How many years do you have?

Okay, I've requested help on here quite a few times, and quite often, it's the same guys who come to the rescue....

Anyways, i got to wondering how long it took you guys to accumulate all the knowledge that you have..... so lets have it - how many years of IT/Networking/Support experience do you have?

I'm still a newbie.... i've got about 2-3 years 1st/2nd level (i.e helpdesk and desktop support) and 1-2 years (of junior) Networking and Server Support.

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royal

I've got about 15 months of experience.

keenon

professional about 8 years but i only count 7 but actual total is 10

sprkymrk

A couple years of part time freelance work for schools, churches and residential customers while making the transition from electrician to full time IT, followed by another couple of years in a large environment as level 2 support for everything from desktop to network to an emergency operations center. At the same time I also dabbled in teaching Intro to Computing courses.

I worked in the same place for another couple years as a team leader, 2 years as a network admin in a smaller environment, and finally 4 years LAN administration with a security emphasis.

Roughly 8 years FT and 2 years PT total.

Mishra

3 months
1 year part time
2 years

about 3.3 years

blargoe

Come December, 7 years. Doesn't seem like it's been that long.

wastedtime

I started doing certifications and stuff around 2000 when I got my A+ but didn't get into the IT Field or working hard on my certs till about mid 2005 when I reclassed to 25B. Before that I was just the unofficial computer guy and got a few certs.

RussS

Just on 4 years in the industry. I was however thrown in at the deep end from day 1 and from the newbie I am now the #2 senior engineer. Still haven't finished the certs I was looking for and don't really have time to do much lately as I am far too busy keeping my clients happy.

Oh - I specialise in break/fix.

sthomas

I have 4+ years full time experience in the IT industry. The first 2 years were primarily doing Desktop Support but the last 2 have been Sys Admin type stuff along with Desktop Support when needed. I also have been doing part-time freelance work for several years and continue to do so.

ilcram19

2 1/2 being computer tech for acer in mexico (cheap labor 65dlls peer week i was 16 so it was ok)

4 months doing tech support for free for an school district

2 years as tech

1 year 8 months as network administrator

4 year as a tech

1 year and 8 months as network admin

ally_uk

2 years experience working as a 1st line support technician

1 years experience working as a technician which involves computer repairs, upgrades, network installations from troubleshooting small networks to setting them up i.e running cables hanging cable trays, patching etc, Supporting Linux systems and providing 1st line support to about 8 external projects.

I am 22 years old and from the Uk

WanBoy67

8 years+ on and off as a consultant, using PCs for about 12 years

Ahriakin

11 years, all started (like many) on an OEM's helpdesk during the rollout of Windows95. Worked lots of different positions over the years but only started specialising in Networking a few years back, a mix of salaried and consultant work from Ireland -> Africa -> now the USA....variety's the spice of life

TechJunky

7 years.

ajs1976

9 months parttime doing helpdesk stuff

7 1/2 years as a consultant. first working on Windows and Exchange system. Citrix was added later.

royal

Don't tell me I have the least experience here.

BeaverC32

Don't tell me I have the least experience here.

I have 14 months experience, if that makes you feel better

WanBoy67

royal wrote:

Don't tell me I have the least experience here.

Oh no!

PS. Please resist the urge to punch your screen.

shednik

I have about a year and half of tech/desktop support

2 months of expierence on account administration(kinda like a sys admin minus alot of the server work)

snadam

1 year strictly network cabling
2 years help desk
1 year net admin

I fortunately have the pleasure of hands on experience while continuing my education. I just wish I started earlier.

sthomas

wanboy67 wrote:

royal wrote:

Don't tell me I have the least experience here.

Oh no!

PS. Please resist the urge to punch your screen.

To late, I just smashed my monitor with a baseball bat.

SRTMCSE

Started in 2003 as a technician for a large IT bootcamp, worked at Network solutions for a month in June 2005. Left there and landed a job as a Net/Sys Admin at a bank in Aug 2005. Left there in Oct of 2006 and started here at a large non profit nursing home as a Net Admin in Nov of 2006 doing primarily Windows admin, security and some Cisco work.

ally_uk

(1 year strictly network cabling )

Whoa that job would be so tedious lol I spent 2 weeks running cat 5 cables for one of our external projects and by the end of it I didn't want to see a Patch panel or cable again!

theseman

7 Months PC Repair

3 Months Network Analyst

I don't answer too many questions on here though. Usually doing the asking, and having royal or sprkymrk answer them!!!

Travis

Slowhand

I've been working as a consultant since 2000, working my way up the ladder from basic PC repair and home networking, all the way up through "McTech" at CompUSA, helpdesk for a hospital, and I spent the last year as a systems engineer for an ISP/Datacenter. So, all in all, about 7 years' experience, with quite a bit of classes and extra-curricular studying for specifics, like attaining MCSA and the like.

Still, though, I've always thought that there is a lot to be said for the quality of your experience, rather than the quantity. Saying "this person has x number of years experience" is deceptive. What if this person sat on his butt for those years, delegating work and didn't learn anything? Then again, I also think that the focus on years worth of experience, rather than what you actually know, is the result of HR managers trying to rationalize hiring one person over another. At least, I'm sure that's part of the reason why you're always asked how many months/years you've worked with something.

After all, I've worked with Windows technologies for seven years, and royal is far more knowledgable than I am with his 15 months of experience. He spent more time, studied more intently, and probably covered more topics than I was ever able to. If I was a hiring manager, and I had a choice between someone with my Windows experience and royal, I'd pick royal every time. It doesn't matter if one person has been there more years, if another can do the work better and more efficiently. Experience counts for a lot, that's true, but so does straight-up skill and knowledge.

For example, I've only been working with Linux professionally for about a year, as opposed to my supervisor who has been a Unix admin for almost eight years. I can set up an FTP-based kickstart install of Red Hat Enterprise 5, and he can't. The simple reason, I worked with it specifically, I studied Red Hat technologies in depth, and he works with what needs to be done, and primarily takes care of the network. (He is a CCNP, after all.) So, I've got one year of experience with Red Hat, and he's got eight. He'd probably be picked over me to be a Unix or Linux admin, but there are lots of things I can do that he can't. Does that mean he'd be a better Linux/Unix admin than I would be? Maybe, maybe not; we wouldn't know until we were both put to the test and it would depend on the environment we'd be working in.

Another example, one that is a common occurence in the IT industry. A person who has been working for ten, maybe fifteen years as the senior will know the couple of things he does on a daily basis like the back of his hand. The younger admins that are hired come in with less experience, but they are more willing to learn and are expanding out into different things more quickly. This leaves us with an experienced "dinosaur", the older tech with lots and lots of experience with limited, often outdated, things. I guess the lesson is that you need experience. However, you can't count on time to simply "make you better", if you're not learning the necessary skills and gaining the knowledge you need to stay competitive.

snadam

ally_uk wrote:

(1 year strictly network cabling )

Whoa that job would be so tedious lol I spent 2 weeks running cat 5 cables for one of our external projects and by the end of it I didn't want to see a Patch panel or cable again!

yep, and I did it in the hot 100+ Degree desert sun. It was mostly Cat5e and contract work for homebuilders, so the drywall wasn't up yet. We came back to terminate everything after the drywall was up. We also did older building like really old schools with fiberglass insulation (I hate that stuff), and my boss' entire house (I REALLY hated that). I ran fiber for a huge office facility once, but not splicing or any of the cool stuff. I thought it was the cats meow at first. I quickly learned otherwise.

CoryS

I only have 10 months of professional experience, other than the college and my 2nd life as a lab junky at home.

I am trying desperately to catch up to you genius peoples as quick as I can..

23 yrs young