Looking for an IT job, realistically what do you think I'm suitable for?

[nsafreak]

I'm looking to move into the IT industry except I just haven't had much luck in finding a job. Originally when I came to work with the company I am currently working for I was going to try and get into their IT department. That hasn't worked out unfortunately and while I would like to remain with the company I would really prefer an IT position. I can't seem to find my resume or I'd post it here but I do have a copy saved on my network drive at work. I guess I'll give you folks a basic onceover on my previous work experience:


Career Experience

Arapahoe Community College, Technical Assistant September 1998 - 1999

Managed print jobs on an OpenVMS based system
Maintained Xerox, HP, and Citoh printers
Installed new clients on the network
Did troubleshooting on existing clients. Mainly on site not over the phone

Kmart Corporation August 1996 - February 2003

Started as a door greeter and worked my way up to department manager
Learned how to run every single department except for the clothing side of the store. I could sell you a firearm just as easily as I could a television set.
Maintained stock levels, layouts and that kind of thing.
Parted ways with the company because the store was being closed down. Was looking for a new position anyways this just hastened the process.

Call Center Employee February 2003 - Present (would prefer not to name the company but if you REALLY must know please PM me)

Started out as a regular floor employee then got promoted to customer resolutions
Assisted in resolving various issues with customers with resolutions that were equitable to both sides
Reported on various trends I saw in issues we had with customers
Corresponded with customers via phone and e-mail as well as fax correspondence

Education

Associate's Degree in Network Systems Administration from Denver Technical College

Knowledge

Familiar with several Linux distributions (Mandrake, Red Hat Enterprise, Debian, and a few others)
Well versed with Windows 9x/NT/2000/XP
Know some C++ and basic scripting but I would need to brush up on it if the job required large amounts of scripting/programming
Good all around networking knowledge, setting up a LAN, crimping cables, routing cables, that kind of thing as well as knowledge about the protocols
Very familiar with PC hardware. I've mainly worked with personal PCs but I have also worked a bit with server hardware (mainly Sun Microsystems)
Familiar in setting up a POP3/SMTP server (mainly Linux but I could probably learn how to effectively setup an Exchange server)

About me

I enjoy learning things about PCs, networking, pretty much anything having to do with computers. I self taught myself Linux because I thought it would be good knowledge to have. I've setup a Samba server as a Primary Domain Controller in my household just to learn how it all works.
I have strong people skills and I am very good at de-escalating situations.
I administer the server for a gaming community. The software that it is based around includes Apache, MySQL, PostNuke, eXtremail, Webmin, ProFTPD, and a few others. Link to community can be found here
I am also outgoing, I enjoy meeting new people and experiencing new things.

I know that looking for something like a Network Systems Administrator is way outside my level of experience but I'm wondering what you folks think would be a good starting point for me? Because perhaps I'm over-estimating my capabilities when I apply for positions that I see and do not get a response back on those positions. If you have something to suggest in the arena of learning something/getting a certification I'm willing to listen to that as well. Thanks for your input folks.

 

[Wapp]

Tier 1 Help Desk.

 

[StuckMojo]

unfortunately he's right. but that's not a bad place to start

 

[nsafreak]

I'm not against help desk so I'll look at those positions. I was going to work for my company's internal help desk and while the initial interview and follow up interview with the interviewer's manager went great it took forever to get a response back. When I finally did get the response back it was basically a "We'll just have to keep you on the back burner, keep on trying" which was kind of discouraging after the enthusiastic response I got from both interviewers.

EDIT: Almost forgot to add some work study experience I had. Was pretty much just like a regular job in that department however.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I'd say probably any of the following, with the "best" of the jobs higher up the list

Desktop Support (though you may need Novell experience to get anywhere with that)
Computer Operator (basicly first tier backend/back office machines. Print Room, Basic Unix job running, entry level Mainframe usage, etc)
Help Desk (more "customer service" and less "technical" oriented then Computer Operator usually)

If you get your CCNA ... then Network Admin wouldn't be out of reach

Once you get your foot in the door with a GOOD company, lots of doors should open, For instance, if you start at a Help Desk, second tier support may be your next stop, in your second tier support job you build up your Unix skills, work on scripting, work with DBs, etc and you get the experience to move forward.


I know the company I worked for was rather stagnant in the Help Desk for several years. The company was growing, however, the IT needs were not growing as fast. Also, the job market was crap, so the second tier people weren't moving up, and there generally weren't any openings to grow from the help Center. In the 3 years I spent at a Help Center, there were 2 openings in the second tier of support for the Unix Servers. I got the job after nearly 3 years there, and Two more people were Hired there within 2 months. I got promoted out of there in April, and they hired 3 more people. If other companies are hiring like my company is, then you should have a LOT of opportunities. Though I assume they probably all aren't doing so well.

I'd say, if you don't mind scraping the bottom of the barrel for a while, and if you are a damn hard worker, and intelligent, shoot for Help Desk, and get yourself promoted out of there.

If you want something that will be better to start, however, with less possible "open doors" down the road, then Go with Computer Operator or Desktop Support. As Desktop Support, if you work on getting Network Certs, etc. you may have an easier time getting a nice Network Admin position. If you work as a Computer Operator, you will likely work long shifts (possibly overnight), however, chances are the pay will start a bit higher then at a help desk. Though Computer Operators are generally have less possible paths of upwards migration due to the nature of the job. (no customer interaction, less likely to become management, etc.)


I don't know if what I'm saying applies to the entire job market or not, but it does apply to the company I work for.

 

[Wapp]

Or if you want a nice leg up: Enlist in the military for 4 years, take a technical job, gun for a position that can get you a clearance and get out with every door open to you.

 

[edi sucks]

yeah, the job market SUCKS for IT. I just quit my last job to work for Vonage, as Technical Support, they say after 6 months you can apply for other positions internally...

I feel like its a really crappy place to start for a college grad with a BS in comp sci, plus the hours are horrendous (3pm-12am...wtf?), PLUS i took a pay cut from my last job, but i'm hoping I can move up the ladder quickly.

What sucks even more is I just got an offer from another company basically asking me to do what I did at my last company, and they were willing to pay me double my salary at that job...that's a LOT of money, making me really close to a 6-digit salary, awesome for someone right out of college. I just dunno if I want to do something I don't enjoy for money or if I want to do something I don't enjoy with the hopes of scoring a job I do enjoy...

 

[Fritzo]

IT Janitor.

 

[boredhokie]

Get a degree and try to apply for a govt position. You could start out as a door greeter, then who knows!

 

[ghostman]

This isn't meant to be discouraging, but I think a bachelors degree would go a long way. I know that's not always possible due to many factors, but many companies won't even consider anything below that for an IT position (unless you have several years of applicable experience). So, if it's possible, try to get a bachelors.

As of now, help desk/phone support is really what you'd be suited for. That's not a bad thing, as it helps build A LOT of initimate knowledge of the systems you're working on (as long as you're not just reading from a scripted flow chart). But you'd need to build on your scripting skills to be a sys admin. Not in any particular language (though some shell programming, perl and VB stuff would be a good place to start), but just to get familiar with programming skills so you can pick up any language within 2 months or so.

If you asked my opinion, I don't believe most of the "simple" certifications are really worth a thing. That includes stuff like A+ and CCNA. Employers care more about experience, because you can be a piss-poor sys admin but still hold several certs.

 

[nsafreak]

Thanks a lot for the input guys, I'll take it all into consideration. Ghostman while I'd like to get a Bachelor's degree my schedule just isn't setup for it. I work from 2:30 pm till 11:30 pm and I haven't been able to figure out a way to fit school into my schedule. Sure I could go in the morning but I really learn better in the afternoon which is when I'm at work. I'll see if I can figure something out but right now it doesn't look favorable. I'll definitely work on my scripting skills though and I'm pretty good at understanding programming already. I can basically look at most perl scripts and understand what they do. Now I can't necessarily write a sophisticated script from scratch but I'll work on that in the near term. Thanks again for the input folks.

Oh and Fritzo I think you're better suited for the IT Janitor position than I'll ever be.