Making the jump back to IT with a Finance Degree

Sure, there are plenty of people on here who are successful without any degree at all. The most frustrating aspect for you will be getting less credit for your degree in this field than if you had completed a B.S., especially one related to technology.

my main goal though is to be a systems, database, or network admin

The next step, then, would be choosing your initial focus and obtaining a certification relevant to one of those roles. Perhaps this could be guided by the IT role you get with your A+, by what they desire and provide opportunities with.

Thanks for the information NetworkVeteran. Are there any certifications that are common between all 3? Also, how well is a Masters in Computer Information Systems for an admin type job like I listed? Are they mainly just for managerial roles? Sorry for all the questions just trying to figure out which path is right for me.

hammncheese wrote: »

Are people with non IT degrees and certifications pretty successful in the field?

Absolutely yes. And some of us have no degree of any kind whatsoever. Personally, I think that a masters at this point is probably overkill.

Starting with your A+ sounds like a good place.

Have you actually started to apply for jobs or send out your resume? What type of reception are you getting? It may be better to actually start talking to some prospective employers first. A lot will depend on the part of the world that you live in and the job market in your area. But you may be surprised.

Regarding the masters, I was thinking the same way. I've been casually applying for the past month got 2 phone interviews and numerous back and forths with staffing agencies (mostly contract work).

Is it normal for people to upload their resume here and have others critique it? Maybe that's my problem.

If you are getting calls back, that sounds like a good sign.

There are definitely folks here that could be happy to offer critiques and suggestions of resumes. You may want to anonymize your resume first though.

Are there any certifications that are common between all 3?

Not the important ones. If your primary role is designing / configuring / troubleshooting routers and switches, knowing what Active Directory is or how to make a SQL query tends to be rather useless trivia. Where you might find overlap are supporting skills such as being able to write automation, manage a project, or communicate effectively.

I should point out you can find roles (primarily at smaller companies) where a basic, general knowledge of all those skills (as opposed to an expert-level knowledge in one of them) is in demand. So if you get started in one direction, and later end up going in another, it's quite possible you will be able to find a way to make that work for you.

I think that a masters at this point is probably overkill.

I'd opt out of a master's at this point. I agree it's overkill for that sort of job. Reconsider when you have a few years of experience. By then you will have a better idea what you want to do and what you want to take from a degree program.

silverp1

I'm kind of in the same boat as you - I recently earned my BBA in Management and I am looking to do Network Admin stuff. So far, I've just been studying like crazy for various certs, so far I've gotten my CCENT and I plan to take my CCNA in the next month or so.

Personally, I decided not to bother with an A+ because 1) I already know what I need to know about hardware (and judging from your helpdesk experience, it sounds like you probably do as well) 2) I don't feel like the A+ is really highly regarded except among techs and low level helpdesk and 3) its really expensive (compared to Cisco anyway)!

My overall plan is to get my CCNA, pick up a Security cert, a Microsoft cert (server management) and maybe a VMware cert - I plan to eventually work on a Master's in networking.

I guess I may have just been lucky, but I jumped from a sales / management position at a financial services company over to a tier 2 helpdesk position with a retail company without much experience (aside from a tutoring job at a local CC and a small PC repair business on the side) or certs. I would just try to apply for some tier 1 & 2 jobs that interest you and see what happens! Just make sure you know how to leverage the experience you do have.

Here's my resume guys. Please let me know what you all think. Thanks

blueberries

I wasted four years of my life studying economics only to wish that I had studied IT instead. If you read the introductions in Cisco press books, you can see that a lot of authors who are now successful IT professionals have similar backgrounds.

It's a clean resume. I like it. Just a couple of points that you may want to consider.

- Remove the reference to APL. That's a programming language that most people don't care about.
- Remove the reference to Advanced in Microsoft Office. It's kinda expected that most IT pros know how to use Office.
- I would move the Education section to the bottom. You probably don't want to lead with your finance degree. And I think most people would separate out the Certifications as it's own section.

Also - can you list bullets with more on focus of accomplishments versus tasks. For example - you say "Lead a team responsible for for a campus wide upgrade to Windows 7..." - what about something more like "Successfully led a team which upgraded XXX desktops across the campus on time and under budget..." - assuming of course your did it under budget and on time

sparten

move education to the bottom so it doesnt look like ur trying to shove it in their faces

Thanks for responses everyone! You all don't know how reassuring it is to hear how many business degrees are in the IT field; gives me little hope in not having to go back to school. I will make some recommended changes and post back. Thanks again!

blueberries wrote: »

I wasted four years of my life studying economics only to wish that I had studied IT instead. If you read the introductions in Cisco press books, you can see that a lot of authors who are now successful IT professionals have similar backgrounds.

Are you still in the business profession or did you make it over to IT? If so, which route did you take?

Just want to thank everyone for the assistance so far! I have my second interview for a Support Analyst position here in Texas this coming week. Anyone know what a position like this would average?

That's great to read. Good luck on the second interview. I'm not familiar with pay scale in Texas but I hope it goes well for you.

robp12

I'm also in a similar boat as you. I graduated with a BS degree in Marketing in May 2012 and have gone on to work in IT staffing. I love the company I work with, but recruiting has really sparked my interested in the technology field and I'm actively pursuing it now.

I have no technical working experience, however I just started a MS degree program in Information Systems and I'm currently studying for the CCENT/CCNA. I really wish I majored in IT during school, but the past is the past at this point. All I can do is hustle my ass of to make it into IT and become successful.

Good luck on your journey, kill it!

rensational

Just to add more encouragement/hope:

I have a psychology degree and have gotten my foot in the door with hardware repair and tech support/helpdesk roles. I am studying in my free time to get into programming. The guy I replaced on helpdesk where I work has a Business Admin degree. The guy I replaced is loved to death where I work because he was so good at his job, to the point where a job was created for him at our company to promote him off helpdesk after a couple of years. Because of his reputation, he has been very sought after with other companies, which is probably why a position was created for him here--to keep him.

At this time, I am widely known as the best on helpdesk at my company--by employees at the company, my supervisor, the guy I replaced, the agency that placed me where I work--and the others on helpdesk or who have been on it recently have/had IT/Comp Sci-related degrees, so I would be headed down a similar path as the guy I replaced if I remain with the company. It's about how fast you pick up stuff and your demeanor/attitude with people. It's not always the degree, and oftentimes it seems like just having a college degree, period, works to get hired--of course, that depends on the job.

So you can do it...just get that first position and make the most of it. Oh, also--I currently have no certs. I started out planning to get some and still may, but I have yet to see where I need them as I have been getting opportunities with my non-IT degree and no certs, just showing I know my stuff. I'm not saying not to get any certs, just that you can get hired without any right now.

Sorry for the delay, but I finally got around to revising my resume. I tried gearing it towards my IT skills. Please let me know what you think. Thanks!

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My Revised Resume.pdf

This looks good. Your prior experience will help. What's going to hurt most is not having any certifications. Once you actually get your A+, I'd put it in its own "Certification" section, and put that up near the top of your resume.

I like it too. One thing that I found odd was you listed fluent in English. Do you live in a part of the world where English is not spoken? If not, you may want to exclude it. Also, with your experience in asset management, you may want to target broker-dealers and money managers as possible employers. That experience may be appealing in that industry. Good luck.

paul78 wrote: »

I like it too. One thing that I found odd was you listed fluent in English. Do you live in a part of the world where English is not spoken? If not, you may want to exclude it. Also, with your experience in asset management, you may want to target broker-dealers and money managers as possible employers. That experience may be appealing in that industry. Good luck.

I live in a part where there are a lot of people that only speak Spanish, so I just wanted to make it clear that I do speak both. Think I should just list that I am proficient in Spanish? Yeah, I recently found out that there is a pretty big demand for trade floor supporters which would be great for my background.

I finally ended up deciding on getting another degree in Computer Science and I start this fall. In the meantime I still plan on taking my A+ certification in a couple weeks in order to get my foot back in the door in the IT field. Any recommendations on how I can prepare myself to utilize my Computer Science degree once I graduate? I've read that working on personal coding projects look good to recruiters, but where should I start? Any useful websites that you all recommend? Thanks!

Any recommendations on how I can prepare myself to utilize my Computer Science degree once I graduate?

Well, excelling at all your classes is a good start and will show itself in better grades, skill, and knowledge. As you get close to wrapping up I'd choose a focus or two--that could be networking, security, software engineering, databases, etc.--and get a related certification, summer job, and/or internship. That should put you in great shape when you graduate.

I've read that working on personal coding projects look good to recruiters, but where should I start? Any useful websites that you all recommend?

If you're aiming for a software development job, sure. You'd want to wait until you'd completed at least your core programming courses. After all, the point is to show off the skills you learned, not to hack something together.

Good sources for ideas? Something you're passionate about, or if you're not the passionate sort, something your professors are researching that seems interesting. Entering contests is one way to establish your competency. While winning first place may be difficult, placing in the top few isn't hard if you're willing to do a bit more studying than your classmates.

DissonantData

I am also in a similar position. I have a major in finance with a minor in computer science. I am currently working towards a ccna, but am wondering if I should get a second degree in cs OR it. If I get a job, I might simply go for masters in mis/cis/it, since my minor in cs probably gives me enough technical skill for any technical role.