I'm new to posting here, but I've been reflecting on my job role and wanted to get some feedback from others in the field. I work for a small Managed Service Provider (MSP) and find myself taking on a lot of responsibilities. Other than our sole engineer, I'm the go-to person for emergencies and cover Helpdesk duties when our technician is busy or absent. I regularly conduct onsite visits to various clients every few weeks, focusing on technical alignment, documentation, and engaging with management and users.
I have access to most of our systems and am responsible for monitoring alerts, antivirus/endpoint detection, and security threats with end-user accounts. I manage the onboarding and offboarding of users for all our client organizations and have either created or updated most of our documentation. I also take part in various projects like deploying workstations and servers.
When I joined, I developed the work and KPI dashboards that are now standard for the Helpdesk, Centralized Services, and Technical Alignment teams. I handle escalated tickets from Helpdesk and often find myself having to figure things out when my escalations are returned without proper training. Plus, I'm on call every third week, which means I have to be available from 8 AM to 9 PM on weekends and late on weekdays.
Officially, my title is Tier 2 Helpdesk Technician, and I earn $56k a year, plus an extra 80 hours of PTO for being on call. I'm starting to wonder if this is a fair arrangement or if I'm being underpaid for my workload and responsibilities.
5 Answers
Honestly, they’ve got you labeled as Tier 2 just to save on salary expenses. With all the responsibilities you handle—from client visits to documentation and escalations—your pay seems pretty low. I’d suggest making a detailed list of all your duties and using that to discuss a pay raise with your employer.
From what you've described, it sounds like you’re more of a system administrator than a Tier 2 Technician. The on-call schedule sounds intense, and I agree with others that the PTO doesn’t compensate enough for that kind of stress. I think you should definitely advocate for a salary increase—it sounds like you'd be worth closer to $90k with your skill set.
Totally agree. Your job responsibilities seem to pile up a lot, and it wouldn't hurt to start looking for sys admin positions to see what they offer. Just be sure you have a solid list of your responsibilities ready for any discussions about a raise.
Your experience sounds more aligned with system admin work, especially if you’re managing onboarding and escalations. You might want to explore other job opportunities to get a better idea of pay levels in the market. In major metro areas, you should ideally be heading towards $80k.
I noticed you didn't mention which state you're in. That can significantly impact your salary and cost of living. If you're in a high cost-of-living area, you might be even more underpaid.
I think it’s crucial to figure out if this role is sustainable for you. If you’re happy with it, great! But don’t hesitate to explore better offers elsewhere. It’s important for your mental health too.
Yes! Keep a record of everything you do. I did that in my last position, and it really helped when I asked for a raise. Sometimes, companies just don't see all the unseen work.