Everyone is telling me to change my field (IT) and learn a trade.

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Dull_Delay_8270@reddit

Done IT for 30+ years now. Started off as a programmer, internal support, IT technician in education, service desk engineer and now IT manager.

I started off on an absolute pittance (£10k - UK wages in 1996). Slowly increased in wages. I've made a couple of career missteps - I went back to temping for a while.

I'm the same as you - I got into it because I love IT. On the plus side - there's always something new to learn - on the downside, again, there's always something new to learn.

I agree that AI is a concern - it's often talked about the community. The job market will change - but remember we had change when computers where first being introduced and the dot-com bubble changed the landscape too. I'm not sure where the road will lead tbh.

I remember in the 2000s people saying the IT job market was oversaturated with too many people working in IT. Some people left the profession entirely, which meant more chance for the people applying for IT jobs who were still in IT.

As your changing profession - that's up to you. I know several people people who previously worked in IT that are now labourers, paramedics (really) and firefighters (really) and one person who runs a flower shop!

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ybicurious@reddit (OP)

Thanks

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BrainWaveCC@reddit

Most of friends are doing trades or other jobs and making way more money than I am.

With the same amount of work history?

Well at least you’re saving in healthcare. In the us that would be yanked out of you salary and god forbid you have serious medical needs the they won’t cover.

As for the shit building that’s pretty typical of governments.

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aythekay@reddit

I don't know anyone making that amount of money 1yr into the trades. They're lying.

I do know electricians, HVAC, and Plumbers making that kind of money with 5 YOE and who finished their apprenterships.

I've also met guys who have familly connections and got into union gigs early.

But all of these thinhs require time or someone who'll set you up. Nepotism isn't just in the arts, it's everywhere.

If your friends are claiming this, tell them to find you a job or hire you on, or else it's just BS.

On your end, are you salaried or do you work for a consultancy where you can work overtime?

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_3470@reddit

consider that the trades are more physically demanding. sure you get paid less than them, but you get to sit at home or in an air conditioned office from 9am to 5pm. i have buddies in trades and they're getting up at the crack of dawn to work outdoors rain or shine.

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cpz_77@reddit

If you chose it because you love tech then id suggest stick with it because that passion IMO is one of the things that will really help you to be successful long term in this field.

Couple things. One, understand that those in physical labor jobs may not be able to do what they’re doing, at least not comfortably , when they start to get into their 40s and 50s. Maybe they can but maybe they can’t. There’s also often usually a fair amount of danger that comes with those jobs (again, depending a lot of course exactly on what it is, I’m using generalizations here) and higher likelihood for injury, which can also lead to a “not able to work” situation.

So just keep those things in mind when you compare the salaries your peers make right off the bat to what you’re making - there’s a reason those jobs pay well immediately. Because tbh many people can’t end up doing them forever. But don’t get me wrong - that doesn’t mean people can’t be successful in those fields. They absolutely can be. Just have to keep everything in perspective, don’t forget there’s many other factors to picking a career than just pay.

IT, even with all its downsides - usually a thankless job, long hours are common, at least some night/weekend work generally has to be accepted , people only notice you when something breaks, execs think it’s a “cost center”, many developers think of you as a mini/less capable version of themselves - can still have a lot of upsides too , especially if you genuinely enjoy it. It’s a job that you can physically do well into your 50s, 60s and even further if you wanted to, with little chance for on the job injury that would debilitate you (it’s not impossible especially when working with equipment in data centers, but it’s much less likely than in some manual labor jobs)… it can pay very well when you get to more senior positions, it can be mostly or fully remote, it can often have flexible work hours adjusted to your schedule (depending on your place and manager of course), and it’s far less likely than software developer jobs to be replaced by AI at least in the very near future (tbh I think the need for skilled developers will come back around anyway because I think this AI bubble will pop before long but that’s a whole separate conversation…).

Second thing is , you need to look for opportunities to expand your horizons within IT. The more of those you find/create for yourself and take advantage of, the faster inside track you’ll have to opening up opportunities for advancement. Like get involved in any project you can if it involves more complex systems work…ask questions of your more senior colleagues and try to learn from them.

Follow up on root cause of issues - find out the “why”, don’t just be happy that you can close the ticket because the issue is fixed. Learn how the systems you manage work - don’t just be content to know that they do work. Take notes….turn your notes into your own personal KB (obviously format it in whatever way works best for you) so you don’t waste time solving the same problem twice. Solve it once, record the details that matter and refer back to it the next time that issue pops up.

Try to hone your attention to detail…it’s such a critical skill in our field and it’s one that so many people struggle with. Just paying attention to all aspects of a situation…details in error messages…log entries that may be relevant to the problem at hand even if they don’t have the word “error” or “warning” in them…etc. The devil is in the details. Always. Going back to my earlier point about taking notes, those notes will help you keep the key details about stuff straight.

Just because they have "issues" doesn't mean they're aging at an accelerated rate.

That's what I think is the difference between a desk job and many trades. Most trades are just more physically demanding and break down the body faster than a desk job. You simply age faster.

Compare most trade workers to most desk jockies @ age 50. Who looks younger?

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ybicurious@reddit (OP)

Paul Rudd

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AFlyingGideon@reddit

visiting your users in person

That's a different risk. I prefer to walk the data center, glaring at the devices and daring them to defy me.

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REO_Jerkwagon@reddit

Fair. I support a pretty cool manufacturing plant at the moment, so about 50% of my job ends up involving fixing weird problems with some extremely cool but old robot systems.

I rarely walk the cube farm because yeah, that's where the users that give users a bad reputation live.

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WWGHIAFTC@reddit

A desk job can do as much damage as a trade job.

BUT!!!!

Those people need to go to the gym or for a walk then.

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chron67@reddit

If you work in IT, do you feel it's better for the body? I know some people also have issues 'cause of a desk job.

There are downsides to any job. IT tends to be more sedentary which carries significant long term health risks if you do not actively mitigate it. Eat right, work out, stay active, and you can protect from those.

I think the more relevant question is A: do you enjoy what you are doing? And B: do you feel like you want to keep adapting to the constantly changing field of IT between the adoption of AI and other shiny things?

If you aren't happy or don't want to have to constantly learn to keep up, then consider changing.

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Mclarenf1905@reddit

Honestly not really, if your job offers flexible there are things you can do to offset it though like getting up to stretch frequently, using a standing desk, sitting with good posture and typing in an ergonomic position. Also doing a bit to keep up with your physical health outside of work rather than plopping on the couch or back in front of the computer immediately after work every day.

It all sounds easy enough on paper but man it can be tough to stay persistent with it day over day month over month year over year, especially as work stress adds up and mental exhaustion from the day it can be really hard mental battle.

I can't really speak for trade jobs or how rough they are on your body because I've never worked in one but I assume the main trade off is your physical tired but maybe less mentally drained when you get off work, possibly less mental stress too? It's a spectrum though, and there are IT jobs even that skew towards more physical labor than your standard desk job like working on IT infrastructure or IT support in an office where you at least need to move around to help people at a physical location or run cables every now and again.

Every job I've had has been very flexible hours. Much more likely in IT over trades. Huge for family life.

So many things that make life simpler, more enjoyable and easier from the IT side imo.

Career growth is on you. Embrace change and new technology, volunteer when no one else does, be a good employee. You'll do fine salary wise if you do.

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beyd1@reddit

They don't call the HVAC guy because the AC is working.

They don't call the plow operator because the roads are clear.

They don't call the plumber because poop hasn't started overflowing.

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You think OP will work in IT in 20 years? Get real.

I work in IT 10+ years in 5 companies and amount of people i met who were over 50 and were qualified to work in IT (not talking about managers and other people roles) could be counted on single hand.

The IT is extremely demanding (not talking about these "not doing anything" IT jobs in corpo). I cant imagine ill be able to do IT in current tempo for another 20 years. If Ai will be improving with current tempo the jobs will change so much focusing on managing agents and be able to do context switching like human cpu, there is no way people in their 50s will be able to hold on.

IT Pro of 20 years that started similar to you.

First, know your amount. You need to know how much would make you comfortable with your goals and ambitions.

Second, follow the trends. AI is pushing data center and training of the models, and the money right now is pretty good. At the end of the day, you want to find a discipline to anchor in that will help drive skill development. For example, virtualization and cloud administration will give you access to skills in scripting, DevOps, and security.

Third, be a jack of all trades. The anchor skill will help you focus your path, but having a decent amount of knowledge of other disciplines will allow you to pivot quickly.

Finally, have a home lab where you can practice these things. Nothing fancy. Just a small environment that you can learn to break and fix.

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ybicurious@reddit (OP)

Thank you

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Altruistic-Map5605@reddit

IT is a trade.

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ybicurious@reddit (OP)

How does one increase their pay in IT after starting in help desk? Some of my co worker have been at help desk for 7-8 years.

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SudoDarkKnight@reddit

People who have been at help desk for 8 years are there because they really just want to do that job, or have no motivation to do anything else.

If you want to get out of help desk, and you have the skills and experience, you should be able to move on after 1-2 years (2 years of XP helps A LOT with any other applications).

ybicurious@reddit (OP)

Thanks

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Yupsec@reddit

The helpdesk never truly goes away, just the people you help get more stupid the higher up you go, somehow.

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BrainWaveCC@reddit

You need to get past the Help Desk. There are lots of roles within IT to look at: Networking, Cloud, Systems, Cybersecurity, DevOps, etc.

This

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itishowitisanditbad@reddit

You need to get past the Help Desk

Genius

How are people supposed to figure that out?

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badnamemaker@reddit

Step 1 is to be likable by your coworkers, so unless you are really funny being a sarcastic bastard probably won’t help your chances

Altruistic-Map5605@reddit

Asking on reddit is a start.

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Materially_Average@reddit

MSP’s are easy to get into with Help Desk experience. You’ll get exposed to a lot. Then you can more easily decide where to specialize.

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kodoku21@reddit

I worked in a help desk role for three years; aside from fixing computers and printers, plus learning a couple of Linux commands. I didn't really pick up any other skills. I worked at various places, with a significant gap in between jobs. I quit my last position due to burnout, as I spent my entire time repairing the exact same things over and over again, and nothing ever changed. It has now been nearly three years, and I want to return to IT—but this time in a better role. However, I’m struggling to decide exactly what to study or which specific role to pursue. (Just so you know, I’m not based in the US or Europe.) What options should I consider, and which direction should I explore? I have ADHD-PI (Predominantly Inattentive type) and I’m an introvert; is there actually a place for me in this field at all?

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roflsocks@reddit

Literally when they ask you what comp you’re expecting, tell them a big enough number. Do this every 2ish years until you’re top of band comp.

You have to be willing to aggressively skill up so that you’re worth paying a bunch.

Never take a lateral move, always move up in comp/responsibility both.

When you’re interviewing, look to filter out companies based on comp (and other preferences) asap. Ask for comp ranges with job descriptions very early in the process. Competitive is not a range.

Well, depends on what you want to do. It's all about being proactive and not settling. Do you want to get into network engineering? Get to know your network admin/engineers and build a rapport with them. Systems Admin? same deal. Systems Engineering? Same thing. It's all about networking and getting exposure and asking for opportunities to learn.

I would try to get out of Help Desk after 1-2 years before picking up jr. role in any of the above IMO.

Your co-workers arent good at what they do is the short answer that you wont like much.

It is about way more than remote support. If you can get the diplomacy part working thats where you start to make bank.

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InevitableOk5017@reddit

Ya move to another position or company.

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DehydratedButTired@reddit

Move to new jobs every 2-3 years. Get certs and make a small homelab to try stuff. If they won’t promote you, keep applying for the promotion you want.

Helpdesk. No one wants to hire you when you have experience. Once you get the experience and put it on your resume then everyone wants to hire you. I had recruiters calling me an no one questioned me changing jobs.

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PaintDrinkingPete@reddit

It’s been over 20 years since I started on the helpdesk, but at that time what got people ahead and out of that role was essentially being good and efficient at it. Being able to recognize and solve problems quickly and without escalation, for example… most of the folks I knew who were “stuck” in helpdesk for years were those who just kinda showed up to work every day, didn’t close tickets quickly enough and/or had to ask for help with many of them. The folks that got ahead and moved onto higher roles were those able to quickly fix problems and became the ones the former group would come to when they were stumped…those that recognized potential problems before they occurred and were proactive about making improvements to the existing infrastructure.

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Your coworker has been stuck on help desk because either they haven't proved that they've learned any real skills, or they cannot be trusted with high-level stuff.

When I used to be just a PC repair technician, I ended up getting into a lot of municipal government repairs which made my boss more comfortable with giving me interesting work. On top of that, because I could terminate ethernet cabling, I would go on jobs with him test cables, make cables, make terminations, and increase my usefulness. After a while of doing that stuff and learning rudimentary networking, also building a home lab so I could learn how a directory server works... I started getting involved with more on-site stuff. I moved to another business, they were an MSP and a repair shop, proved myself in the shop, did a couple of on-sites, and started building reputation with the business customers to the point where they trusted me more than their technical account manager.

You can't get anywhere in this industry by sitting still. You have to constantly learn new things outside of your primary duty. On top of that you have to be willing to put in the work and after hours effort when bad shit happens. That's how you gain a reputation with your employer and your clients. After some time you'll start being trusted handling business clients, and will move on to really big things, especially if you have the mind and charisma to interact with irate people.

I've been doing this job for about 19 years. I spent the first 8 years of my career doing essentially help desk and desktop repairs. I loved every minute of it, and I always kept learning more things so that I could do more interesting things of value. Now I'm making close to six figures, working as an internal IT department systems engineer and help desk guy. It sucks is still be on help desk, but that's because we're a very small team. But I also handle some of the more technical crazy shit because I have knowledge.

But I've also worked in other roles where I was the acting director of IT, director of managed services, and much more. I just really like the company that I'm with and the people that I work with are pretty fucking cool. So essentially I've shoe horned myself into this, but because I like it.

Again, keep making yourself more valuable by investing in yourself. You don't need an education, you just have to keep improving your skills and proving your skills in front of people who can give your leadership feedback. Also it helps to have some friends on LinkedIn.

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inclination64609@reddit

Put a year in at helpdesk, at least. Then apply for jobs at MSPs. They will be the widest amount of field experience you can get. The job will likely suck, it will be stressful, and you may consider quitting weekly-daily. Stick with it as much as you can to absorb the knowledge and experience. While at the MSP, you will get a much better idea of what aspect of IT you like and which you hate. Go for certifications accordingly.

I did the same at a pretty slow pace, but it paid off immensely. I did 6 years help desk (stagnated and was dealing with personal issues). Then I did another 6 years at an MSP and did everything from regular desk side support, to enterprise management, to projects (migrations, endpoint deployments, MDM configuration/deployment, security system installs, AD restructuring, EMR setups, etc…). It was an immense amount of experience quickly in a wide variety of industry verticals.

I had multiple offers from clients to buy out my contract over the years, and mostly used them as leverage for pay raises at the MSP. Eventually I accepted an offer and am now an IT director at a healthcare facility. I make decent money, still just under 100k, but I have amazing flexibility on my hours. I work a majority of the time remote as a primary parent which has been great with my wife’s maternity leave ending. And my company offers lots of continued learning paths for me to continue working on certain and even doing leadership programs to expand my experience beyond just IT.

If there’s one major piece of advice I would give anyone in IT it would be to never pretend like you know something you don’t. If you’re up front that you need time to learn it, and put the effort in to do so, sooooooo many doors will open up.

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Alpha_Drew@reddit

Help desk is an entry level IT job, i feel like after about 2 or 3 years you should be prepping yourself to move into system admin, network analyst, cloud architect, database admin, programmer analyst, cybersecurity analyst and the list goes on.

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Master-IT-All@reddit

If someone is at HD for 7-8 years they are never leaving HD.

It's useful for filtering people who don't work well with others, who don't follow directions, and lets techs see the actual issues and priorities of real users. There's a whole lot of silo induced blindness that forcing higher level sysadmins to do a week of user facing support a year would seriously clear up. I also feel devs should do the same with customer support for their own software.

What people say they want/need is rarely what you'll find when you dig into what they're actually attempting to accomplish.

Seeing a solid dose of the user side early on also clears up a lot of "noone would be dumb enough to" misconceptions.

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MightyDevOps@reddit

Yeah , look up how many of them are in Europe and what's the apply rate , you can't allow yourself to work for min wage or below min wage especially in the UK and get by especially that there are no promotions.

Most positions are grown out of it and when you are racing with hundreds of applicant's its a non viable path and plan.

You want to be senior tops 5 years so you can reach US MIN WAGE levels of salary and maybe start to live your life.

How does one increase their pay in IT after starting in help desk? Some of my co worker have been at help desk for 7-8 years.

In no specific order: Network (the social kind, not the router/switch kind) as social connections are often more important than your actual skillset when it comes to job hunting. Connections can help you get your resume seen. Let your leaders know you want to advance or change roles eventually and that you are open to new challenges and responsibility. Constantly learn new tech/tools and put them to practice.

Those things are useful regardless of where you go in IT. If you know you want a specific job then you can prepare in more specific ways. Want to become a developer? Focus on learning languages and actually building things you can show off. Want to get into DevOps? Learn Docker/Kubernetes/Ansible/Terraform and be ready to demonstrate that knowledge.

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cheeseburgermachine@reddit

If you are not getting promoted out of help desk, go find another place. Look for another job. You can discusss all this with your manager too and they could look out for jobs for you but it takes longer.

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Ask and move onto another job if “no”

It’s that simple.

How you ask is important. Don’t say “waah you don’t pay me enough!”

Say “how can I make myself valuable enough to make $75,000”

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Seven-Prime@reddit

make plans to be out of helpdesk within two years if not sooner. Upskill your tech and social skills.

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20secondwizard@reddit

Passion follows profits.

Choose your niche. Networking, Cloud management, Security or whatever.
Eveyone losing their minds over AI but seem to forget that AI runs on IT infrastructure.

25 years. Run my own MSP, do some Rural IT. Cows shit. A LOT!!!

Worked out, my average dairy farm with Mum, Dad, two kids, 300 dairy cows, IT is the same as a 15 person company. Router, firewall, 3x wifi AP's for the (massive) house, 3x TV's, 4 x phones, tablets, notebooks, network printer, 1x short range wifi bridge to a work shed, 1x wifi in work shed, pc in work shed, 5 Km (3 mile) long range wifi bridge to dairy shed, 2x pc's 1x network laser printer, 1x label printer, NFC wand Bluetooth linked to weigh station, linked to pc. NFC wand on each dairy milking machine, 300x nfc collars for each animal, which takes, amount of times the head bobs for food, GPS geofencing to stop animals from leaving designated areas, temperature probes to determine when a female is on heat, combined with how much milk is produced, which bull was run over it, to determine breeding lines, what the progeny produces etc.

Working in the dairy shed is not for good clothes...

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relentlesshack@reddit

You lucky duck.

Thanks

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Yohnald@reddit

I started a helpdesk role right after college making 50k, I’m 10 years in now a sys admin with a focus on cloud making 113k. I know that’s not somthing to brag about, plenty of people make more than me but I say that to let you know it does get better.

What worked for me more then certs and getting advanced degrees(which I got eventually but really don’t help that much) was just asking to touch everything, learn everything, do everything. Let your job know you want to do more you want to move up. If they have no room for growth and can’t even let you do more advanced things for free then you look for other jobs with room for growth. Maybe the salary is the same but the org is really big and has a big dept so you can move up eventually. Let them know on the interview the whole reason your applying is beacuse you want to be more then what you’re right now.

Also personality will take you further than technical skill IMO. We can teach anyone technical skills but are you a good person, can you be trusted with important things, are you dependable, likable, friendly, those traits seen by upper mgmt will take you way further.

ybicurious@reddit (OP)

Thank you.

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MahaloMerky@reddit

Trade people can be some of the most obnoxious people ever. Was at a party recently and told someone I was a month away from my Masters in Engineering. this guy interrupts me and goes “bro screw that go learn a trade”

???

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ybicurious@reddit (OP)

Most people in trades are those "bad boys" or popular kids, so they're mean.

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kaminm@reddit

u/Altruistic-Map5605 is correct in that IT is a trade. I went the Trade route with my IT Training, but I think a degree would have opened more doors for me sooner than they currently have been. The others asking about work history time frames are also correct.

I am in Academia. I typically make 25-50% less than my peers in private industry, but my team and provided benefits make up for it in Tangible and Intangible fringe benefits. I have been doing IT work since I was 15, so that now puts me at over 25 years of experience, and I only just started topping the $100k USD mark in the last year. Again, private industries are going to be different.

Learning programming is still worth it. Even if you are not an expert level programmer and still using Agentic coding, knowing what your Agent is attempting to do based on your input is still useful for debugging, analysis, and just calling the agent out on its bullshit.

I think the trick right now for you is to attempt to trial a lot of things until you find that niche that calls to you and then put yourself into it so far that you are the one to start making decisions on how it gets implemented.

I managed to nest myself in a good place where my job is a mix of Server Engineering, automation, development, and interestingly, in-house product design and manufacturing. I've been designing and 3D Printing a lot of things around the office for various projects. I've been directing Claude Code on an internal replacement for our Solarwinds Helpdesk product where the licensing has gotten REAL stupid, an in-house Application Patching Catalog for SCCM to perform the same functions as Patch My PC that the powers-that-be won't let us use that is based on the Winget repos, and been working on building out a Server lab for our techs.

This is the kind of stuff I like to do.

So find your niche. Run with it. When you are happy and doing what you like, that will show for the other things you are vying for.

Suggestions:
Linux - do a Linux From Scratch build. Do the 2 basic level Red Hat Certifications. Setup a Proxmox lab. Learn clustering, backups, and failover from that. Learn Puppet, Ansible, and various Bash scripting techniques
Windows - Windows Server Admin and Engineering Certificates, or at least the training. Learn how the OSes communicate with the components, and how the services are intertwined (not always in a good way) (OK, almost never in a good way). Learn Powershell scripting for automation and management.
DevOPS - Learn the AWS and Azure Platforms and automation routines.
Programming - Learning Python seems to be the big bad for the last decade or so. C# and .Net is also a good bet. Use AI, like Claude for learning. Instead of "How do I do X?" try it for yourself, and then ask Claude to review the code and make suggestions. Learn that way. Bash is still very useful for Linux and MacOS machines. Batch and Powershell for Windows machines.

I'm already 30+. I can't start over as I also have to start a family soon. I have yet to find a partner and need to invest time in that too.

Is your future potential family on a project schedule?

I don't think I'm made for trades.

Then why is this even a question? Those same trades guys are saying "I don't think I'm made for technology/computers/analysis.

I don't know which jobs will still exist after AI eliminates some and whether they'll be paid good or not.

No one knows- and everyone predicted the jobs would disappear with the cloud/virtualization too. The jobs change, but they usually don't just disappear.

Keep doing what you want to do; and don't change careers just because of money.

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ybicurious@reddit (OP)

Thanks. That's what I believe in, that I can't do somethod I dont like. I can probably do it for some time but not long term and this stage of my life I wanna make decisions for long term.

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pr0xy123@reddit

Get past helpdesk get some certs. I was in helpdesk way to long and you'll get stuck there then you will get bored with the work all together.

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Opposite_Bag_7434@reddit

Yea in the US and Canada the trades generally do really well, and they should. I can’t speak for Canada but in the US most of this is likely due to the years of hard work of many unions.

The thing is that IT (very broadly speaking) can have a much bigger learning curve depending on what type of work, and there is also a much bigger income upside than any of the trades.

All my friends and relatives that have chosen trade jobs were paid more pretty quickly and they get paid well throughout the career. At my current employer we have executives that are paid more than our programmers and IT professionals, but these roles are making more than most of the company.

OP this is ultimately a decision you have to make. I have a side business that is trade adjacent. I have put my technology background to good use in this side business, although it is not a computer business.

There are some really interesting options out there right now as we see every trade advance nearly as rapidly as the computer fields are.

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Steebs888@reddit

Here’s what’s worked for me. If you’re in a helpdesk at a small company you’ll probably not be able to network your way into a better role. Try to work for a big company with a big IT team be reliable and you can move around. Sometimes that doesn’t work with office politics. You can also try to pivot into tech heavy other jobs like other ppl were saying like AV, automation, security systems and controls. Also learn computer networking it doesn’t have to be CCNA level but any job or tech heavy job will be easier. Within the same company I worked in IT setting up users now I work with facilities so the blue color guys. I setup all the controllers and automation. I get paid the same as the facilities department. So how your buddy is in the trades I get paid trade wages in IT.

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DSolutionz@reddit

If you have a passion for IT stick with it and build a plan to get the salary and situation you desire. Situation is important, not just salary, e.g. do you want to work from home? Plumbers and carpenters don’t, but plenty of IT people do, so consider the living situation you desire as well. Also, if you move away from IT and into a trade only for money - not recommended - you won’t make top dollar in a trade you hate. I know a software engineer that was introduced to dentistry by a friend - he spent a day at the dental office and liked it so much he’s now a dentist! He chose something he loves to do more than software, even though he still loves software. So develop a plan (it will change along the way) to do what you love at the pay scale and living situation you desire and then work the plan. That’s what I did.

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helooksfederal@reddit

mate, I'm 50 this month, been in IT since 94, 32 years of IT horse shit. I'm taking up a sparky apprenticeship.

the way IT is going I'd advise the same as everyone else is telling you.

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DenseDepartment8317@reddit

Move up from help desk and you would be fine

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CryptosianTraveler@reddit

Start your own IT company or MSP

Side hustle like web design if company allows it for some extra income

Do you like flying - become an airline pilot, it’s 100% feasible before 31-32 years old. Air traffic controllers great pay - high stress, in high demand tho.

-

Unions are great and stable - plumbing and electrical are excellent trades.

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Panta125@reddit

Don't start a family unless you can afford it... Period...

You don't have a degree...

Join a trade and work til you die...

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Working a desk job vs breaking my back in a labour intensive role are two very different things.

You might not be making enough money in comparison to your peer working labour intensive roles in common. But down the line your quality of live vs their will be drastically different.

Name of the game is always learning - if you stay in a help desk position without up skilling yourself in the industry. You probably don’t have a passion for IT and I’d look at other things you actually want to do.

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NerdyKid1101@reddit

The "just get a better job for more money" argument always makes me laugh. Like OK so everyone does that... Then people complain that there are no waiters, your buddy complains that he can't open this PDF and no one can show him how.

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DestinationUnknown13@reddit

You just have to find someone who values your skills. Building skills takes time so dont bail just yet. I too was in that position of being lower waged than my friends. Yes they all retired early but I'm making 6 figures now, it just took longer but I enjoy my job.

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Laidoffforlife@reddit

If I can go back I would.

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giovannimyles@reddit

Its not the field or trade you are in at a high level that limits your earnings, its the role and location as well. I can do what I do in one City and make half what I make now and in another they may pay double. Its supply and demand. Look at job boards for your city and see what the ceiling is for the different IT roles. It will show you what your theoretical ceiling is for any given job title. Then work to get to that area. It may also be a trade and they may be right. Do the research and see what fits for you in your city.

To address the second point, starting over is scary but staying a bad or limited course is worse. If you hit a fork in the road and choose a path the longer you stay the path the harder it is to go back or cut over to the other path. If you quickly change, the road to the other path is a lot shorter. Don't stick something out that will limit you. If you stay the course and 5yrs later you finally crack $50K CAD. It could be that if you start over that you may crack that same $50K CAD in 2yrs and be even higher 3yrs after that. Do the research, see how things are in your city and good luck to you!

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RestartRebootRetire@reddit

Where I live they're desperate for tradesmen. Roofers, anything. Any smaller area flooded by people seeking the good life (with their money) ends up way understaffed in the trades. Our local appliance repair shop is booking six weeks out, and a good roofer is 6+ months.

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Bogus1989@reddit

lmao this is why i do IT now. a decade in fhe US Army. my body was completely destroyed before 30.

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AfterEagle@reddit

When AI starts picking off more jobs, those "trade" positions will become the next gold rush and will be neutralized similarly to IT right now.

Yes AI likely can't be a plumber... But when jobs are being lost and everyone becomes a plumber what does that do the job market?

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blix88@reddit

Get out while you can.

gif

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cyberkine@reddit

Opportunities arise at the intersection of disciplines. Mix IT with a trade - install and maintain network cabling, etc. Specialize in PLCs and/or learn CAD/CAM and support process automation. Lots of places to use IT without sitting at a desk, and bringing a specialty like IT to a trade can boost pay.

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nashmunny@reddit

most people will tell you doing anything IT sub 80K isn't worth it. Easy money ran out. Get a real ob.

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AdeelAutomates@reddit

One of the hardest leaps to make is from support to systems. Which is where the dream of working IT, building and working on cool systems and of course the good money lies... but getting there can be hard. Lots of people hit that point and aren't lucky enough to have a natural transition out.

So IT becomes a never-ending education. The feeling to always level up keeps creeping up as tech evolve.

How do you master systems if all you are doing is simple troubleshooting for users, right? That stuff you learn in school begins to fade away. Doesn't help that the jobs are ticket based and usually stressful. Leaving you little room to think about even opening the books.

Worst is when you are working for a job but the industry is speeding ahead around you. Making you that much less in demand over itme.

Alot of people have 4-5 years of experience but it's really 1 years of experience being repeated 4-5 times. That's because alot of jobs make you a cog rather than a force that can explore and grow. Those are the worst because you actually degrade over time. So your best bet is to switch jobs around finding more meaningful pursuits and build your own career path.

Now in terms of job switching in this market.... it doesn't help that our line of work has a few factors at play right now. Too many people looking for jobs (with each year more graduates) with too few roles. While orgs are downsizing and letting people go making that pool worst. Outsourcing to places like India to cut costs. Automations that cut teams that were 10 to say 7 to manage the same workload. And then of course the excuse that's being used for the mass firing... AI will eventually have some effect as well.

Of course, not everyone has this same experience but it's something to consider.

I know a kid who at 22 was a crane operator. He got paid to go live in Toronto (free housing) while making 140k + over time 2.5x. while my first 5 years was < 60k, lol.

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N7Valor@reddit

Are those the same people that told everyone to Learn to Code?

How's that working out?

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Zeggitt@reddit

Im currently trying to get out of IT and into electrical, but i like physical work. If you like doing IT, you should stick with it and try to move up. The job market is pretty brutal right now, though.

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Current_Anybody8325@reddit

This is considered a trade. I got my degree at a technical college. Now, it's a trade that can lead to a "white collar" role, but I.T. has historically been a trade-like field.