Noob in the IT world

I am looking into entering into the IT world, being that I feel that the industry is not going anywhere.

I currently own 2 businesses. I have alot of Project Management experience in construction and the entertainment industry, the 2 industries my business are in.

I wanted to get into a more corporate job because of security. I now have a daughter who I want to be able to provide for consistently.

I have no experience in IT, and looking for what path to take to get into help desk work. Tier 1 type stuff. My brother just got promoted to Tier 2 and can get me into his company, but he says I need to get my certs and what not. He gave me material to read and prepare for the exams, and videos to watch. Any other advice I can get from you guys?

Thank You in advance

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NetworkVeteran

mrneef wrote: »

My brother just got promoted to Tier 2 and can get me into his company, but he says I need to get my certs and what not. He gave me material to read and prepare for the exams, and videos to watch. Any other advice I can get from you guys?

That's exactly what you need to get started. Study hard, and good luck to you!

SteveLord

Have you considered IT management or managing IT projects? I would think you could ease into those type of roles quicker while requiring less technical knowledge and not taking a huge pay cut. Unless being very technical is what you really want to do. If so, start with A+ materials to start getting down the fundamentals.

instant000

I believe that you might be aiming too low.

Even if you start at helpdesk, your certification goal should be PMP at a minimum. You should have hours of verifiable project experience already from your companies.

Hope this makes sense.

kurosaki00

I agree with last 2 comments
Id go for PMP or/and some ITILs
if I were you

mrneef

Thank You all for the replies.

Honestly that is what my brother told me, is to go for PMP.

A few things though. I only have a GED, no college education. I started working in mortgages, then to working for a very successful realtor managing projects for investors, to doing my own investments and project managing, into opening a successful music company and a general contracting company that started successful but as of late has seen a decline, mainly due to lack of enthusiasm (had a daughter and just want to be with her.)

I have 2 misdemeanors one at 19 and one at 21, now am 32. One was a 5th degree assault for sticking up for a younger friend who was bullied, I won the altercation and was charged, and the other was a aggravated forgery for having a fake id in a real persons name (no idea it was a real name). A string of bad luck from bad choices in my early adult years.

I have looked into PMP training but wasnt too sure if I would be able to even get into those roles with my background. Hence why I opted to start and run my own businesses.

I just want something stable for my daughter's future. If it wasnt for my criminal background, I without a doubt know that I could work for a successful and big corporation with my experience and mindset.

Thank You for more guidance.

da_vato

Take your brothers advice/help and jump in where you can. Definitely work on certs that your brother suggests.
Personally I would suggest start working on some type of degree, in upper levels it is not necessarily required however it always help.

I see why you are worried about your background but to be honest misdemeanors are not deal breakers in the real world, felonies can be though. I have similar situations in my past but still maintain a top secret clearance. The main thing is do not lie we all make mistakes and employers know that. They do want to see that you have learned from your mistakes.

Xyro

In my experience, most background checks only go back 10 years. I wouldn't worry about it. Also, I wouldn't view myself as if I had a "criminal background" just from 2 misdemeanor charges.

SteveLord

Not all government entities run background checks. Especially state level and below.

NetworkVeteran

I wouldn't worry about non-felony convictions from over a decade ago, as long as you realize you made poor choices, and learned from them so you won't repeat that behavior again. Given those provisos, this would only rarely be a deal-breaker.

I would not even bring them up unless being honest required doing so. E.g., an employment application asking you to list and explain all criminal convictions from the last so many years, since dishonestly is more likely to cause problems.

mrneef

Thank You all for the encouraging replies.

I guess I gave up on pursuing anything after the few years of bad decisions.

I think my steps now would be to go for my PMP first being that I can take a week off from my businesses to try and absorb the info and obtain that easier.

Then I would go for other certs?

What would everyone suggest?

My main end objective is to end up in California with a career in IT. Currently based in Minnesota now.

da_vato

It's like bad credit, if you make some bad choice just wait a certain amount of time and start all over.

you need to make those first steps first. We can't really preload you as every business is unique in its operations and training requirements. I think your brother could answer your questions better right now since he knows the organization.

After you get some experience under your belt I don't see any reason why you couldn't end up in Cali.

mrneef

Well, I hope it is in regards to misdemeanors and not felonies hah

My concern wasnt so much the misdemeanor charges, but the nature of them.

da_vato

Yes in regards to misdemeanors. The charges are very common and nothing to worry about. Now if you stoles thousands of dollars from a company or customers you might have to worry. Fighting does not necessarily mean moral/ethic flaws and a fake ID come on man, most people in the U.S. have at least thought about it when they were under age.

Most applications ask "have you ever been convicted of a felony" not have you ever been in trouble.

mrneef

Thanks again. I should of never let that assumption derail me and should of started this years ago.