Getting into the IT field?

[JWimb]

Thanks for all the useful information. I currently work Tech Support at a law firm and am trying to do the same as a lot of the posters above: transition into a IT job, preferably network analyst. Working on my Network+ now and soon to follow CCNA.

 

[GiftedPlacebo]

Ok so how is this for experience?

I am 16, and have worked at my school for about a year now. Me and my friend (he also works with me) are thinking about starting a local repair shop with all the stuff we have learned at our school job. We wont quit the school job, but just imply the skills. Good/bad idea? We have both repaired computer software issues, replaced hardware, fixed cpu LCD monitors, etc.

Also, We are going to start our first big computer project- buy about 6 Dell Optiplex gx280s, and make a Linux Cluster! Has anyone made one of these?

Advice would be great!

What are you going to do with the Linux cluster? Your intent will guide what architecture you want. I admin a several hundred CPU Linux cluster running Sun Grid Engine.

 

[legacy]

A+ and Network+ are a good start. Security is growing like crazy and pays well, so if you're interested in that, get the Security+ or CISSP cert. You'll likely start as a help desk person and hopefully move out of that quickly. Craigslist is a good place to find an entry level job in IT.

I got my B.S. in Computer Info Systems and got the MCP, Network+, A+, Security+, and I have one more test for the MCSA. I've worked for the State of Colorado, Wall Street on Demand (where pretty much any stock chart you see on the internet comes from), and now I'm with a San Francisco-based company doing all of the IT work for their Denver office. Lockheed Martin has offered me a couple of positions as well. But I love my current job.

 

[edge]

Finding a good Job in IT that pays decent may be difficult if you live in a small town. You may want to consider moving to a big tech hub or large city. Phoenix has great IT since many data centers are there. Raleigh NC is also become the silicon valley of the east coast. Hunt around on dice.com for network engineer and compare the available jobs and evaluate where you want to live. Good luck.

 

[lubix]

I spent a few years in tech support both user facing and serverside and hated it. Your an expensive to the company and the view/treat you as such. IMHO being the creative / money making talent is the way to go. I was originally going to go further into IT but after my experience decided to become an electrical/computer engineer. I find the work more interesting and rewarding too. And there is more money to be had too.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

 

[osk]

Test

 

[andreezy]

I got my start in 1983 with an Atari 800XL, and also took 1 class in high school. GWBASIC... Basically was in the right place at the right time... Got a job in the Lab at a hospital I worked at... Worked as a midnight reports operator for 5 years. Then worked for an insurance company for 6 years... Followed by a poor excuse for an insurance company (3.5 years), and finally on to my current job in non-profit (last 11 years)... Each time stepping into something a little deeper... Currently I'm responsible for all aspects of the data dept for 160 employees. 6 locations, t-1's voice and data... 14 Win 2003 servers, 3 citrix servers, 1 unix, and 1 linux. mysql, and ms sql, ASP, wiring and etc. Report writing on and on...

Here's the kicker. I know my job well, but I have no certification. I am a hands on learner, not a book smart learner. Therefore I have absolutely no certifications under my belt. I'm scared sh*tless to go and try to get any certs due to the fact I can't parrot whats in the study material.

What can a guy do to get over my mental block?

 

[gubon13]

@CrackBurglar - Why would you want to? Are you looking for a change in venue?

I began fixing computers in my high school about 15 years ago. I worked part-time as a help desk tech through college, then got a full-time position with the same company. I even did my time with Best Buy, but before the Geek Squad. (Learned how to fix A/V equipment, too.) Several years later and I'm the Director of IT for a small company in San Francisco. I have no certifications whatsoever. I've never needed them as I got most of my jobs through connections, and once I got my foot in the door, my experience was more valuable than any certifications. In fact, nowadays, when I'm doing the hiring, the last thing I want to see is a resume with a ton of certifications, but limited or no practical work experience. For me, experience is everything.

The truth is, the only real benefits to hiring a less experienced, younger person are that (a) you can pay them less, and (b) they are more likely to be capable of lifting heavy objects (which I have painfully learned over the years to be an expected part of any hands-on IT job). It's a tough time in the enterprise IT industry right now, and experienced, qualified network admins and engineers are a dime a dozen. It's sad, really.

My advise would be to look into programming. Software development is where the jobs are, where the money is, and where the future will be. This kind of training is generally cheaper, if not freely available on the Internet. It's just a matter of practicing and perfecting your skills. Computer hardware is becoming less important (virtualization, cloud computing) and easier to maintain with fewer hands. That can only result in fewer IT jobs with an already large number of unemployed IT folk.

...but you'll always need someone to write software...

 

[jisoo411]

Seems this thread is computer systems/network heavy so I'll add a little bit for those more inclined to programming

Anything with databases...PERIOD. The larger companies, whether they be brick-and-mortar or online, rely heavily on databases for a huge portion of their internal operations. For my part I work in data warehousing/Business Intelligence, which is currently a hot field and has been for the last 10 years or so.

Definition of Business Intelligence Business intelligence - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

To get started, learn some object-oriented programming like Java or C# (C++ would work too) and also relational database concepts. Those are core competencies for data warehousing and should only take a year or two of serious study. Once that's out of the way, you can often find data warehouse/business intelligence courses in universities, community colleges or vocational IT schools.

Admittedly, this line of work typically requires a bachelor's degree and isn't easy to crack into like networking or systems administration (or even straight programming like Java) but once you're in, you're golden. I fell into this line of work by happy chance right out of school and started at $42k/yr...within three years my pay jumped to $82k, nearly double. After 5+ years experience it's not atypical to make $100k/yr which I'm nearly at now.

Anyone interested in this line of work can find more information on job responsibilities and skillsets on Monster.com or Dice.com. Just look for the keywords data warehouses, business intelligence, and/or etl.

Or you can ask me

 

[Mamahnita]

I'm in school for CEET and its not as easy as I thought it would be but still I like it.
I found that I didn't know as much as I thought I did.

 

[custangro]

I started by getting my A+ and Network+ while getting my AS. with that I got a job at geeksquad.

While working at geeksquad I got my Linux+ and found a job as a Jr. SysAdmin. While there I got my CCNA and my RHCE.

Now I am a Sr. Systems Administrator at my job.

Remember that experence is more important than pay. The payoff come later after you "pay your dues"

:twocents:

-C