Difference between an IT Technician and a Senior IT Technician

[thimon]

Hi all. I was wondering if I could tap into your combined vast experience and ask you what you thought really separates a "standard" IT Technician to a Senior IT Technician. Is it experience? Technical knowledge? People skills? Would really help thank you! Edited February 19, 2016 by elsiegee40

[Steve21]

To me it's a mix of technical and managing etc. Senior techs could be doing projects solo, and helping with server/infrastructure related things while normally techs aren't. They could also effectively be monitoring/mentoring "lower" techs (forgive the phrase but you know what I mean)

 

Steve

[mthomas08]

To me it's a mix of technical and managing etc. Senior techs could be doing projects solo, and helping with server/infrastructure related things while normally techs aren't. They could also effectively be monitoring/mentoring "lower" techs (forgive the phrase but you know what I mean)

 

Steve

 

This, as a senior technician you would expect much more independency. You'd think they could deal with all day to day stuff minus shall we say major decision making, planning and budgets. Their views would much more fit in line with what the Line Manger/Network Manager wants in regards to moving forward and understands the users needs much more.

 

Add the usual - Experience and knowledge. A senior technician to me is some one not far off being a Network Manager or perhaps more "Network Officer" over night.

[elsiegee40]

How much they want to pay.

 

I would expect a senior tech to be taking on more responsibility, have more developed skills.

 

However, many lone techs have the IT Technician job title and have years of experience and are actually doing a Network Manager role.

 

The sticking point for some employers is that lone techs don't manage other people so they won't give them the higher paying job title

[twin--turbo]

"responsibility" as well. You trust them not to F.. Up.. on more important stuff.

 

"availability" the higher up the chain you go, the more you may be needed in a major incident or if something of "yours" is not working.

 

But knowledge and experience is a major part. One of our helpdesk said our printer was out of order due to a jam that he could not get cleard as the tray would not come out.. Took me 30 seconds, that's 20 years vs 2 years of fixing stuff.

[thimon]

Thank you guys for all your advice. I'm eager to progress, have been an IT Technician for only 18 months but have learnt a lot. I'm getting to the stage where I want to push myself further and learn even more and have more responsibility, just worried that I may not have the technical expertise yet or experience to get a senior role. Do you have to tick all the boxes when it comes to landing a job such as a senior tech? Or would an employer possibly look past that and look at what you can bring to the role?

[Steve21]

I'd say that depends what job you're applying for.

 

I highly doubt you'd get a job position if you applied to a new workplace that requires a Senior Tech to manage SANs/Clusters etc, if you haven't even touched a server before.

 

On the flip side, if a senior tech role only requires basic server knowledge etc and doesn't have any silly setups and you know the basics they'd be happy to consider/train you etc.

 

How much stuff would you say you've done non-desktop wise? Servers? HyperV? Wireless/Switching etc

 

Steve

[elsiegee40]

Having posted up so many jobs on here, I would say that you shouldn't get too hung up on the title.

 

With technician roles variously being described as technician, officer, analyst, manager, support... and much more the seniority is relative to what's happening in that organisation at that time.

 

If the job you're interested in represents progression both in terms of job description and salary for you then go for it.

 

Sometimes the progression you are looking for is widening your experience and skills rather than advancing upwards. Both are valid.

[thimon]

That's the problem, in my current job I'm not getting much exposure to any of that. I've got experience of using OSX server and Windows Servers, but only in terms of day to day usage, not setting them up. I use data backup and anti-virus software, network monitoring software, papercut, network printers, vle's, active directory and group policy, O365 and helping with design projects. I just feel like I can do more, just not getting the opportunity to learn about what you've mentioned

[elsiegee40]

So you need to progress. Look for a role that will enable you to get the skills you want.

 

Job advertising is a weird world. The employer may well decide to recruit someone with aptitude and train on the job rather than have someone with all the skills who will move on too quickly.

 

The worst they can do is say no. If you're interested then apply!

[witch]

Absolutely. You can never tell from a job description what they actually want. Someone might want your skills and is happy to teach you the server side - you never know.

If you are interested, apply!

Just out of interest - my LA job description makes it clear that an IT tech works under constant supervision and has nothing to do with quotes or suppliers. I used this to get the senior role in one of my jobs as I am alone. The other one, however, will not promote me to senior even though I am alone and do the same job as in the other school.

[thimon]

Thank you all so much, you've made me feel much more positive I should hear back sometime next week if they want to interview me, then we'll go from there!

[psydii]

What makes a sysadmin a "senior sysadmin"? - Everything Sysadmin

 

What makes a sysadmin a "senior sysadmin"?

 

Sep. 26

2012

This came up in discussion recently. Here's how I differentiate between a junior and senior sysadmin:

 

A senior person understands the internal workings of the systems he/she administers and debugs issues from a place of science, not guessing or rote memorization.

 

A senior person has enough experience to know a problem's solution because he or she has seen and fixed it before (but is smart enough to check that assumption since superficial symptoms can be deceiving).

 

A senior person automates their way out of problems rather than "working harder". They automate themselves out of a job constantly so they can be re-assigned to more interesting projects.

 

But most importantly...

 

A senior person demonstrates technical leadership by creating the processes that other people can follow, thereby enabling delegation and multiplying their effectiveness. Maybe the senior person is the only one technical enough to work out the procedure for replacing a bad disk on a server, but they document it in a way that less experience people can do the task. Maybe the senior person is the only one technical enough to set up a massive monitoring system, but they document how to add new devices so that everyone can add to what is monitored. Therefore they multiply their effectiveness because they use their knowledge not to do work, but to make it possible that an army of people can do the work instead. Good documentation is the first step to automating a process, so by working out the process, they start the "guess work -> repeatable -> automated" life-cycle that repetitive tasks should follow.

 

The old way is to maintain your "status" by hoarding information. You are the only person that knows how to do things and that is your power base. The new way is you maintain your "status" by sharing information. Everyone looks up to you because it is your documentation that taught them how to do their job. As they learn by following documentation that you wrote they get better at what they do and soon they are senior too. However now you are the senior person that helped everyone get to where they are today. In terms of corporate status, there is nothing better than that!

 

Tom

 

"from a place of science" - this can be exemplified by two articles:

• OODA for Sysadmins - Server Fault Blog
  
• Secrets of a super geek: Troubleshooting - TechRepublic
  
• Secrets of a super geek: Troubleshoot from the general to the specific - TechRepublic
  
• Secrets of a super geek: Learn to analyze and diagnose problems effectively - TechRepublic
  
• Secrets of a super geek: Use half splitting to solve difficult problems - TechRepublic
  

[Nixon77]

I have been both (in the same place), and really could not tell you.

 

Its more, I think, to do with trust.

 

You are trusted to do things as a senior techie, while as a normal techie the manager would watch over you. Senior's are just left to get on with it.

 

I only did basic server stuff, very basic!

[dblight]

Depends on where you work really. In my previous school I was Senior Tech and did server work as well as desktop as well as 1st/2nd line stuff. If the Manager was away I kept it all ticking over. It was a small team and only one school.

 

In my current Senior Tech role I rarely do 1st/2nd line or desktop work. We are 6 schools in a MAT so i spend 99% of my time doing all server work. I also step up as Network Manager when he is on leave.

 

I'm left to get on with my work myself and manage my work and time with little involvement from the Network Manager. It's mainly a different trust level and technical ability that makes my senior role different to that of our 1st/2nd line guys. They also focus on escalating the bigger issues so they are free'd back up to deal with 1st/2nd line work.

[twin--turbo]

I used to be Network Manager , but did everything from managing the network to plugging a mouse back in. Even with a team of three I would still be out getting my hands dirty.

 

 

New place...

I am now "Network Systems Support ( operator?, office?, technician??)" the last bit of the job title does not exist, even HR have said "What are they?". No londger do 1st Line unless the helpdesk team are not at their desk, and then I hardly have a clue what the end user is going on about. Do a bit of 2nd line, but mostly Dev, Projects and 3rd Line.

 

Our "Network Manager" does not know how to manage the network, could not build a server either. That's US

 

Our 1st line guys say they want to PROGRESS but all to easily push a job up the ladder rather than trying to think it through fully.

 

 

TT

Edited February 18, 2016 by twin--turbo

[zebulunn]

The only difference between mine and the senior techs JD is that they also order stuff on the finance system.

At one point the ST actually asked management to reduce role to technician, then split the salary difference to both of us. Didn't happen, but bless

[craig-schools]

I've been a Primary School Technician (level 2) for just over 3 years, term time only plus 2 weeks. I'm the only person here and I've replaced servers, built domains etc, I look after a fleet of approx 200 staff and student devices, then all the network infrastructure etc too, some of which I have changed in my time here.

The powers that be won't raise my title or pay grade as I don't manage anybody.

[Duranis]

Thank you all so much, you've made me feel much more positive I should hear back sometime next week if they want to interview me, then we'll go from there!

 

Good Luck! Even if you don't hear anything don't let it put you off. In the short term what is the structure of your current position like. Do you have an NM you get on well with? Maybe worth chatting with them and seeing if they can get you involved with more complicated projects? Maybe look at things that you guys are missing that might be useful to everyone that you could take the lead on (helpdesk, network monitoring/alert system, etc).

 

If you can show initiative and the ability to plan and carry out useful projects you are much more likely to be asked to get involved with the higher level stuff.

 

I would also say in my limited experience (only edu position I have worked in is this one) that if you do want to widen your knowledge you might want to look outside of the education sector. Most schools have fairly limited budgets, user sizes and facilities which means you are limited to what you are exposed to (like i said though, I could be wrong in this opinion). The best place to get IT experience IMO is working for a company that provides IT support to businesses. This will not only widen your IT experience by exposing you to lots of different kits and ways of setting it up it, it also gives you a small amount of experience of how different businesses and industries work. the other plus point is as you are dealing with multiple companies you are also dealing with lots and lots of different people which helps your people management skills as well.

 

Edit: Doh didn't see this had been bumped from Feb. Good to know you got the job though, well done

Edited April 22, 2016 by Duranis

[thimon]

Oh, update. I got the job My new position gives me the ability to work on projects and expand my technical knowledge. Thank you everyone for the advice, it definitely helped!

[DJ-1701]

Oh, update. I got the job My new position gives me the ability to work on projects and expand my technical knowledge. Thank you everyone for the advice, it definitely helped!

 

I know that you mentioned it before on the Cool thread, but Congratulations again.

[dblight]

Oh, update. I got the job My new position gives me the ability to work on projects and expand my technical knowledge. Thank you everyone for the advice, it definitely helped!

 

Congrats. My advice now would be to strike up a good working relationship with the network manager. If your unsure on anything it's not a weakness just ask.

 

They may or may not know the answer but the key is your network manager will grow to know your strengths and weaknesses and feel confident in knowing your not going to go off on a whim and make system wide changes without it being thought about.

 

Trust is the key to independence!

[Nixon77]

I've been a Primary School Technician (level 2) for just over 3 years, term time only plus 2 weeks. I'm the only person here and I've replaced servers, built domains etc, I look after a fleet of approx 200 staff and student devices, then all the network infrastructure etc too, some of which I have changed in my time here.

The powers that be won't raise my title or pay grade as I don't manage anybody.

 

I was a senior tech, but could not build a domain off the top of my head.

[Meldrew]

That's the problem, in my current job I'm not getting much exposure to any of that. I've got experience of using OSX server and Windows Servers, but only in terms of day to day usage, not setting them up. I use data backup and anti-virus software, network monitoring software, papercut, network printers, vle's, active directory and group policy, O365 and helping with design projects. I just feel like I can do more, just not getting the opportunity to learn about what you've mentioned

 

May I suggest that you consider giving this a go yourself. If you can find a spare PC with a reasonable spec, setup a standalone (so no chance of a link to a production network) with VirtualBox, or similar and setup yourself a network from scratch. There's loads of resources out there to self teach yourself how to do this stuff. My deputy NM learnt this way and now knows way more than I do. He now does most advanced AD stuff purely from what he learnt himself.