Circuit City tech job and beyond!

gone2toyko

Well.
I thought I would start another post since the last one was obviously never meant to be!

As far as I can imagine, this is a decent start into the business while studying because one would learn the basics of trouble-shooting, repair, and restoring PCs to working status. Along the past two weeks I have made quite a few contacts with local business owners looking for on call part time techs, and I have (of course) accepted thier offers. On another note, I went out and had some cards printed and made a few ads in newspapers and posts on internet job finder/service providing web-sites offering my services.

I have had a few calls here and there, but I realize this is quite a word of mouth business when starting your own business... it's also a hustle. I'm exhausted, but it's wonderful. Sort of a rocky start because of the C.C. aspect of it(disorganized, only worrying about sales rather than customer satisfaction), but I think it's good to get used to this kind of expectation crusher early on.

Has anyone else had a rocky start that they overcame? I'm just about done with my A+ studies, and I plan to take the Core test very soon with the OS test not far behind. Also, I am about done with my Net + studies as well.

I find it funny that I am still making really stupid mistakes.
"No ma'am, it seems like the power supply and mobo are shot. I am not reading any voltage through either."
Customer: "Well, that cable isn't quite plugged in all the way."
DOH!
(it was shot btw)
But I guess that comes with not quite being 100% comfortable with what you are doing. at the same time I am studying for these certs, I am being told that I won't ever make it by friends in the industry. Frusterating? Plenty........ Confidence boosting? Hardly.......... Challenging??? Hell yes!
So share your stories of "trying" first attempts int he I.T. biz, and where they have led you to now!

Thanks!

strauchr

I had a go at my own tech business. I started in 98 when the PC business was ultra competetive. Some of you may remember (especially if you are from Australia) the amount of PC sales businesses that went down because they couldn't compete.

I lost a cheap supplier because they were selling below cost - not sure how that was meant to work?!?

Anyway, after doing many trips to customers homes, setting them up with dial up internet access, teaching them to e-mail, web browse, fix problems with their apps not working, installing new hardware, installing new software, putting up with lonely old ladies stories eating up my time etc. etc. I realised 2 things.

1. Even though I was getting plenty of work I could make more money and a more stable income (in the short term) from a full time job. Also, the things I was charging for (installing hardware for example) PC companies were doing for free with their under priced hardware. A lot of that has changed now, but the lonely old ladies haven't.

2. I would not get anywhere near the amount of experience I wanted. Home networks and PC work just doesn't compare to corporate work. So that was the sealer for me to give up my own business, start working full time and studying for certs part time.

At some stage I may go back to running my own business but only in a corporate capacity.

johnnyg5646

I basically started in the IT buisness in college majoring in Computer Science. At the beginning of my junior year I realized I wasn't confident in any of my skills. I knew that I had to gain some valuable experience or I wouldn't be able to get a job after I graduated. So, I spent the majority of that school year studying for certifications.

At the end of that year I got my first internship at a mom and pop computer repair store. The owner was kind of a jerk. He didn't really teach me much and would yell at me any time I made any mistake. But I learned a lot by watching other techs and asking TONS of questions. It was a confidence killer, but I left with more skill than I came in with and that was what mattered.

Shortly after I got my second internship working in an IT department at a local college. I passed both my A+ and Network+ that fall semester. I also expanded my experience by doing network configurations and working with servers.

The semester after that is where I am now. I'm doing my third internship in an IT department at a collaborative educational school for high school kids. These days I have MUCH more knowledge than I did a year ago. Of course this last year has been very humbeling, but it was more than worth it. I'm getting my bachelor's degree in May. Then I'm off to find a job and I am going to be going to graduate school for Information Technology with a concentration in Networking.

Getting started is probably the most frustrating thing you can do, and I'm not even REALLY started yet....

gone2toyko

Hey thanks for the stories guys! I figured it would be hard to make it into this business, and I suppose I was right! Keep the cool stories coming!