How did you get your first IT job, and how long did it take you to find one?

jerrycurl1777

I just got my A+ cert. I'm going to get MS certs next and maybe Network+.
However, I see no positions available for me. I have no experience in any IT field but all of the jobs I find say I need experience. Even the help desk jobs I find say I need 2 years of help desk experience How can I get a help desk job if I'm required to have been in help desk for 2 years? I tried searching for active directory jobs too. No positions. I only found one field tech job but I cant drive anyways. I searched for internships and only found one which I applied for. That one is my only hope.

Dakinggamer87

Welcome to the forums!!

The first piece of advice I would suggest is to consider maybe looking into volunteer opportunities at places such as churches, libraries, and schools. They are usually always looking for extra help. You can also get personal fulfillment in helping out the community while building your skills. This will help build your resume and skills out by adding some solid experience. It will show prospective employers you have both certs and some experience. It can help bridge the gap in addition to your certifications. Another suggestion is maybe post your resume here for us to look at. We might be able to make some tips/suggestions to improve it or format it to meet your career objectives.

Good luck!!

Feel free to message me if you have any questions and I would be happy to help.

I got my first job within 6 months after I graduated with my Associate's degree and my experience at an internship I finished up while in school. The only certification I had was the A+ at the time.

TWX

I pounded the pavement, I responded to newspaper ads, I visited places that seemed to be of the type and turned in resumes.

Admittedly this was in the late nineties.

The best job I ever had, in terms of walking in with a resume, was in 2000 or so. Got hired as a QA Analyst just about on the spot. They actually pulled me in for an interview right then, didn't even know they were hiring, the other business in the building that I knew was a tech company was my intended destination but they saw me walking in with an intent look on my face and copies of my resume and had a chat with me.

Come to think of it, it was literally the smokers out front that hired me. They're the ones that saw me and intercepted me, and one of whom was the one I worked for in the QA section.


If you're looking for a job, make it your job to find one. Spend close to eight hours a day during the first-shift looking and responding and visiting businesses. It makes it a lot easier when the job starts if you're already accustomed to working.

bpenn

I got a job straight out of on-the-job training with the AF Reserve. Now, my problem is getting to the next level. I have been applying for 8 months and just losing stamina for this. It helps when getting your first job if there is room for promotion or lateral moves to bigger responsiblity.

Then again, it only takes me an hour, tops, to apply for any jobs in my area. Maybe I need to move somewhere else... maybe you should consider the location and if there even enough jobs in the area.

Dojiscalper

My first job, I knew the owner of a fairly successful MSP back in the 90s and got hired right out of high school to intern in their software development department and assist the IT field support guys. Set off a great career path.

Now twenty years later I've moved to a new city and am trying to find a mid level opportunity and that's so far been hard. I get calls constantly for entry level and tier I/II type stuff. I get asked if have I have any friends looking as well so if your near Charlotte hit me up. Just got a call today for Columbia, SC that would be perfect for you. They were looking for A+ specifically.

tsimmns

Not in the IT, but looking to cross-train into it with the military soon. What gets me is these people right out of tech school and OJT, as GS-11 employees as the Guard Unit I'm in. I guess I'm just jealous since I'm just a WG-12 with no room for advancement being in maintenance, yet they have room to advance upward towards the GS-13 realm within the federal jobs side. Not their fault, JUST is more motivation for me to try and get there.

markulous

I think I used careerbuilder or something to apply to it. I didn't have any certs and was about a month away from getting my Associate's. But I had volunteered on a website to do break/fix tickets and also worked at a call center for a bank that did very light browser troubleshooting (which made it look like I had previous IT experience). It was a contract job to just migrate their users from XP to 7.

RomBUS

I was struggling looking for an IT position coming out of college too (albeit my college was not that reputable) and one of my college colleagues Mom had an accountant that had this guy as their IT consultant. We exchanged information (resume, phone numbers #s, etc) through my college colleague's Mom and one thing led to another with interviews and talked and then I was hired.

Networking with others is key as well

xengoreth

In the late 90s, I was hired onto a helpdesk for a major (at the time) PC manufacturer supporting consumer and enterprise customers. This was basically right out of high school. It was kind of a stroke of luck, but it utilized the years of experience with MS-DOS, PC hardware, and experience with older platforms I had been exposed to as I grew up. I learned everything I could and found myself in a "desktop admin" position 2.5 years later, which quickly turned "desktop/telecom/network admin". The second one might be the first actual "IT" job.

As far as getting your first IT job, I think a big part of it is timing. The other part of it is having a thirst for knowledge and a genuine interest in IT. If this interest is demonstrable in some way, it can sometimes overcome a lack of experience. If you tell your potential employers that you don't have professional experience in a subject, but alternatively you labbed it out in on your home network using cast-off equipment you managed to piece together, you might find the potential employer is willing to overlook your lack of experience. In my particular case, this worked. Good luck.

[Deleted User]

I got my first IT job months before I graduated college. I was going to school full time for 4.5 years then got my job offer and then graduated and am working now at this job. Yes this is my first full time job out of school and it is paying my bills and allowing me to pursue future certifications as well.

scaredoftests

I was working as a Data Assistant and the chance to become the network person in my division came about. I got my Novell certification and the rest is history!

Queue

I was working in a completely unrelated field and decided I needed a career as I wasn't wanting to pursue management where I was.

I attended a course offered by the technical school of my area.

This course was what offered me the ability to interview for positions. I found a project position with no benefits and low pay. I was to upgrade workstations from XP -> Win7. I owned this position was always willing to lend a hand, and earned my A+. I would work some weeks 80 hours without a complaint.

A Support Analyst position opened in the department. I had great recommendations from teachers of the program as well as my manager who had nothing but great things to say about me. I applied for the position.

I am now a full time employee with the company. I have learned so much and enjoy my new job. To think it hasn't even been a year is insane.

Time frame:
Started training program- November 2014-April 2015.
Hired as temporary PRN project work- March 2015
Hired full time as Support Analyst- September 2015

I have my Network+ as well now and will complete Security + next week, then on to CCNA.

You can do it!!

On one hand this is probably a butchered quote but stands true: Success is when opportunity meets preparedness!

Get prepared, find the opportunity = Success

Queue

Forgot to mention which is important to your post. The position I was offered required four years experience. Keep looking

techfiend

Apply to everything that lists responsibilities you can comfortably explain in an interview and ignore the years desired\required. I've seen desktop positions asking for office and windows 7 troubleshooting skills requiring 5 years of experience that are paying IT minimum wage. On the other hand after a year of experience I'm being contacted and interviewing for positions that are looking for 10+ years of experience, typically a bit above my head but I know I can perform.

In many cases I think listing years required is a method to reduce those that lack confidence in their skills (me included). Confidence will take you a long ways. The first impression is the most important, if you can nail that it gets easier. A resume isn't really a first impression but it's key to achieving the first impression.

pinkydapimp

I was in college for computer science but never intended to be a programmer. So while in college i worked for the schools helpdesk and got an internship. I was able to secure a job a month before graduating. Didnt have any certs at the time.

eta: The job sucked and payed terribly. But i got a ton of experience so it was worth it.

pevangel

I applied everywhere and was willing to take any IT job at any rate. Four months after my search and after getting my A+ I was able to land my first IT job doing desktop support. I had my CCNA already but most entry-level jobs that I saw were looking for A+, so I went and got it.

Do whatever it takes and take any IT job for any rate. It's only temporary. I got my first IT job a little over 4 years ago and make significantly more now as a Network Engineer.

SpetsRepair

I've had other IT jobs before, but what broke it for me and brought me into success was the CCNA Sec, i got a great job two weeks later

blargoe

Back in 2000, I was finishing up my CS degree, and I responded to an ad on the listserv for the CS department for an paid internship. I got hired because the owner of the company was impressed that I was doing the Cisco Networking Academy and pursuing my CCNA.

I actually almost got cut about 3 months in, I wasn't progressing as fast as he wanted. But things finally clicked for me, and it has been full steam ahead ever since.

yellowpad

I have been messing around w/ PC since I was a child, but never pursue that path. 2012, I decided to start going back to school for IT. With my somewhat education to back up my experience, I got a Desktop Analyst position in 2014. Now with a lot more education, experience, certs (CCNA, Sec+, A+), I am looking to pursue my passion in Network Security. Started the search last week......got quite a few recruiters reaching out. My those opportunity were just 3 and 6 months to hire. I am in no hurry....I love my job now, and the people I work with.

Rumblr33

I applied for a few jobs after graduating college. I had a few interviews as well. My big break for my first IT job was about a month after graduating, when my Mother-in-Law asked her friend (who happens to be the CEO's admin assistant) if the company was hiring. I gave my mother-in-law my resume on Friday, got a call back the same day with an interview scheduled for the following Monday. By Wednesday the same week, I was employed full time at the company. I would say networking with people is very essential. One of these people could lead to your next job.