I'm based in South Yorkshire and after spending 20 years at the same job, with the last 15 as a solo Sys Admin, I'm looking to make a change. The last time I searched for a job was through the local paper! Recently, I've checked out some job sites and it seems like there are a lot of first and second line support positions at MSPs, which I'm not really interested in. I'm wondering if it's tough to find a Sys Admin role that values a jack of all trades skill set these days?
5 Answers
Honestly, the job market feels pretty wild right now. I've been job hunting on and off for almost a decade, and it feels like a lot of jobs are just being recycled with the same companies posting the same openings repeatedly. I applied for about 10 jobs last year and didn't even get a screening call – I think my CV might be getting filtered out by some AI program. This makes it super frustrating because something seems off with the whole process!
Coming from a British MSP perspective, I can tell you it's a tough environment for IT job seekers. Even lower-paying jobs are getting way too many applicants. Since you have 20 years of experience, that definitely gives you a leg up, but don't get stuck in outdated tech. Make sure to showcase modern skills like cloud services and automation, as those are crucial these days for standing out.
Exactly! How do you keep your skills current when you're mostly working with legacy systems? I'm in the same boat, and it's hard to break into modern tech.
To put it bluntly, the situation is dire right now. The tech industry has seen massive layoffs recently, and as a result, salary expectations have dropped significantly. It's tough out there and companies are tightening their budgets, making it harder to negotiate better pay. If you're looking to get back into the market, expect some challenges.
In my experience, the job scene here isn't all that rosy either. I've applied to about 15 roles in just three weeks and only got a few callbacks, and the roles often didn't match what was described. Employers seem to be looking for a lot of specialized skills and the titles can be misleading too.
The job market is in a pretty rough state! There are more candidates than there are jobs, and the hiring processes are dragging on forever. Employers seem indecisive and many of the roles require a ridiculous mix of skills that don't even make sense. If you're looking, it'd be smart to highlight cloud expertise and focus on roles related to cloud architecture and security because those skills are in high demand right now.
What would you suggest for someone who's been in a similar position? I've only been with my company for 10 years but feel like I just work with our old systems. I'm worried about job security and wonder if I should pivot to something else.