[lopsa-discuss] Career planning

[Allan West]

Brad Knowles wrote:
> At 9:14 PM -0500 2005-12-05, Andrew Maddox wrote:
> 
>>  How permanent is any job these days in IT? In systems/network fields,
>>  especially?
> 
> 
>     Not very, at least in my experience.  Many people seem to move on 
> after just a year or two, pretty much regardless of where they are 
> moving from or where they are going.

I am really curious whether you (all) feel that this is true at all 
levels of sysadmin work. If so, do you view job change as inherently 
desirable?

I've got a permanent job at a poor state U. which means I may never get 
to LISA, but I'll have the job for a long time. When I was junior I 
moved around several times, getting good raises and varied work 
experience. Now I'm... middle management? I'm the executive officer for 
a college-level IT shop and I anticipate being in this spot until my 
supervisor is abducted by aliens. I'm paid well for the local cost of 
living, I get free classes, and I go home after working 40-45 hours 
every week.

I do not have any plan to leave my current job, either the organization 
or the actual position. I am expanding my duties and expertise in new 
directions as administrative-nonsense wrangler. I see this as a stable 
position at my U., based on a cadre of 20-30 senior admins I know who 
have risen to a point where they have a domain they are comfortable with 
and freedom to branch out and pursue their interests without having to 
pursue a new position.

How (un)usual is my position compared to other sysadmins who have been 
working in the field for 10-15 years? Thanks, Allan