The State of the IT Field (please read)

Turgon

TexNolan wrote: »

As of today I just found this site, and it has helped on a few things, but lot's of info is from years ago. So what is the standing of IT today? I am asking because being a laborer for more then 30 years and not being able to keep up with the young wip'r snap'rs, I have considered getting Cisco Certification.

Someone said CompTia A+, but that will get you $10 an hour, I'm at $20 an hour now. Need to improve my work environment, what's yours or y'alls suggestions?

As a labourer you will know about hardwork so that will help. Keeping up with the younfg wip'r snap's in IT will be just as hard. They learn Cisco in high school.

You will be spared a lot of the grunt in IT these days as remote tools get things updated, installed and fixed. Not when I started, you had to run to a desk and take everything with you. Tiring. Plus a lot of equipment is outsourced these days. My advice as an older guy is to steer yourself toward a supervisory role where being older can give you some gravitas. Learn the technical basics obviously first so you get respect from the youngsters and dont patronise them. Try learning ITIL.

From a historical perspective..take a look at this thread from 2000..many older career changers posted..

http://www.examnotes.net/index.php?topic=3793.msg15546#msg15546

It was a different time, and 37 year old housewife ARockinMom bless her didn't make it, I remember her struggling with the N+ exam through 2001-2002. IT was booming back then on the 'plant' infrastructure front and the basic webfront. It isn't now.

But things have changed. The chaos has gone, and structure, reporting, and management has taken over IT, as it does every industry once it gets organised, crushing the technical people to an underpaid vanishing point. So..if you can align yourself to being a decent leader and organiser who understands process and cost and enough technology..you might get an 'in'.

Good luck!

TexNolan

Thank you, Turgon

So I'll start at CCENT .... and go from there.

What's the worst that can happen! ...
(study) (get certified) (search for job) (find good job)
(get demoted, because youg wip'r snap'r) (send virus)
(keep mouth shut) (watch good friend get fired for virus) (disappear)
.... things that make you go hmmmmm

Turgon

TexNolan wrote: »

Thank you, Turgon

So I'll start at CCENT .... and go from there.

What's the worst that can happen! ...
(study) (get certified) (search for job) (find good job)
(get demoted, because youg wip'r snap'r) (send virus)
(keep mouth shut) (watch good friend get fired for virus) (disappear)
.... things that make you go hmmmmm

No worries. I edited the thread so by all means read again. Yup get some basic technical background cert wise, and some hands on, then look at ITIL and a supervisory role.

limpylegs

halflife78 wrote: »

I see alot of people that are frustrated about getting a job on this board, so I wanted to start a thread where we can all discuss why it is so hard getting a job, the syptoms that caused this, and possible solutions to help people find jobs. Please respond with ideas and suggestions, as all my belows ideas are thoughts on what I have seen myself in the 4 years I have been doing IT.

4. Experience is a must
Most companies require about 3-5 years minimum experience....well, how can you get experience if all jobs require it???

I would actually like to discuss this part of the thread a little more in detail as I'm in that very position right now.I have no certifications,and I want to stop driving truck for a living for personal reasons.How do I as an UN-experienced new guy get experience?For example...When I first got into the trucking industry about 4 years ago you had to hire on to a major motor carrier who was self insured such as swift,werner,jb hunt,or schneider(sometimes even sign a contract to get a cdl in the first place) after about a year or two you could find yourself a pretty decent job with benefits not having to go out on the road for 4 weeks at a time.

Now that I'm looking into a career change I'm at a complete loss because I don't even know where to start other than getting my A+ certification and finding a job with one of the 3 local repair shops in my area.I know it has been done before because I have already met plenty of other truckers that have gone into the IT field to look for jobs and have found them.I just don't know how they did it.

Turgon

limpylegs wrote: »

I would actually like to discuss this part of the thread a little more in detail as I'm in that very position right now.I have no certifications,and I want to stop driving truck for a living for personal reasons.How do I as an UN-experienced new guy get experience?For example...When I first got into the trucking industry about 4 years ago you had to hire on to a major motor carrier who was self insured such as swift,werner,jb hunt,or schneider(sometimes even sign a contract to get a cdl in the first place) after about a year or two you could find yourself a pretty decent job with benefits not having to go out on the road for 4 weeks at a time.

Now that I'm looking into a career change I'm at a complete loss because I don't even know where to start other than getting my A+ certification and finding a job with one of the 3 local repair shops in my area.I know it has been done before because I have already met plenty of other truckers that have gone into the IT field to look for jobs and have found them.I just don't know how they did it.

You need to suck it up and either do a crap volunteer job or a crap benchtech job, even part time for 6 months. I wouldn't restrict yourself to A+ though. You may find it hard to keep up trucking and study for anything. Try the CCENT and then the CCNA. The stock in wizards in PC support has fallen. There are NOC jobs where a CCNA will give you an 'in'. Many CCNA's can't configure or troubleshoot jack. A CCNA well learned is employable and while you want gear to practice on, book learning helps. Perhaps better that than A+ book learning. No money in it really.

limpylegs

Turgon wrote: »

You need to suck it up and either do a crap volunteer job or a crap benchtech job, even part time for 6 months. I wouldn't restrict yourself to A+ though. You may find it hard to keep up trucking and study for anything. Try the CCENT and then the CCNA. The stock in wizards in PC support has fallen. There are NOC jobs where a CCNA will give you an 'in'. Many CCNA's can't configure or troubleshoot jack. A CCNA well learned is employable and while you want gear to practice on, book learning helps. Perhaps better that than A+ book learning. No money in it really.

I feel as though that statement was well spoken....I can't really afford to study if I keep up the truck job full time as that industry doesn't even hire you for part time at all,you absolutely have to live it and work 70 hours a week to make your company any sort of profit whatsoever.On top of that if I have to quit my job even to study to make some amount of grades almost nobody will hire me for entry level work because of my background.Oh well,guess I'll just make do with what I can for now until those first couple of certifications are under my belt then go from there.

Aldur

limpylegs wrote: »

I feel as though that statement was well spoken....I can't really afford to study if I keep up the truck job full time as that industry doesn't even hire you for part time at all,you absolutely have to live it and work 70 hours a week to make your company any sort of profit whatsoever.On top of that if I have to quit my job even to study to make some amount of grades almost nobody will hire me for entry level work because of my background.Oh well,guess I'll just make do with what I can for now until those first couple of certifications are under my belt then go from there.

Don't let the lack of certifications stop you from applying at an entry job. Granted, I would recommend that you study as much as possible, just incase you do get an interview.

My first IT job was a entry/mid level job. At the time I had no IT experience and was working in a kitchen cabinet shop. However, I was going to school for a Computer Science BS degree and I had been spending any free moment studying. I didn't have any certifications at the time, but I was studying hard and I was able to prove myself in the interview. Granted, I feel I got pretty lucky, but I did happen to be in the right place at the right time.

So study hard, and don't be afraid to apply even though you don't meet the minimum requirements for a job opening.

limpylegs

Aldur wrote: »

Don't let the lack of certifications stop you from applying at an entry job. Granted, I would recommend that you study as much as possible, just incase you do get an interview.

My first IT job was a entry/mid level job. At the time I had no IT experience and was working in a kitchen cabinet shop. However, I was going to school for a Computer Science BS degree and I had been spending any free moment studying. I didn't have any certifications at the time, but I was studying hard and I was able to prove myself in the interview. Granted, I feel I got pretty lucky, but I did happen to be in the right place at the right time.

So study hard, and don't be afraid to apply even though you don't meet the minimum requirements for a job opening.

I'd say by the looks of things that is pretty lucky indeed,but me personally,I've never been too much of a fan of lady luck.

Aldur

limpylegs wrote: »

I'd say by the looks of things that is pretty lucky indeed,but me personally,I've never been too much of a fan of lady luck.

Fortune may have been on my side that day, but my point is that I was in the right place at the right time. If I wouldn't have applied for the job, there would have been no chance of that.

limpylegs

Aldur wrote: »

Fortune may have been on my side that day, but my point is that I was in the right place at the right time. If I wouldn't have applied for the job, there would have been no chance of that.

I can come to appreciate that sort of optimism.It's just lady luck has never been one of the more reliable options for me lol

NOLAJ

limpylegs wrote: »

I can come to appreciate that sort of optimism.It's just lady luck has never been one of the more reliable options for me lol

Time to make your own luck!! What do you want to achieve? Answer that question and then do it!!

YFZblu

limpylegs wrote: »

I can come to appreciate that sort of optimism.It's just lady luck has never been one of the more reliable options for me lol

My advice--Definitely get your A+, definitely get your Net+. Those are the most marketable entry-level certifications. Just grind it out. And yes, eventually someone will have to take a chance on you and give you a break...That's just the nature of the industry.

dajohnso

Thanks for the advice.

teck923

So I'v been reading through this thread, and there is alot of hiring going on, (at least in my area) cyber is booming, depending on wheather or not your in that specific part of the field.
A little tip from me, just continue studies, learn all aspects of IT apply to as many jobs as possible, and just never give up.

Texanist

I was programming VPN's on Cisco products before they had the firmware to support it but I don't have a certification. If you can get a chance to prove that your savvy with what ever it is, that normally counts better than a cert. The joke these days is that you can go to McDonald's and order a happy meal and a side order for A+ with it.

daviddws

limpylegs, you can't get some books on tape and play them over and over??? Thats a start right there.

dopenhagen

Anybody been keeping up with companies like Nicira? I'm still very new to the IT world and working toward CCNA, but it seems incredible to me that they may possibly cripple Cisco with their new technology. But this just means more stuff to learn, right? Seems scary and exciting. Of course, I'm still going to be gunning for CCNA

Robinwood

I've found a pdf'review which has information on identifying effective practices on selected filed, major gaps in our knowledge etc.

steelodon

This was very informative about the state of IT. I will second the statement about education as experience.

aqua_waters

Aren't many people able to receive the certifications without attending formal degree programs? Or is that something that worked in the past and no longer applies to the current market?

paul78

@aqua_waters - if you are asking if it's possible to get a certification without a degree, most certification organizations don't require a degree to sit for their exams. And I am not aware of any IT certifications that require a degree to hold the certification. If a certification candidate doesn't have a college degree, normally the certifying body will require additional years of work experience or similar.