of them seem to appeal to you. So once you decide maybe ask your current employer to fund the MSc and you may be able to do a course during working hours if sponsored by your company.

Best of luck.
 
A number of quangos are working 3 days in the office, 2 days at home at the minute. Also there is no need for a helpdesk to be on site. I migrated a few dozen heads from a similar set up to remote working at the start of lockdown and we are never going back into the office. Most things can be fixed remotely these days and if it can't, it likely requires a swap out which can be scheduled.

Assuming you want to stay in IT, take a long hard look at your certifications and get the required ones (AWS, Azure whatever), I've seen lots of people with loads of experience lose out because they didn't tick those boxes

Security is the real growth area in the IT sector and where the big bucks are
 
Well first off, I think you are nuts for ruling out the private sector! We are not being sent down the mines every day! Especially in IT with the experience you have. I wouldn't expect you would have to take a pay cut. Opposite in fact. Easily get a technical BA job for instance for a lot more money..
 
Our help desk is half remote half on site. The on site is divided across the team so there's always someone on site, but they can WFH on other days. On site days are going to be Tues,Weds,Thurs as their the days most people come in.

To move to more money or grade you'll need level 8 or higher and certs above foundation in things like prince 2, ITIL, Agile etc. Look at what jobs adverts area asking for. They are usually defined by HR which is the filter you need to pass to get to interview.

I agree with the all the advice above. Especially studying while working.
 
Interestingly I know lots of IT contractors working in the Public Sector as contractors and not staff and raking in the money. Some turned down permanent roles as they'd have lost out financially
 
thedaddyman said:
Interestingly I know lots of IT contractors working in the Public Sector as contractors and not staff and raking in the money. Some turned down permanent roles as they'd have lost out financially
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Same here. They mostly in my experience get the same flexibility regarding remote working as well. All the ones I know are developers which the Poundman isn't, though.
 
You are correct in what you say yet it managing people isn’t his thing ied say PMP may not be helpful here. Influencing people who are not working for you is as difficult as direct management
partnership said:
Look at doing a project manager qualification. Project managers are usually grade vii in hse and there are a lot of it related projects happening
Click to expand...
 
Sunny said:
Well first off, I think you are nuts for ruling out the private sector! We are not being sent down the mines every day! Especially in IT with the experience you have. I wouldn't expect you would have to take a pay cut. Opposite in fact. Easily get a technical BA job for instance for a lot more money..
Click to expand...
Ied have to agree with this. You have a good base degree, and experience and there are a lot of remote jobs where you never have to go to an office ever if you don’t want to and they can pay well as in VHI, matched pension contributions, certifications etc., so maybe you need to talk to someone in IT , not a recruiter, who can coach you in the right direction.
 
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