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Q. I have been working in a government ministry as an application engineer for two-and-a-half years, specializing in satellite and GSM technologies. I am planning to cross over to a telco where the job is to manage the bidding and tendering process.
It will require me to write proposals for the processes, etc. How much salary should I be looking at if I decide to make a career switch? My current job is pretty technical, and I am doing programming. Although my current job has some relevance to the switch, the switch would require my employer to train me.
Career advice from Andrew Sansom, director of DP Search:
Any career switch can be costly in terms of salary and position. You are climbing up a new ladder so you may need to go down a few rungs, or at least not expect to go up so quickly in the short term. Your salary also depends on the relevance which your new employer sees in your experience and crucially in your attitude, and potential for the role. It sounds as if your new job would be more focused on sales and business development than purely technical, and as such (if you are successful) it opens a whole new career dimension. If you feel that this suits your personality and personal aspirations then this is probably a good move for you. No one can tell you the salary to ask for without knowing more details. Just bear in mind that they are investing in you, and that you may also have to do the same.
Career advice from Vivien Teng, a consultant with I Search Worldwide:
An engineer in a telco company should have more than four years of working experience in network protocols and telephony protocols. Primary responsibilities are: system installation, operation and maintenance, technical consultation and application development. Possibly Tier 2/Tier 3 support on core product functionality, protocol functionality, fault resilience. The telco industry is a generally fast-paced, high-pressure environment, and someone who is dynamic, independent, a multi-tasker and has good organizational skills will thrive in a telco company. A software engineer working in a telco company can expect to earn between S$4,500 (US$2,949) and S$6,000 (US$4,260), depending on the experience of the individual as well as the job nature and requirements set by the company.
hi i am doing gniit(software)in niit from india and my b.com last year exam in may 2007 so after graduation i will study mscit. so please tell me its better option for me& how can i go in software industry.
Posted by rahul saini on Sunday, May 20 2007 03:08 AM