OS and Software > No, I Will Not Fix Your #@$!! Computer > What's an IT guy worth?

What's an IT guy worth?

How are you currently getting paid now? You're looking at a per-hour rate and you cannot compare a support contract's pay to what you make.

What qualifications do you to be the IT guy? Did you just fall into it and learn it as you go, or do you have the qualifications and experience to back up what a "support contract" would pay?

It sounds like the real tone of your post is that you feel like you're not getting paid enough for what you do. You feel that because you're a "broker" and the "IT Guy" that you should be getting paid for two jobs.

Do you put in 40 hours a week doing each? It sounds like you have a pretty easy environment to manage if you only have to manage it part-time and you're the only guy doing it.

You look like you're in a Jr. level Sys Admin level of work, managing a few basic servers and services with nothing too complicated. The pay varies, but based on cost of living, you're probably looking at 40-60k/year for basic entry level sys admin work. If you're perceived as a "tech" more than a sys admin, the pay is between 20-50k/year.
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A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.

reply to dgoner
That sounds like less than a part time work load.

I think perhaps the point is being lost. I don't expect to be paid for 2 jobs and I've already conceded that the IT needs of the company are not full time.

The question is what would an outside firm typically charge a company to manage these services. For the PBX I see that $ 100 - 150 per hour rates are not uncommon. My guess is a yearly support contract would work out to much less per hour but still a quantifiable expense to the company. So. The company next door is just as small. They do pre-employment drug screening. Their IT firm lives in their server room. I see them there all the time. I'm sure they have some type of yearly support contract. I'm just trying to figure out what that is worth and negotiate for a part of that amount for my raise. That is what I think is fair for my unique situation. I'm already a slightly under paid broker agent so that will be addressed too. Just trying to have my ducks in a row in the event of a really low ball raise.

reply to dgoner
I used to get paid $20/hour doing exactly what you described there, I was in high school/freshman in college.

You really think that deserves $150/hour? From your brother none the less??
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Here's the final bullet,
to put our love to death.

reply to dgoner
My company charges $110 - $140 per hour for contract IT work + a trip charge for most calls.

reply to dgoner
Most companies around here charge between $120 to $150 per hour for that kind of work, or less if you sign a retainer with a managed service provider. You would also be looking at anywhere between $30-$60k per year for a junior systems administrator position. I wouldn't expect much from a small company, although I would at least push for cost of living adjustments. Be careful, you don't want to negotiate your way out of a job in this economy!

If you honestly think you are not being paid enough, you should consider looking for a new job. Your chances for success are much higher while being employed. Just be ready with a list of accomplishments that you can use to "sell" yourself to another firm. The worst that happens is that the job market comes back telling you that you aren't worth what you think you are.

-G

reply to dgoner
A few things.

First, you can't cmpare to what service companies charge. They employ people much more qualified than you. They have overhead. They have to pay the techs for non-billable work.

It seems you have an over inflated picture of your worth. I have news for you. If you bring 1.5 times your salary in sales, the company is barely making a profit on you. It varies some, but the general rule of thumb for fully loaded costs of an employee is salary + 40%.

If you think your IT 'experience' can get you more money, try the open market.

reply to dgoner
I see your point. You really want to go to your brother and say "Hey - I like my job, I like even doing extra stuff (the IT stuff) that I would have never learned before I started working for you"

You are trying to also say, "Look, brother - I save you each time I do this work. Most companies charge $100 to $150 for each change or service call. Could you help me out and give me a extra 1 to 2 % raise?"

FWIW - I've seen service calls from $100 to $250 a call (with and without trip charges). Some stuff can even be done remotely, so it all depends.

I guess the real question is what is your position with your brother, and are you in his company as a contributor to it's success or just an employee earning a check? If your brother really sees you as a person to help grow the company, he may be fair and give you an extra 1 to 3% to add to your compensation.
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"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” - Edmund Burke

reply to dgoner
There really should not be that much upkeep?

Once the phone system runs it should just run. Unless someone drops coffee in a phone.

Same with the computers etc. Are things breaking that often? Are other changes being requested that often?

Maybe a quick check of the pbx each day to make sure it is still secure and nobody hacking it. Replace a mouse or keyboard every so often. Check the mail to make sure still running and not hacked.
Check backups on data are working.
Unless I am missing something coffee and a donut in the morning some light work and you are done.

Unless the company next door has massive issues or doing much more and different stuff IT should not be living there.

reply to dgoner
Entry level Help Desk Pay is about $20-30k/year, which is about where your qualifications are at.

reply to nonymous
nonymous: Your post over simplifies. If I'm paid to do job A but have the skills to complete job B so the company does not need to hire anyone to complete job B then that has a value. Certainly if I were to leave, the company would have to hire my replacement plus find a part time IT firm to take care of their needs as needed. What you describe implies that small companies spend $ 0 on IT and never have bigger problems.

Asterisk telephone support alone is in the $100 + per hour range so if I'm looking for a couple percentage points higher raise I think the company still saves each year and my wallet is happier. It's the immediate fix that is expected (and received) that makes me think my service is being slightly undervalued to the company. Being on call has cost me a few nights away from my family over the years at some less than wonderful times. How much does after hours IT service cost? Our PBX logs an average of 30,000 minutes a month and for 6 people that is a lot of phone use. It's a really big deal when it is down because we don't make money.

Thank you to those that replied with some figures. This will help an intelligent dialog proceed at review time. Hopefully it will pay off and if not it will certainly be worth the try.

reply to dgoner
i hear where the OP is coming from, but i also agree with what everyone has said.

my opinion...careful how you position yourself because...

1. google apps, free edition. even the paid edition at 50/user/year isnt a bad deal (this can be managed remotely)

2. for 3kish you can get an avaya ip 500 phone system (rock solid) unless there are some cisco guys here, they will bash it. that includes install, training, etc... (for that size of a company, the yearly cost of a maint contract is probably one or two of your paychecks. meaning, any decent shop can handle the upkeep for that phone system if you are not there. this can also be managed remotely, assuming no hardware needs to be replaced).

i wear a lot of hats where i am at, so i know what it is like to be in your position.

basically, my point is that if you were not there, it wouldnt cost that much money to keep a small network like that running. at the same time, if you were not there, your brother would have to pay someone to keep the stuff that is running, running so i do see where you are coming from.

reply to dgoner
How many hours a week do you spend doing IT stuff that nobody else in the office can't do or can't learn? Don't inclide stuff like plugging a keyboard, etc.

How much do you earn per hour? Multiply that by 1.5 (revenue you say you bring in).

Now try this:

(IThrs * 100) - (IThrs * (hourlyrate*1.5)= value of raise

reply to dgoner
I occasionally do IT work for my job..not part of the description, but it is better than my routine, saves the customers from being pissed off, and the ...um..."office staff" from embarrassment when the issue was a loose plug or paper jam. Personally, I'd only say something if I was really pissed off with my wage..otherwise, I'd just shut up and be thankful I could do 'other' jobs during my daily activities. Now, around here, IT work pays about $150/hour --> contract work, slight discount if you 'sign on' to an agreement. HOWEVER...IT itself pays anywhere between $30 and $40 an hour -- typical. This $150 /hour is for guys doing serous maintenance which would make the regular IT hack loose his mind. Your best bet is to figure around, let's say, $35 an hour....deduct your hourly from your wage that you do IT, (so let's say to you 40 hours a week at $20 an hour, and you do 5 hours IT, calculate 35 X $20 and then 5@$35 an hour.) -- so it might be worth, what, $75/week?

That's my take on it...might be worth bitching about, maybe not.
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If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. - Albert Einstein

As others have said, a contract/billable service agreement would run your brother's company a lot of cash each year, AND they would have to wait for the "tech" to show up, which can be several hours, depending...

Without drilling into all the specifics, IMHO to ask your brother for 10% to 20% a year on top of what he pays the others who do your "broker" job would be a steal for him. Considering all the pluses he gets by having you there, for ASAP repairs, and your intimate knowledge of the systems, plus I'm guessing his piece of mind knowing you are trustworthy.
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Politics is a disease, we need a cure!
In constant search for intelligent life on Earth!

reply to dgoner
Worth, deserve, earned, etc. don't mean beans.

In twenty years that I've been in the post-college workforce, I've always earned exactly what I decided to earn. Until I realized this, I earned a lot less. Once I realized and embraced this, I started earning a lot more.

"Decided", in this context, requires unreserved belief in a future reality, but does not require concrete steps to get there. In other words, 'deciding' that I'll make $5,000,000 dollars tomorrow without wholly believe it doesn't work.

I recommend the book, "The Trick To Money is Having Some" to anyone who hasn't tripped to the reality that their own role is the most significant in how much they earn.

reply to J E F F
Problem is that what he's doing and his experience level isn't worth $35/hr. It's a junior tech gig, worth about $20/hr.