Wage Watchers: How much does a service desk engineer earn?

What line of work are you in and what does it pay?
I’m a service desk engineer and lend second-line support to the help desk at a large chemical company in the port of Antwerp. This means that when problems are reported by telephone, the help desk has a half an hour to solve them. If they can’t figure it out, then after the half hour they call me and it’s up to me to find the solution.

This job falls in line with what I studied. I have a bachelors in applied computer science from Thomas More college.

I chose to become an IT service provider at Ordina because the atmosphere was nice. They had given a presentation where they presented their company at my school. They said that it was interesting and challenging work, so I decided to apply there. I got a contract right away, so I’ve been with them sense July 2014, just after I got my degree.

They pay me €1580 after taxes.

Do you like your job?
Absolutely! I’m surrounded by nice colleagues and there’s a good atmosphere in the office.

Like I said, my work is in line with what I studied and I love a challenge. So I started working as soon as possible. Actually, I started right after I got home from an internship abroad. Together with three other students, I went to Ethiopia where we tried to improve the server infrastructure of a university. We also gave trainings on how to better work with IT in the context of developing countries, so that the people there could better manage it themselves.

Maybe my job isn’t 100 per cent precisely what I want to do, but there’s a lot of potential for growth and I’d like to keep developing and learning. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Now is the time for me to learn and build up to what I want to do. But my ambitions definitely remain in IT infrastructure. Technology is my passion. But never say never, of course. A lot can change. Maybe that will too.

What do you think of your salary?
It’s perfect. I actually expected less. It’s a good combination: net pay, company car and gas card, a retirement savings plan, group and hospitalisation insurances. On top of that, I get my mobile phone subscription paid for, a laptop and also meal vouchers. I certainly can’t complain.

How many hours do you work per week?
40 hours.

Do you save?
In the next two years, I’d like to move out of my parents’ house and move in with my girlfriend. Ninety per cent of what I earn ends up in my savings account. Besides the purchase of an expensive gadget every six months, I don’t have any costs. I live at home, so I don’t spend much.

What is your biggest cost?
Electronic gadgets, phones, etc. Telecoms interest me and I want to keep up with the technology.

How do you deal with the crisis?
That’s not really an issue for me.

What do you hate spending money on?
On books and expensive clothes.

What do you like spending money on?
Electronics most of all, but also on travelling. Before Ethiopia, I mostly stayed in Europe, but now I’d like to go intercontinental: Vietnam, America, etc. But also in Europe, there are still several countries I’d like to see, like Sweden and Denmark. I also like to invest in quality time with my girlfriend and I can really enjoy going out to a good dinner once in a while.

What would you do if you won the lottery?
Build my dream house. Of course, if we’re still dreaming, I’d also buy a sports car, a black Maserati. I’d also want to give a big portion of it to my parents and my sister, so that they could live more comfortably. And I’d sponsor a good cause, preferably something concrete that I really support, like the organisation where I did my internship.