Getting a job in the I.T. field

Well I have a little personal experience as a programmer. I am by no means an expert, I just like to dabble on my own. I also have some networking and troubleshooting experience at my current job (which I have been doing for five years), but that is no my main focus there (I work at a pharmacy as a pharmacy tech). My degree is not in an I.T. related field. I don't know what to do to get into the I.T. field, because I am getting older (29 yrs old) and trying to get to the point where I can actually support a family (plan on this in the very near future God's willing). I was going to go back to school to either take some networking courses and get an Associates degree in Network Technologies or get a Masters in Information Technology. I have a Network+ book, but haven't registered for the test, and I wanted to also get my A+. My biggest problem though right now is the real world experience since I need a job for that, but they won't hire me, because I don't have that experience. I am looking for advice on Networking and/or Programming.

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Comments

ccnpninja

Welcome to the world of IT! You made a great move. It's a huge and rewarding industry.
Don't worry about your bagkround. I know a few very successful network engineers who have mechanics or arts background. All that matters is how motivated you are to dive in.
A+ is a good start to play with computers. Then, take the Network+ route. It covers the basics. If you can afford to go to Cisco Academy nearby, I strongly recommend it.
Afterwards, you need to put consistent effort and study time.

MeanDrunkR2D2

Well... Since you already have a degree, I wouldn't recommend getting either a AA/AS or BS/BA since you already have a degree. ( I assume it's either a BS/BA) The masters program would be more beneficial in the long term cost wise, as well as career wise. Now, you really don't need that to break into IT. If you know that you want to break into IT, preferably in networking, I would probably suggest jumping right into the CCENT and then CCNA as they are viewed highly over the Comptia certs. Now, if you are willing to take a helpdesk/desktop position just to break into IT, then the A+ would be a good cert to help you break in. Now, if you want to get into networking, I would probably focus on finding NOC jobs. Pay won't be high to start with, like many entry level positions, but will really get you to working in that line of work.

Programming will be more difficult without a BS in Computer Science to get a break into. It's definitely not for everyone and isn't an easy one long term unless you are of a certain disposition to stare at code all day. Myself, I'm not. I did great in school with my programming classes, but I knew that it wasn't for me. Now, it's not impossible and you could possibly find an entry level jr. developer/programmer role, but it won't be easy as you'll need to have a solid foundation in programming to express in the interview and the technical part of the process.

Codeman6669

Get certifications.

Xaymaca

How did you guys get experience to actually get a good job in Networking?

anhtran35

My suggestion is obtain the basic COMPTIA certs: A+, Network+, Security+( 1st year CERT goal ). You can obtain a help desk position and ask during your off hours to shadow a Network Administrator. Stick those experience on your resume. Study for your CCNA( 2nd year CERT goal ). Then job hop or seek promotion within after you pass the CCNA. The problem that everyone has is how to get experience when it's required that you have experience to obtain the job. It SUCKs. It's a CATCH 22. Hence the way most people did it was:
1.) Intern for free within the company or school or church or non profit.
2.) Take a 3rd shift position that NO ONE wants.
3.) Go overseas on DOD or DOS contracts.

J_Jones89

anhtran35 wrote: »

My suggestion is obtain the basic COMPTIA certs: A+, Network+, Security+( 1st year CERT goal ). You can obtain a help desk position and ask during your off hours to shadow a Network Administrator. Stick those experience on your resume. Study for your CCNA( 2nd year CERT goal ). Then job hop or seek promotion within after you pass the CCNA. The problem that everyone has is how to get experience when it's required that you have experience to obtain the job. It SUCKs. It's a CATCH 22. Hence the way most people did it was:
1.) Intern for free within the company or school or church or non profit.
2.) Take a 3rd shift position that NO ONE wants.
3.) Go overseas on DOD or DOS contracts.

Exactly I didn't have any certs when I first started but I taught myself about computers. You just will have to go through a Helpdesk job or jobs to get yourself into the field. @anhtran35 hit it on this one.

dou2ble

I do neither networking or programming but work with a lot of them. Most stories I hear are that they became experts in one of those fields, not both. I know plenty who had bachelors in other fields (ie Art, Psychology, education, History) and then got into IT. One close friend started off by doing his schools website and some program they used. He learned .net through this and now makes six figures. He has no certs and non-IT bachelors degree. I hear programming jobs are easier to get without certs. Networking jobs with decent pay usually requires at least CCNA since CISCO dominates the market.

anhtran35

I think everyone usually starts out as a Jack of All Trades. Eventually, you will find what you enjoy more in IT:

Networking.
System Administration.
Database.
Programming.
InfoSec.
Management.

I've also seen people evolve from one field into another. I've seen one guy who did Networking decide to venture off into SharePoint. Whatever keeps your mind active.

Xaymaca

Just a question about programming. Someone told me that as you get older those in the top try to get you out of programming to hire the younger ones to cut cost. Is that true?

Then also about the whole outsourcing of I.T. jobs?

Xaymaca

Thanks for all of the responses. I am still trying to get input to the question above, from those who are in the field.

Codeman6669

Xaymaca wrote: »

Thanks for all of the responses. I am still trying to get input to the question above, from those who are in the field.

Again, certifications
and practice things at home, whatever your interested in. I enjoy white hat hacking, So i did that on my free time. because of that I got exposed to a lot of tools that i now use in my job. But the certification was what got me the interview. Just like my work now we take people with certifications and people with degrees AND experience and put there resume in a pile. Everyone else gets put into the "other" pile. The other pile never gets read.

The A+ got me a field tech job repairing PC's software imaging etc
The N+ got me into a networking position.

Certs alone wont GET you the job they just open doors for opportunity that were previously closed to you.

as for It outsourcing, i live in one of the best places to be doing IT, there is no lack of jobs for qualified individuals. There is a lack of jobs for those who are not qualified.

Jon_Cisco

Xaymaca wrote: »

How did you guys get experience to actually get a good job in Networking?

Starting with the basics. Everyone has to find their first opportunity and it sucks for everyone. However keep in mind that every single person currently employed was born with no experience. So you too will figure it out and land a starting job if you are motivated.

On to outsourcing. Nobody can know what the world will look like in 25 years. However we can make some assumptions.
I assume computers will still exist.
I assume most middle income jobs will require some computer interaction.

Some jobs won't be outsourced but that does not mean they are stable. So I suggest you look for things that will keep you interested for 25 more years and that will help you stay productive.

Finally 29 is not old so get that out of your system. When I was in my early 30s I considered a career change into IT. I ended remaining in my current field. Now I'm in my early 40s and I am going to make the career change 10+ years later. If you like IT go for it.

anhtran35

Xaymaca wrote: »

Just a question about programming. Someone told me that as you get older those in the top try to get you out of programming to hire the younger ones to cut cost. Is that true?

Then also about the whole outsourcing of I.T. jobs?

That has come under SCRUTINY lately. Companies are more than ever involve in INFOSEC because of SONY's hack etc...So if you are outsourcing your programming to India or China. Who to say they are not providing that data to NK or Iran? There is a funny story about the Verizon guy that was a programmer. Making 250k working remotely via VPN. Well he was outsourcing his work to a company in CHINA. Verizon infosec caught on and found out all he had done during his contract was search Craigslist and some clothing sites. Once he got caught he got fired ASAP: U.S. programmer outsources own job to China, surfs cat videos - CNN.com

octobersveryown

what I want to know is, what kind of "programming" job allowed him to work from home for $250k!!!

sounds ridonkulous!

TheFORCE

Xaymaca wrote: »

Well I have a little personal experience as a programmer. I am by no means an expert, I just like to dabble on my own. I also have some networking and troubleshooting experience at my current job (which I have been doing for five years), but that is no my main focus there (I work at a pharmacy as a pharmacy tech). My degree is not in an I.T. related field. I don't know what to do to get into the I.T. field, because I am getting older (29 yrs old) and trying to get to the point where I can actually support a family (plan on this in the very near future God's willing). I was going to go back to school to either take some networking courses and get an Associates degree in Network Technologies or get a Masters in Information Technology. I have a Network+ book, but haven't registered for the test, and I wanted to also get my A+. My biggest problem though right now is the real world experience since I need a job for that, but they won't hire me, because I don't have that experience. I am looking for advice on Networking and/or Programming.

I was 24 when i got my first certification, that was 9 years ago. In those 9 years i worked as a field tech, Helpdesk tech, and App Security admin. Each position helped open the door for the next one. So don't worry about how old you are,29 is still young, what matters is how you can market yourself. Fix your resume and gear it towards IT positions.

Also, i would start from your current company, even though your primary role is not IT, you are still doing some IT functions. I would use that fact to make a transition in IT within your current company. Talk to your manager, look at your company's job postings and get some experience that way, in the mean time, get the basic certs, A+,Net+ or some Microsoft certs. Those will help open some doors for you.