I.T. Careers

iSkate

I Apologize if i'm reposting, but what motivates you to keep pursuing a career in I.T.? Maybe it's just me, but i get reeeaaallyy discouraged after studying hard, sending out tons of emails, cover letters, calls, resumes and constantly looking for opportunities to find that i get nothing. I really hate my job (i can't stand best buy's lying and the small amount they pay me). i don't know if a career in I.T. is EVEN WORTH IT at the rate this is going. it's insane every employer claims to need at least two to five years experience, but no one acknowledges that i'm a GRADUATE that's looking for experience!!lol.

So, Question: How do you yall stay focused; stay motivated???

CoryS

I will be quite honest, it was very VERY tough. Being in the general labor market while going to get my AAS degree for Network Administration I was able to keep my head up since I thought for sure once I graduated I would be able to find a job no problem, even if it was a helpdesk position. I absolutely love computers and spend countless hours on my own just tinkering so I assumed this was my calling... After I graduated I found it extremely hard to crack the ice and find my first gig but when I did it came surprisingly easy since at this point my interview skills had increased dramatically from many interviews in the past, and my anxiety slowly disappeared, at this point I was so fed up that even if I didnt get the job I really didnt care anymore so I came off as extremely honest and up front, this in turn landed it, and its been a good ride ever since...

I must say though, although I only probably put in about 5 years of roughing it in the manual labor force I really can say that without the breadth of knowledge I gained and interpersonal skills I aquired I would not be as well rounded today which in turn would have closed doors to me. At one point in time about 6 months after I got my degree I cursed myself for going this route since I was now in debt (thankfully not much) and thought that I would NEVER find a job since, like you everyone required 1-5 years experience...

I will end with this, if you truly enjoy working with computers and you have the ambition to stick with an ever changing field then dont get discouraged, easy as it may seem to do, because one day your luck will turn.

"Good things come to those who work hard, and if they dont, work harder."

Kasor

If you don't like what you doing, then you will never happy. It is a basic concept and not only in IT area. If you designer and like to create thing. If you are writer and you will love to write. It is a matter of your interest and ideal life.

IT is fun and constantly changing which is a way to challenging yourself.

My buddy is a finance advisor and he like. I asked him how he focus on such intensive working environment. He told me, if you like what you and you are good as it. Then every else is easy.

Last word, stay strong!!!

famosbrown

Stay strong, be patient, and keep trying. Someone out there will give you a shot to gain that experience, and then you will shoot up from there. Everyone in I.T. wasn't born with experience so someone gave them the opportunity, but sometimes those people move up to a hiring position and forget that they were in the same shoes as some of the applicants.

what do you have your Masters in? Unless you hate, if you have like a MIS or CS degree, try going into the Programming/Software Engineering field...they tend to take college students right out of college for good money. If you want to go into the Networking/systems/Support field, then build up your resume with Certifications and study up and practice. The certs will help get you to the interview and then you can display what you know.

Schluep

iSkate wrote:

So, Question: How do you yall stay focused; stay motivated???

No matter how much money you make or much you enjoy what you are doing it is unlikely to keep you "motivated" all of the time. Even if you are doing something you really enjoy it will get old eventually even in a high pressure and ever changing environment, let alone one where little changes from day to day. For example, let's say you love reading, skiiing, hunting, video games, athletic events, bowling, watching television, listening to music, playing with computers, studying history, or any other point of interest you use to relax. If you did that same thing every day for 8-12 hours per day 5-6 days per week would you still enjoy it and use it to relax or would it get old? Working is no different, plus you have the added factors of customer/employee issues.

As an adult I believe it is our responsibility to motivate ourselves. No amount of money, prestige, or working in something you enjoy will really do it for you. You need to have something that drives what you do that you can always go back to if you get discouraged. Maybe it is the fact that are providing for your family? Perhaps it is the positive impact your work has in your community? Perhaps it is the benefit you are able to provide your customers or the satisfaction of performing at a high level. Whatever your reason, find it and go back to that if you find yourself getting discouraged or lazy, especially when you are starting out.

Unless you are a professional athlete you aren't going to have cheerleaders lined up on your way in, and even if you do that isn't going to do it for you. Without a "why" you will have no reason to push for that next certification or to get that new contract. If you need to read Positive Mental Attitude Books or listen to positive music on your way into the office feel free to do so. Find whatever helps you and stick to it. I don't know if you have a family or not, but outside of a potential spiritual aspect it will likely be your strongest motiviation behind anything you do.

Keep at it and enjoy the journey.

emmajoyce

Man, I feel for you.
I am in the same boat, so know that you are not alone.
The person on hear who wrote that hiring people forget that someone gave them a chance, Hit it on the nail.
I have been looking for 6 months. Even the entry level jobs are advertising a 3 year experience requirement. What??? 3 years for a entry level job. I believe someone doesnt understand what entry level means. They need to purchase a dictionary.
Again, no one came out of their mothers womb with IT experience. So, how did everyone else get their chance.
I have got the degree and many certs but no paid experience. Employers could care less about the certs or the degree. I have found this out through my few interviews.
I hope you get lucky and get a job. Hang in there, hopefully a decent hiring manager will let you show him what you know as opposed to just looking at the resume and saying " oh this guys never been paid in a IT job".

impelse

Let me tell you what helped me to gain some exp.

Try to set some ads or give business cards to everybody possible saying that you fix computers (low price), do this during the time that you are studying or looking for a permanent job, this will help you to have some exp.

In your resume you can say that you were fixing computers like a small business, they're gonna percive you exp in the interview.

The certification is very important, but they want to know if you really practiced what ever you studied.

This is my two cents.

Raul