Really Stuck here on which path to take + Apology to TE

Just wanted to first off apologize to people on the forum for being a whiny pants and kind of an stupid person. Still trying to find myself (I know sounds really stupid), but whatever. I am 22 and I know I want to be in IT. My friend that I was talking to or more of an acquittance wants to know what path I thought about taking. He was asking me before this topic came up to what experience I had and basically all I told him was 6 months of volunteer experience in troubleshooting hard drives, memory, and motherboards. I also got to install OS's and drivers. So that's pretty much it. Right now I am doing Help Desk Support for a company and have been doing it for about a month. Before that I did 4 months of Desktop Technician work at the same company.

Here's the rest of the conversation:

Friend:
See I'm just trying to make sure you know exactly what you are getting yourself into.

Me:
i know i defiantly want to work with computers and technology

just not sure in what aspect

yup

Friend:

do you like setting up complicated network stuff at home? or do you try to stick to basic setups also do you look into protocols and ways they communicate in your spare time?

Me:

in my spare time i play video games...

Friend:

and that is why I say I don't think you have the right mind set for this industry.

If you only take the time to learn the stuff when your at school or work. you are so far behind that you will not know what the hell your doing within a year of starting. the stuff changes to quickly.

**End of conversation

Now back to the question. So I know what I want to do and that is be in IT. I am not sure if I should be on the manager side of things or be in the technical side. All I know is I really like dealing with computers and just being around them. I know I have not taken your advice in the past, but I plan on doing so. I also know I need experience before being certified because having certifications without experience is just stupid. I only have almost 5 months of professional IT experience. I am really at a loss of what to do. I promise I will accept your criticism, and advice with open arms. I am so super sorry if I have offended anyone in the past or done anything to hurt them.

I feel ashamed of myself. Oh well I hope you can help me explore the many options of IT.

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Comments

Devilry

What do you particularly like about computers?

earweed

You're basically just starting out so no need to be so apologetic. Not every minute of your (or my) day can be consumed by IT. We all need balance in our lifes. All you can really do is try to improve your knowledge level so that you can advance your career and that takes time (it's more a marathon than a sprint). Some of what your friend said rang true as you should be studying new things to advance yourself and to stay up (or ahead) of technology advances. As far as getting certs it not only is good to show what you know and have experience with but to show potebtial future employers that you are learning new things so don't limit the certs you go after to just what you are exposed to at your current job but what you want to do at the next job.

Armymanis

How everything works together and connects together in order to see what we see on the screen.

earweed

Armymanis wrote: »

How everything works together and connects together in order to see what we see on the screen.

That pretty much covers everything from layer 1 through 7 of the OSI model.

the_Grinch

Don't fall into the trap of thinking you have to know what you want to do in IT right now. The point of school and helpdesk is to guide you on the path you want to go on (or to find that path). Many people go into IT having a notation that they want to do this or that, gain some experience in it, and find out it isn't for them. I for one believe that anything I learn is worth knowing and is never a waste of time. Also, as others have said, don't think not using something everyday doesn't mean you shouldn't get certified. I rarely touch Cisco equipment, I am still working on the CCNA for two reasons: A. Great return on investment B. Everything is networking today. Having even a little bit of networking skill can lead to faster problem resolution and let's face it, that is what IT is all about.

The management vs tech debate is something for later in your career, you'll need experience to become management so stay focused on that for now. As for not studying in off time, you just have to find the balance. Study too much and you'll get burned out, too little and you'll fall behind. To be perfectly honest I think your friend is taking it to the extremes a little bit. At 22 I wasn't even working in IT, so you're ahead of me in that respect. If you are going to school then you will be building a foundation in technology that is second to none. I have no server certifications, but took a bunch of server classes in school. The way the server operates doesn't really change too much with a new OS, it's still just a sever. You're on the right path, put in a little more study time (but not too much) and you will be fine.

Jourdsh

Play videogames, have fun, get a year or two experience under your belt. In another thread you mention attending CWU online, focus on that in your spare time.

I wish I had more time for fun, so my advice to you at age 22 is enjoy life a little, you have a job, you have goals (such as school), you are getting some experience on your resume. Relax a little you are not off track.

Armymanis

Currently right now I have 1 class left until my AA in Technical Support is done and I am going to be going to CWU online while working at the Help Desk.

erpadmin

I started "IT" professionally when I was a little younger than you. Prior to that, computers were a hobby. Now it's just work....but IT is all I know how to do now.

As others have said, find balance in your life. Nothing wrong with video games, but if you spend all your free time on it, you have a problem. Likewise, if you spend all your free time studying for that cert (whatever it is), you have the same type of problem.

Basically, if you do too much of one thing, it's not good. When I was your age, I spent most of my free time getting inebriated off of whatever and being a womanizer. Like you, I just went to work, did my job, and went home. It wasn't until I got into the ERP stuff where I spent a lot of my free time learning it (in the beginning). That paid off, so now I have a homelife, friends, family, and occasionally a COD:BO game or two. But it's all about balance.

Don't worry about specializing NOW....learn your job well, then spend some time getting certified in what you're already doing or plan on doing. Go back to school at your most earliest convenience and finish that degree. Once you have a couple of certs, a degree PLUS experience, you will see a jump in salary by moving on to the next gig. You just need to develop the maturity....I think your friend woke you the ---- up and that is a good thing.

effekted

Since you're just starting out just focus on your customer service/soft skills and build up competence with the systems you're regularly using. Once you've done the Helpdesk role for a while you'll get a better idea of the career path you want to take in IT because as you're aware or beginning to learn, the career paths are endless in IT with all of the different specializations you can go with.

darkerz

Dude, work for 2 years solid but always ask about the systems you support. Read 1-2 chapters of a networking or server book every day during downtime at work and learn it, don't pull too much info and then forget it, tho.

2 years down the line you'll be established in the work force, have an AA and BS degree and maybe 1-4 certifications + EXPERIENCE. Then you start looking to see what catches your interest.

For the time being, enjoy having a job and be the best at it. Think about the now until you've been there for a year, a job isn't a guaranteed thing.

MentholMoose

Aren't you working full-time and going to school full-time? I think that is already a lot. But if you can dedicate some time to certifications, that would be good. I don't think having only 5 months experience is too little to justify some entry-level certifications, at least based on my own experience. I had the CCNA and Linux+ when I was still new and they were helpful.

hackman2007

Wow, your friend is a little harsh. You're 22, relax.

Now, he does have a point. You will have to eventually keep up with the industry and video game playing will go down quite a bit, but you have been working in IT for five months. Even if you did learn a ton more, you still wouldn't be able to get a job utilizing it because you need practical professional experience with it.

And I disagree with the last comment about things changing too quickly. Obviously the different parts and such change quite frequently, but the basics are very similar to what they have been for quite some time.

tldr; You're doing fine.

Armymanis

MentholMoose wrote: »

Aren't you working full-time and going to school full-time? I think that is already a lot. But if you can dedicate some time to certifications, that would be good. I don't think having only 5 months experience is too little to justify some entry-level certifications, at least based on my own experience. I had the CCNA and Linux+ when I was still new and they were helpful.

I am only working Part-time at my job and going full time at school.

hackman2007 wrote: »

Wow, your friend is a little harsh. You're 22, relax.

Now, he does have a point. You will have to eventually keep up with the industry and video game playing will go down quite a bit, but you have been working in IT for five months. Even if you did learn a ton more, you still wouldn't be able to get a job utilizing it because you need practical professional experience with it.

And I disagree with the last comment about things changing too quickly. Obviously the different parts and such change quite frequently, but the basics are very similar to what they have been for quite some time.

tldr; You're doing fine.

Yeah that's what I thought. I am fine and don't need another cert right now. I am having fun learning my job and saving money. The only cert I would utilize is the Citrix certifications. Not even sure where to begin on those because all we do is password resets and pin resets.

drkat

Armymanis wrote: »

I am only working Part-time at my job and going full time at school.

Yeah that's what I thought. I am fine and don't need another cert right now. I am having fun learning my job and saving money. The only cert I would utilize is the Citrix certifications. Not even sure where to begin on those because all we do is password resets and pin resets.

Relax brother; I started out in IT at 22 and I'm 28 now. I started off doing contract work like deployment projects and helpdesk. Mostly like yourself from an "admin" stand-point vs actually setting stuff up.

I'd go to work, do my job, come home and never thought twice about the job (after all it's a JOB) I found that if I work on my "job" at home, then I'd eventually get overwhelmed and burnt out (especially with considering all the certs and specializations) - Just work on your current position and let things progress naturally. I wish I did - I got burnt out too many times to realize the root cause of it and left quite a few employers for "greener pastures" only to burn myself out again by trying to stuff too much into my day or learn stuff that really had no relevance to my position and try to "move on" too fast.

Have a beer, go to work, come home and enjoy your life; which by the way is all too short and doesn't get any easier once you throw a wife n kids into the mix.

Armymanis

Found out that at 21, this guy is a systems admin already....How can that be..Must have hella connections.

hackman2007

Armymanis wrote: »

Found out that at 21, this guy is a systems admin already....How can that be..Must have hella connections.

A title doesn't really mean much. The position could just be a glorified desktop support position for all we know.

At 21, that's an amazing accomplishment.

vCole

hackman2007 wrote: »

A title doesn't really mean much. The position could just be a glorified desktop support position for all we know.

At 21, that's an amazing accomplishment.

Yeah it could just be some server stuff & desktop support. (My first IT position was the same.)

However, it's doable. I was an Operations Manager at 23, and it's all about your attitude and knowing your stuff.