Where to start..

This might end up being long.

After stringing from deadbeat job to deadbeat job for the last 8 years (I am 25) I have come to the realization I don't need a job I need a career, and fast.

A little background on me:

GED
No college
No certifications
Borrowed $500 from my grandmother to buy my first computer when I was 12, a 486DX 66. Been infatuated ever since. Ever since my first one i've been taking them apart, installing hardware, and upgrading. I've built all of my own personal PCs for the last 7 years or so (love Newegg) as well as friends and girlfriends. I am very familiar installing hardware and know my way around windows 2000, XP, and Vista, though I haven't switched to 7 yet.

That being said.. due to life circumstances and bad choices i've never had an IT related job, mostly due to me not even trying due to lack of education. My friends and family have always told me I need to get into that field and i'm too smart to be doing what i'm doing and wasting my time. This is where I want to change. I currently work a dead end job ($32k last year with massive amounts of overtime) for an industrial contracter that started out as standard data entry and over time has morphed into doing a bunch of basic tasks that no one else wants to do. I also live in Mobile, Alabama.. not exactly an IT hotbed although it's heaven if you're a welder or a pipe-fitter. I can type 130 WPM so data entry jobs have been easy to get but I see it as a dead end with nowhere to go.

All that leads up to this, where do I start? I assume I don't have the qualifications to jump into an entry-level job and make more money than I currently do, what would you suggest me to do? College is very close to out of the question which lead me to here. My schedule is unpredictable, I work a lot of hours, and I don't have thousands of dollars to spend on tuition. Is it reasonable to assume I can start with certs and use that to jump into the IT field or am I basically out of luck without a bachelors?

Any advice would be really appreciated. I've spent the last few hours reading through threads on this site and though some of them have been helpful, most of it pertains to people already in the field looking to better themselves.

Thanks

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Comments

captobvious

With your background, what I read, A+ would be a snap. Most people usually follow this with N+ but you can go the Cisco route (CCNA) if you are so inclined.

Take any and all jobs that will get you experience in the field. Experience counts twice as much as school and certs. The latter proves you have the knowledge the former proves you can do the work.

Good luck in your studies. This is a good forum, so don't be afraid to ask questions.

Devilsbane

You aren't that far behind the rest of us. At one point we were all sitting there thinking, what am I gonna do?

Pretty much ditto to everything the captain said. Doesn't really matter what cert you go after, just get something. It also doesn't matter what job you get, any IT job on that resume will open countless doors. Just remember that first job is the hardest, don't get discouraged after a few months or even a year. If you work hard it will pay off for you. This is NOT an easy place to get into.

tpatt100

I was working in a home improvement store selling power tools before I got into IT

I wanted a computer and a buddy of mine said "hey lets build it you can save some money". I said "sure" and he helped me buy the parts and then he got an IT job out of state and left me with all the parts. I went to Barnes and Nobles and got a PC Hardware book and put it together myself and started doing the same for friends and family.

You will only fail if you quit, it might take you months or a couple of years but if you (sounds corny I know) give it your best and be patient everything will turn out for the best.

Learn human networking skills, they are almost as important if not more important than IT networking skills. Well kind of, I mean if you suck at IT networking no amount of buddy buddy skills will keep you employed j/k.

Jesh

Thanks for the encouraging replies.

I ordered Mike Meyer's A+ and N+ exam books, although i'm not sure I will end up going the N+ route I figured I will use the book anyway. I might end up going straight for Cisco certifications or MCSE (worth anything?) instead.

I really feel like i'm years behind here seeing all the low to mid 20s people here with a mass of certifications and jobs pushing 100k, I want to waste as little time as possible.

Turgon

Jesh wrote: »

Thanks for the encouraging replies.

I ordered Mike Meyer's A+ and N+ exam books, although i'm not sure I will end up going the N+ route I figured I will use the book anyway. I might end up going straight for Cisco certifications or MCSE (worth anything?) instead.

I really feel like i'm years behind here seeing all the low to mid 20s people here with a mass of certifications and jobs pushing 100k, I want to waste as little time as possible.

Do the A+. If you get cracking on that now it should be achievable in a few months I think. This will give you a sense of accomplishment and the first milestone. After that I would shoot for an MCP in the desktop OS. Again very doable. Those two things combined make you a *qualified* IT professional. But then you need to be taken on as an apprentice to earn the IT professional stripes in the field. This is a world away from building PCs at home although that background will be useful.

I appreciate you spend a lot of time working overtime but I would see if you can free up some hours to do some volunteering helping local organisations support what they have. It's all experience to put on your CV. Similarly if you get the yellow pages out and hit up all the local computer shops for a few hours work you might get into their backoffice to assist with some benchwork. Again credible experience.

Roll with these efforts for a few months, put the CV together and punt at agencies to get a helpdesk start.

Good Luck!

Bokeh

Don't beat yourself up over it. Just get on with it. There are several folks I know personally, and ones from this site who did not get into IT till there 30s, 40s, even 50s. You can do it! Find some things you are interested in (general networking, desktop support, security, wireless, virtual, etc) and strive to be the best you can be (sorry to borrow the old Army commercial tag line). You have many years ahead of you, just don't ever think you "know enough." Theres always more to learn!

subl1m1nal

Jesh wrote: »

Thanks for the encouraging replies.

I ordered Mike Meyer's A+ and N+ exam books, although i'm not sure I will end up going the N+ route I figured I will use the book anyway. I might end up going straight for Cisco certifications or MCSE (worth anything?) instead.

I really feel like i'm years behind here seeing all the low to mid 20s people here with a mass of certifications and jobs pushing 100k, I want to waste as little time as possible.

A+ is a good start and will hopefully get your foot in the door. MCSE is definitely worth it. However, I'd consider getting 2008 certified. The equivalent of MCSE is MCITP: EA. CCNA is also good, but I've seen people take a stab at it and get rocked by the test. CCENT or Net+ is a good transition cert. I've still yet to tackle CCNA.

I'm in my mid 20's, and have a few certs, and make no where near 100k. It all depends on the market conditions in your area and the cost of living. 100k in Iowa is damn good money. 100k in Chicago is chump change.