employment

jstrong

Hello forum, I have 2 tech degrees (BIT, MSM), Net+, and I am working towards the Sec+ exam. However, I cannot get a job in IT (thus far) I have even offered to do UNPAID internships and still have 0 luck. One company offered an internship and then retracted wtf? Anyway, can anyone offer any suggestions? I know hands on experience is golden, but I havent been able to get a gig as an assistant to an entry level employee--which I would ladly accept just to get some experience.

keenon

jstrong wrote:

Hello forum, I have 2 tech degrees (BIT, MSM), Net+, and I am working towards the Sec+ exam. However, I cannot get a job in IT (thus far) I have even offered to do UNPAID internships and still have 0 luck. One company offered an internship and then retracted wtf? Anyway, can anyone offer any suggestions? I know hands on experience is golden, but I havent been able to get a gig as an assistant to an entry level employee--which I would ladly accept just to get some experience.

sounds like your a candidate for a resume make over

also sounds like you would do better trying out some contracting firms and smaller tech shops in the pc department if not a helpdesk.. but step 1 needs to be done

secondary what is the tech market where you live at? relocation may be in the air

hackdugood

I completely agree. You gotta start at the bottom of the barrel sometimes. The reason I got my job as IT support analyst is because I sold myself nicely. But before that, I was going to get a job at the Geek Squad, yeah I know they're a rip off... But it's a stepping stone... So try retail... like Bestbuy or Circuitcity... The ball doesn't roll that fast... if we could all get jobs with just certs... we'd all have CCIEs lolol.

blargoe

Unless the market in your particular area is dead, there have to be some temp to perm options in your area, even if it's just call center/support type of positions.

Orion82698

This field is hard to get started in, even with education/certifications. Keep looking around. I agree with Keenon, your resume needs to be up to par.

Once that's done, hit up Monster and some of the other ones. I use to get hits every few weeks...

It might not be full time work, or even part time (short contracts) but it's experience, and that matters.

Good luck!

Kaminsky

Get something entry level as soon as you can regardless of whether the job is beneath you or the salary sucks. You could be a professor but if you haven't actually worked in the industry yet, you are still going to have problems.

The other thing you need is to be very flexable and be quite prepared to drop a job for a move to another more in the field of what you want to do IF your current position isn't going anywhere or they can't see that you have a lot more potential. However, changing jobs too often will go against you too.

Think of it this way. You may think your qualified to do this job or that but there are already people doing those jobs and why should they roll over to let you in. Whether your more qualified than them is irrelavent.

The process of hiring someone is a pain for any company and they usually would rather stick with what they have already and promote/train up existing personnel than get someone new in unless that person can hit the ground running as they have a lot of previous experience in doing the job already.

We all have to start at the begining and work our way up from there. Once your in, your qualifications will help you rise faster than others without them.

Once you have a couple of years under your belt, your golden and can then start to plan a proper career path.

sprkymrk

Kaminsky wrote:

Get something entry level as soon as you can regardless of whether the job is beneath you or the salary sucks.

Kaminsky wrote:

You may think your qualified to do this job or that but there are already people doing those jobs and why should they roll over to let you in. Whether your more qualified than them is irrelavent.

Kaminsky wrote:

We all have to start at the begining and work our way up from there.

I believe he stated that he was willing to start at the bottom of the bottom - and work for free as well:

jstrong wrote:

I have even offered to do UNPAID internships and still have 0 luck. One company offered an internship and then retracted wtf? Anyway, can anyone offer any suggestions? I know hands on experience is golden, but I havent been able to get a gig as an assistant to an entry level employee--which I would ladly accept just to get some experience.

I agree it's possibly either a resume issue or perhaps a problem during interviews. Sounds like you are qualified jstrong, can you tell us where you are located? How do you do on interviews, strong/weak?

Kaminsky

I didn't mean to come across as having a go. I was just trying to explain why it is so difficult to break into this field even with good qualifications.

When I left university 15 years ago, those were the problems I had to face trying to get my foot in the door and now after many years on the inside, I can see why.

NinjaBoy

To tell the truth it sound as if you're too over-qualfied.

If you're applying for an entry level positions, employer's may think that you're only going to be there for a months of months to get experience then leave, knocking you back that way. If you're applying for a higher position, they'll see that you don't have experience and knock you back that way

All I can suggest is keep in there and keep trying, look in your local paper for "new" companies that may be in need of IT staff, or even try your local college/Uni or high school if they have vancanies (some even advertise vancancies for companies that require trainees). Think of how much sweeter it'll be when you get your break.

Hope this helps

-ken

jstrong

Thanks everyone for your input. I live in south Ga about 300 miles from ATL. I am more than willing to start at the bottom, I have absolutely no problem with that--in fact until I have proven that I am competent, I dont mind being there. I dont even think of it as "the bottom", I see it more as a launching pad. School and having degrees is fine and dandy, but text books and "real life scenarios" are very different from real life, so I am not kidding myself--I need to get my hands involved. But when you cant even intern for free, thats kind of funny--and pitiful.

Kaminsky

I do feel for you. So many folks getting into IT these days, competition is fierce and gowing fiercer by the day. I live in the UK but I know the states industry is in a bad way.

Just gotta keep plugging away and chase down any chance you can get. There is always someone needing our abilities somewhere.

Is relocation out of the question ?