Stuck in a rut (1 Viewer)

[Groundrush]

Nope, I just got laid off. Whatever you do, KEEP YOUR JOB. The competition out here is fierce. I have seen people with more experience than me working for $18/an hour on contract.

Sorry to hear that Alisa, I have no intention of leaving my job, The problem is that my responsibilities are changing & I'm slowly losing the opportunity to use everything I have learnt over the years, I fear that eventually what I’m left with will not justify my wage.

What qualifications do the job(s), call for that you haven't got. Lets pretend its an IT degree. You are not giving me enough really to go on so sorry - if I am off the mark.

I have no SQL Server or programming experiece. All I have is a certificate to say that I took part in a two day Advanced Access course.

I think you would go a long way to solving the problem, simply by enrolling on a part time IT degree, and doing the most relevant modules to what you want to get employed at. This could be done in months or a year, rather than 5 years or whatever. There are also conversion master courses for anyone with a degree, to then get a masters in IT. Many universities will consider applicants without the relevant paper qualifications, if they have good work experience. - Have a chat with some admissions officers.

I have just looked into online training, Computeach. A little expensive but I will investigate a little further. So far the reviews have not been good

MCTS
Microsoft SQL Server 2005

MCITP
Designing & maintaining database servers


This course will costs £1679 for a year contract
2 modules of 300 hours each, a minimum of 10 hours per week

Also in lots of places in the country (if not all) there is significant financial help for employers to get their staff trained/qualified. Maybe ask your employer about getting some training/qualifications paid for.

Unfortunately they would not assist me because that type of work is carried out by our IT dept and because I don’t have those responsibilities I can’t get the experience to further my career or move on.

Anything you can do to spice up your current job?

So far they are relying on my database to keep them going until they have completed the new system

I think a lot of job postings out there push the boundaries in terms of what they really want / expect from you. Where I work now, new people start at the company, believing they are going to be 'really involved', and very soon find themselves stuck in a rut. My point, the grass isn't always greener! I think, on occasions, it can be more about the person than the job itself.

I need to be in a position where if I was made redundant I should be able to get a similar job, because of the situation I’m in where the job evolved around me. I will have no leg to stand on when job evaluation comes in & I will have to try & justify my position with little that I have left.

 

[Alisa]

I wouldn't be too worried - most new systems are delivered quite late, so maybe they will rely on your system longer than you think.

 

[Groundrush]

I wouldn't be too worried - most new systems are delivered quite late, so maybe they will rely on your system longer than you think.

I would expect my database to keep going long after the new system is in place anway but mainly for reference & closing down old jobs.

 

[oumahexi]

I would expect my database to keep going long after the new system is in place anway but mainly for reference & closing down old jobs.

You can expect your users to continue with your system as long as they can, you know how they hate change