I need a bit of career advice please

[Edwardo]

Hey guys,

As the subject suggests, I would be grateful for any advice.

I have been working as a helpdesk/tech support person for the past two years since graduating from college. I enjoy the work but there is something missing. I think what I do not like sometimes about my position is that it is hard to quantify ones performance. That is hard for someone like me as I want to "post up numbers" so to speak. I want to produce results.

Another reason I am thinking of a career change is because I noticed that I liked interacting with clients the best. Even though I was merely fixing their computers, I still enjoyed the dialogue. I find that I receive a great deal of stimuli from communicating with others. Thus, I am thinking of a career in sales. I did work in sales a few years ago while in college. However, it was of the retail nature and I do not want to pursue a career in retail. I did do well though. I always exceeded my quotas and made extra money from commission.

I was thinking about a career in pharmaceutical sales. I have read that one can earn a good salary. I have looked at jobs on Monster.com and I found that I have most of the credentials for an entry-level sales rep position aside from the two years of sales experience that most positons say they require. I believe I have a little under a year of sales experience. Furthermore, I have retail sales experience and some of the descriptions are for "business to business sales".

If any of you guys work in this industry, I would really appreciate some pointers. Should I even apply to some of these jobs if I do not have the minimum two years of sales experience? Will they toss my resume aside if they do not see the requisite two years experience?


Will good grades in college and a willingness to relocate anywhere in the United States assist me in landing an interview?

I am sorry this was long-winded guys. I could really use some help though. Please feel free to e-mail me or post up here if you would like.

I learned a good deal from this thread.
http://www.nsxprime.com/ubb/Forum9/HTML/000290.html

Thanks a lot guys.

 

[McAttack]

I'd like to take a try at an answer.

First off, I'm assuming you're about 23. Second, I'm assuming you have few or no strings if you are able to locate nationally. Perhaps some college loans but all in all containable debt.

Now, having said that, based upon what you wrote, it would seem that sales is right up your alley. If you don't mind my saying, your post indicates you already know what you want. You simply need reassurance. I can understand this. Sales is potentially very lucrative but also very uncertain, hence frightening. It's not so different from having your own business. But hey, if it was easy, everyone would do it, right?

And then there's also the stigma that salespeople are cut throat, superficial, showey or insecure.

Now, THAT said, it has been my experience that the truly BEST sales people are genuine and love what they do. EVERY day is a Saturday. You may have read or heard this before but maybe if you hear it again, it may stick. "Find something you LOVE to do and the money will come." If you really enjoy computers, sell computers. Your expertise and enthusiasm will show through. Couple this with your desire to interact with people and you have a winning combination.

Final thought: You're young, take chances.

I took some very big calculated risks in my 20's. And it WAS scary. But fear is also a good motivator. With a lot of hard work (and a good amount of luck), things paid off handsomely. Now, at 39 I have a happy, fulfilling and well rounded life. What got me here was "taking the path less traveled by" which I dare say probably defines 99% of the members of this forum. Hey, you don't see too many NSX's out there now do you? That's one of the key reasons I have one!

My 2 cents. Good luck......

 

[huckster]

ditto....sales, you bet. even if you dont do sales forever it will give you a good background with many valuable lessons

pick the industry you go into sales for very carefully. in certain industries sales IS very cut-throat and conniving.

the best sales jobs are like being self-employed, with virtually unlimited income potential and all the accompanying headaches.

good luck. feel free to email me if you want further dialogue

 

[MAJOR STONER]

Resume Quotes

These quotes are taken from actual resumes:

*"I demand a salary commiserate with my extensive experience."


*"I have lurnt Word Perfect 6.0 computor and spreasheet progroms."


*"Received a plague for Salesperson of the Year."


*"Wholly responsible for two (2) failed financial institutions."


*"Reason for leaving last job...maturity leave."


*"Failed bar exam with relatively high grades."


*"It's best for employers that I not work with people."


*"Let's meet, so you can 'ooh' and 'aah' over my experience."


*"You will want me to be Head Honcho in no time."


*"Am a perfectionist and rarely if if ever forget details."


*"I was working for my mom until she decided to move."


*"Marital status single. Unmarried. Unengaged. Uninvolved. No commitments."


*"I have an excellent track record, although I am not a horse."


*"I am loyal to my employer at all costs.... Please feel free to respond to my resume on my office voice mail."


*"I have become completely paranoid, trusting completely no one and absolutely nothing."


*"My goal is to be a meteorologist. But since I possess no training in meteorology, I suppose I should try stock brokerage."


*"I procrastinate, especially when the task is unpleasant."


*"Personal interests donating blood. Fourteen gallons so far."


*"As indicted, I have over five years of analyzing investments."


*"Instrumental in ruining entire operation for a Midwest chainstore."


*"Note Please don't misconstrue my 14 jobs as 'job-hopping'. I've never quit a job."


*"Marital status often. Children various."


*"Reason for leaving last job They insisted that all employees get to work by 8:45 am every morning. I couldn't work under those conditions.


*"The company made me a scapegoat, just like my three previous employers."


*"Finished eighth in my class of ten."


*"References none. I've left a path of destruction behind me."

 

[ilya]

There are plenty of opportunitiers in IT as well that allow you to work on an executive level and interact.

First, you need to move up and away from simple tech support. You need to learn business and you need to learn the industry. An MBA is a good start on the business side.
As for industry experience, you need to learn some skills that carry exceptional value.

There are many executive level positions that pay very well in the industry such as: CTO/IT Manager/Director, Implementation Coordinator and/or Specialist, System Analyst/Senior Project Manager. These are senior management level positions with emphasis on business and large scale operations that will give you all of the interaction, recognition, respect, influence, and compensation you are looking for.

You need industry knowledge and experience. A business degree (MBA) is almost required for the higher level positions as well. Aside from the degree, my recommendation (if you choose this route) is to change your environment. There is little to be gained from providing low/medium level support in a standard company environment. You need to find a large software company where the majority of the employees are highly proficient. You need to start working implementations, data conversions, advanced support and possibly system administration in as many different environments as possible. A QA/testing environment within a software company can expose you to many environments and OSs (UNIX, Solaris, AS400) as well as relational databases (Oracle, SQL Server, DB2).

Once you have an advanced knowledge of all these facets you can move up to coordinating and supervising major implementations. This will expose you to the various development and implementation cycles from the day a new client is signed, to the planning and analysis, conversion and actual implementation. By leading major projects you will gain immeasurable experience on the entire process and will develop your own sense style and approach. You will be able enter any environment on a consulting basis, immediately recognize needs, and be able to fully implement the proper solutions in that environment.

Once you have that advanced level of knowledge and experience, a track record, and a helpful MBA to back you up, you are eligible for Senior and VP level IT positions that will give you everything you are looking for.

To sum up, get yourself into as an advanced environment as possible filled with coworkers you can learn from on a daily basis. If you are the most knowledgeable person in your loaction, you are in the wrong place to learn. Surround yourself with DBAs, system analysts, and as much technology as possible. Gain the knowledge. When you are ready, use that experience to take on large projects that will give you a broad understanding of the industry and development cycles. Once you have that and a demonstrated knowledge of business practices, you've made it. This is the path I used to get there.

All my humble opinion.

 

[gheba_nsx]

Ilya, well written! This is incredibly similar to my work situation and I would say that right now I am placed at the middle of that IT food chain (Project Manager for "medium sized" projects).

I have a Master in IT and I will wait a couple more years before doing an MBA since I still enjoy the "more technical" side a lot (even if the implementation/coding days are over).

 

[Edwardo]

Guys thanks for your time in responding to my question.


McAttack and Huckster: You guys are very perceptive. I think I may need a bit of reassurance for my plan and I appreciate you guys providing a bit of it. I say that because I am a bit nervous about embarking on a new career path.

I also agree with finding an industry that one is interested in. I will attempt to go in to systems(software) sales or pharmaceutical sales. I think I could find success in either of these industries.

Ilya and Gheba: I think IT is a good industry for some folks. Your plan looks like a very smart plan no doubt. I guess I am the type of guy that needs to be out and about trying to drum up business. I tend to think I am a results type of person. I like to see the sales stats at the end of the day. To me, that would be more rewarding than seeing the percentage/uptime for a network in a given week. That is just me though.

Major Stoner: Thank you for the resume tips