Career Path

oomalikoo

Hey everyone. I just wanted some guidance in my career path. Im 20 years old and all I have is a High School Diploma. I'm having a tough time right now. I cant even find a minimum wage job. So I'm studying for my A+ cert and I'm kind of confused about the path I want to take.

I've been lookin at the job opportunities out there to get a feel of what I'll need but it doesnt look any good man.

Every help desk job I search for in North Carolina wants 2-3 years of experience. Which to me I dont think makes sense because if its a tier 1 help desk job why would anyone with 2-3 years experience want that instead of moving up? (correct me if I'm wrong please)

It seems to me even for the smallest entry jobs you need a vast amount of experience. Could any of y'all please guide me in what would be a good career path to get into the IT field?

I been thinking about being a linux administrator since its such a niched market. Plus having all around knowledge in windows and linux would look great on a resume. I have no prior experience in costumer service or anything. I can barely afford an A+ and Network+ test so I desperately need a job and this is a field I really really want to get in. I spend more than 5 hours a day on the computer anyways.

If theres volunteer jobs in raleigh or anything I can help at around my area please contact me. Thanks for all the help.

djhss68

Oh man, you're down south there in Carolina. I hear IT is really big down there. It competely sucks up here north. THere is nothing entry level for someone like me. I would say get your A+ and Net+ and see what that gets you. I bet you'll get in somewhere pretty easily. Just make sure you interview well. And from there just work your ass off and impress your superiors.

blargoe

Where are you coming from background-wise? Do you know about computers or are you completely green?

Keep studying your A+, then try to get on with someone like GeekSquad or get on with a staffing agency who can place you with some short term contract work, call center, etc to start out. You should be able to find something like that in the Raleigh area I would think.

Don't fret over what you see posted out there for helpdesk jobs on Monster or Dice or whereever, if you can do the job, you can do the job. Most here will tell you, apply anyway even if it says 2 or 3 years experience required.

If it's financially possible I would really look at going to whichever community college is closest and taking some of the technology classes and work toward an AAS. If you want to transfer that to a public uni in NC, the credits generally translate pretty well.

networker050184

If you are in the Raleigh are you are in a great IT market. A lot better than most so you are lucky in that aspect.

With zero experience and just a high school diploma you are going to have it rough landing that first job. Is there any reason you can't go to school at least part time? A high school diploma and working towards a degree will look better on a resume then just a high school diploma. I know Wake Tech is fairly inexpensive, but I'm not sure how great their IT programs are.

Certifications will help, but don't expect certification and zero experience to get you in a much better situation then you are now. Just keep sending out those resumes and following up. Someone will give you your chance eventually.

One thing to really work on would be your interviewing skills. You have to be able to show potential employers that you have what it takes and are willing to learn.

Good luck and let us know how you get a long in your search.

oomalikoo

djhss68 wrote: »

Oh man, you're down south there in Carolina. I hear IT is really big down there. It competely sucks up here north. THere is nothing entry level for someone like me. I would say get your A+ and Net+ and see what that gets you. I bet you'll get in somewhere pretty easily. Just make sure you interview well. And from there just work your ass off and impress your superiors.

maybe you should relocate bruh? I been looking at the help desk jobs to see how it is down here, these dudes asking for outrageous stuff like 3-5 years experience for an entry level help desk job. It makes no sense cause I clearly put entry level in the search field and no one in IT who has 2-3 years already under their belt is gonna want to move to the same spot they're in alredy.

Check these jobs:

MULTIPLE ENTRY LEVEL HELP DESK SPECIALISTS NEEDED! Job in Raleigh 27607, North Carolina US

Salary/Wage:10.00 - 12.00 USD /hourI mean seriously? lol.

Im studying for my A+ as we speak and then I'm doing Network+ but I dont know where I should move to from there as im not well informed past those certs. I been thinking about routing/switching.

oomalikoo

to tell you the truth I'm not very good in a class setting. Thats why I took up self study. Its much easier for me and I already know a great deal about computers and just love working with them. I'm unemployed and money is really really tight around my house so I cant even afford to go to school.

djhss68

Keep in mind though these are their views of ideal candidates.

It's all part of their tactics too. They know in this economy people will be out of work and desperate for jobs. They post unreasonable requirements for jobs like these and when someone comes in and doesn't quite meet them, they can low ball the candidate, and get them for as cheap as possible. All they're doing is taking advantage of desperate job seekers and exploiting them once the candidate is hired on.

But of course, someone with no experience doesn't have much negotiating power. So entry level guys like us REALLY get screwed over.

brad-

oomalikoo wrote: »

Every help desk job I search for in North Carolina wants 2-3 years of experience. Which to me I dont think makes sense because if its a tier 1 help desk job why would anyone with 2-3 years experience want that instead of moving up? (correct me if I'm wrong please)

It seems to me even for the smallest entry jobs you need a vast amount of experience. Could any of y'all please guide me in what would be a good career path to get into the IT field?

Ignore that and submit your resume and follow up anyway. I'd say most of the time hirees dont meet the "requirements" anyway.

At my previous job, which was tech support for proprietary software, the "requirements" were pretty stiff...and there were very few people that met them. On top of it, the requirements were somewhat irrelevant to the position.

Companies need to hire good people. Mature, responsible people. You will learn most of what you need to do on the job anyway, so I say dont let a job's requirements stop you from submitting a resume...but keep following up. If you can do the job, or can learn the job in a short timeframe given your background (if you have a background), go for it.

Xcluziv

brad- wrote: »

Companies need to hire good people. Mature, responsible people. You will learn most of what you need to do on the job anyway, so I say dont let a job's requirements stop you from submitting a resume...but keep following up. If you can do the job, or can learn the job in a short timeframe given your background (if you have a background), go for it.

He hit it right on the head. Most if not all companies are going to teach you he in's and out's of how daily tasks are and should be completed. Sometimes it may be superfluous on the employer's behalf to list requirements that are irrelevant and will never be used in day-to-day activity.

exx1976

brad- wrote: »

Ignore that and submit your resume and follow up anyway. I'd say most of the time hirees dont meet the "requirements" anyway.

At my previous job, which was tech support for proprietary software, the "requirements" were pretty stiff...and there were very few people that met them. On top of it, the requirements were somewhat irrelevant to the position.

Companies need to hire good people. Mature, responsible people. You will learn most of what you need to do on the job anyway, so I say dont let a job's requirements stop you from submitting a resume...but keep following up. If you can do the job, or can learn the job in a short timeframe given your background (if you have a background), go for it.

+1

The last guy I hired, the ad read something like "A+ required, vbscript knowledge required, 1-2 years experience"

The guy I HIRED had zero practical experience, no certifications, didn't know vbscript, and only had a 2 year degree from a local technical school with a questionable reputation.

So why did I hire him? He answered the technical interview questions correctly, and he interviewed very well, and I mean VERY well. Extremely personable, had a customer service background (so I knew he would be able to deal with irate end users), and he was dressed the part for an interview. So I hired him. He worked out GREAT!

Long story short? Don't worry about the requirements for an entry-level job. If they are paying entry-level money, they are going to get entry-level candidates, bad economy or not. All you need to worry about is doing the best that YOU can do.

One good way to get experience on your resume, and show that your serious, is to start calling non-profit organizations in your area and asking them if they could use some computer help. Tell them the truth: Tell them you are studying for your A+ certification, and are trying to break into the field. Tell them that you are confident that you can help them solve their daily problems, and you're willing to do it for free one or two days a week. They might (and probably do) have an under-paid, over-worked administrator working there, who is also doubling as a tech, and he would welcome the opportunity to have someone come in and help out a couple days a week. You'll learn a lot from that guy, and it'll look great on your resume.

pipemajor

I think it's really tough to break in at the entry level position simply because you're having to compete with people like me - a seasoned (50+) worker with two associate degrees, a BBA, MBA, 30+ years of broad based IT experience, a military veteran (officer level) and 17 years at the supervisory or manager level.

Most of my experience has been at the IT or data center operations level. I started out in the '70s with mainframes and got one of my associate degrees in data processing. I never worked as a programmer but went active duty and learn project management.

My problem is that, after my 1st job lasted 20 years, I haven't been able to find a company which can stay either to stay in business or remain in my state for longer than 3-4 years. As a consequence, my resume of late has been all over the place. I recently completed a limited term position at a great company but the timing of the economy killed any chance of them increasing their budget to retain me after the project was completed. I also have two very glowing referral letters - something most employers aren't willing to do these days and my job performance evaluations are solid.

My hopes of finding another $80k job are fading so I'm willing to look at earning $40-$50k. I've worked 2nd jobs at $7.50/hr recently.

My attitude is actually pretty good with considerable volunteer experience in my community. I may luck out soon or may become like so many at my level and simply give up (or drastically scale back) on the American dream.