Im into networking and i need a job....im in high school

[alfa147x]

i'm certified A+
iv gotten a 5 in AP computer science
Know windows 95-vista like the back of my hand (some play with 2003)
love hardware and networking

any jobs for some like me?
(computer related job...)

 

[jlazzaro]

unfortunately, like most things in life you need to start at the bottom. i know of very few people (one actually) that started their career in anything other than a helpdesk / support position. someone with no experience just cant be trusted to support core infrastructure devices.

it's only until you've proven yourself to your employer, or until you have a proven track record under your belt that you can start tackling the big boys.

at this point, you're not looking for your dream job, or even a well paying one. you need something to get your foot in the door. theres an abundance of resources, but check out Junior / Intern positions local to your area (monster, careerbuilder, etc). It may even be worth seeing if your school has any computer assistant positions...SOMETHING is always better than nothing.

im sure you know this already seeing as you have your A+, but certifications are key. schedule a meeting with your guidance counselar and see if the Cisco CCNA academy is offered anywhere in your area. most of my senior year was spent commuting to a high school 3 towns over to take part in this class. it was an invaluable experience~!

 

[Jeff7181]

Yeah, start working somewhere... anywhere. Even if you're answering questions about RAM at Best Buy it's better than nothing. You don't want to end up like me, turned down for job after job because you don't have a track record. :frown:

 

[dphantom]

I second the comments. Help Desk is a great start. Go to college and get your degree. Work through college at some computer related job.

Volunteer at a non-profit to be their computer guy. Or at church. Find opportunities to put your skills to work and gain experience that you can show on a resume.

Work at Best Buy in the computer department, etc...

 

[skillyho]

Just like everyone else has said....start somewhere! I had these grand visions of jumping in mid way but it was after about 3 years of proven experience and references that doors really started opening for me. I worked doing BellSouth DSL TechSupport (Phone) which was great for developing customer service & communication skills...something often overlooked in this occupation. From there I was an intern at college for 1 year under the Regional Director for Telecommunications Training and then another year under the Dept. Head for Computer Servicing. From there I got on doing decently paying contract work for various companies through Monster.com, and finally full time work paying what I hoped for at a Federal Job.

Take the job that pays half of what you'd thought you make, prove yourself, build strong references and work your way up. Invest yourself into what you do wholeheartedly and get those Certifications along the way!

 

[yinan]

Start at the help desk. If you treat the position correctly you will learn alot that you will use later on when your career has advanced more. You will learn to take all of your actions seriously because when you support an infrastructure your actions can affect the ability of 1000's of people to do thier job.

 

[nweaver]

Originally posted by: BSkip22
Just like everyone else has said....start somewhere! I had these grand visions of jumping in mid way but it was after about 3 years of proven experience and references that doors really started opening for me. I worked doing BellSouth DSL TechSupport (Phone) which was great for developing customer service & communication skills...something often overlooked in this occupation. From there I was an intern at college for 1 year under the Regional Director for Telecommunications Training and then another year under the Dept. Head for Computer Servicing. From there I got on doing decently paying contract work for various companies through Monster.com, and finally full time work paying what I hoped for at a Federal Job.

Take the job that pays half of what you'd thought you make, prove yourself, build strong references and work your way up. Invest yourself into what you do wholeheartedly and get those Certifications along the way!

The other nice thing about phone support is that (at least in my case) the train you to learn how to REALLY troubleshoot...not the shotgun approach that many take to fixing problems. HP was really hip on this "5 step troubleshooting" and although it would sometimes (less then 10% of the time) take LONGER because you were gathering info, it would usually lead you to the root cause of problems faster.

OP, really, a helpdesk of phone support job is your best option with no experience, and only an A+ (which really isn't worth much in the field). It will get your foot in the door, help to gain some very valuable skills (troubleshooting, real job with performance evals, etc) and get you started on that road. It's where I started (I did HP Photosmart support, for printers and cameras) and now I am a network/server/everything guy, with a small team and about ~1000 computers spread all over the world to manage and maintain.

 

[alfa147x]

Originally posted by: nweaver

Originally posted by: BSkip22
Just like everyone else has said....start somewhere! I had these grand visions of jumping in mid way but it was after about 3 years of proven experience and references that doors really started opening for me. I worked doing BellSouth DSL TechSupport (Phone) which was great for developing customer service & communication skills...something often overlooked in this occupation. From there I was an intern at college for 1 year under the Regional Director for Telecommunications Training and then another year under the Dept. Head for Computer Servicing. From there I got on doing decently paying contract work for various companies through Monster.com, and finally full time work paying what I hoped for at a Federal Job.

Take the job that pays half of what you'd thought you make, prove yourself, build strong references and work your way up. Invest yourself into what you do wholeheartedly and get those Certifications along the way!

The other nice thing about phone support is that (at least in my case) the train you to learn how to REALLY troubleshoot...not the shotgun approach that many take to fixing problems. HP was really hip on this "5 step troubleshooting" and although it would sometimes (less then 10% of the time) take LONGER because you were gathering info, it would usually lead you to the root cause of problems faster.

OP, really, a helpdesk of phone support job is your best option with no experience, and only an A+ (which really isn't worth much in the field). It will get your foot in the door, help to gain some very valuable skills (troubleshooting, real job with performance evals, etc) and get you started on that road. It's where I started (I did HP Photosmart support, for printers and cameras) and now I am a network/server/everything guy, with a small team and about ~1000 computers spread all over the world to manage and maintain.

Thats a dream job here, what i plan to do in college

 

[alfa147x]

Originally posted by: nweaver
<blockquote>quote:
Originally posted by: BSkip22
Just like everyone else has said....start somewhere! I had these grand visions of jumping in mid way but it was after about 3 years of proven experience and references that doors really started opening for me. I worked doing BellSouth DSL TechSupport (Phone) which was great for developing customer service & communication skills...something often overlooked in this occupation. From there I was an intern at college for 1 year under the Regional Director for Telecommunications Training and then another year under the Dept. Head for Computer Servicing. From there I got on doing decently paying contract work for various companies through Monster.com, and finally full time work paying what I hoped for at a Federal Job.

Take the job that pays half of what you'd thought you make, prove yourself, build strong references and work your way up. Invest yourself into what you do wholeheartedly and get those Certifications along the way!

</blockquote>

The other nice thing about phone support is that (at least in my case) the train you to learn how to REALLY troubleshoot...not the shotgun approach that many take to fixing problems. HP was really hip on this "5 step troubleshooting" and although it would sometimes (less then 10% of the time) take LONGER because you were gathering info, it would usually lead you to the root cause of problems faster.

OP, really, a helpdesk of phone support job is your best option with no experience, and only an A+ (which really isn't worth much in the field). It will get your foot in the door, help to gain some very valuable skills (troubleshooting, real job with performance evals, etc) and get you started on that road. It's where I started (I did HP Photosmart support, for printers and cameras) and now I am a network/server/everything guy, with a small team and about ~1000 computers spread all over the world to manage and maintain.

any idea where to find these jobs?

 

[jlazzaro]

i always see postings for junior admins / techs (in the baltimore area at least). best bet is to hit the job websites (monster, careerbuilder, dice, any local job sites) and search for junior, entry level, helpdesk, phone support, etc under IT.

also, almost every company has a careers section in their webpage. go to dell, hp, verizon, comcast, etc and see what pops up! does your school offer any exposure / placement? persistence is key.

edit: +1 on the sig

 

[nweaver]

Find the local large call centers, and find out who runs them. Pretty much every major tech company outsources their L1 and L2 tech support to companies like EDS, MCI, etc.