Need advice on the best certification to start?

Hello everyone,

I am kind of having a hardtime figuring out what to do as far as IT, I do want to work in IT but I figure the only way to start at the entry level or at the bottom is help desk support. I currently have my Bachelors in technology management with a concentration in computer networking, but while I was in school I did not get any experience or any of that internship jobs because I have already had a full time job working in a call center doing collections. I live in the suburbs of chicago........

For some reason, I don't know if anyone has felt this way..but I feel like I graduated but did not even learn anything..it is because I did not get any real life experience or on the job experience? I feel like i'm selling myself short..and wasting my degree. I want to at least start somewhere...

Should I start studying for the A+ exam..or study for MCDST? Which certifications will more likely get me in the door..you think? Any advice from you professionals would be awesome.

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Comments

earweed

Your degree and call center experience will probably get you in the door. One of the skills some call center people lack is the skill of customer service, how to talk to the customer. That may get you in the door. the MCDST may advance you faster at that role and getting higher certs for whatever direction you choose to go in IT will get you out of that role and into something better.

keeranbri

I do have about 3 -4 yrs exp in call centr dealing with angry ppl throughout the day so at least I can use tht as an advantage, I want 2 work as possibly a tech role / admin support but I don't know what my niche wud be. Should I study 4 the Mcdst exam as a start?

keeranbri

I don't want 2 do commercial collections all my life!!!....I am even lying on my resume that I have worked 4 my uncles shop doing help desk 4 about 3 yrs ...I figure I do that since help desk is really a no brainer ....and I can get my foot in the door

vCole

keeranbri wrote: »

I don't want 2 do commercial collections all my life!!!....I am even lying on my resume that I have worked 4 my uncles shop doing help desk 4 about 3 yrs ...I figure I do that since help desk is really a no brainer ....and I can get my foot in the door

That is the worst thing you could do.

RouteThisWay

keeranbri wrote: »

I don't want 2 do commercial collections all my life!!!....I am even lying on my resume that I have worked 4 my uncles shop doing help desk 4 about 3 yrs ...I figure I do that since help desk is really a no brainer ....and I can get my foot in the door

I wouldn't lie about. Honestly, lying for 3 years is quite a bit of time to cover for, especially since you don't really have any experience. Any good technical manager will be able to call you on it. Plus, how do you reconcile the job you have been really working? What if they call someone you work with for references and they say you have been working there for X amount of time, which contradicts what your resume says? What if they call your uncles shop and ask them for a reference? Does your uncle know you are lying? Does he know what to say your job function was? Do you know what you will say if they ask about it? What if they ask about the experience you have at your uncles shop (that you don't have), that would be pertinent to this job? How many users did you support? What kind of support did you provide? Etc etc etc etc. The list goes on.

My biggest question is this...

How do you know help desk is brainless? You have never even done it. I wouldn't knock it considering many people got their start at a help desk level, including myself. And it is definitely not brainless.

Another thing...

You also mention you didn't learn anything for your degree. You are a prime example of what I have been telling people many times about degrees. You always get out what you put into them. Anyone with money or a loan can get a degree. The knowledge you take away from it is how much effort you put into it.

Am I a bit defensive? Yes. Are my feathers a bit ruffled? Yes.

But you know what... I am going to offer you some help too.

One thing to keep in mind, there is no magic cert. Just because you get an MCDST does not mean you will be getting calls day and night. Or CCNA. Or anything. So let's focus on the problem.

You have a bachelors degree. I am shocked you haven't been able to find anything. So let's take a step back. Are you getting interviews and no offers? Are you not getting any calls?

If you are getting interviews but no offers, you need to work on your interview skills and maybe try not to lie. If you are not even getting called for interviews, you need to get your resume to an acceptable level. And once again, try not to lie.

Did I mention, stop lying?

Hyper-Me

RouteThisWay wrote: »

I wouldn't lie about. Honestly, lying for 3 years is quite a bit of time to cover for, especially since you don't really have any experience. Any good technical manager will be able to call you on it. Plus, how do you reconcile the job you have been really working? What if they call someone you work with for references and they say you have been working there for X amount of time, which contradicts what your resume says? What if they call your uncles shop and ask them for a reference? Does your uncle know you are lying? Does he know what to say your job function was? Do you know what you will say if they ask about it? What if they ask about the experience you have at your uncles shop (that you don't have), that would be pertinent to this job? How many users did you support? What kind of support did you provide? Etc etc etc etc. The list goes on.

My biggest question is this...

How do you know help desk is brainless? You have never even done it. I wouldn't knock it considering many people got their start at a help desk level, including myself. And it is definitely not brainless.

Another thing...

You also mention you didn't learn anything for your degree. You are a prime example of what I have been telling people many times about degrees. You always get out what you put into them. Anyone with money or a loan can get a degree. The knowledge you take away from it is how much effort you put into it.

Am I a bit defensive? Yes. Are my feathers a bit ruffled? Yes.

But you know what... I am going to offer you some help too.

One thing to keep in mind, there is no magic cert. Just because you get an MCDST does not mean you will be getting calls day and night. Or CCNA. Or anything. So let's focus on the problem.

You have a bachelors degree. I am shocked you haven't been able to find anything. So let's take a step back. Are you getting interviews and no offers? Are you not getting any calls?

If you are getting interviews but no offers, you need to work on your interview skills and maybe try not to lie. If you are not even getting called for interviews, you need to get your resume to an acceptable level. And once again, try not to lie.

Did I mention, stop lying?

D*mn there is just too much win in this post.

vCole

RouteThisWay wrote: »

I wouldn't lie about. Honestly, lying for 3 years is quite a bit of time to cover for, especially since you don't really have any experience. Any good technical manager will be able to call you on it. Plus, how do you reconcile the job you have been really working? What if they call someone you work with for references and they say you have been working there for X amount of time, which contradicts what your resume says? What if they call your uncles shop and ask them for a reference? Does your uncle know you are lying? Does he know what to say your job function was? Do you know what you will say if they ask about it? What if they ask about the experience you have at your uncles shop (that you don't have), that would be pertinent to this job? How many users did you support? What kind of support did you provide? Etc etc etc etc. The list goes on.

My biggest question is this...

How do you know help desk is brainless? You have never even done it. I wouldn't knock it considering many people got their start at a help desk level, including myself. And it is definitely not brainless.

Another thing...

You also mention you didn't learn anything for your degree. You are a prime example of what I have been telling people many times about degrees. You always get out what you put into them. Anyone with money or a loan can get a degree. The knowledge you take away from it is how much effort you put into it.

Am I a bit defensive? Yes. Are my feathers a bit ruffled? Yes.

But you know what... I am going to offer you some help too.

One thing to keep in mind, there is no magic cert. Just because you get an MCDST does not mean you will be getting calls day and night. Or CCNA. Or anything. So let's focus on the problem.

You have a bachelors degree. I am shocked you haven't been able to find anything. So let's take a step back. Are you getting interviews and no offers? Are you not getting any calls?

If you are getting interviews but no offers, you need to work on your interview skills and maybe try not to lie. If you are not even getting called for interviews, you need to get your resume to an acceptable level. And once again, try not to lie.

Did I mention, stop lying?

amen!

earweed

The call center thing and your degree should help you at least get a help desk job. If you're lying about doing help desk work you'll be found out in an interview with the IT person.
If you honestly feel you've learned nothing while getting your degree...hope you kept all your technical books, crack 'em open and learn something.
If you feel like that about your degree then you probably will feel the same about a certificate. If you wish to be taken seriously then take yourself seriously.

keeranbri

yes...i know earweed..thanks for the advice. I guess I should not lie about having experience in help desk..cuz it will come around and bite me in the you know what.....I know I even told my uncle about it but still if i have not really got the experience ..then it will show....I can just put customer service experience with him, which is not bad..right? or something like sales...at least its not lying and I have experience with customers on the phone..

I am just very eager to move on....However, it's funny because today I got an email from a human resource from a company called Laird Technologies and they want to interview me..but its not for help desk position..it's for a customer service rep position, but I think Laird Technologies is big company..anybody hear about them?
However, perhaps if they hire me I can work my way up into a IT position..who knows? but the bad thing about it...is that I realize that the resume I applied with them is the one that had the help desk experience I used..

RouteThisWay

keeranbri wrote: »

I can just put customer service experience with him, which is not bad..right? or something like sales...at least its not lying and I have experience with customers on the phone..

Okay, I read this.. took 5 minutes to collect myself, and decided to post.

Yes it is still lying and yes it is still bad.

You never worked for your Uncle, you never had a job at your Uncle's shop. Putting such information on your resume IS lying. You are falsely stating your work experience and misrepresenting yourself.

You claim it isn't lying because you do have that type of experience.

Seriously?

I have experience with RSA SecurID appliance configuration and management. That doesn't mean I get to make up jobs and claim to have done it in more places and for more time that I actually have. That is essentially what you are saying here. You have customer service experience at your current job. So then you are making up a position with your Uncle's company saying you did customer service. Which is a lie.

I am beyond baffled that you can't grasp the concept of misrepresenting yourself. It is a blatant lie. You are trying to skirt around not having much experience. I can be forgiving of mild embellishment. Everyone does it. But to make up jobs and put experience down that you don't have is asinine.

Here is my advice to you. It may not be 100% spot on, I don't claim to be the omniscient eye who knows all. It is simply my recommendation, take it or leave it.

First, you need to decide what you want to learn about. What in the IT realm lights that fire inside of you? What instills that tingling uneasy feeling when you are reading about it, driving you to learn more? Is it networking? Is it server administration? Is it programming? You need to discover what has drawn you towards IT. If it is the rumor of quick money, easy money... you are in the wrong field. If it is the rumor of living the playboy lifestyle with the convertible so commonly depicted, then you are in the wrong field (unless you are a Network guy... so I hear

by the way, that was a joke!).

Once you have decided the realm of IT you wish to work with (there are many more than I listed btw, do some research! This is a time of discovery for you! So enjoy it!), you need to set yourself some goals. By the way your posts are sounding, you seem to be lacking direction. Short term goals are what help you progress through your career. If you sit here and say "I want to be a Network Engineer" and then blindly run around for the next five years, you will not get there. You may get there.. eventually. And we are shooting for efficiency, not eventually.

So you have decided what you want to do, and you need to set goals. What kind of goals do you ask? Ones you can achieve. Think of it like when people try to lose weight (like myself). Sure, the target weight may be 50 lbs. But you break it down into achievable steps, that can be done relatively quickly. 2 pounds a week. If you can achieve that goal on a weekly basis, you are working towards your longer goal and feeling a bit of accomplishment to help keep you motivated. So how does this pertain to IT? Set your short-term, quick turn around goals to advance towards your long-term goal. The quick accomplishments will help you progress towards the goal you have set. So say you want to get your CCNA. You decide to take the 2 test route and need to get the CCENT first. So, you decide to set a goal of reading 3 chapters a week from your book. Once you are done with the CCENT book, you sit the exam. Etc. Use this to progress. Achieve your large goals in small steps.

So how do you know what goals to set for yourself? Well... ask yourself this question. Where do you see yourself in five years? Where do you want to be in five years? Find that position posted on a job board and see what the requirements are. You don't realize it yet, but you have a very large advantage with your degree. Almost like an ace in the hole. And this is coming from someone with only an Associates degree. So if the job you want lists x certifications, x experience, etc... set your goals to get that experience. To get the certifications. You do not need to duplicate this exactly, but it gives you somewhat of a fuzzy map. Gives you a sense of direction.

So you want that first IT job? Well, you already have a 4 year IT degree. What you don't realize is that many companies will accept this in lieu of experience. So apply to those jobs with experience requirements. The worst that can possibly happen is that you don't hear back. Which is what is happening anyway, so you aren't going to lose out. Find out which companies are local IT head hunters. Send them your information, tell them what you want. Show them what you want. Make yourself marketable.

Here are a few other tips I recommend you to do that may boost your marketability.

1. You are educated. There is no excuse that you need to be typing on a forum (especially one dedicated to professionals) like you are 13 and in a chat room. Stop it now. "worked 4 my uncles shop 4 3 years" is unacceptable. I may come across as an ******* for this, and many people may flame me for this but hear me out. Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. You need to be an effective communicator in the IT industry. There are COUNTLESS times when you need to convey technical jargon, standards, etc to non-technical people. You need to judge their technical aptitude and adjust accordingly. And these people matter, because a lot of times these people pay the bills for your salary and your departments funding. Speaking above them can insult them and make them feel inferior, and speaking below them can come across that you think they are idiots. You will need to communicate proposals, spending justifications, etc etc etc. Being an effective communicator can take you far in IT. So why not practice on the forums? Try to use words you haven't used, grab a thesaurus etc. I am not saying you need to use perfect grammar or spelling... lord knows I don't. I am just saying, why not take advantage of every opportunity to enhance your skill set? Communication is one of them. (Expecting to get flamed for this one).

2. Your resume. You have resorted to lying on your resume. That's fine, everyone makes mistakes. You are desperate for a job, I get it. But you are doing it the wrong way. Misrepresenting yourself and coming off as a liar is a quick way to make the black list for companies. Instead, why not look into a professional resume service? They will be able to rewrite your resume to make it more marketable towards your target audience. They will know what kind of experience to list, how to list it, etc etc. Preferably find one that is for IT resumes specifically.

3. The lying needs to stop. Putting down false jobs needs to stop. No one is going to fault you for not having all the experience. Many people get hired for jobs without meeting every qualification, or any of them. If you show that you are trustworthy, loyal, morality, etc... many people will accept that. They would rather spend time training someone who doesn't know the position, than hire someone to claims to know it... and comes in unable to perform the job and underachieves. It saves them money, instills a bit of loyalty in you, and makes everyone like you a bit more. As I said, your bachelors degree carries more weight than you know. This shows you can commit yourself to something long term and that you have the ability to learn. Take advantage of that. Explain to an interviewer if you don't meet the requirements in the job description, but you are willing to learn. You are committed to the advancement of your abilities. This is why the resume is so important- a proper resume will grant you the interview, which will allow you to sell yourself and make up for what your experience is lacking.

Look man, life is what you make it. There is no road map to victory. There is no guide to success. There is no step-by-step wiki to achieve your dreams. The only thing we have is the knowledge we gain in the past, and blank slate that is tomorrow. Every day is a new day. Will tomorrow be a another day of the same cyclic pattern that has left you in collections for the last four years, or is tomorrow the day you paint your masterpiece? The day you can look back on and remember as your turning point, when you decided to take your life and your career in your own hands? The day you decided to make your own fate?

In the end... we are all responsible for our own future. Many people give excuses for their shortcomings. They list the economy, the unfair bosses, the disadvantages they must endure. They seek sympathy for where their decisions have taken them. But the truth is, you are in control of your fate. So grab it by the horns, and make your life what you want it to be. And if you fail to live up to your aspirations, then you have something what many people don't. You have the dignity that you took responsibility and control of your life, and you didn't fall into the bandwagon full of excuses and people who blame everyone but themselves. And that is something to be proud of.

Sorry if that was a bit long winded. I have had quite a bit to drink tonight I think. Hopefully you will find whatever it is inside of you that drives you and that you are passionate about. Good luck man, don't be a stranger.