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New to Forums, looking for some advice
Mutata
Member Posts: 176
Hi Folks,
I’m new to the forums here and looking for some advice.
I don’t usually post on forums but have spent a few weeks reading around and have noticed you have quite a good group of knowledgeable, constructive people here
This is will be a fairly sizeable post so for those that spend the time reading the whole thing, I really appreciate it and any input you give.
So –I’m 24 and Canadian. I recently graduated with honours from and Advanced Diploma program in Computer Systems Technology. I’m looking into more education options and this brings me to my first question.
In terms of employment, I’m going to be moving in the next two weeks to a new job. I currently work for a Helpdesk at a large bank, It’s mostly tier one and really basic. The new job I’m moving into is more technical (Still at its core a Helpdesk role) but I think it will be a great step forward.
I think my biggest concern is I still have absolutely no idea what in IT I want to do. I find myself actually enjoying too much, and I can’t help but thinking along the lines of “Jack of all trades, master of none”. Through my co-ops/internships in college I have gotten into a wide variety of tech, from VMware, Microsoft, RDBMS, *nix, Programming, Security etc.. I just can’t seem to pinpoint what I want to focus on. What were the determining factors in your specializations? How did you decide? Where did you start?
Finally, how do you proceed with certifications? I currently haven’t sat any certifications. In school we did most of the CCNA modules, so I’m probably closest to that one. How do most of you prepare/study for certifications. Do you prefer online vs classroom training? How did you build up your labs? How do you motivate yourself to push through some of the dryer stuff? Set/manage goals with full time employment?
I’m hoping for some tips/pointers from people who have been through this before, I’m not the hold-my-hand type, and am not afraid to put in the work/effort on my.
I really appreciate your time.
Thanks,
Tim
I’m new to the forums here and looking for some advice.
I don’t usually post on forums but have spent a few weeks reading around and have noticed you have quite a good group of knowledgeable, constructive people here
This is will be a fairly sizeable post so for those that spend the time reading the whole thing, I really appreciate it and any input you give.
So –I’m 24 and Canadian. I recently graduated with honours from and Advanced Diploma program in Computer Systems Technology. I’m looking into more education options and this brings me to my first question.
In terms of employment, I’m going to be moving in the next two weeks to a new job. I currently work for a Helpdesk at a large bank, It’s mostly tier one and really basic. The new job I’m moving into is more technical (Still at its core a Helpdesk role) but I think it will be a great step forward.
I think my biggest concern is I still have absolutely no idea what in IT I want to do. I find myself actually enjoying too much, and I can’t help but thinking along the lines of “Jack of all trades, master of none”. Through my co-ops/internships in college I have gotten into a wide variety of tech, from VMware, Microsoft, RDBMS, *nix, Programming, Security etc.. I just can’t seem to pinpoint what I want to focus on. What were the determining factors in your specializations? How did you decide? Where did you start?
Finally, how do you proceed with certifications? I currently haven’t sat any certifications. In school we did most of the CCNA modules, so I’m probably closest to that one. How do most of you prepare/study for certifications. Do you prefer online vs classroom training? How did you build up your labs? How do you motivate yourself to push through some of the dryer stuff? Set/manage goals with full time employment?
I’m hoping for some tips/pointers from people who have been through this before, I’m not the hold-my-hand type, and am not afraid to put in the work/effort on my.
I really appreciate your time.
Thanks,
Tim
Comments
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Optionspaul78
Member Posts: 3,016 ■■■■■■■■■■
Hello Tim - welcome to TE.
I started my career in software engineering - back then - for me - that really was the best place to start. IT was a lot simpler then - either you were an computer engineer, software developer or you were an administrator. But even in software engineering or software development - there were specializations - I.e. mainframe, unix, msdos, VMS, etc. - and there was also the choice of developing end-user applications versus system applications.
I tend to like a little bit of everything and I characterize myself as a JOAT - but I was/am ambitious so what I chose to do was to focus on an industry where I could grow. IT is a business support function so I chose to focus on the industry that I was most interested which is financial services - specifically the investment sector.
I am a strong believer that to be successful in IT, it is helpful to have domain expertise in some industry segment - i.e. healthcare, financial services, automotive, government, etc.
Perhaps if you don't know exactly what area of IT you want to do - look for an industry that you think you may want to grow into.