where to start in the IT field?

sdeyoung

O.k, I have my A+ now, working towards my network+, then moving on the either CCNA first or MCSA, haven't decided yet. My question is, what kind of position could I start at other than settling for a call centre job, because i'm really not interested in working shift work and most call centre jobs are just that. Would I have to start in a call centre? I would like to get either a Network Admin job or Lan Admin.. Right now, I work at a music store, i'm the warehouse manager and i'm also in charge of our network, repairing and maintaning our PC's. So, i'm kinda getting experience through this job which is good.. Been here for 8 years, been doing the IT part of this job for 4 years.. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated..

shadown7

It's going to be very hard to get a LAN admin job with very little experience.

Your best bet would try to get a desktop support job. I got mine through an internship through my college. But now it has turned into a fulltime job that pays alot more than I ever thought desktop support would pay!

See if any local companies are doing internship or signup for a couple of college courses and do an internship or Co-Op thing with them.

Best of luck to you!

sdeyoung

well, what i'm doing right now at my current position would probably qualify as a desktop support technician wouldn't it? That's basically what I do here.. If there is any problem with our network or any PCs on site I'm the one who looks after it. I also get paid extra for providing this service to my company..

jmc724

I would do them mcdst to get the credential to woefully say I am a certified support tech and land a job as desktop support. Then move on with other credentials while working.

Dont ever be afraid to be involved in any existing or future projects within your dept. In that way, you will learn from senior peers how to do stuff you never did envision.

garv221

You have 4 years experience. I would create an awesome resume displaying what you can do & put it out there. I would look for entry level positions, not call center positions & focus on your MCSA like you said. Good Luck.

sdeyoung

Thanks garv221. Would it be possible to look for an entry level position before I get my MCSA or should I wait? Like I already said I have desktop support technician experience so I don't really need more.. The position i'm in right now is perfect for getting the experience I need.. Should I just focus on my MCSA or CCNA also?

/usr

I would definately look into an entry level position before obtaining your MCSE. That can take some time, plus with your experience, you'll most likely be able to find something while you're working on your MCSE.

sdeyoung

Anyone have any tips on where to look for these entry level positions? I'm not to sure about where you guys are but around here it seems like most positions don't even get advertised. I think most of them are filled by co-op student, then they probably get the job if there qualified..

Baredor

Feel your pain on that one. I'm currently looking for something entrylevel and am having the same difficulties. Seems it's very hard to break in unless you know someone, so I've started doing everything I can to make contacts. I took a MCSA package from the local tech college, befriended my instructor, and now I'm doing an internship(and some contract work) through his consulting business. This is helping me to meet lots of local small business owners and tech people. Nothing solid has materialized yet, but hey, it can't be a dry spell forever, right? Sure it cost me almost $3k, but if it leads to a fulltime job it's worth it to me.

Not saying you should necessarily do the same, but anything that can help you make contacts is good. Surely there's some sort of local IT organization that has a monthly lunch meeting or something in your area. Might be a great place to meet people and hand out resumes.

I know all this is fairly obvious, but umm... it's the best info I've got. If I had some super-seekrit job placement knowledge, I'd be not only employed right now, but happy to share it with the world.

sdeyoung

yeah, it's seems like it's going to be pretty hard to get into this industry.. I may try some job placement agencies or something. I know a couple of people in a big company that may be able to help me out, ya never know.. Ah well, it will be worth it when I land something though..

garv221

You said most of the positions are filled by co-op/ college students? Go to one of the colleges & pick up a job packet. Colleges have job recruiters that surf the net & look at local papers all day for jobs. Their job is to find jobs..Let them do the job finding & leave the picking through the jobs to you. I would be putting my resume out right now, you don't need an MCSA/MCSE to look for a job or get one. In the mean- time, I would do MCSA & work on CCNA while doing that...Sybex's CCNA book byTodd Lammle's is really good.

sdeyoung

garv221 wrote:

You said most of the positions are filled by co-op/ college students? Go to one of the colleges & pick up a job packet. Colleges have job recruiters that surf the net & look at local papers all day for jobs. Their job is to find jobs..Let them do the job finding & leave the picking through the jobs to you. I would be putting my resume out right now, you don't need an MCSA/MCSE to look for a job or get one. In the mean- time, I would do MCSA & work on CCNA while doing that...Sybex's CCNA book byTodd Lammle's is really good.

I'm not actually attending college though. Would they still look for a job for me??? Cuz that would be sweeet..

garv221

sdeyoung wrote:

garv221 wrote:

You said most of the positions are filled by co-op/ college students? Go to one of the colleges & pick up a job packet. Colleges have job recruiters that surf the net & look at local papers all day for jobs. Their job is to find jobs..Let them do the job finding & leave the picking through the jobs to you. I would be putting my resume out right now, you don't need an MCSA/MCSE to look for a job or get one. In the mean- time, I would do MCSA & work on CCNA while doing that...Sybex's CCNA book byTodd Lammle's is really good.

I'm not actually attending college though. Would they still look for a job for me??? Cuz that would be sweeet..

They just create job packets & you look through it. Thats how I got my first Systems Admin job & my Network Engineer job. Their complied from Monster, hotjobs...ect...Local papers..hte university I went to just had them every week sitting in a rack, I would grab one & no questions were asked. I'm sure you can walk in and grab one & no one would say anything.

sdeyoung

Well, i gotta go to Compu College next week to take my network+ test so I'll see if they have any... Thanks for that usefull tip. Man I love this site..