Getting Started in IT

I'm about to finish my AAS in Computer Networking this semester. I am currently studying for my CCNA. I have every confidence that I would succeed in any job I can land, but landing my first real IT job is worrying me quite a bit.

My job experience in IT is very limited. During my senior year of high school I worked for a year at a local RV dealership (my dad works there) putting their inventory into a 3rd party database system for viewing on the company website. I took and edited product photos, analyzed units for features, and managed the inventory. When I started going to college I stopped working there due to scheduling conflicts.

I worked at a local gourmet grocery store for the butcher during college because it only required a few hours during the week and full days on the weekends. I served customers, answered questions over the phone, took orders, and did all of the heavy lifting. I feel this job helped me to learn how to interact with customers in a friendly manner.

I've been into computers and networking since I was young so I think I am fairly knowledgeable and intuitive about technology overall. I don't have a specific area of expertise that would set me apart, I'm a kind of "jack of all trades" type person.

I've dabbled with basic web programming (PHP, HTML) and Linux over the years, and I have some home lab experience installing and configuring Debian linux based servers running Apache, MySQL, and PHP. I can find my way around Linux fairly easily.

Whenever someone needs help with their home computer, setting up Internet connections or up wireless networks, I have no problem figuring it all out and troubleshooting problems. I've built various PCs from spare parts (or building a machine with parts from Newegg) as well as working on laptops.

I have a small Cisco lab consisting of a 2650 and 2610XM router, a 2950 and 2924-XL switch, several desktops running linux and multiple versions of windows, and a wireless access point. I use the 2610XM as my DSL router, with a WIC-1ADSL installed for the ADSL connection. In an afternoon I figured out how to set up NAT, the required ACLs, and the PPPoE connection.

My best quality is not what I know, but my ability to research and learn new things to solve problems. I have an analytical mind and the ability to "think outside the box." I'd like to work for a service provider like Comcast, AT&T, or a local Wireless ISP, but I'm not completely opposed to transitioning into enterprise IT and Microsoft networking. I am an easy person to get along with, work well in teams, and communicate effectively. I'm also interested in business, so I see no problem seeing eye to eye with management.

What sort of position do you all think I qualify for? I live near Ann Arbor, MI, and my plan is to finish my degree this semester, get my CCNA, and apply for a help desk position at Comcast, AT&T, a local Wireless ISP, or Google. From there I'd continue learning (CCNP, other certs, on the job) and show my skills by interacting with technicians and engineers so that I could eventually move up.

Thanks for any advice you can give.

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Comments

chmorin

Take that first post (nice first post), organize it and put it into a resume that is professional to read and accents yourself, then apply for any entry level job that makes you go "that would be good!"

When you finish your degree and get your ccna, you will probably qualify for a decent entry level network technician job or help desk technician. These jobs suck, but allow you to get experience and move up. Currently that is all you will lack, experience.

Experience is VERY important in getting a good job. So take a job that you are mildly interested in that pays crap for awhile, so you can move up into the position you want someday.

My 2cents.

mikej412

I agree -- package up that first post here into your resume and cover letter.

The economy may still suck, but if you follow through with your plan you'll probably be needing this advice:
Take the job that offers you the most room for growth and advancement.

jvandle

Thanks, sounds like I'm not doing too bad, then. I really appreciate the feedback. Care to take a look at the resume I came up with? Here it is, with personal information removed.

Name
Street
City, Zip
Phone: (555) 555-4200
E-Mail: bill@microsoft.com

Skills & Qualifications
· Able to communicate effectively with customers in person and over the phone.
· Excellent teamwork skills; easily work and get along with co-workers.
· Strong research, analysis and troubleshooting skills.
· Intuitive sense of technology; easily learn new software applications and networking concepts.
· CCNA-level knowledge of TCP/IP and the OSI Reference Model, Cisco IOS, LAN switching, routing, WAN technologies, IP subnetting, and wireless networking.
· Residential DSL Internet setup, home wired and wireless networking installation and maintenance.
· Installation, configuration, and use of Linux as a desktop and server.
· Expert knowledge of Microsoft Windows 7 and XP operating systems.
· Basic web development with HTML, PHP, JavaScript, Apache, and MySQL databases.

Job Experience
xxx RV Dealership (2005-2006) – Web Inventory Manager/IT Support Specialist
· Responsible for management of the web inventory of the RV dealership. Took and edited product photos, analyzed units for features, wrote product descriptions, and maintained an up-to-date inventory. Provided desktop support for approximately 15 employees and maintained LAN and Internet services.

xxx Market (2007-2009) – Meat & Deli Clerk/IT Support Specialist
· Responsible for daily cleaning of butcher’s equipment, answering phone calls and customer questions, taking orders, serving products to customers, and doing any heavy lifting or manual labor. Maintained DSL Internet connection and secured wireless network for inventory management.

Education
xxx Community College – GPA 3.15
· Computer Networking Associates in Applied Science
· Computer Network Academy I Advanced Certificate
· Computer Systems Technology Certificate
· Dean’s List Fall 2009 (GPA 3.69)

Industry Certifications
· Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
· Plan on following the Routing and Switching, Service Provider, or Service Provider Operations Certification Path offered by Cisco through to Professional (CCNP) or Expert (CCIE) level depending on job requirements.
· Plan on obtaining Microsoft MCITP: Enterprise Administrator certification.

Dryst999

I've always been told to remove your gpa from your resume unless it's 3.4 and above unless a job specifically asks for it. 3.15 is good but an employer isn't going to take a second glance at it in a positive manner unless your at a t1 school.

earweed

There was another thread in here about if it was approptiate to list the certificates you are working on but don't have yet. The consensus seemed to be that you should leave it out, that's something best left for the interview.
Since most resumes are scanned in looking for keywords there may be confusion and you could wind up at an interview with a hiring manager irate because you don't have a CCNP, CCIE, or MCITP.
Here's the thread Listing 'In Progress' Certs on Your Resume

Otherwise I thought it looked really good.

jamesleecoleman

Wow thats kinda cool how you took that paragraph and set it up resume style.
It looks pretty good.

RobertKaucher

earweed wrote: »

There was another thread in here about if it was approptiate to list the certificates you are working on but don't have yet. The consensus seemed to be that you should leave it out, that's something best left for the interview.
Since most resumes are scanned in looking for keywords there may be confusion and you could wind up at an interview with a hiring manager irate because you don't have a CCNP, CCIE, or MCITP.
Here's the thread Listing 'In Progress' Certs on Your Resume

Otherwise I thought it looked really good.

I have been giving +1 to earweed a lot today. I find it annoying to see certs in progress unless they are backed up with real work and usually it is best left to the interview or a cover letter. Any one can list a cert in progress, it's meaningless unless you can give it some value and a resume is to short for that.

fly351

I would change "Residential DSL Internet setup, home wired and wireless networking installation and maintenance.", residential makes it sound like you've "played" around at home. I would change it to something like:

Experience and management of internet gateways with DSL/Cable connections.

Just my 2cents

jvandle

fly351 wrote: »

I would change "Residential DSL Internet setup, home wired and wireless networking installation and maintenance.", residential makes it sound like you've "played" around at home. I would change it to something like:

Experience and management of internet gateways with DSL/Cable connections.

Just my 2cents

This one is golden, thank you.

I removed the cumulative GPA but left that Dean's List GPA because I think it looks good. It at least provides proof that I started to really apply myself near the end of getting my degree if they ask about my GPA in an interview.

I also removed everything but CCNA for the certifications.

My plan is to persue a Cisco certification track through to expert that complements whatever company I am working for. Hopefully that's a large company which allows for advancement.

My friend's dad who recently passed started as a lineman for Michigan Bell and moved his way up to overseeing fiber optic deployment in Ann Arbor for AT&T, so maybe I can find a contact through my friend. Supposedly he still knows a few people in the union.

Do you guys think it might be a good idea to submit my resume directly to one of these people?

I also have a few contacts in the University of Michigan Health System (the manager of respiratory health, another a respected physician) and the current boom is of course health care, so I might pursue that as well. They have Novell, Cisco, Active Directory, Windows, Linux and Unix all running the same hospital.

veritas_libertas

If you can get into the U of M Health System then do it. Not only would you be getting into Health Care (an excellent place to be), but also you are adding the University of Michigan to your future resumes. Not a bad deal at all

RobertKaucher

jvandle wrote: »

This one is golden, thank you.

I removed the cumulative GPA but left that Dean's List GPA because I think it looks good. It at least provides proof that I started to really apply myself near the end of getting my degree if they ask about my GPA in an interview.

I also removed everything but CCNA for the certifications.

My plan is to persue a Cisco certification track through to expert that complements whatever company I am working for. Hopefully that's a large company which allows for advancement.

My friend's dad who recently passed started as a lineman for Michigan Bell and moved his way up to overseeing fiber optic deployment in Ann Arbor for AT&T, so maybe I can find a contact through my friend. Supposedly he still knows a few people in the union.

Do you guys think it might be a good idea to submit my resume directly to one of these people?

I also have a few contacts in the University of Michigan Health System (the manager of respiratory health, another a respected physician) and the current boom is of course health care, so I might pursue that as well. They have Novell, Cisco, Active Directory, Windows, Linux and Unix all running the same hospital.

Do what ever you can. I also suggest that you start to do some volunteer work as well. Chruches and other non-profits or even small businesses. Just to get some hands on and some IT professional references.

fly351

Yes, do what you can to get your foot in the door. It is a good idea to keep a line of communication open between peers/managers, you never know when they might want you to fill a position that would benefit you.

As some of the other Resume threads said.. it might not hurt you to put the "studying for" certs on a cover letter, but not on the resume.

mikej412

Put your most recent job experience first, then work backwards from there.

Later on you'll do the same with your education and certification section -- list the most recent (or most impressive) first.

Even if you're printing out your resume on the "good paper" it's still pretty cheap -- spread your resume to anyone you think could help you or could be interested in hiring you. Worst case -- you can print some on "cheap paper" if you want to hand them out on a street corner to strangers.

JoJoCal19

I feel your pain. Ive submitted applications to quite a few places for positions that I am well qualified for and I dont so much as get a call back or interview. It really sucks. Im guessing employers are just bombarded with applications and Im also guessing that Im missing one of the filters they are using to screen applicants. Probably has to do with not having a bachelors but still sucks all the same.

JoJoCal19

I would really recommend looking outside of Michigan altogether. My best friends lives up in GR and he graduated in December with his Bachelors in Information Systems from Grand Valley and has 4 months of good IT experience done during his internship and has applied for tons of IT positions up there from basic PC support to Help Desk and everything else and hasnt even gotten an interview yet. He's currently looking out in Chicago area hoping something will catch. Meanwhile he is starting on certs to add to his degree. From what he says other IT grads are finding the same difficulty up there.

veritas_libertas

JoJoCal19 wrote: »

I would really recommend looking outside of Michigan altogether. My best friends lives up in GR and he graduated in December with his Bachelors in Information Systems from Grand Valley and has 4 months of good IT experience done during his internship and has applied for tons of IT positions up there from basic PC support to Help Desk and everything else and hasnt even gotten an interview yet. He's currently looking out in Chicago area hoping something will catch. Meanwhile he is starting on certs to add to his degree. From what he says other IT grads are finding the same difficulty up there.

None of my fellow students that I graduated with in Michigan have jobs in IT, at least that I know of. One of graduates is a friend of mine, and is currently completing his CCNA. I believe his plans are to move out of Michigan if he doesn't find a job with help from the CCNA.

Grand Valley is a good school, sad to see that you can't find a job after you graduate with a degree from there. That really points out how bad it's getting in Michigan.

jvandle

Ann Arbor is quite the economic bubble in Michigan, and unemployment is the lowest in the state, so I think I'll have some sort of luck. Knowing some well-to-do people should help as well.

No offense, but I've always thought the west side of Michigan and Grand Rapids sucks.

Having said that, my plan has been to move out to the Seattle or San Francisco bay area after I save up a little money unless I could get a $5,000 loan or something.

Reibe

jvandle wrote: »

.... I am currently studying for my CCNA....

Make sure that you don't hand out a resume that says you have your CCNA if you don't have it yet. You can always send it out as an update resume once you pass the test(s). You wouldnt want to be let go because of false item on your resume.

jvandle

Reibe wrote: »

Make sure that you don't hand out a resume that says you have your CCNA if you don't have it yet. You can always send it out as an update resume once you pass the test(s). You wouldnt want to be let go because of false item on your resume.

I'm not sending out that resume until I have my CCNA. Back to studying for that...

tpatt100

I live in Ann Arbor and there seem to be a ton of jobs that are entry to mid level. It's the senior positions that seem to be thinning a bit. Grand Rapids never seemed to be good at all when I lived on that side of the state. Tons of contracting firms with poor benefits