Poll

Johnta20

How long did it take for you to land you first IT job after graduation, or got your certs? And what was the title?

Find more posts tagged with

SAVE $250 on Your Boot Camp — Use Code "EXAM26"

Exclusively for TechExams members for Infosec Boot Camps starting before April 30, 2026

View Boot Camps

Comments

ipconfig.all

After looking for 5 months I managed to find an I.T job with an I.T service company ( I volunteered).

thenjduke

I found my first IT job about 2 months into looking. It was a different time when I was looking though because the field was so new. I had my first helpdesk job in 1991 doing phone support for ISP for Windows 3.1 and Shiva dialer. The days of IT were different back then. I was majoring in Computer Science at local state college in NJ and had a year left to finish but I was making really good money as junior system admin at the time so left school. I continued to work in the field and worked on getting my certifications back in NT 4 days. I never thought about going back to school until a year ago.

ipconfig.all

Well I wasn't trying to start off my I.T career back then but from what I heard in the 90's and in the early to mid 20's it was pretty easy to get into I.T cause not much people were doing it, after 2008 when the recession hit the I.T job market has being really tough to get into and now a days everyone does I.T so getting into I.T is really hard unless you have good contacts or if you get lucky. My advice is step your game up !!!

thenjduke

I been doing it a long time and it stills interest me. I can remember when Netscape was the big internet browser back then and Microsoft who were they

ipconfig.all

thenjduke

you are a surviving legend !!!!

thenjduke

ipconfig.all wrote: »

thenjduke

you are a surviving legend !!!!

This made me smile

RomBUS

It took me almost a year to finally land a job in the IT world after graduating

And I am unfortunately back to where I started...

L0gicB0mb508

I got my first job before I graduated. I was a tech at the college I went to. I think I had my MCP at the time. Two years later I found a job as a sys admin and then left school. I need to go back and finish that degree up

L0gicB0mb508

thenjduke wrote: »

I been doing it a long time and it stills interest me. I can remember when Netscape was the big internet browser back then and Microsoft who were they

Netscape was awesome back in the day.

phantasm

I tried for 7yrs, then 3yrs after getting my A.S. degree (yr 4 of those 7yrs) I got my first IT job.

Mojo_666

I got my first Cert 6 years after I started in IT, you didn't really need anything other than an interest back then. I feel bad for you guys struggling to get into IT because there are not that many people in IT who are really "into" IT these days, and I would most certainly prefer working with people who have a passion for it, experience or not.

ipconfig.all

I have a huge interest for I.T it is my passion and all but now a days not many companies want to take a person and train him from the ground up passionate or interested in or not it is very rare. Now a days if you are not luck you have to work to get work for an example I am still volunteering and building some experience.

vCole

9 months after I started college. I received my first cert (MCP) when I was working there too!

I'm still working on my degree, however.

zerglings

Two years after graduation. Couldn't find any job that wanted to even call me for an interview because of lack of experience. Also, I was so picky. I didn't want jobs that I needed to answer phone calls. I didn't want any jobs that were paying only $12 or less that I need to spend one hour or so stuck in traffic just to get to the office and back home to just perform menial IT jobs. Yes, I was inexperienced and was so picky. My reasoning at that time was, I didn't take out a college loan to perform menial IT jobs. What do you expect from a young guy who didn't want to swallow his pride at that time? c",) In any case, everything worked out fine in the end.

Devilsbane

Prior to graduation, about 7 months after A+.

Service Desk Specialist

thenjduke

L0gicB0mb508 wrote: »

Netscape was awesome back in the day.

Yes it was... I feel the communicator entire suite ruined it as well as AOL.

motogpman

Man, I was so pissed when AOHell took over Netscape. That was the time when MechWarrior and Diablo were occupying my time and building my first full blown AMD system was a blast. If only there was more readily accessible info back then on certs and such.

I was hired on at a major service company with the expectation that my A+ was gotten in 90 days (1998/1999). I ended up getting it right before my hire date in '99. They were hiring anyone that seemed to be interested, but it also helped that I had a buddy who worked for them. Electronic thoery/debug was a waning industry, easier to pay for a replacement part then pay a field engineer to debug, replace individual components, and equipment overhead. Signal generators, O-scopes, schematics, and a good soldering iron and it was on baby! Seemed like a natural cross over to me and the rest is history.

Bl8ckr0uter

I haven't graduated. I got an "IT oriented" job w/ an outsourced helpdesk for a major ISP. I got my first real IT job after I got my N+ and right in the middle of my CCNA studies.

Deesiel

I'm about 19 weeks out from earning my AAS. This week, I was offered a job as an Information Technology Specialist at the nearby Air Force base, doing mostly helpdesk functions for all the MWR facilities.

ipconfig.all

people say to me time will tell well i have being waiting for something permanant and good for 1 year i am sad atm. I ry my best and i love i.t so i will not give up

Ashenwelt

Mojo_666 wrote: »

I got my first Cert 6 years after I started in IT, you didn't really need anything other than an interest back then. I feel bad for you guys struggling to get into IT because there are not that many people in IT who are really "into" IT these days, and I would most certainly prefer working with people who have a passion for it, experience or not.

+1

Um, I got my first IT cert... 18 years after my first IT job:)

luckybob

I never finished College, got my first job in computers at Best Buy @ 17 as the Computer A/V tech. Worked my way up the ladder and got my first real IT gig @ 20. Got most of my certs in the last 2 years. Now I have 10+ years experience in IT working for a fortune 500 company making great money.

I believe hard work and determination is better than any degree! Having good contacts and networking also helps a lot when you are getting started.

skyline

2002 was when I first got my REAL IT job, the years before that were mainly pc repair jobs (98SE installs/33.6 modem configs)

Paul Boz

I started working at the phone company two days after I graduated high school. I moved up from tech support into engineering after self studying for the CCNA.

asurania

Finished my Diploma in Financial Service in 2004, which got me a Helpdesk Job (wierd eh). Was a 2 month Gap