IT Jobs that are not 9-5!

jryantech

I'm currently a student and I have classes in the morning Monday and Wednesday so I've had to explain this to three companies I've interviewed with and none of them were willing to bring me on board part-time.

Most entry level positions I've been looking up have not specified what the operational hours of the job are...

So besides Retail stores(Best Buy, Circuit City) and some Call Center Tech Support jobs(That are rare to find)... Do I have a chance of getting experience while going to school?

Note: I have looked into internships but most of them do not pay and are 15-20 hours a week(Until gas prices are $2/gal again this is just not a option)...

Point is when you went to school (high school or college) and if you landed a "IT" related job what company was it and how did you get it.

undomiel

I worked at the universities I went to. So you might want to see what is available around those.

snadam

undomiel wrote:

I worked at the universities I went to. So you might want to see what is available around those.

yes, its a great place for experience, and you're already there after school!

I know a lot of people that got great experience this way.

darkerosxx

snadam wrote:

undomiel wrote:

I worked at the universities I went to. So you might want to see what is available around those.

yes, its a great place for experience, and you're already there after school!

I know a lot of people that got great experience this way.

I agree and I know several people that got great jobs after college this way too!

networker050184

You can look for work at any service provider as they usually run 24/7 operations.

CGN_Spec

networker050184 wrote:

You can look for work at any service provider as they usually run 24/7 operations.

I agree this is the best route to take so you can work nights, this is how I got started.

ajs1976

I worked for the help desk at school.

Aldur

To bad you don't live in UT, JTAC is always, well most of the time, hiring for all shifts. I go to school too and I've been doing the 3-11 shift for over a year now. I don't have a life outside of school and work but it least I've gotten some great experience.

I honestly don't know what I would have done for a job in my situation if the JTAC wasn't located here.

jryantech

I looked threw all ISPs in my area and no luck...

School is not an option because I'm not at a University yet, I'm at a community college and they have limited spots that get filled up fairly quick and are filled up right now.

I really would rather not work for Firedog for a year... Retail stores are like high school socially and the pressure to sell/rip off people is just ridiculous. They fired one tech they said before I was hired because he continuously sold laptops without services (even though the persons might not have wanted them)...

I just don't know I'm kind of bummed about the difficulty to land a decently entry level job around here.

Talic

jryantech wrote:

I looked threw all ISPs in my area and no luck...

School is not an option because I'm not at a University yet, I'm at a community college and they have limited spots that get filled up fairly quick and are filled up right now.

I really would rather not work for Firedog for a year... Retail stores are like high school socially and the pressure to sell/rip off people is just ridiculous. They fired one tech they said before I was hired because he continuously sold laptops without services (even though the persons might not have wanted them)...

I just don't know I'm kind of bummed about the difficulty to land a decently entry level job around here.

I'm in the exact spot you're at and so far the only thing I came up with is to get classes during the evening and find an IT job at regular times. I'd also keep trying to find an IT paid internship, if they expect you to work free, I would just ask them: "is gasoline free? is getting to work free? is living free?" even minimum wage would be enough if you ask me. Also working IT at a community college would be tough, they are outsourced at my school so I would have to deal with the company that runs it.

As for working at Circuit City, I agree, it's lame that they force you to push services on customers, they laid me off because I didn't get as many as some of the other seasonal people even though I wanted to stay.

All I can say is you might need to stick it out with CC, college jobs are never any good. That's why people's college jobs are usually pretty crappy if you ask someone older then you that went to college.

Slowhand

I completely understand where you're coming from. I'm returning back to college after a little under a decade of "screwing around" and working. The reason I didn't hit it full-time was because I couldn't find part-time work to support myself while I studied, so I was stuck working full-time until now. What I'm going to tell you isn't exactly going to be encouraging, but it might give you some ideas.

I've spent the last four years studying for certifications, quietly going to night-classes to take an A.S. degree in Computer Information Systems, as opposed to what I'm really studying, computer science and electrical engineering. It's only now that I've got a few years' experience under my belt, some entry and mid-level certs, and a secondary degree from a community college, that I've got the credentials to work part-time in IT. Now, in my mid-twenties, when all of my classmates are finishing up graduate school or have put their undergraduate days behind them and are working on careers and families, I'm finally beginning to chase my dream of going to school.

It may not be what you want to hear, but you have a chance to do exactly what you want. My advice is this: look at your current situation, keep searching for work, but don't spend too long; don't let years pass before you realize it's time to rethink things. If, at the end of the next semester in your school, you don't have an answer, maybe you can take a year off and simply work while you make a real push towards something higher-level, like CCNA/CCNP, MCSA/MCSE, or MCITP. Prepare for it mentally, emotionally, and focus on what you want to do. Work towards certifications, gain some experience, and then you may be in a much better position to find a 20 - 25 hour-per-week job that pays in the range of $20,000 - $30,000. The idea of waiting isn't an attractive one, but it may be a good strategy to take some carefully planned time to prepare, as opposed to being stuck in a holding pattern while the semesters roll by and you're stuck doing a class or two at a time.

I hope I didn't depress you too much. If nothing else, maybe you can find some different prespective in what I've said, as well as from the words of the other members of this forum.

mamono

There is always the help desk / call center / support center analyst positions that can be considered as an option. They are IT jobs and give you access to areas of IT that you wouldn't normally learn about. Some are network related such as for ISP as mentioned earlier where you'll learn about QoS. They should have positions available in 2nd and 3rd shifts.

Also, if you work for IT services for your law enforcement and city services, they will most likely have personnel that work 2nd and 3rd shift also. Its just a matter of looking deep enough because some of these positions are listed on government websites and not on job boards.

Talic

I'd really like to state my distaste for unpaid internships, if a company that's making money feels that your time isn't worth their money then your time is worth wasting on them. Rather then messing with them, you should donate your time to the local Library or a charity. Donating to the library might be a pretty good idea though, if you work for them, they'll seriously consider you for any job openings they may have. Since they're probably open odd hours, they might offer you part-time or something during the evening. They told me this at a local job fair when I applied for a computer lab assistant and I asked them why they passed me over. The pay for the assistant wasn't bad either, $15 an hour and the PC Tech job was even better pay I believe.

Sie

What? You mean there are IT jobs out there that are 9 - 5??

Seriously thou I would also suggest something like helpdesk / PC Repair Shop etc.

I cant see a major company giving you a Sys Admin job or the like as you cant be full time.
Take a look around, most people dont want to work late or on nights so something should be available.