I am new here and I was wondering...

John Titor

Hey, I am an upcoming junior in high school from North Dakota and looking to land a job in the IT world, my question is where do I start?I was interested in studying for the CCNA, then I browsed online a little and from my "research" people said that the CCNA alone won't land you job, experience and the certification will.Some said become a technician first to get that experience, so that means I need to get compTIA A+ certification(I think).

where do I start?

any advice helps

kohr-ah

What interests you?

A+ will help get you that helpdesk job. If you are aiming for a NOC job that CCNA will help you land it a lot quicker. If you are looking to get your foot in the door I would recommend the A+ and get some experience going on the resume and income coming in then work for the CCENT -> CCNA and transition to networking if that is what you feel would be what you want to do.

**EDIT - Also welcome to TE **

John Titor

I am a math/science person and have self-taught myself some basic computer programming in Java and C.I have no idea what I like since I have no experience in IT, so pretty much looking for the job that brings the biggest paycheck.I just like computers and networking sounds something that I might enjoy.

jvrlopez

Are you from the future?

John Titor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As far as getting into the IT world, you can try some volunteer opportunities to build up some experience and use that to get you an entry job in IT, like helpdesk or computer repair at a big box retailer. Some volunteer opportunities to get you started may be things like repairing or optimizing a church's computers and network. Coupled with an entry cert like A+ and some computer courses at your local school, you should have a good shot at getting established in the IT sector.

lsud00d

I would strongly urge you to get a bachelors degree and not jump straight into IT if that's what you are considering.

It is possible to be successful in IT without a degree, but jobs are increasingly requiring a bachelors at a minimum.

To directly answer your question, at your age I would recommend doing volunteer projects related to networking in your local community. Perhaps a local church is doing a switch upgrade, or running new cables. Or, even your school/school district might have network projects coming up. Get some pro bono technician-type work under your belt at this stage and it will go a long way.

dark3d

^ What he said. I am doing it backwards (jobs before degree) and it's excruciatingly more difficult to get your degree afterwards. It's hard on your finances, time and family.

John Titor

dark3d wrote: »

^ What he said. I am doing it backwards (jobs before degree) and it's excruciatingly more difficult to get your degree afterwards. It's hard on your finances, time and family.

I plan on getting a M.S. in computer science, but I am looking to work in an entry IT position if possible because it sounds better than other entry level jobs.

Mutata

I think it really depends on what your endgame is. Learning CI stuff doesn't necessarily help you land a networking gig. As others have said, you're young and should definitely focus on that degree.

Volunteer projects are great, working for a non-profit etc

John Titor

Mutata wrote: »

I think it really depends on what your endgame is. Learning CI stuff doesn't necessarily help you land a networking gig. As others have said, you're young and should definitely focus on that degree.

Volunteer projects are great, working for a non-profit etc

Like I said before, I am looking for a job, not volunteer projects. The definition of a job is a paid position of regular employment.I am ranked third in my class, I am focused.I plan on becoming a programmer for two years after university then getting an M.S., after that I probably will start venturing into entrepreneurial endeavors.

can anyone answer my question
What jobs can I land in the IT world,and what certifications will I need?Higher the salary the better.

lsud00d

John Titor wrote: »

Like I said before, I am looking for a job, not volunteer projects. The definition of a job is a paid position of regular employment.I am ranked third in my class, I am focused.I plan on becoming a programmer for two years after university then getting an M.S., after that I probably will start venturing into entrepreneurial endeavors.

can anyone answer my question
What jobs can I land in the IT world,and what certifications will I need?Higher the salary the better.

First things first--fix your attitude, dude!

Second--at your age, Best Buy (or some mom and pop shop) is your Best Bet.

Third--don't blow off the advice given to you here. We are giving you professional advice, so take it or leave it.

Mutata

You have no experience, nor a technical education. I find it funny you would be so against volunteering and asking which certifications you should pursue. One gives you real world hands on technical experience, the other does not. I would hire someone who has practical volunteer experience over someone with a CCNA.

You may be third in your class, but your attitude will put you in hiring managers' recycling bin.

John Titor

lsud00d wrote: »

First things first--fix your attitude, dude!

Second--at your age, Best Buy (or some mom and pop shop) is your Best Bet.

Third--don't blow off the advice given to you here. We are giving you professional advice, so take it or leave it.

okay thanks

Christian.

John Titor wrote: »

Like I said before, I am looking for a job, not volunteer projects. The definition of a job is a paid position of regular employment.I am ranked third in my class, I am focused.I plan on becoming a programmer for two years after university then getting an M.S., after that I probably will start venturing into entrepreneurial endeavors.

can anyone answer my question
What jobs can I land in the IT world,and what certifications will I need?Higher the salary the better.

We all known the difference between a paid job and a volunteer position, but the advice people gave you is that you should get those to increase your chances in getting a real paid position. You need to ask yourself why would any company give you money if you don't have any real experience with anything. How can they know you will add some value to their company? Your resume is full of theory and to earn good salaries you need to fill it with good experience. It's like watching a lot of pornography and thinking you have what it takes to be a p.orn star, but in reality you have never even been with a woman.

I don't know if it's only me, but I'm getting a little confused reading you. You said you are in high school and want and IT job, but at the same time you mentioned you want a Master's degree, then work 2 years as a programmer and then become an entrepreneur. If that's the goal, getting a helpdesk or networking certs won't really help you much. If you are so eager to get a high salary you will need to work many years on low paid positions getting good experience, so you can then make several jumps into semisenior and senior positions. Are you planning to do all this while working for your bachelor/master? All of this so you can then quit to do something else? It doesn't look you have a clear idea on what you want, or at least that's my impression. Before thinking on what certification is best for you, I would define what's the end goal.

John Titor

Christian. wrote: »

I don't know if it's only me, but I'm getting a little confused reading you. You said you are in high school and want and IT job, but at the same time you mentioned you want a Master's degree, then work 2 years as a programmer and then become an entrepreneur. If that's the goal, getting a helpdesk or networking certs won't really help you much. If you are so eager to get a high salary you will need to work many years on low paid positions getting good experience, so you can then make several jumps into semisenior and senior positions. Are you planning to do all this while working for your bachelor/master? All of this so you can then quit to do something else? It doesn't look you have a clear idea on what you want, or at least that's my impression. Before thinking on what certification is best for you, I would define what's the end goal.

1.Well most programming jobs require a B.A., the ones that don't require around four year of experience.I am only looking for a part-time job while continuing my education.

2.I am interested in founding a successful tech startup, when a company has 10< members they need to be relied upon solving complex problems,so for those 4 years after my B.A. I am looking to mature and become more experienced.This all a rough plan of what I think I will do, keep in mind i am only 16 and have yet to experience "the real world".

JoJoCal19

First, I would check the attitude as the people here who are giving you advice are the people who are successful (where you want to be), and are taking time out of their day to try to help you.

I would say that based on where you want to go, starting in desktop support or a technician role may not be the best route. You said you've already taught yourself some Java and C, which are two very in demand languages to know. And you've stated you plan on studying computer science. What I would recommend is go ahead and further advance your knowledge in one of those languages (I'd choose Java), and start working on projects. Start supporting and contributing to some open source projects out there. Start creating your own software. Start contributing to Github. Either way, this is the equivalent of volunteering, but you must build a portfolio of work to show off. Start now and invest a lot of time and effort and by the time you graduate, if you can demonstrate your skills in let's say Java, you will be able to land some sort of paid work. You may have to start out on a freelancing site doing small jobs, or finding small gigs on Craigslist, but you'll keep gaining experience and be able to land better, or even a full-time job. Either way, definitely keep pursuing a computer science degree.