It therefore only stands to reason that, unless you can increase your staff to accommodate the work flow while avoiding Parkinson’s Law, the only surefire method to reduce the stress of working in an IT department is to better educate yourself and your staff in the best practices possible.

Sometimes this is a simple change in day to day work, other times an education comes with the realization that an increase in technology is needed. The purpose of this article is to inform well-meaning IT gurus and workers on some common sense techniques and practices that will increase performance without increasing overhead.

Maintaining an even baseline of efficiency over a certain period of time, barring any changes in the end user technology or any necessary IT training, should allow you to create a timeline for standard trouble tickets. Use this information to inform the end user, as this information removes the dreaded waiting game from their minds, and relieves much of the stress from both receiving and responding to complaints regarding the status of their ticket.

Always attempt to follow up a closed ticket with an attempt to gather feedback from the user. The most important forms of feedback should concern not only the ability of the IT responder, but the source of the problem, whether software, hardware, or both, and the strength of the proposed solution. This is where current technology plays its strongest role, as simplifying the source of software by considering a Dell virtualization server that operates through cloud computing can greatly reduce the complexity of software issues.

Each new ticket received should strive to quickly address the issue of the end user. This does not have to be a full assessment, it simply has to inform the user that their issue is being worked on. Addressing new tickets helps by not only informing the user of the timeline for resolution, but it can also be a source of quick fixes for known issues.

A scheduled day, out of either every quarter, or even every month, for an IT staffer to spend their time in another department, can result in a multitude of nagging problems being resolved. This not only reduces the number of tickets being forwarded, it can result in tickets being rescinded, and will improve the image of your IT department within the company.

Everyone lacks in something, and while this can be easily forgotten when helping others with their problems, it must be understood. Failing to empathize with an end user, or worse, giving poor attitude in response to a problem, can often halt the resolution process instead of speeding it along.

5 Ways to Beef Up Your IT Department is a post from: Palaestra Training

With Palaestra Training, you can find that perfect job that will propel your career and life into something you want. You can receive CompTIA A+ certification and Microsoft certifications that will help you find a job or get promoted at your current job.

CompTIA A+ certification boosts a resume tremendously and makes you so much more marketable in the IT world. The fact is that the tech world is not going away any time soon. It’s here to stay and will continue to boom. Be at the front of the tech wave with CompTIA A+ certification and guarantee your spot in any job. Having technological certifications is helpful in any business. Since pretty much any type of company has or needs a tech department, this will give you many opportunities and allow you to set yourself apart from the rest.

Having Microsoft certifications will only make you more marketable in the workplace. Learning how to become a Windows 7 administrator is especially useful for anyone looking to move up or get hired. Windows 7 is the most robust and best operating system Microsoft has created and many companies are starting to transfer to it. With Palaestra Training, you can gain the skills necessary to install, upgrade, migrate, deploy and maintain a Windows 7 business setting. This will make you an invaluable asset to any company.

Whether you’re looking for a challenge or a job that gives you good income, make sure you get the right certifications to excel in the tech world. Let Palaestra Training help you make a difference in your life.

At a Dead-end Job? Palaestra Training Can Help is a post from: Palaestra Training

This training covers the material in the PMBOK 4th edition, and is packed full of information that will help project managers, IT professionals or anyone looking to manage projects the right way.

The training also includes over 3 hours of Microsoft Project 2010 training and includes MeasureUp exam prep software for the PMP certification exam as well.

As always, Palaestra Training offers a 30-day money back guarantee on all their training products, as well as FREE worldwide shipping.  Visit the PMP Certification Training product page for more details and free full length sample videos from this awesome series.

New Release – Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification Training is a post from: Palaestra Training

She’s walking away from the most popular show in television history and into an unknown future.  Why would she do this you might ask?  Well from what I’ve read and heard, it comes down to several things: Money, Respect and Overall job satisfaction.

You’re more than likely saying “That’s wonderful, with the economy in the shape it’s in, Paula Abdul is walking away from a multi-million dollar a year job; where all she has to do is sit and be nice to aspiring singers and take an occasional chiding from Simon Cowell.”

Well, you’re right with regard to the fact that millions of people around the world are suffering through economic hardships and she’s turning down an eight-figure deal. On the other hand, money is not always the most important thing in life. I didn’t say it’s not necessary, just that it’s not the most important thing in and of itself.

There really must be a combination of financial reward, respect and an overall feeling that your appreciated and valued.  In other words, we need to feel that we matter.

This leads to me to the title of this blog post, in that IT professionals (and anyone for that matter) can learn a lot from Paula Abdul when it comes to career choices.  Simply being paid a lot doesn’t necessarily equate to happiness.  Even though she was making several million dollars a year from the show, her counterparts were making many times more than that.  Simon Cowell is reportedly making upwards of $45 million for doing basically the same job.

As an IT professional, it’s important to balance financial rewards with the intangibles to find a job that is rewarding mentally, physically and financially.  Many people get stuck in a rut where they feel they can’t leave what they’re doing even though they hate it and subsequently their overall quality of life suffers.  This also has an impact on the people around them as well (i.e. family, friends, children, spouses, etc).  Quality of life is more important than simply being well-paid.  Many people who have a lot of financial success find themselves depressed and overstressed because they reach a certain level but haven’t learned to balance the other aspects of their lives.

As IT professionals, it is crucial to keep your skills sharp and learn new things whenever possible.  This also means constantly working toward keeping a balanced life as much as possible.  Training is critical to developing new skills and keeping marketable.  Some people take classes, some learn online and many self-study with computer training videos at their own pace.  Whichever path you choose, it is important that you keep moving forward.  This not only gives you options and allows you to make changes when it best suites your needs, but it also insulates you to a degree should disaster strike and your forced to quickly find a new job due to downsizing, etc.  If you are thinking about working for yourself there a number of things to consider in order to become a successful entrepreneur.

Don’t be afraid to take the step into the unknown or go after the things you deserve.  Take a lesson from Paula Abdul and seek the quality of life that will truly make you happy.

I’d like to know what you think, was it a wise decision or not?  Can IT professionals take a page from her book and improve their quality of life?

What Can Paula Abdul teach IT Professionals? is a post from: Palaestra Training

When it comes to getting ahead at work, there are lots of ways to improve your station in life.  Most people want the brass ring, but few are willing to do what it takes to get it.

As the old saying goes, “Some People Dream of Success, While Others Wake up and Work Hard at It”.  It really holds true, and work ethic is what separates the winners from losers.  No matter what the endeavor, be it work, sports, relationships, etc., nothing was ever attained without the consistent application of hard work.

Keeping this in mind, 10 things you can do to get ahead at work, are:

1. Be willing to do the things others wont.  That sounds like common sense, but it’s typically harder than it sounds.  Most people have their ‘”job description” and are resistant do extra work.  The immediate response from most people is “That’s not my job” or “am I getting paid extra for that”?  Be the one who does extra without being told, helps out a co-worker or picks up the slack when the rubber hits the road.
2. Be a team player.  No one likes the person who’s out only for themselves and if you have that mentality it will shine through in everything you do.  Most people have the WIIFM mentality (What’s In It for Me).  Again, separate yourself from the majority of people out there by being willing to help others without expecting anything back.  These things get noticed, even if it’s not an immediate return.
3. Do the job before you Get It.  What this means is that you have to function, as much as possible, in the role you want to get promoted into.  Showing your superiors you can do the job already goes a long way to getting you the gig.  After awhile, everyone already thinks of you in that role and your chances for promotion go up greatly.  Conversely, if you become the best “worker bee” ever, the company will see the value of keeping you in that role.  That seems to be in direct conflict with the first two suggestions, but it’s really not.  You can apply to first two, while taking on management or other roles (depending on where you want to go) and do things with the team in mind.
4. Always be Early.  The old adage “Get in Early and Work Late” holds true even in today’s virtual world.  Employers want to know your committed and being there when they need you goes a long way to that end.  Additionally, it shows co-workers and others that you are a go-to person.  Conversely, not being there or getting in late and leaving early builds resentment among others and brings the whole team down.  Being a leader, means leading by example and the more you do, the more encouraged your co-workers will be to do the same.
5. Model Success.  If you want to achieve a certain level of success, whatever that means to you, the quickest way to achieve that goal is to find someone else who already has achieved that goal, and do what they did.  That sounds incredibly overly-simplistic, and it is.  If you listen to any of the NLP practitioners, perhaps the most famous being Anthony Robbins, they talk in great detail about modeling.  “Success Leaves Clues”, and that really holds true.  Modeling is much more than just wearing the same suit or watch as someone successful.  It means learning what drives them, what beliefs they have, how they approach situations, how they make decisions, etc., and applying those same drivers to your own life. Easier said than done, but you don’t necessarily have to personally meet someone to get an insight into their mind and motivations.  Many successful people have written books and given interviews talking about their lives and what drives them.
6. Set Goals and Be Specific.  Very few things are more frustrating than working hard and getting nowhere.  Without specific, written goals, it’s very difficult to achieve success.  Your goals are your roadmap and will help you get to where you want to go by keeping you focused and on track.  Your goals (i.e. map) need to be specific and focused.  Just as it wouldn’t do you much good to be driving in Chicago with a map of Delaware, you must have a clear vision of what you want and how to get there.
7. Know Your Outcome.  In keeping with setting goals, knowing your outcome helps get you through any situation.  When you enter into a business meeting, interview, etc., know ahead of time what you want to achieve.  By knowing what you want and working backward from there, you can see at any point in time if you are on track, or if things need to be readjusted.  This can be applied to anything, even with things like meeting a new person, going to gym, time spent with family, etc.
8. Be Personable.  People like to feel good about themselves, and are attracted to people who make that happen.  Being upbeat, funny and engaging makes people feel good about themselves.  If people feel better when they’re around you than when they’re not, you’ll attract a great many people.  Some can help you achieve your goals directly, while others will help indirectly.
9. Understand Personality Types.  Almost everyone likes the same basic things (i.e. being liked, feeling appreciated and valued, laughing, feeling secure, etc).  Not everyone fills those things the same way though; and to be successful you need to figure out what connects with each person.  Some people like to discuss family or friends (be social) before getting down to business, while others couldn’t be bothered and just want the facts.  Some like specific details while others just want the bullet points.  Being able to adjust your approach for the different personality types increases your chance for connection and for success.
10. Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously.  Being motivated and success driven is great and can provide an amazing life.  However, you must learn to balance that with rest, relaxation, good friends, family, etc.  Work, not to mention life, can be very stressful, and if you to be able to actually enjoy the fruits of your labor you need to learn how to pull back occasionally, put things on hold and recharge the batteries.  Be able to laugh at yourself and understand nothing is as important as your health.  Others pick up on that as well, and it helps give a sense of true genuineness to all the other traits mentioned here.

10 Ways to Get Ahead at Work is a post from: Palaestra Training

Our Cisco videos have received over 180,000 views, and all of our IT Certification and Training videos on our YouTube channel have received over 250,000 views, with thousands of new viewers each week!

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Thanks for over 250,000 Views on YouTube! is a post from: Palaestra Training

Fair is fair, and no matter how thinly you slice it, there are always two sides to every situation. 

If you’ve been around the IT game for any length of time, many, if not most, of these will make sense to you.  So let’s take a look at some of the reasons why it sucks to be the "IT Guy".

1. No one understands how long something actually takes. Most end users just come in and sit down at their desk, and everything works.  Great.  What they don’t see (or understand – or care) are the hours of work you put into getting things working correctly, fixed, restored, or whatever the task happened to be.
2. You’re never "off-duty".  Even if you work 20 hours a day, 7 days a week, when you come home or go out someone will still stop or call and ask you a computer question.  They would never dream of asking their friend the dentist to look at their rear molar if they happened to see them out at the mall, but they have no trouble asking you about the annoying message that keeps popping up on their PC or why their sound suddenly stopped working.
3. People think if you’re in IT, you know everything about every type of computer or program.  Most people understand there’s a difference between a regular car and a tractor trailer.  They don’t just assume that because you know how to drive a car, you can drive a Mack truck.  For some reason, however, if you’re the IT guy you must know how to fix a computer (PC and Mac), design a database, write an application, create a website, fix an xbox, hook up a wireless router, and so on.
4. You periodically hear from people you haven’t seen in years.  That would be nice if they called to say hi, wanted to catch up and have some drinks, or actually wanted to offer you something.  In reality, it always go the same way.  They start off with, "Hey how’s it going", "How’s the family", "How are the kids" and then they jump right into it..  "Hey why I have you on the phone, I have a computer question for you…."  Thats when my battery on my cell phone magically goes dead and I can’t receive calls for an hour or two (I hate when that happens)!
5. There’s very little separation between work and home.  Most professions have a separation between on and off hours.  When your an IT person, you usually work on computers all day, and then come home and more than likely work on them all night as well.  In some respects it’s great that you can do what you love, but it doesn’t hurt to get out and get some fresh air sometime!
6. You usually have way too much junk laying around the house.  As a IT guy or girl, you tend to accumulate a lot of spare parts and junk over the years, and you never throw it away because you’re just certain you’ll have a need for that 9-pin serial cable or that 2400 baud modem at some point. 
7. You always have to keep updating your skills.  This can be good or bad, depending on how you look at it.  In IT, things change pretty quickly and if you don’t update your skills you can become dated pretty quickly.  Yes you were an absolute wizard with Windows 3.11 for workgroups, but not much call for those skills anymore skippy.
8. Your family and friends can’t stand to watch a movie or TV show with you if it has anything to do with tech or IT.  You have a comment for every scene, whether it’s Jack Bauer getting Chloe to send detailed streaming satellite imagery to his PDA in real-time, or the movie star saving gigs of data to their thumb drive in seconds using operating systems that don’t exist with lots of scrolling numbers and graphics that don’t mean anything floating in the background just before the villain walks in.  Just remember, it wouldn’t be much fun to watch people struggle with installing drivers when they’re rushing to copy those stolen files, or have their cell phone die in the middle of the satellite update because they hit a dead spot.  Suspend belief for awhile and relax! 
9. You always want the latest gadget.  Yes you just bought a dual-core PC with latest video card and gigs of RAM just six months ago.  But now there is a quad-core system with a faster video card, bigger monitor and faster memory you have your eye on.  Remember, no matter what you buy, it will be obsolete in six months, so draw a line in the sand and enjoy what you have.  Unless of course it’s an iPod, in which case it will be obsolete in three months with a newer version that’s smaller with twice the storage and half the price.  That’s the nature of tech. Live with it.
10. No matter how sharp you are, you’re kids WILL be better than you one day.  Yes you make your living in IT.  Yes you keep up with most of the latest tech and gadgets, but one day your kids WILL beat you at your own game.  Probably sooner than you think.

So there you have our 10 reasons why it sucks to be an IT guy or girl.  Can you relate?  Have reasons of your own?  Post a comment, we’d love to hear them.

10 Reasons Why it Sucks to be the IT Guy (or Girl) is a post from: Palaestra Training

Years ago, being “into” computers meant long, lonely walks home from school, eating lunch at tables far, far away from the “cool kids” and lengthy discussions about the relative impact of photon torpedoes and how Dr. Spock actually could be transported down to the surface of that mysterious planet.

These days, thankfully, Geek is the new Chic and being in the Information Technology (IT) industry offers a lot of opportunities and many benefits that we’ll list below.  When you finish reading our top 25, leave a comment and let us know your top few favorite reasons for being a IT pro.

If you’re in the IT industry, many of these will be common knowledge to you.  If you’re not in the industry yet, or thinking about making a change, you really need to consider these 25 Reasons why it’s Great to be an IT Guy (or Girl).

1. You can work in virtually any industry. Whether your fancy is banking, pharmaceuticals, e-commerce websites, or even the adult industry.  Yes, some IT folks actually work in the adult industry.  All those websites don’t just design themselves.  They all need IT folks to make the wheels turn.
2. You get to play with the latest technology. Depending on where you work, this can be more true for some. For the most part though, you usually get to work on (or at least experiment with) the latest tech.
3. You get to work with other smart people. Many industries are wrought with lazy people and hangers-on.  People who work just hard enough to not get fired, and who get paid just enough to not quit.  Typically, IT attracts smart people which allows you to increase your skills in the process.
4. New challenges every day. Even if you job consists of something fairly mundane (i.e. data backups) there is always the challenge to do things better, faster, cheaper and this presents a never ending set of challenges.
5. You get to be the hero. Many times you’re called upon to save someone’s rear end when they lost the document, spreadsheet or file they’ve been working on for weeks and need for a meeting in 10 minutes.  Sometimes it’s an easy fix, sometimes it’s not.  Either way, you get to save the day.
6. Business casual. Not always, but more often than not IT folks get to dress business casual.  Even in industries that are usually shirt and tie (i.e. banking), the IT department usually dresses down. If not, see #1.  You can work in virtually any industry – so if business casual is important to you, you can always jump to another company.
7. Training. The amount of training will vary from place to place, but as new technologies are released it only makes sense from a business perspective to keep you trained.  Some companies send their staff to classroom training, other offer IT Certification Training videos, while others offer books or self-study courses.
8. You touch all areas of a company. As an IT person, you’re not just relegated to one area of a company’s function.  You typically get a chance to interact with various departments (if not all departments) within an organization.  This presents opportunities to network and open doors for yourself if you know how to develop those relationships.
9. You have the opportunity to innovate. As an IT person, you’re often looked at to offer suggestions on new technologies, ways to improve current processes and introduce innovation.  Understand the importance of this role and take the initiative to suggest and offer new ideas. Even if they are shot-down on occasion, keep making your ideas known.
10. Career development. In the IT industry, perhaps more than in any other, you have the opportunity to take charge of your own career and develop it how you see fit.  You can jump from area to area within an company, jump from company to company, or even change industries completely.  The fact is that the underlying IT infrastructure is pretty consistent across industries.  As you make your moves, you should be increasing your experience, marketability and salary.  It might require making some physical moves or relocations; but you have to decide how important that is to you and what it’s ultimately worth.
11. Stay technical or go into management. This relates to career development, but as an IT professional you have the choice to really stay technical as an engineer or architect, or get into management. Management typically means higher salaries, but it also introduces more stress, more vulnerability (at least at lower level management) and ultimately more risk. Management definitely has its benefits and you can always jump back into being hands-on technical when the need arises.
12. You can keep up with your kids. In previous generations, there usually ended up being a pretty big generational gap between parents and children.  IT professionals typically keep up with cutting edge technology, gaming consoles, gadgets and anything techie.  All of these things appeal to a large section of today’s youth; which allows you to narrow the “generational gap” and keep in touch with your kids.
13. You don’t have to pay someone to setup and maintain your home network(s). Most people who aren’t either a techie or in the IT industry have no clue how to setup, configure and maintain their home systems.  They’re at the mercy of the bench techs are their local technology superstore or their computer manufacturer’s IT help desk (where ever call begins with “reboot” and ends with “reinstall”).
14. You know other IT professionals. Some might say that’s not necessarily a good or bad thing, but think about it.  When you’re looking for advice on a new system, help with a project, a website or a piece of software, you usually know someone who can do it or get it for you.
15. Work from anywhere. Many companies offer the ability to work from home occasionally, if not exclusively.  The nature of IT, remote desktop capabilities, VPN connectivity, etc., allows an IT person to work from home or remotely as easily as sitting at their desk.  Many companies have “virtual teams” with IT people working remotely from anywhere in the world.
16. Get paid a great salary. In general, Information Technology salaries are very good.  IT professionals get paid very well, especially as time and experience increases.  While a first or second year help desk person may not be making a six-figure salary, as you grow into your career, specialize in a certain area and gain a deep understanding of your niche; a six-figure salary is certainly within reach.
17. Lots of opportunity to network. The IT industry has a ton of conferences throughout the year in virtually every area within IT.  Whether your a systems engineer, application developer, database administrator or SAN storage engineer, there are many opportunities to network and learn throughout the year.  The challenge is to find the best ones to attend and getting your employer to send you.
18. Lots of freedom. Most IT departments provide a decent amount of freedom to their employees such as flexible schedules, breaks whenever necessary, etc.  Many other types of jobs require you to punch a clock, take breaks at certain times and be micromanaged throughout the day.  An IT professional can usually take breaks whenever they need and come and go as they please; as long as they get their work done each day.
19. The ability to do things your way. Since there is usually a thousand different ways to do anything in IT, you have the ability to do a task in a way that makes the most sense to you.  Of course there are company policies and procedures and a general framework you have to work within, but typically as long as you get it done, it works, and doesn’t break something else; you can do it.
20. Almost nothing that can’t be accomplished. Within an IT department, often times the business will come to IT and say we need “x, y and z” done.  At first pass it might seem impossible, but the majority of the time after brainstorming, trial and error, and more brainstorming you find a way to make it happen.  That brings about a certain sense of satisfaction.
21. You usually don’t have to deal with customers. Depending on what area of IT you work in, you normally don’t have to deal with customers.  Most of the real IT work (infrastructure, networking, database administration, line of business application support, etc) is done behind the scenes with little customer contact.
22. You can trade services. When you’re in IT, you have skills and resources most non-IT people don’t have.  You can trade those skills quite often for other’s expertise and services.  Whether that means handy work around the house, lawn care, auto-repair, etc., if you are ambitious and like to network you trade services for a great number of things.
23. You’re a great problem solver. Since the majority of IT work involves solving problems you become good at being methodical.  We all know some IT people that are great problem creators, but for the most part IT people are good at solving things.  Learning to be a great problem solver carries over into all aspects of your life and helps in many areas (outside of IT).
24. You’re a great researcher. The basis for solving problems is knowing how to research and find solutions.  Learning how to research again carries over into many other things in life whether it’s helping your children with homework, your spouse with a project or yourself when contemplating starting a new job, making a purchase or learning a new skill.
25. You like to constantly learn new things. IT changes more rapidly than most industries, with new technologies being created every day.  Computers constantly get faster, new methods of accomplishing tasks are always being developed and software evolves sometimes daily.  While it’s true some companies are still running Windows 95 with dot matrix printers; however most IT professionals have the opportunity to constantly learn new skills and pick up new technologies.

Well there you have it.  Our Top 25 reasons it’s great to be an Information Technology professional.  Some of these are sure to be more true than others, depending on where you work and what part of the world you’re in.

Leave a comment, and let us know you favorite reasons for being in IT!

25 Reasons Why it’s Great to be an IT Guy (or Girl). is a post from: Palaestra Training

To others that means becoming a loyal, valuable employee makes the best decisions possible and brings value to the company they work for.  No matter what your goals, one thing that is common is the need to constantly grow.

Developing new skills, gaining responsibility, and increasing your job satisfaction is what we all strive for.  Icing on the cake is achieving all of this while increasing our income at the same time.  Is that simply pie in the sky, or is that possible?  It’s absolutely possibly, and there people all over the world doing just that.

Education certainly plays a part, as does industry.  But in the IT industry, earning a 6 figure salary is definitely a possibility if you create a plan, know what you want and know where your going.  Setting goals, both short term and long term, is extremely important.  Without goals, you’ll never know if you are on track, or even heading in the right direction.

I know personally that moving from company to company can sometimes be challenging if not down right difficult, but you can’t look at any particular move as the “end-all-be-all” and think “What if I go there and I don’t like it”? 

It’s not the end of the world, and it’s not forever.  Look at each move you make as a stepping stone, and if love it stay there as long as it excites you.  If you hate it, gain as much experience as you can, leverage any training or opportunities the company has to learn new technologies or business processes, and then look for better opportunities.

By looking at it as “there is a light at the end of the tunnel”, the idea of switching to a new company and possibly not liking it becomes instantly more tolerable.  You realize you are there for a finite period of time, and that you will be using it as learning experience to acquire new skills, boost your marketability and improve your resume.

Change is good, although we often fear it.  Stability is good although we often get bored.  These two basic human needs are always in direct conflict with each other, oddly enough, and form the basis for what drives us (and drives us crazy).  Always be willing to challenge yourself though, and push to reach your full potential. 

There ARE people out there doing exactly what they want to be doing, where they want, how they want, and with who they want.  That’s not fiction, it is reality for some.  The difference between those people and you is that that they went for it, and weren’t afraid of change. Go for it, and see where the future takes you.

Fear of Change – In search of the Perfect Job is a post from: Palaestra Training

And the rise of e-everything the need for IT floods every corner of our lives. Technology has revolutionized communications, computing, productivity, and has had a profound effect the quality of human life.

So much of our lives depend on technology, which means there’s a variety of employment areas to choose from, such as web design, software development, software testing, programming, systems administration, networking, and more. Even jobs outside the IT sector require IT skills.

If you’re contemplating breaking in, consider a few of the highest paid entry level IT jobs as your springboard into an exciting and rewarding career.

The following pay scales are according to the salary.com national averages for the Chicago, Illinois area.

#1 – A Database Administrator with a degree in Computer Science or Business Administration can expect a starting salary of $80,000.

Skills they bring to the table: They are experienced with databases and operating systems. They have knowledge of different hardware components and server environments and have the ability to think analytically.

#2 – An ERP Analyst at the entry level can expect a pay rate of $75,000. Skills they bring to the table: They assist with developing and maintaining the Enterprise Resource Planning program. Assists with the development and maintenance of the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) program. They are able to customize the Enterprise systems to fit with applications and they also ensure the system meets the needs of the company.

#3 – A Content Engineer can expect a starting salary of $80,000. What skills they bring to the table: Content Engineers develop and design interfaces, pages, and tools to navigate websites. They also set code standards, review specifications, deliver estimates on development projects.

#4 – A Web Software Developer with a bachelor’s degree can expect an average starting salary of $75,000. Skills they bring to the table: The incumbent probably has a degree in Computer Science or Software engineering and the knowledge of several programming languages such as SQL, HTML, or JavaScript.

#5 – A Java Developer with a degree can expect a starting salary range of $70,000 Skills they bring to the table: They have the skill to design, develop, and implement web-based Java applications. They understand the concept of life cycles and are able to create and implement design documents.

#6 – A Project Engineer with a Bachelor’s degree can expect a starting salary range of $70,000 per year. What skills they bring to the table: They plan and facilitate IT engineering projects, from design to budget to schedules. They monitor to ensure compliance of policies and controls.

#7 – An Applications Systems Analyst with a degree or diploma in Computer Science, Business Administration, or Information Systems, can expect a starting salary of $60,000. Skills they bring to the table: They have the knowledge of common concepts, practices, and procedures. They are analytical, and up-to-date with current standards.

#8 – A Programmer with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science can expect a starting salary of $60,000. Skills they bring to the table: A programmer has the ability to program in a variety of languages, and is able to keep skills current and up to date as the industry grows and moves forward. They are excellent critical thinkers and problem solvers.

#9 – A Test Engineer with a degree in Software Engineering or Computer Science can expect a salary of $55,000 per year. What skills they bring to the table: A Test Engineer has knowledge of operating systems, programming languages, and the ability to use testing tools.

They are also clear communicators that are able to present their thoughts using simple language that appeals to both their technical colleagues and the client.

#10 – A Hardware Engineer with a degree or Masters in Computer Engineering can expect a starting salary of $55,000. What skills they bring to the table: A Hardware Engineer analyzes the development and implementation of hardware. They have extensive knowledge in computer components including circuits, circuit boards, processors, chips…etc. They are excellent trouble shooters and problem solvers.

What determines where you fall in the wide salary range? Training, qualifications, and prior experience all play a part. Working for a large corporation versus a smaller mom and pop shop will also play a factor in your starting salary.

Want the big ticket jobs? A bachelor’s degree and obtaining IT certifications are excellent ideas because earnings increase and education levels rise.

According to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, between 1980 and 2005 “young adults with at least a employees aged 25-34 with a high school diploma or GED had a median income of $29,600, while those with a bachelor’s degree or higher earned $48,400.

The Top Ten Paid Entry Level IT Jobs is a post from: Palaestra Training