Problems with moving back, negative perception of work experience

Hi bbk tea bog. We have very similar backgrounds, specifically in Datacenters and IT. The industry began shifting to Cloud technology, such as Azure, Google, and AWS. On-premise support is slowly going away. Fortunately, I rode that wave over ten years ago. So after 25 years of IT,  I am retired and still in demand even for remote work. However, I'm finished. I now live in the Philippines with my wife and don't want to live the whole corporate thing anymore. What I have learned living in Asia if I ever needed to get back to work for financial reasons.

• Singapore and Australia pay the highest wages for IT on this side of the world.
• However, this side of the world is about ten years behind the West. So if you are high-tech, get ready to step it down.
• I am still getting remote job opportunities from Linkedin, Flexjobs, and ZipRecruiter, even though they know I live in the Philippines and am retired.
• I've managed European companies from the US. You may look there, but keep your time zone in order.
• Datacenters are 24/7. Your daytime is their graveyard shift. And no one wants to do the graveyard shift.

I understand your situation is different them mine. You have kids. We don't. I would roll up my sleeves, fix your resume professionally, and get back in there. There is work out there.  Start with Linkedin. You will get recruiters contacting you almost instantly.

"One IT pro helping another."

Lonely Wolf NYC

Thanks for the input!  Unfortunately one part you cite is especially problematic related to what I'm seeking, since I've worked only in a data center company in Thailand, where I've lived for 15 years.  I think Thailand's IT industry is a bit behind in terms of the rest of the industry, but differences come up as much as just that overall level theme. 

Security standards used are different in different countries, for example, ISO here, and NIST / SOC 2 over there.  And US companies are quite accustomed to the extra effort and expense that relate to personal certifications, and in Thailand that kind of thing is taken far less seriously.  It's not as if network engineers don't need the same standard certs, but beyond that more fixed scope, for example in quality assurance, it's different.  I took a couple of training classes back when I was a DC manager but I've been in a different role for awhile, and time passes quickly related to training or experience seeming dated.

Since for now I'm seeking work in just one location, in Honolulu, the last place I lived in the US, and where my kids live, it's even more complicated.  The data center industry is close to nonexistent there; I doubt that I'll be working in it.  That's not mainly related to the Cloud uptake; it was limited 10 to 15 years ago, before that became what it is now.

I'll sort it all out, one way or the other.  There are even more complications related to how cost of living factors in, and my age, but still it's going to work out.  There's a great fall-back plan in place in case it doesn't, so either way is ok, but I've gotta go with a questionable level of optimism, until it's time to shift plans.

Back on the on-premise DC theme, it's holding in there better than I would've expected here.  Maybe it's a sign of that "10 years behind" theme, that companies just don't want to switch over to putting it all in the Cloud.  Our corporation actually expanded scope quite a bit related to a spin-off joint-venture new build over the last couple of years, that just doesn't help me since I didn't move to work in that company, and even that partner isn't located in the US, never mind in Honolulu.

Hi, bkk tea blog.  I can completely relate. You are right; standards are higher in the US. The whole cert thing. I want to start with your age. In my last job, before I retired, I remotely migrated companies in Berlin, Stockholm, Sweden, and Shanghai to the cloud. I also managed and migrated (lift and shift) companies in the West and East of the US by myself. My age? Well, I am older than you. I know this for sure. 

The last data center I worked in used EMC, Veeame, VCenter, and Nutanix for file replications. Why? Because you're right. Companies do not want to migrate. But now a day, they have very little choice. They want their copies of their company data and pay through the nose to make it happen. (Wow! The trust issues with these people!) Here is an example:

Microsoft White Paper state they will no longer support a version of a specific platform. Unless you upgrade, you're on your own without updates, security patches, or support. You get that? You are paying your vendor, but they get to tell you how to run your business.    

MSP, where I've worked, requires certifications so that they can partner up with vendors to get products at a discount and resell them to their clients at market price.  Not all private US companies do this. Hawaii is challenging due to the Naval Security clearance in most sites. Forget Honolulu. Try Kuai. No matter how good you are, you can't even get your foot in the door.

I'm trying to say here that there are opportunities, and remote may be an option. You can use remote to watch your kids grow up. It helped my wife and me during the pandemic. She was a Medical Front Line responder to Covid on the east coast. Remote helped me take care of her when she did a 12-hour shift.

Try Linkedin. It's free. You will get contacts within days.

Oportunities friend. Food for thought.

Lone Wolf NYC