Breaking into IT?

boatguy1982

I have a degree in Information Technology Management as such I have a very strong background in the Hardware aspect of IT but no real background with the software. Do any of you have suggestions on how I can break into the Network admin world? All these companies require experience and how am I going to get that without working? I have offered to accept less pay in exchange for a job, I mean I know topologies, standards, and the deep details of the hardware and applications just not the software like exchange server, sql, and server 2003.

I am teaching myself for my mcse and I probably will go take my net+ and A+ next month. But what else can i do. I have a wife and a kid to support and I am getting tired of working 100 hours a week at 2 low wage jobs every since I left the military. Any suggestions would be great!
Thanks a ton!

-Phil

elover_jm

i would suggest that you start off by applying for any helpdesk positions or computer technician just to get your feet wet (even if it means wotking for little or nothing), but never give up applying jobs in IT regardless of what their "required experience" you must have.


at the same time you should definitely start your certification paths do some entry level certs for example CompTia A+ and Network+.

After which you should continue to persue more Advance certifications Like MS or Cisco.

I was looking for jobs for almost eight months since i graduated, when i finally got one i got seven more calls for interview the same week, just one of those things tht happens when ur a newbie in this IT world but never give up trying

Good luck on your IT Career Endevours.

Cheers

Slowhand

Start little by little. The first logical thing you should do, if you have lots of hardware experience, is go knock out the A+. Then get your Net+, and maybe even Linux+ and/or Security+. The CompTIA certs are a good starting point both in learning and for getting your foot in the door with IT jobs. After that, it's up to you what you want to do. It sounds like you're studying up for your MCSE, so head in that direction first. Then you might want to think about getting a "second track", something to back up your MCSE, like doing some Linux work or maybe CCNA. It's important to have well-rounded experience if you want to be competitive.

I started out doing lots of messing around with hardware and basic networking. Then I started working and studying, so this is what my current and planned certs look like:

- A+
- Network+ (Haven't taken the test, but took classes and have equivalent experience. Someday I'll just go in and take the exam, and be done with it.)
- Security+
- MCSA
-> 70-290
-> 70-291
-> 70-270

- Linux+
- LPIC-1 (In progress)

[ The following are the certs I'm planning on taking ]
- LPIC-2
- CCNA
- CCDA
- Finish Up MCSE: Security
-> 70-293
-> 70-294
-> 70-298
-> 70-299

- LPIC-3 (When it's finally out of Beta)
- And then move on to CCNP/CCDP/CCSP, etc. . .

I hope this helps, and gives you some ideas on where you want to go with your career in IT. Just remember, things seem all too busy now, but if you take it one step at a time, you'll be able to move away from those two jobs and maybe take one slightly better one. Then you can work on more certs and either push for promotion or find a new job altogether. Check out some sites like Dice, CareerBuilder, Craig's List, Monster, etc. . . to see what kinds of requirements and credentials you need for jobs in your area.

boatguy1982

Good deal,

Is the A+ and Net + easy? I have a strong background with hardware, I built and overclocked my current computer. And I have taken extensive classes on topologies mediums and standards.

Trailerisf

Best advice I can give you... CBT Nuggets and set up your own network at home. Rip it apart and learn.

Keep trying.

boatguy1982

Trailerisf wrote:

Best advice I can give you... CBT Nuggets and set up your own network at home. Rip it apart and learn.

Keep trying.

I couldnt afford CBT so i bought Netg courses for mcse 2003

BryanM67

So far I have been unable to break into networking/PC support.

I have A+ and CCNA. I also have a Bachelors in Info Systems. I am taking classes in Microsoft Academy, and am working toward my first Microsoft cert. What is missing is relevant experience.

I have thought of doing some volunteer (unpaid) work for a non-profit agency. I was wondering if employers look favorably on part-time volunteer work or if they insist that experience come from a "real job".

Any thoughts on this are appreciated.

boatguy1982

BryanM67 wrote:

So far I have been unable to break into networking/PC support.

I have A+ and CCNA. I also have a Bachelors in Info Systems. I am taking classes in Microsoft Academy, and am working toward my first Microsoft cert. What is missing is relevant experience.

I have thought of doing some volunteer (unpaid) work for a non-profit agency. I was wondering if employers look favorably on part-time volunteer work or if they insist that experience come from a "real job".

Any thoughts on this are appreciated.

Thats a good question I'd love to see the responses from the guys who actually have broken into the IT field

Slowhand

Experience is a squirrely thing. To each individual employer, experience is defined differently. To some, they have to see the name of a company or institution you've worked for on your resume. To others, experience is whatever you tell them you have. I'd say the best thing for you is to go back over the things you've done, analyze them, and say "I did this, I worked with this technology successfully. Is this experience, could I reproduce those results?"

In my personal opinion, experience is experience. Work experience is generally better, since it usually makes you push yourself further and more is expected from you. If you've only been working pro-bono, or even only set up different things in your lab environment at home, that is still a form of experience. The key is to weigh them against each other, and really be honest with yourself when you tally up the non-working experience.

How do you put them on your resume? Do you put working experience and non-working experience together, seperate, don't differentiate? I have no clue, actually. I tend to list the jobs I've had, the classes I've taken, the certs I have, and then put a section of "Other experience" where I list off different technologies I've worked with, particular IT achievements, and anything else that I count as relevant experience.

One more thing to mention on this topic. How you weigh your different forms of education and experience also depends on what job you're going after. If it's a very formal process, like if you were applying for work with a high-profile company that has a fully operational IT department, you may want to make sure you put only the formal work experience on your resume and mention the other stuff as "additional knowledge". If you're going for a job as the single network admin for a little company that makes surfboards or something, then go ahead and put every bit of IT knowledge you have on that resume. It's all about the situation, and being able to adapt to what you're getting yourself into.

The informal places are usually the ones you end up liking the most, to tell the truth. I work for a large datacenter, supporting both individual users and companies' servers. I'm expected to be pushing myself, learning and getting certified in the areas of Windows, Linux, and Cisco, since I do work within all those domains. The interview process was very laid back, they asked me all kinds of questions about what kinds of things I'd done on the side, in addition to what work I'd done before. In the end, it seemed like the additional "hobby" experience is what put me over the top, and they offered me the job that very same day. I guess the moral here is to never underestimate the breadth of your knowledge. Tell them what you know, tell them what you've done, and the worst thing that can happen is they won't hire you.

"We'll go on doing the same things we've always done. If we're going to be damned, let's be damned for what we really are." - Capt. Jean Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart)