Career Changer Seeking Advice

MeanDrunkR2D2

I don't blame you for wanting to find a path to move out of the helpdesk as I wasn't a fan of it myself, but it may not be a super quick path unless you get lucky. But, 7 years after my first IT job after school and I'm now on the doorsteps of moving out of desktop admin and moving to a sys admin position. The key is first to find a good company that you can move up and grow with. That was my problem to start off as none of the companies I first started with had any plans to open up or offer me the ability to move upwards. That changed 2 years ago when I got this position and I've picked up another cert (Windows 7) and am on my way to taking some of the MS server certs to get the MCITP/MCSA cert here this year. Good luck! A+ isn't a difficult one to get compared to some of the others out there, but it's a good building block so that they know that you know the basics.

bmy78

Those who are network / systems administrators / engineers:

I've already set for myself a path by studying and hopefully earning A+ and Network+ by the end of summer. I'm still employed until June 30 but after that unemployment should kick in. I'm a bit anxious about making another career change and I was wondering if there's anything else I can do to make myself more desirable for companies wanting a helpdesk / desktop support tech? I'm going to play the 'superior social skills' angle because I feel as though I have developed that skillset during my time as a teacher, and hopefully employers would be able to see those skills come through both in my resume and in any interviews.

Grad school coursework? Graduate certificate? Masters in IS? NJIT looks like it has a good program in Info Systems.

Anything else I should be doing? I feel as though if I do land a helpdesk / desktop support job, I'm going to run into technical problems where I'm scratching my head, even though they may be the most basic of issues. It's just anxiety about the future.

MeanDrunkR2D2

Get the A+, skip the Network + for now, and then move to the MCTS 70-680 and 70-686 to get your MCITP in Desktop Administration. It should help you fill the HR requirements for certifications and then some so you can get yourself in front of the hiring managers and show them your skills. If you are looking for immediate work, then graduate level courses and degree's won't be a short term solution for you and I'd save that for after you have a new job and then pursue that. (especially if your new job has reimbursement for college) Hopefully you won't be unemployed for long and will be able to land something quickly so you can get back on your career track.