What was your first IT job?

Emphasisx

I currently work as a field technician installing computers and printers in schools. It's not very technical with very little troubleshooting. I'm using it to build experience and get a better job but I don't want to stay here for a year and a hiring manager say "so you plugged in computers for a year...great". What was our first job? Anyone not do much their first job but was able to get a much better one because of it?

scaredoftests

I was a Data Assistant when there was a need for a network person at our lab. I jumped at the chance. Novell Network.

MJK9550

I'm currently at my first IT job, a few months in so far. I love it, I manage 5 locations. I do everything from troubleshooting to networking and installing things. Its a very well rounded position and I am learning a lot. I use windows server 2008 and 2012 daily, manage the AD and local security policies. I also am here on my own, the company I work for is large but I am the first IT presence at these locations. The main IT department is states away so I have freedom as well which is awesome. Any down time I have I spend studying for my certs. I couldn't have asked for a better first IT job.

mandy7777

I was Computer technician at a small company at Burlingame. Did a lot of Testing and repair on the PC ,switch and router thing. (simple testing) and interested into the Windows server, then build up the WDS server from scratch and deploy image from there. and now is Image Deploying support in a larger company

TechGromit

Computer Operator in a Casino, at $7.85 a hour. The first few years I worked there, we would post an ad for computer operators and no one would apply. Part of the reason was the casinos were expanding so quickly that there was a shortage of workers, with no experience you could get a job that with tips that paid much better. Those jobs are long gone, as are the quick easy bucks.

Lexluethar

First offinal IT job was help desk at Applebee's HQ before that I was the guy that did IT stiff at a small research company of 15 people, didn't have an IT title there but did IT stuff.

dhay13

Mine started out as an internship in the local school district doing end user support, PC imaging and repair, setting up lab rooms, running wire, printer installs, etc. i then was hired on part time and worked there about 2 years till i finished my B.S. and got hired at my next job as a Systems Admin

Emphasisx

Looks like everyone did more than I'm doing. I need to find a better job.

scaredoftests

Emphasisx wrote: »

Looks like everyone did more than I'm doing. I need to find a better job.

Go for it.

Lexluethar

Where you start is irrelevant Emphasisx, it's where you end up that is important.

snowchick7669

Junior Desktop Technician in a computer repair shop. Absolutely loved that job - still miss it sometimes (although maybe not the customers).

Modern Legacy

Well, in the years leading up to getting my A+ I was a freelance computer technician for poor college student friends/restaurant colleagues where I lived, not an official business, but I made some money and got some experience there.

My first actual officiated I.T. job was performing an asset refresh complete with server closet for a plumbing supply company a few towns over. I got that job only 2-3 days after getting A+ certified.

mbarrett

I had a part time job slinging tapes in a mainframe shop of a Fortune-100 company, back in the day. (Slinging = pulling those big reel tapes from the library, and mounting & dismounting them as batch jobs required.)

beads

Night shift computer operator with a phat $6.60/hour pay rate. Worked 11PM-7AM and if there was any doubt - it sucked. It was also real experience at a time when most of my peers were working clerk jobs for $3.35/hour. Want fries with that? Types of jobs and local unemployment was well over 20 percent in the rust belt.

- b/eads

koz24

Entry-level help desk. Started as an intern in college and they hired me on full-time upon graduation. My salary was $40k but I was living at home so I was quite happy with the situation. I did this for about a year and a half and moved on to other things. Did it help get future opportunities? Yeah probably, it's better than sitting at home and I got some valuable experience dealing with end users. I still have this job on my resume, but only describe it with 1 sentence or so. It's mainly just there so I don't have a large gap between my graduation and the next job.

Bluehoo

Call dispatcher for a four person desktop support team. Did that a few months until a spot on the desktop team opened up.

blatini

Standard tech at my University for the deans and faculty. We rarely received calls. All staff would just request a new computer if they ever had an issue. We would usually just play WOW or do other college related activities to pass the time

markulous

I worked at a help desk that did just basic browser troubleshooting and password resets. I don't even know that I'd call it an IT job though.

ITBot

Lab assistant at a local college through work study. Mostly just helping users with basics and doing very basic troubleshooting. Lots of downtime to work on school work.

TechGromit

mbarrett wrote: »

... back in the day. (Slinging = pulling those big reel tapes from the library, and mounting & dismounting them as batch jobs required.)

I remember those. Used to have to do a full backup of the system once a month on the AS/400's. When I first started it ran 12 reel tapes, before we replaced is with cartridge tapes it was running a good 45 reel tapes, the damn backup took all night and part of the morning to complete.

beads wrote: »

Night shift computer operator with a phat $6.60/hour pay rate. Worked 11PM-7AM and if there was any doubt - it sucked.

Same here, after a month of training, I spent two years on Grave shift.

GoDux

Supporting slot machines in a casino. I think I took years off my life from second hand smoke.

Hatch1921

My current job Network Analyst....

I've given myself two years to move up or out of the company.... I have six months to go. The resumes will start to flow in three months unless something else opens up within the company.

Good times.
Hatch

dizzy_kitty

Software Test Engineer and Business Analyst for a Cybsec project. I was with the company for two years in a different department before talking to the IT Project manager and asking for IT school/career/certificate advice. A month later I was offered a position to become engaged and build experience. So that's where I'm at now about a year later.