Jobs Anyone??

garv221

I'm curious to how many of us have IT jobs, looking to get their foot in the door, or looking for a better IT job. I'm curious to what everyone is doing in each instance to get where they need to be. Certs? College, Boot Camps, experience? I hear alot of good info & points in this forum and I wondered where it is fueled from? Whats everyones background and prospective future?

theICE

For me i been around computers all my life but never went to college for it or got any certficates until now. I plan on gettin certficates right now and do self study for the A+,network+,server+, and then see where i want to go from there. but i want to learn the information not just learn what i need to do to pass the test so i will not go to any boot camps. if i had the time and money i would go for my degree in computer science but right now i will just have to be happy getting my certficates and hope it gets me a job eventually.

james3302

I received my Bachelors degree in Computer Information Systems in 2002, and I am still trying to get my foot into the door. I am having difficulty with the idea that I do not have any work experience so they will not hire me, but how am I supposed to get experinece if no one will hire me. I would like to work as an application developer, but I am going to get my A+ and then possibly my Net+ and try to get a tech support job then move up after getting my programming cert(MCAD.Net).

imfrom51

I had kind of a roundabout way into the industry. Got a job in a sign company sweeping the floor and doing grunt work, when one day my boss say could I use a computer. I said ' You bet' and started designing signs. After about 6 years of sign making I moved town and ended up working for a large Sign company in their tech support dept. This was due to the fact that I had sign making experience. During the year that I worked there, I got my A+ and N+ and a whole bunch of tips from the IT manager. Well then I saw an opening in another printing company to work in the IT dept. With my tech support experience and sign making knowledge I land the job!! Phew!!
Moral: Use the skills you have to further yourself!

halflife78

I was going to college to be a Microbiologist. I wasn't ready for college at that time so I ended up dropping out with about 60 hours credit. When I dropped out I started working with my dad who had his own business. We installed commercial satellites for schools, car dealerships, government building, etc. We had a computer at home since the 286 came out, I had one at college also. Working with my dad I had seen some smaller routers and switches also.

Well, I live in a small town of about 15k people. We had a new company come to town that was in the newspaper that planned on hiring about 400 people. I went and put in an application like most everyone in town did. My dad rode by their one day and it just so happen that the Director of Teleocommunications for the corporation was there. He talked to him about working in the IT department but decided he didn't want to and mentioned my name when leaving. I got a call to go in and the director guy talked to me. He asked me how I liked working on computer stuff and I said it was fun. He brought me into the dataroom which at the time had 20 Nortel 24 port switches, BLN router, and an Avaya G3i phone switch. Here is our conversation from that point:

Director: Have you ever seen any equipment like this???
Me: No, I have no clue what most of this stuff is. (sad face I was done)
Director: Good, you will fit in perfect, your hired!!

I was excited and scared because I like doing a good job but I didn't know what I was doing. I got hired and started working as the Network/Telecom Adminsitrator over the new site that day. I got a total of 2 days training and my boss left, I was never so scared in my life.

Now it's almost 4 years later and I am still workiing that same job. I love this work and it's what I want to do for now one. I wonder what I would be doing sometimes if my dad hadn't stopped in and some Director (who is still my boss) hadn't taken a chance with me. Sorry for the long story also:)

/usr

I got an internship through my college and I've been here now doing System/Network support for around ten weeks.

garv221

halflife78 wrote:

I got hired and started working as the Network/Telecom Adminsitrator over the new site that day. I got a total of 2 days training and my boss left, I was never so scared in my life.

Now it's almost 4 years later and I am still workiing that same job. I love this work and it's what I want to do for now one. I wonder what I would be doing sometimes if my dad hadn't stopped in and some Director (who is still my boss) hadn't taken a chance with me.

I hear ya. The summer following my freshman year of College I sent out resumes everywhere I heard that were hiring just looking for some experience. That fall I got a call for a position I sent a resume to that spring. I was hired; I was a college student, no experience (except computer tech at CompUSA), no certs, and no degree. My title was “Systems Administrator”! I was nervous! I was in charge of building/upgrading PCs, servers, access DB server, backups, cabling, Cisco switches/routers, DNS, WINS, T1, corp. Email, firewall, proxy, DMZ, webpage/server, UNIX/LINUX/ WIN2K systems, data log, data translation with CAD platforms, I thought I was definitely in over my head. However my boss was really cool and showed me everything. Now I do everything with little or no supervision. I was lucky man. Very Lucky. HalfLife, I also wonder what I would be doing now if I didn’t get that job. Probably not IT work. Currently I still work there (4 years now) and its great, laid back but it has its moments.

ajs1976

I do IT consulting for small/medium businesses. Windows desktop / server, exchange, citrix, etc. I have been at my current job for just over 2 1/2 years and in IT for about 5.

I'm not currently looking for a job, but i'm still working on certs and should have an associates wrapped up. I think it is a good idea to stay marketable.

coax

I graduated from U.O.P with a BSBIS degree back in 2000 before the tech bubble burst. A friend recommended me for a help desk job at Rhythms Net Connections (DSL company) I had no experience but they hired me at $14.75/hour. One year and a half-later the company went chap 11 and let the whole helpdesk go including me. The good thing was that I learned a lot in that time to land another job as support analysts level two. I have been at this job for over two years now. I just recently started taking certifications as part of my yearly review goals.

Ghetto Rambo

Sup all,
I got AS in Electronics Technology in January 03 and AS in Networking Technology with an emphasis in Cisco Systems in July 03, so far no luck in IT area but I got hired working as a TV technician for a major retailer getting about $17/hr since 1/04.

However, I want to get into IT field more so I will be going back to school to get a BS in CIS this July, looking for a high paying part time job now... any tips? ^_^

garv221

Ghetto Rambo wrote:

However, I want to get into IT field more so I will be going back to school to get a BS in CIS this July, looking for a high paying part time job now... any tips? ^_^

Sure. You want a high paying job right now? You need some hands on experience with some sotware or M$ certs. I'm sure if you hit the pavement it would not be hard for you to find a latteral move in pay which would give you some hands on MCSA work. Then that job would put you into position to be paid good. Gotta have work experience on MS LANS.

sachaos

I have 2 more classes left for an associates degree in Network Administration, I have my MCP (70-21, A+, and Network+ certification. I cant find a job at all. Ive been trying for about 6 months. Im still doing dialup tech support which I was doing before I got any certs. The IT market is really bad in San Antonio. Rather discouraging.