Two Possible Job Opportunities.. Starting out in IT.

Krones

I recently moved to a metropolitan area from a town of about 35 thousand. My main goal is to finish WGU, but I feel that I should also build up work experience at the same time. My IT experience consists of babysitting a computer lab at a community college. There are a lot of opportunities compared to where I last lived so I feel fortunate to even have the opportunity to even apply. Luckily, I am in a position where I do not need to send off a million applications to every single IT job and have been selective in my search.

I do not have a lot of IT experience so people have been telling me to just apply at Best Buy for Geek Squad or take whatever I can get. While I have no problem with starting out on the bench and working for a lower wage, I am a bit older and want experience that is meaningful or will be a path that will help me reach my goals quicker in what I want to do in the future. Which is.. Well, I could see myself as a system administrator or network engineer but preferably something with penetration testing, network/computer security and or reverse malware engineering or even working in a NOC is my end game. Way to make up my mind, right?

Over the past few months, I applied for two non-traditional internships and I have heard back from both parties within the past few days.

One opportunity is with a popular web company that ranks in the top 100 US websites according to Alexa. I was preliminary offered and or asked if I was interested in a normal position (instead of an internship) at 35 hours a week. Duties include helping with QA, site maintenance and other associated IT duties around the office. I would be exposed to Linux and other open source technologies and be a part of an amazing team of individuals. Work would basically be a fun environment and comes with an instant social life as the company tends to do a lot of activities outside of work.

I believe I would learn a lot here and they would provide mentors and the place sounds fairly laid back. No dress code, time cards, etc –kind of place. The company is small and the atmosphere is considered a startup even though it has been around for ten years. I do not know how much the pay would be just yet but my guess is $10 an hour but possibly a few dollars more. Total commute time would be 1 hour a day. This has been my top choice since day 1 honestly but it did take awhile for a response after two interviews. I applied for a second opportunity that came up….

The second opportunity is for an internship with a competitive local exchange carrier as a network engineer on a VoIP team. It is smaller but still services over 1 million customers. Now I think the title is fancy for what the job duties really include but I am not certain: updating diagrams in Visio and a lot of communication between engineers and writing notes from meetings. Additional duties include hypothesis testing (QA) of phones and making sure calls work and also alarm/capacity monitoring. He explained it as a triple hat role with the primary focus on network diagrams in Visio. The interview lasted for two hours and I felt out of my league but held my own. The manager was nice but very serious, extremely detail oriented, and made it clear that this was a kind of sink or swim position and he expects a lot of output.

I know Visio is easy to learn but my networking experience is nil and I most of my knowledge in regards to networking is from the A+. I have a high thirst for knowledge and do plan on studying for my CCNA next year. He did say they were looking for someone with raw potential and I was quizzed on a lot of basics and had to draw and explain the best that I could the OSI model, and other basics.

I’m far more nervous about this job and if I can perform up to expectations of the manager. The opportunity sounds fantastic and could put me on a fast track for a network engineer position – I was told maybe even within the company but he said that was a big maybe/if. Equipment the company utilizes ranges from Juniper/Cisco to Acme Packet Sequencers and a bunch of other hardware I have never heard of. However, the manager did make it clear that I am unlikely to get any lab time or real hands on with equipment. Commute would be 1 hour and 30 minutes a day – the commute would suck but I would do it. I would be stuck doing the commute for at least 10 months. Hours range from 20-30 a week at $10 an hour firm after I had tried to negotiate a higher wage due to the commute. Nothing is final yet, I was told another candidate is in the running for this position as well.

The thing is, I just heard back from the web company yesterday. And I heard from the Telecom the day before which is waiting for me to provide them some documentation. I am leaning towards the web company because I feel that it is a once in a lifetime opportunity to work at this specific company and also there are not that many web based companies in my area that utilize Linux and other open source technologies at a massive scale; however, it is not every day that one might have the opportunity to work for a telecom either.

I am extremely grateful. Many members on these forums have helped me out a lot with their own experiences - it is a great source for not only knowledge but motivation. I want others to know if you are just starting out sometimes with a little extra leg work and dedication I believe you can find something that you want to do. I found these two opportunities because I knew about the companies in my area. They did not have these jobs advertised on indeed or dice and I also reached out to the web company on my own. Sometimes you have to make an opportunity happen and in both cases I had no contacts with either company. I’m just so happy, if all goes well and I secure one or the other, both I feel would provide awesome growth potential!

Mrock4

I guess it depends what you want to do. If you go do QA and code reviews- you're not going the route of a network engineer..which is OK, if that's what you want. Nothing wrong with that at all.

That being said, IT is funny in a sense..I completely sympathize with being a bit older and not wanting an entry-level job, but if you view the Geek Squad as something you'd take and be stuck in, that's the wrong attitude. It's a stepping stone. You could EASILY spend 6 months on the Geek Squad, and a year later be a CCNP with a respectable income..it's that easy..if you put in your time.

Just saying- don't discount the entry level jobs. Believe it or not, they DO provide valuable experience. I still to this day, in a senior consulting position, apply things I learned back from my service desk days.

Good luck with the two opportunities, though. They both sound like they'd be a pretty entertaining job.

MSP-IT

Somewhat shocked reading this post. You and I, minus the "I am a bit older", are in nearly the exact same boat.

I recently moved to a metro area from a valley of 35k, at WGU for IT Security (with almost the exact progress), and in the job market.

I'm curious, why are you looking for an internship? I realize that they are more focused on the training aspects, but you also sacrifice a decent amount of pay. Also, from my research, there are a limited number of internships as compared to entry-mid level technical support roles.

I am currently looking for a corporate technical support role, which I believe can provide a decent amount of learn experiences in comparison to an internship. Although I am a bit younger, 21 to be exact, I feel as though I have enough knowledge to be more or less "picky" in which job I will choose. In the past 5 week since I moved, I have sent out roughly 30-35 applications, and have had 7 of 8 phone interviews develop into face-to-face, 1 of which I should hear back by next Tuesday. That being said, it looks as though there is much need of entry-mid level ($30-$45k/year) in my area. Based on money alone, I am not looking to pursue an internship, as I believe that they will offer equally good advancement opportunity.

So, in reference to your original post, both of your opportunities seem like viable options. But I implore you to question your overall goals. What time-frame do you have to reach your optimal position? What kind of pay are you looking for currently, and are you willing to sacrifice pay for experience?

Best of luck in your search,

MSP-IT

Krones

Thanks for reading that crazy wall of text!

I do not mind an entry level job or even Geek Squad per say, I guess I am hoping for a quicker path or a company where I can grow but more importantly learn either some system administration duties in a Linux shop, web based technologies and or Networking. If these two positions fall through which is still a possibility, I will definitely rethink my strategy.

Congrats on your move MSP-IT. It is refreshing to hear that you are also having a positive response with the current market. The internships were really the only way I could get my foot in the door with these two companies. There are not a lot of entry level networking jobs but there tends to be quite a few desktop gigs that would possibly pay a more decent living wage. My time frame is open, I imagine it will take years if not decades to get to the level I want to be at, but realistically I would hope that I could have a decent career that paid a living wage in a year or two. Money is nice but not my primary driving factor at this time. I would like to build up some experience at an organization that looks really solid on my resume while continuing to develop my foundation in a few areas. Please update us with your job selection as well.

MSP-IT

Krones wrote: »

Thanks for reading that crazy wall of text!

I do not mind an entry level job or even Geek Squad per say, I guess I am hoping for a quicker path or a company where I can grow but more importantly learn either some system administration duties in a Linux shop, web based technologies and or Networking. If these two positions fall through which is still a possibility, I will definitely rethink my strategy.

Congrats on your move MSP-IT. It is refreshing to hear that you are also having a positive response with the current market. The internships were really the only way I could get my foot in the door with these two companies. There are not a lot of entry level networking jobs but there tends to be quite a few desktop gigs that would possibly pay a more decent living wage. My time frame is open, I imagine it will take years if not decades to get to the level I want to be at, but realistically I would hope that I could have a decent career that paid a living wage in a year or two. Money is nice but not my primary driving factor at this time. I would like to build up some experience at an organization that looks really solid on my resume while continuing to develop my foundation in a few areas. Please update us with your job selection as well.

Have you checked Indeed.com and Craigslist for entry level IT jobs in your area? I would think those would provide as much experience within the field as an internship would, and starting pay, from what I've been seeing is $30,000 at a minimum. The majority of jobs I've been interviewing with have been corporate entry level. I just don't see the point of pursuing an internship vs. a corporate position.

Do you have any certs under your belt?