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Here is my situation:

It looks like I am going to get offered a 6-month+ contract as an Infrastructure Support Technician at 25$/hr. I am interested in this position because it will give me some good backend experience. I have some, but it was never my primary job duty. It also looks like I will be doing disaster planning, making the network more secure and such as well. There is potential for them to extend the contract (so they say).

I am currently under a 1-year contract at a place that says they “may keep me on permanently” there are 9 months left to this contract. My title here is a Computer Support Specialist. This doesn’t cover how much backend stuff I do, do. I have asked for a title change but got a “we will look into it” response.

The reason why they hired me on is that their network guy is gone for 3-months. Which if this matters, he isn’t coming back till early December (so the place I am at will get screwed if I leave). I am getting about 22$/hr here and I have already decided for various reasons I don’t want to stay here long term if I can help it.

I don’t have any kids or family I have to support, so short-term instability is manageable in my situation and I do have my CCNA.

If I do get offered the Infrastructure position, should I jump into it, or should I stay where I am at?

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Heck, I’ll bite. Sure, go for it. Where do you live? You should be higher if you’re in the US near a major city. Compare other contract options to see the going rate. I understand you’ll want to gain experience, but having your CCNA opens up some doors. Don’t sell yourself short, but don’t get greedy either…

Good luck!

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Unfortunately, I am in Canada in an area where there aren’t many jobs so… The job market is a bitch

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I wouldn’t put much stock in any “may keep you permanently” promises until I saw a piece of paper with the details. My cynical side says those promises are made to make sure you don’t jump ship before they are ready.

As to which position, I think (for me anyway) its less about the money and more about the work. Decide what will make you happy/benefit you the most and go with that.

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Gotcha. Well the thing is you’re on a contract. So you run the risk of burning bridges with the contract agency. But December isn’t far away, you could just plan your move around the time the guy on leave comes back. (If there aren’t many jobs, I’ll bet there aren’t many CCNA’s either.)

As a hiring manager, when we look at resumes, we usually suspend the ‘how long were you there?’ question when it comes to contract positions. But we always look for people that aren’t going to jump ship. It’s a mixed bag.

Being on contract gives you more flexibility, and being Canadian you probably don’t have to factor in health care benefits.

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You have options!

If you leave your current situation, you leave them in a hole. This is something I have tried to avoid if at all possible. Karma and all that.

What does your contract say - how much notice are you or they entitled to?

Can you stay on till Christmas THEN move to the new company to give them time to get the old guy back?

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The big flag I see is that you have time on your current contract and looking into a new one, and it sounds like the new one would cut into the current one. If that’s the case, you’ll want to check how that works and if there will be problems with that.

Outside of that, as @mhunt ​ said, unless the current company has it in writing that they’ll hire you on permanently, you shouldn’t take their word for it. Too many in the community has been burned by vocal commitments and having nothing in writing. They could be telling the truth, or telling you want you want to hear so you work harder. From your description, I would take the new one. Besides a bump in pay, it sounds like there is more opportunity to learn.

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If employment in the IT sector is a bit hard to come by I would say stick it out. Keep the stability and if you leave on good terms you didn’t burn any bridges. If you were in a city that had a strong IT sector i would say flame on, burn the bridge and move on.

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Hi there, I’ve always been at places where it mattered to me what legacy I left behind. Loyalty is virtue drilled in way back in my army days. Plus I also believe in you reap what you sow in life.

If I knew I would leave my company in bad shape if I were to leave I wouldn’t do it. I’d wait for the network guy to return and make the transition afterward.

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If you do get offered it, December isn’t all that far away now. Think you can negotiate an early contract termination, as well as a delayed start date at the new place? That way everyone’s happy, and no bridges have been burned!

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Is your contract directly with the company you are working at, or are you with a resource / recruiting firm?

If the latter, the recruiter should be able to back-fill your position at the company fairly quick. I’d still give fair notice … burnt bridges and all that.

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Talk to your current employer and see what the response is.

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So you say you don’t plan on staying at your current job long term, but then you’re asking for advice on whether you should stay at your job long term?

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@dwo1064 ​
It is directly with the company.
@scottwasilewski ​

It is more, do I jump ship now (and probably screw them over) or do I jump ship later (and not screw them over). Also, I have another 9 months where I am at vs 6 months at the other place.

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Um…are Canadians allowed to say “bitch”? isn’t that like a swear word?

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If you don’t like where you’re at leave. They’ve stayed afloat this long and I’m sure they will continue to do so without you. Plus $25 an hour for infrastructure work sounds awesome.

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Taking out most of the stuff that doesn’t matter as it’s more just hair-splitting, you answered your own question with “I don’t want to stay here long term.”

While you’re in your next contract gig though, spend some time looking for permanent roles if you are able. Jumping from contract to contract is a decent way to get a decent amount of broad experience but ultimately you will wear yourself out with the lack of stability.

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Disaster planning and network security sounds really good on a resume. When companies search for folks, these key words really stand out. Even if you get a long term gig that doesn’t include these responsibilities down the road, just knowing that you had experience in these areas at one time as a contracted consultant could be enough to get you picked over the next guy.

Unfortunately I’ve heard “We will look into it” quite a few times in my career and that usually translates into “We’ll wait and see how things go with you and if we think we can keep you on the cheap, then we’ll just continue as is until we think your seriously dissatisfied.”

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Well given your personal situation you can just do it, even with a family I have played “Have Tech, Will Travel” plenty. (almost too much) But there is rarely any company loyalty anymore, do what’s best for you!!!

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