Is it possible to find a part-time helpdesk job that can fit my schedule? HELP!

Is it possible to get a part time job in help desk? My problem is I have to take my kids to school from 7:20am-8:40pm and pick them up at 2:15pm to 3:40pm. Then I have to go to Martial Art class 6pm to 7pm from Monday-Friday? I was wondering if it's possible to find a job that can fit in between 9-1pm. I have to follow this schedule till my oldest child can drive in September 2021. I am currently attending WGU as well. I'm afraid i can't find a job that is flexible to my schedule. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions?

About me:
I am a WGU student with no IT work experience.
Pursuing a degree in BS:IT security. Half way done so far.

I have plans to go for Masters in Cyber security as well.

I am 37 years old.

3 kids and two nephew to take to school until September 2021.

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scaredoftests

very rare to find a help desk position that is part time. Look on flexjobs.com or indeed.com. Good luck.

faintingheart

What if I finish my Bachelor and masters in cybersecurity @wgu by Sep 2021 by then i am free! Oldest son can drive. Is it still possible to find a entry level job? I saw some thread on this topic where that person say they have a very hard time finding a help desk job.

So what if I'm stuck with that schedule above until Sep 2021. It's 3 year period that i probably can't find a job that fits my schedule. Should i just do my Masters @wgu in cybersecurity in that time frame instead of learning nothing in the next 3 years?

I should be done with my BS:IT in April 2019 and start my Masters soon after that.

yoba222

They're out there but not that common. Most people adapt their personal schedules around their work schedules because it's either that or no money for food and bills. It seems the other way around for you.

faintingheart

Should I get my masters with no experience? Or does BS:IT looks better with no experience?

faintingheart

What about internships? Can they be part time? Maybe I should do parttime internships and then rinse and repeat until i graduate. What do you think about this idea?

scaredoftests

no experience is no experience. Try volunteering somewhere too.

faintingheart

Okay I can get my mom (senior) to pick them up. So i guess i am free from 8:40-6pm. Would you recommend finding a real job first or internship?

technogoat

faintingheart wrote: »

Okay I can get my mom (senior) to pick them up. So i guess i am free from 8:40-6pm. Would you recommend finding a real job first or internship?

that's much better

you can do 9am - 5 am or 10 - 6pm which is flexible

you really need work experience but a great internship with a position you want to be in would be suitable

honestly, if you get a better internship than helpdesk then jump on it

I'm working helpdesk right now and it's quiet horrible but IT is overally competieve so you have to literally work for a better position

faintingheart

Welly_59

How old are the kids? Any reason why they can't get a bus in together?

faintingheart

youngest 5, 9,, 10 11 and 12. They don't qualify for the bus where i live.

thomas_

You might find something flexible on Upwork as well.

UncleB

technogoat wrote: »

you really need work experience but a great internship with a position you want to be in would be suitable

honestly, if you get a better internship than helpdesk then jump on it

I agree wholeheartedly with this - you have a few years so you can fit in an internship and some part time work experience with some imagination and persistence.

Do you have much hands on support experience? If not you will benefit a lot from working with those who do, so look at the areas you can reasonably reach from where you will be now and use a mix of online research (google maps for example) and cycle / car to go around these areas to identify which businesses are there, then target them with a personalised request for part time helpdesk work.

Be persistent and if you don't get any response then target them again in 6 months.

To make yourself more marketable, use Linkedin to network with other support people who work for these companies - don't be afraid to be a bit brazen with the requests as beating around the bush won't get you far and most employers prefer to know what you are looking for in the first instance.

Also work on your hands on skills - get used to using Windows 10, Active Directory, Office 365 admin portal (you can get free copies of all these to evaluate) and read up on some blogs from service desk people to see what their challanges are day to day.

technogoat wrote: »

I'm working helpdesk right now and it's quiet horrible but IT is overally competieve so you have to literally work for a better position

Helpdesk can be an incredibly repetetive and unrewarding technical environment, but what will sell you to your employer is being good with customer service, so if you have any relevant custome facing experience (receptionist, checkouts, soup kitchen, food server etc) then mention this on your experience and have some anecdotes on hand for when you dealt with a difficult customer / conflicting priorities / emergency and use your people skills to charm them into seeing past your lack of experience.

It won't be easy but that is life for you. Be tenacious, be driven and be prepared to change your life around to fit work in. I appreciate your family are your top priority but if you were injured / lost you license etc and couldn't drive then you would have to adapt your plans anyway so it isn't something set in stone. You adapt, you cope, you go on - once you realise you have the power to do this then finding a job will seem that bit easier.

Good luck.

Cisco Inferno

First of all, I applaud your sacrifice you took for your family's future and legacy.

Second of all, If you can get your mother to pick them up, then you need to really let her know how much that helps you, how much you thank her, and that you can get stuff done without making her do it for nothing.

I would not recommend doing your masters unless you can get some experience and then use that to break into a professional mid level role.

If I were you, I'd get a normal 9-5. You'd qualify for helpdesk or desktop support roles.

Look for NOC roles if you get lucky, they can segway into SOC positions where your masters will get you that engineering position you want.

Don't get an internship unless if its at a large company (remember! they pay!! and usually offer stipends for food/travel)
If you can find an internship that ISNT 1st line support, then youre good. look for networks, systems, or cyber internships.

If not, which might be the case, I would stick to the 9-5 support role, then break away from it after 2-3 years with some CERTS before Masters.

There are a few part time out there but they wont pay you more than $15 an hour. You being allowed to work full time is much much better.

Is the Sec+ on your timeline?

faintingheart

Thank you Thomas, UncleB, and Cisco Inferno. You guys are so positive thank you so much for your advice. You guys (especially Cisco Inferno) really have heart for helping people. Thank you so much.

And yes I already have my Security+.