This is my first post, but I've been lurking here for a long time. I just wanted to get some pointers from some of you guys. I especially need advice from those who are actually working in the IT field. I'm really interested in getting my foot in the door for tech work. I've been working on PC's quite a bit as a hobby for the past couple of years. I know there is a big difference between hobby and job, but I want to do this for a living. I just graduated from college about two years ago. My degree wasn't really in IT though, it was in telecommunications. I've been tyring to figure out the best way to get my foot in the door in the IT field. I just want to start out as a PC technician and work my way up from there if I can. Should I get some certifications before I try to get started in this field of work? If so, which certs should I go for? Is A+ certification the best place to get started? Thanks.
IT Job: Need Advice
- Thread starter romulox
- Start date
Don't spend money on a cert school. Instead go down to barnes and noble and buy an A+ book, and read it. Spend alittle more money to build a cheap computer from scratch to give you more of an idea on how it's done.
While you are studying for your A+ (it should really only take you a month to get this cert, studying on your own) start looking for a job. When I graduated college I started temping, and ended up temping as a network admin - this was a great way to get your foot in the door. I would recommend getting a head hunter to work for you (again, don't pay anything).
After you get your A+, you should become MCP (you need only pass one Microsoft test to become an MCP).
Certs are good if you don't have enough experiance, but I've found that they aren't quite as important as most people want you to believe. Believe it or not, employers will be just as impressed with a well dressed personable entry level candidate. Spend some money on a good suit.
While you are studying for your A+ (it should really only take you a month to get this cert, studying on your own) start looking for a job. When I graduated college I started temping, and ended up temping as a network admin - this was a great way to get your foot in the door. I would recommend getting a head hunter to work for you (again, don't pay anything).
After you get your A+, you should become MCP (you need only pass one Microsoft test to become an MCP).
Certs are good if you don't have enough experiance, but I've found that they aren't quite as important as most people want you to believe. Believe it or not, employers will be just as impressed with a well dressed personable entry level candidate. Spend some money on a good suit.
Thanks for the advice. I have already built a few systems from scratch in the last year. I'm pretty comfortable with the hardware side of things. I need to study up more on OS and networking though. I'm going to look for a good study guide to take the A+ test. Only problem is that I'm in Japan now, so it's tough to find English books that specific here. Maybe Amazon can ship to Japan.
Just to give you an idea, I graduated with a Business Information Systems degree last May and still haven't found a job in the IT sector. It's probably the toughest field to enter these days, with the economy as it is, and outsourcing to go along with it. Think about these things before you decide to pursue it any further. I probably would've went into accounting if I had to do it all over again.
A+ for dummies is a great and easy book to use to study, believe it or not. The cost involved with a cert school outweighs the return value for a job that you will aquire with just an A+. Even community colleges are a cheaper and better way to go than a cert school in my opinion.
If you really want to get some troubleshooting experience, buy or aquire some old computers, take them apart, mix the parts around and try and put back together and make them work!
Networking in my opinion can only be learned by doing it, and encountering problems. I knew tons about computers, and nothing about networking. When I took networking in college, I was like....uh....what? Packets? Who?? It's real dry and doesn't make a lot of sense unless you see it in action. Hit your local Goodwill, and buy a whole slew of old computers and nics, and network them!
If you really want to get some troubleshooting experience, buy or aquire some old computers, take them apart, mix the parts around and try and put back together and make them work!
Networking in my opinion can only be learned by doing it, and encountering problems. I knew tons about computers, and nothing about networking. When I took networking in college, I was like....uh....what? Packets? Who?? It's real dry and doesn't make a lot of sense unless you see it in action. Hit your local Goodwill, and buy a whole slew of old computers and nics, and network them!
dont become a technician.. its boring.. trust me.. dealing with stupid users all day and their dumb problems.. ohh my screen says no input detected.. well did you turn on your computer? ohhh no i forgot.. stupid users...
Im a recent accounting grad and I absolutely hate it! Never liked to study it and I never really liked the accounting firms either. Computers are so much more interesting to me. However jobs are scarce because IT is saturated with people in the feild as well as outsourcing. You will have much better luck finding work by getting into the software side of things, like programming.
I myself am going a slightly different route by pursuing a secondary school teaching credential, to teach high school computer science. Teaching jobs in public education are much more abundant. I live in the LA area so teaching positions start out $45,000+. And I will be in the feild I like most, computers!
If you are looking for entry level tech work, try looking at your local government agencies. Small / Local gvt. jobs may not pay as much but are a great way to get your foot in the door and get some experience.
Stupid users can ruin your day yes, I work with many many many of them, and training them is a bear. BUT on the flip side, I enjoy seeing their face light up when they understand something, or learn something new, which is few and far between, but does happen.
I don't find it boring, I enjoy getting that rush of excitement when you fix something crucial that no one else can, or finishing that programming project that you've been working on for 4 months, or seeing something you created, or implemented take off without a hitch. There are many plusses to being a tech, just depends on which part of the industry you go into. Doing straight up technical phone support would be boring in the long run to me.
Every job in my opinion has its low points at times, especially the monotony of just getting up and going to work, eating, sleeping, then doing it all over again.
If you get good at what you do in this field, you can make some dam good money. Just doing side work I charge 100/hour.
I don't find it boring, I enjoy getting that rush of excitement when you fix something crucial that no one else can, or finishing that programming project that you've been working on for 4 months, or seeing something you created, or implemented take off without a hitch. There are many plusses to being a tech, just depends on which part of the industry you go into. Doing straight up technical phone support would be boring in the long run to me.
Every job in my opinion has its low points at times, especially the monotony of just getting up and going to work, eating, sleeping, then doing it all over again.
If you get good at what you do in this field, you can make some dam good money. Just doing side work I charge 100/hour.
I'm going the Network Admin. or DBA route... still not completely sure. I definitely don't want to be a technician because I hate dealing with people, lol. Also, I've heard that outsourcing is not affecting Network Admins. or DBA's since they need to be onsite. Luckily, I work for the City government already (in an IT-related field), so my chances of moving into a nice admin. job are pretty good.
This is the degree I'm pursuing: http://www.stedwards.edu/newc/pace/csm/index.htm
This is the degree I'm pursuing: http://www.stedwards.edu/newc/pace/csm/index.htm
Should have studied in a field like networking. You can not really outsource networking. You have to be on-site to diagnose network problems. Computer Hardware Software is another good area for jobs like help-desk or something like that. Then there is management of database systems. All of these areas kind of intermingle after a while.
One of the problems with something like the A+ examinations is a lot of questions involve really technical questions having to do with very basic stuff and terminology about computers. Then there are the multiple operating systems you need to know about. Examples may be like how many bits in a byte, what is DHCP, how does ECC error detection and control work, how to represent negative number in binary, etc. Then there is all the networking terminology. You really need a book with some sample questions. A good thing is there are several tests and you can study for one at a time.
It is really a tough sell to try to find a programming job.
I am a COBOL Programmer at a Community College. We are getting to the end of road for what I would call hardcore programming. Our next system will be based on a database with a special application development kit. So the job is more specialized in one area. This kind of programming is more like application development, or system design even though the basic system already has a working model. There is always some customization and report writing/SQL, and screen design work needed to get things to work properly.
Then you always need add-on applications to cover areas that the general application system does not address. Someone has to figure out how to make third-party vendor applications work with your database.
This is the kind of work you would expect to find. Not many jobs out there for programmers or system analysts to design and program a system from scratch. Some peope may be doing that but that takes experienc to just step into that kind of a position. Even on our new system that does Student Management, HR, and Accounting we brought in outside technical help to get our project going and to help manage it even to set up a prepackaged system.
You need some know how in things like Networking, MS Office Suite, MS Server 200/2003, Win2k, Windows XP, Linux, Wireless Devices. Some computer Hardware knowledge is always good too. Progamming with Visual Basic is another good subject. A lot of places use VB to set up user interfaces with databases.
If you took telecommunications try going into Telephone jobs or maybe Cable TV Jobs. Both areas need people to install Broadband in Homes if you think that might interest you. It is kind of boring, and technical, but you get to go to different places all the time.
One of the problems with something like the A+ examinations is a lot of questions involve really technical questions having to do with very basic stuff and terminology about computers. Then there are the multiple operating systems you need to know about. Examples may be like how many bits in a byte, what is DHCP, how does ECC error detection and control work, how to represent negative number in binary, etc. Then there is all the networking terminology. You really need a book with some sample questions. A good thing is there are several tests and you can study for one at a time.
It is really a tough sell to try to find a programming job.
I am a COBOL Programmer at a Community College. We are getting to the end of road for what I would call hardcore programming. Our next system will be based on a database with a special application development kit. So the job is more specialized in one area. This kind of programming is more like application development, or system design even though the basic system already has a working model. There is always some customization and report writing/SQL, and screen design work needed to get things to work properly.
Then you always need add-on applications to cover areas that the general application system does not address. Someone has to figure out how to make third-party vendor applications work with your database.
This is the kind of work you would expect to find. Not many jobs out there for programmers or system analysts to design and program a system from scratch. Some peope may be doing that but that takes experienc to just step into that kind of a position. Even on our new system that does Student Management, HR, and Accounting we brought in outside technical help to get our project going and to help manage it even to set up a prepackaged system.
You need some know how in things like Networking, MS Office Suite, MS Server 200/2003, Win2k, Windows XP, Linux, Wireless Devices. Some computer Hardware knowledge is always good too. Progamming with Visual Basic is another good subject. A lot of places use VB to set up user interfaces with databases.
If you took telecommunications try going into Telephone jobs or maybe Cable TV Jobs. Both areas need people to install Broadband in Homes if you think that might interest you. It is kind of boring, and technical, but you get to go to different places all the time.
sourceninja
Diamond Member
- Mar 8, 2005
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Are you guys switching to SungardSCT's Banner? We are about to go live on it now, its a trip let me tell you.
Anyways, I suggest the medical field. Aim for a low starting salary and prove your worth. My previous job was at WebMD as a Software Analyst, and with the rise of new computer software to handle patient data and HIPPA I can tell you that doctors need on-site hardware/software/networking people in a bad bad way. I'm currently working for a college and loving it. The educational sector is way different than the business sector let me tell you. Its very laid back and we have a lot of room to explore new technologies and play with ideas without a boss shoving cost analysis and customer happiness down our throats.
Tech field is a dead field where thousands fight for one job. Programming isn't that bad but if you're looking to be a technician it would be somewhat hard for the fact that everyone including their grandma can do tech support.
If you want an idea of what there is out there, a good place to start is job boards like Monster and HotJobs.
Some quite popular fields is Database programming (MySQL/PHP or Access). Server Admin but don't stick with only Windows do Linux as well RHCE for example, ActiveDirectory is quite popular.
If you want to do tech support stay away from PC support. It is a known fact that Windows users are completely clueless they don't even know how to turn off their Dell machines running on Earthlink Dialup.
I do general tech support over the phone, before I was doing Microsoft support for Mac products for MS. Mac ppl are generally smarter than PC people when it comes to real actual problems.
Newbies should be only sold macs!
If you want an idea of what there is out there, a good place to start is job boards like Monster and HotJobs.
Some quite popular fields is Database programming (MySQL/PHP or Access). Server Admin but don't stick with only Windows do Linux as well RHCE for example, ActiveDirectory is quite popular.
If you want to do tech support stay away from PC support. It is a known fact that Windows users are completely clueless they don't even know how to turn off their Dell machines running on Earthlink Dialup.
I do general tech support over the phone, before I was doing Microsoft support for Mac products for MS. Mac ppl are generally smarter than PC people when it comes to real actual problems.
Newbies should be only sold macs!
this is a great thread since next thursday is my last day of classes. I'm graduating from Bryant & Stratton College with an Information Technology degree. Over the last 2 years I've taken hardware, HTML, JAVA, VB,C++, networking. I have knowledge in a little bit of everything but I love the hardwear and OS side of things. I will agree with an eariler post that networking is boring, as is C++. I'd like to first of all get a job in the IT field and then have them pay for more schooling (if possible). I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that I get my foot in the door someplace.....anyplace. I saw a job in the local paper for IT position at our local SUNY College. (SUNY = State University of NY) It was pretty much someone to assist and help out the IT director, it required knowledge in hardwear, OS's and some networking, the starting pay was $35,000 but required a bachlors degree. I'm still going to apply for it though.
Employers aren't really going to care about your gpa in that field, you need to demonstrate knowledge and real experience.
Gov. sector is pretty good, it's almost impossible to get fired (I'm not exaggerating) and benefits are good, but less pay. It's difficult to get in there if you don't know anyone on the inside. Good luck.
Gov. sector is pretty good, it's almost impossible to get fired (I'm not exaggerating) and benefits are good, but less pay. It's difficult to get in there if you don't know anyone on the inside. Good luck.
That's the catch-22 though. How is a college grad or someone breaking into the field (such as the OP) supposed to gain that work experience if he wasn't able to land an internship?
Agreed its hard to get a job in IT right now. My buddy graduated from DeVry magnum cum laude(4.0overall gpa) with a graduate degree and he still has not been able to find a job after one year! If he would of graduated before the internet bubble burst, it would have been much easier to find work.
I'm working goverment atm. Its low pay, but its secure and in a low stress environment. The people are great, and I love the work. A bit more pay and it could be a long term keeper job. But I'm still looking for better things...
I'm working goverment atm. Its low pay, but its secure and in a low stress environment. The people are great, and I love the work. A bit more pay and it could be a long term keeper job. But I'm still looking for better things...
My suggestion would be to go for a job in a telecommunications office and add your IT prowess to both your CV and your cover letter. Surely they will have computers that tend to run into problems and you will learn how to deal with problems on the fly. Buy books as you need them; don't take courses unless you find that your knowledge is desperately lacking in a certain area that is hindering you from finding work (i.e. MacOS issues or maybe Linux). GL. :beer:
I'm doing the EXACT same thing! The local government really is a good place to work since they are always expanding in the IT operations, especially in a high-tech city like this one. Here are the current job openings for the City of Austin. They really pay pretty decently: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/jobapp/cityjobs.cfm
Go to "Browse by Category" and select "Technical", then click "Search".
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