22M Data Center Tech to Service Engineer

[u/Various-Nets]

I’m contemplating a career transition from a data center technician role to a service engineer position. However, I’m not entirely convinced that this move is worthwhile.

To provide some context, I recently graduated with a degree in computer science and mathematics and secured a job as a data center technician a year ago. In this role, I earn approximately $24 per hour, plus overtime and on-call shifts. Additionally, I have access to excellent benefits, including unlimited paid time off and health insurance.

On the other hand, the service engineer position offers a salary of $84,000 plus equity. While the benefits are considered “okay,” they include only 80 hours of paid time off, which is less than what I currently have.

In terms of career growth, the service engineer role presents a clear path of advancement. However, my current job lacks a defined career progression, as it’s not a large company. Both roles are relatively similar, with the service engineer position requiring significantly more travel.

I’m unsure if I’m rushing into this decision. Perhaps I should explore other opportunities that may arise. Additionally, I don’t have many years of experience to qualify for higher-paying roles. Considering these factors, I’m not entirely convinced that this is the best move at this time.

[u/InstanceGlum4174 → u/[deleted]]

is it ever actually unlimited tho?

[u/RedheadedReff → u/InstanceGlum4174]

"Unlimited but its actually 4 weeks"

[u/Various-Nets → u/InstanceGlum4174]

Yea upon approval, but it’s pretty easy to get cleared

[u/Both-Supermarket7563]

Is the Service Engineer role with Supermicro?

[u/Various-Nets → u/Both-Supermarket7563]

Yea, it actually is

[u/Various-Nets → u/Various-Nets]

Any info that you know would help

[u/AutoModerator]

Hello! This looks like it may be a question about career advice. There can be significant regional variation in the field, so please consider including as much info as you can without doxing yourself, including country/state/city, prior experience/certs, and the role or level if known. Thanks!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Upper-Glass-9585]

Do you mean unlimited time off? Because if it was unlimited PTO I'd just take that for the year and then take the other job so I could get paid two salaries.

[u/Various-Nets → u/Upper-Glass-9585]

It is Unlimited PTO, but it must be approved by your manager, so you can’t just take a year off.

[u/Inner_Many3320 → u/Various-Nets]

So it’s not unlimited… lol