So you want to become one of the few, the proud – the average web hosting worker. Now I can tell you from first and experience, it isn’t all fame and glory.

It is a job for people who like to help other people. If you don’t have the patience for people with stupid questions, or if your not that interested about how the Web works this job might not be for you. If you like tinkering with things and you find yourself being very customer service friendly, then stay tuned because this might be the right job for you.

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In this Web Hosting Show guide I want to cover some of the basic questions and ideas that anybody looking to work in the web hosting business will need to consider at least once before jumping in with both feet.

Am I an Employee or a Contracted Worker?

First thing that is hard for some people to wrap their heads around is the idea that you are not working as an employee of the company. You are instead working as a “contracted worker” for the company.

This is how many freelance jobs work. If you are working a remote position with the web host in question, you are actually classified as a small business in many situations. Now I won’t pretend to know all the legal loopholes that are related to that – so we’ll just leave that topic there for now.

Now if there is a web host or data center in your area that you work for – that all changes. You will be an employee and it will be “legally” much like all the other jobs you’ve probably had in the past. Nothing new there.

Experience Workers Make the Best Workers

When looking for a web hosting job, you might make a list of things that you are experienced in so that when they ask (and you know they will) you’ll be ready to answer. If you’ve owned and operated your own server then you should be a shoe in.

There are always jobs for experienced server administrators out there. Take in consideration some of your other web projects. How would you answer these questions?

• Have you installed many content management systems or other scripts?
• Do you know the basics of HTML and CSS as it related to web site design?
• Have you ever messed around with PHP, SSI or other server technologies?

If you answered yes to most if not all of them – those would also be good things to include in your resume.

Show Me Some of That Web Hosting Money!

One of the most important questions is how much will you be making? Are you going to be able to do this full time – or will it need to be a part time investment of your time? You should be looking for at least minimum wage when it comes to how much you get paid.

You might actually ask for more – because you will not have taxes taken out of your paycheck in many situations. So you have to consider that a certain portion of your paycheck will be going to Uncle Sam at the end of the year.

What Type of Web Hosting Jobs Are There?

Now for the most part I would say you could divide the world of a web hosting worker into two parts. You have the customer service end and you have the technical grunt end. The customer service end is the side that answers the questions, smiles and has the patience of a Tibetan monk. If this was a war, the customer service representatives would be the first line of defense.

Now on the other side you have the technical grunts. These workers know their way around a server and can get things on that end of the web hosting job fixed and done quickly. They might not talk with the public much – but they can do grunt work like nobody’s business.

Now occasionally you might find people that fit a little ‘bit into both camps. That is fine too – there is room for all types at most web hosts around the Web. The important thing to note is that working for a web host doesn’t mean you will be babysitting a server all day long. There are a lot of different jobs you could end up doing.

Where Can I Find Available Hosting Jobs?

Your average remote web hosting job is not going to be listed in your local paper. You might need to know where to look before you make that leap. Once great resource that is getting more and more jobs listed on it every day is HostCareers.com. That gives you everything in one spot.

You might also try looking around on some of the popular web hosting forums out there like WebHostingTalk.com. Many of them have a “jobs” section where web hosts can post the kind of folks that are looking for and people looking for work can post their applications.

Another route you could go down is to go talk with the web hosts directly. Some places like Lunarpages.com have a jobs section of their web site for open positions within the company. I am a big believer of “it never hurts to ask” so just dropping them an e-mail or a phone call might give you a lot of information on if they are hiring or not too.

Other Things to Consider Before Switching Jobs

Before you give up your nine to five job, there might be a few more things you need to keep in mind.

+ Most remote or contracted positions do not offer vacation time. If you need to take some time off, most web hosts will allow it but you had better check on the policy before signing up.

+ Make sure you read the contract the hiring web host gives you from top to bottom. Your going to be legally bound to this – so better know what you are getting yourself into.

+ Get ready to find somebody who knows what they are doing when it comes tax time. The big branch tax offices should do well, but that old lady down the street might not know exactly how to classify your new job.

+ Don’t get suckered into a job with no set hours. It might sound nice, but this just means that you’ll probably be tricked into working 24/7.

+ Remember that the customer needs to be happy – no matter how much of a jerk he or she is. Just think of it as a challenge, smile and ask “what can I do for you?”.

Is a Web Hosting Job for You?

Well that just about wraps up this guide on getting yourself a job inside of the hosting industry. So now that you have heard it from all angles, has it changed your mind or are you now interested more than ever? If you have any feedback, questions or remarks be sure to send them my way or leave a comment.