A/V and IT Convergence

jdcam

I am currently employed with an A/V staging company and we are starting to get heavy into webcasting. I am also familar with video over IP (Vbrick) but do not have the handsone experince myself. I have seen a lot of industry press (A/V trades) toughting the convergence in technologies. I am looking to expand my own skills, ie. completeing my A+, Net+, then pursuing a MCSA or E. Based on anyones experience would having an A/V background give me a leg up on landing an IT position? Starting near the bottom it sounds is just how it goes, but would the A/V background be of any help?

Im kind of at a crossroads career wise and want to get some insight as to what might be the better road....

janmike

Well, IT has several areas in which you can be involved.

I assume you have experience with wires and cables and have developed some skill in troubleshooting A/V systems. You might want to start by considering a networking/telecom type of position. Where I work, telecom is part of the IT dept, because the Networking guys and Telecom work pretty close together. Also, the basics of troubleshooting are pretty much the same industry-wide. You just have to learn the basic parts of your different types of systems.

You might want to borrow a CCNA cert guide and take a look. Of course, it's certainly not all wires and cables, but you have to know that stuff.

Too, look at BICSI certification. It's related to networking and telecom both. http://www.bicsi.org/

You might start here and back your way into other areas of IT.

Good luck!