As an IT Support or Infrastructure Engineer, you have probably spent at least some time thinking of the steps you can take to build your career. You have probably also considered where you want to be in the future and the stepping stones you can take to get there, such as joining a Managed Service Provider (MSP) or IT Solutions Company.
Working for an Managed Services Provider can bring a lot of not-always-obvious benefits, and can often give your career a huge boost. And whether you dream of specialising in a niche area of technology or want to remain a generalist, there are lots of reasons why an MSP could be the best place to cut your teeth.
Here are our top 5 reasons to join an MSP, especially early in your career:
- Work with cutting-edge tech – MSPs ultimately sell their clients a competitive edge in business, which often means faster, newer kit, and the latest most-secure versions of business software, so (as an employee) your skills will be at the cutting edge and you’ll get to try beta versions ahead of your friends in the industry
- Fast pace – solving clients problems in a fast-paced environment means you will have plenty to do and as a result you will learn quicker and acquire the all-important professional experience at a faster pace
- Career progression – Many in-house IT Managers have worked at an MSP earlier in their career, and because you will manage lots of different IT setups and you’ll quickly learn about how solutions are constructed and the key considerations. Often your clients will see you as their IT manager, so you’ll start to build up your management skills
- Qualifications – typically MSPs rely on employee certifications & qualifications to maintain their partnership status, and in turn will pay for you to study Microsoft, Cisco or Cloud qualifications, sometimes offering pay rises as well as dedicated study time to help you along the way
- Good fun – working for an IT company usually means the company culture is technology focused, whether that means regular LAN parties, free hardware, tech-focused employee benefits, and generally having your voice heard more than being a small department in a larger company
As a specialist IT Recruitment firm Shift F5 work with Managed Services Providers and IT Solutions companies up and down the UK. If something in this article has caught your eye and you’d like to consider your options, reach out to Tom Oddie on:
Tel. 0161 413 6330
Tom.Oddie@shiftf5.co.uk
Thanks for reading,
Tom
