I'm not going anywhere with tech support?

Hi,

I was told to take tech support or help desk job to break into IT. I did just that and being doing it for last six months. I came to realize tech support is dead end and it will not get me anywhere. I'm 29 and married so you can see I need to get a real job.

Initially, I was interested about opening small IT firm, but I realize without proper financial support I will go no where. So I decided not to open my business and instead focus on building career in IT, networking particularly. However, every job I look at want you to have xyz experience in particular equipment. How do I get experience if no one will give me a chance?

On the other hand I have a friend who is making great money after few years of nursing school.

Does it make sense for someone my age to go into IT or Nursing?

I need to make money to support my family and do something that I and my family are proud of. I'm not saying I need to make a lot but enough to support a family.

Please provide positive feedback that will help me make a decision.

Thank you

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NetworkVeteran

ddking303 wrote: »

I was told to take tech support or help desk job to break into IT. I did just that and being doing it for last six months. I came to realize tech support is dead end and it will not get me anywhere.

That's mostly up to you. It can also be rich and rewarding, giving you hands-on configuration/troubleshooting experience.

So I decided not to open my business and instead focus on building career in IT, networking particularly. However, every job I look at want you to have xyz experience in particular equipment. How do I get experience if no one will give me a chance?

First you must prove you're qualified to operate that equipment. Nobody's going to hand you the keys to a big rig until you have your (commercial) driver's license. Obtaining certifications via self- or in-class study is one way to do this. There are plenty of free and low-cost emulators and simulators available, rack rentals too, and even building your own rack isn't particularly expensive.

On the other hand I have a friend who is making great money after few years of nursing school.

Yup. I have a few close friends who are nurses, and that also pays well, especially with a master's degree. And both careers have in common that neither will allow you to treat a symptom unless you're reasonably qualified to do so.

Does it make sense for someone my age to go into IT or Nursing?

Either one is fine. Follow your passion.

I need to make money to support my family and do something that I and my family are proud of. I'm not saying I need to make a lot but enough to support a family.

To advance, you need to set aside time when you're done at the office for education/training.

DoubleNNs

I typed a pretty longer response, but decided to delete it.

If you want to get into networking, do you currently have any experience/education in it? You might want to look into self-studying for your CCNA or a similar cert.
Afterwards, even if you can't go directly into a fully Networking role, you could at least advance to another technical support/help desk role that's heavily involved in networking. The added responsibilities would undoubtedly pay more too. The new role would give you tangible work experience to put on your resume and give you better understanding on how the knowledge from your studies are applicable in work, and then could then be used as a stepping stone to a full Networking position.

tstrip007

I have reads some posts on here where people are moving up quickly with some networking certs and not much work experience. Maybe use that as some motivation. Ex - http://www.techexams.net/forums/general-certification/90071-hard-work-finally-pays-off.html

milieu

Tech support can be a dead end, but I think you're being overly impatient. Six months is not very long in an entry level job. You really need at least a year in an entry level job before you can expect to move up.

Nursing is definitely a good job. It pays well, and you will always be in demand and able to get a job almost anywhere. That said, it is challenging work, and I think you really have to love it to keep doing it. If you think you could handle medical work, there are a ton of 1 and 2 year certificates that would qualify you for that work: nursing, radiology tech, phlebotomy, etc.

If you want to do IT work, I would suggest that you stick with your current job, and pursue certifications or a degree. That way, once you are done, you would have a couple years of IT experience, AND certifications. I think you'd be pretty employable with that.

gbdavidx

I am in a help desk role, I am studying msca and building my home lab for server 2012 and Exchange 2012 environment pursing system admin role next

Help desk role sucks answering the phone all the time but for me its easy money and I get great benefits and itll pay off in the long run

I live in sac so my pay could be different, I currently make 48k, but once i transition into sys admin I think its around 55k where I work, certs can help

Psoasman

ddking303 wrote: »

I was told to take tech support or help desk job to break into IT. I did just that and being doing it for last six months. I came to realize tech support is dead end and it will not get me anywhere. I'm 29 and married so you can see I need to get a real job.

I don't see help desk / desktop support as a dead end, unless a person allows it to be so. 6 months isn't very long and you should be gaining valuable skills you can leverage for future positions.

I switched from healthcare into IT, back in 2007. I was 32 at the time and had very little experience in IT, mostly just hobbyist knowledge. Who you happen to know is often as important as what you know. Company job listings are often way overblown on requirements, so don't let that deter you from applying.

Depending on your free time, you could do some volunteering and gain experience that way. I do some free, minor computer repair for people and that helps with building rapport with people.

ddking303

I would agree six month is not enough to be judgmental. However, all I do is provided support to proprietary system. For example, I work at a hosting company providing support to end user about web sites. I do not get to touch equipment, other system or anything. They even restrict us from using other sources (web site).

You basically work around their system by click couple of referesh buttons etc...Oh and now we are suppose to sale product or offer customer to upgrade their account. I thought I was hire for tech support???

Sounds more like sales support to me.

Anyhow, should I look for other tech job? or Help Desk? or study for certs?

I do have Bachelor degree in Business Management.

I'm thinking giving another six months to year in tech industry before I take the plunge into health care. I want to ensure I give it all I have before completely switching path. I have love for both of the industry so it's not about what I want to do.

Thank you

NetworkVeteran

Multiple people have already told you, if you want to advance in IT, certifications are one way forward. With no qualifications--and none are listed in your signature--an employer would be somewhat negligent to let you touch their equipment.

Becoming a registered nurse would also require some education and training.

Mishra

There are a ton of resources on this site to help you. I searched "breaking into IT" and found:

http://www.techexams.net/forums/jobs-degrees/90653-help-getting-into-field.html
http://www.techexams.net/forums/network/86891-breaking-out-helpdesk-into-network-support.html
http://www.techexams.net/forums/off-topic/86960-who-here-actuallyl-enjoys-working-what-your-hobbies.html
http://www.techexams.net/forums/jobs-degrees/89657-need-help-breaking-into-industry.html

What are your expectations of the IT field? I understand your desperation to provide for your family but skills do take time to acquire. I make a lot more money at my age than a base nurse would but I also have above average skills...

manny355

It sounds to me like the technical support job you got isn't actually technical support but more like proprietary support. Most tech support jobs that i've seen have you resetting passwords, troubleshooting applications and the like...desktop usually has you installing applications...performing level 2/3 troubleshooting of those applications...etc...

I'd say either find a true technical support position...and/or obtain certs...since you already have a degree that won't come into play to get into IT...but will come into play when you are looking to advance when you are already in IT.

pert

Yeah, tech support is a dead end, but you have to get initial experience somewhere. I got started there and moved on. It was necessary for me since I had no degree or certs and was still acquiring them. I think you're confusing dead end position with dead end career.

ChooseLife

ddking303 wrote: »

I do not get to touch equipment, other system or anything.

What qualifications do you believe you have that entitle you to move up and perform more serious work?

I read that you have a family and need to earn money, I read that you've been at the job for 6 months, but I did not read anything about qualifications you possess...

pamccabe

Funny, but I left Nursing school to pursue my passion in IT, specifically networking. I give props to any nurse out there. It is not a glamorous profession by any means. There are long hours, during the day/night/holiday, whenever. This may be true for IT as well, but not as extreme. I live in Wisconsin and when snow storms would hit we would spend the night at the hospital. Obviously the place would never shut down. Some people in my care were great, however, most were not. I had to care for people going through withdrawals from drug and alcohol. I was attacked one night by a raging alcoholic because I tried to talk him out of leaving our care. I had to help out female nurses that were being attacked by gang members on drugs. I assisted with minor surgeries that included a GI bleed. Have you ever seen the product of a GI bleed?? I've had a patient pass away and I had to clean his body before he was to be picked up. When I rolled him to me in order to clean his back, all of the fluid in his lungs came out and splashed all over me. Have you ever seen or smelt stomach acid that is all over your clothes from a dead body?? My point is, yea, the pay was good and I had a rewarding feeling of doing some good. However, it is NOT for the feint of heart and you have to be into it 100%, otherwise, you will never make it. Schooling for me consisted of long days at school followed by clinicals all night. Sometimes I wouldn't be home for a couple days. It is truly hell. I learned after awhile that it wasn't my passion. My other point in all of this is to find something you are passionate about. Don't chase something for money. I once spent an entire weekend during a blizzard in a hospital, sleeping in empty rooms, changing people's diapers, cleaning up blood soaked bandages from HIV positive patients, changimg their folies that were full of blood from their kidneys... after awhile I decided the money wasn't worth it. I was exhausted. However, the crash course you get with handling truly stressful situations (like death), makes you feel calm when your biggest obstacle during a day is a server reboot.

pert

I read your story @pamccabe, and it resonated with me. However the "chase stuff for passion" advice portion is BS. Not trying to offend, but it really is. Passion fades, it always does. By definition passion is a fading emotion. Find fields with a work/life balance you can live with, that you find intellectually interesting. Neither of those will fade. Passion comes and goes, build on something that won't change 5 years from now. A job with a nice schedule, good pay, good benefits, and decent PTO doesn't require you to be passionate to go to work. It only requires that you be competent and attentive, both of which are sustainable mindsets.

Mutata

@pert - the "you have to be passionate about what you do" is probably the best advice I have ever received. I know someone, who worked the same job for 35 years, loved and was passionate about the work he until the day he retired.

I however; believe there has to be a mixture of passion and interest in what you do with a realistic approach. I think anyone, who thinks they will absolutely love every second of every day is setting themselves up to be disappointed. I do agree that sometimes you have to think about more than just what you're passionate about such as pay, benefits, PTO. Passion is a great motivator to keep current and push further (of course there is also money).

@ddking303 - How have you worked to elevate yourself beyond support? Have you been a self-starter with certifications and broadening your knowledge? It's not just about a given time period before you move forward.. you have to work for it.

DigitalZeroOne

ddking303 wrote: »

I'm thinking giving another six months to year in tech industry before I take the plunge into health care. I want to ensure I give it all I have before completely switching path. I have love for both of the industry so it's not about what I want to do.
Thank you

In my opinion, that statement is enough to say that you probably should not be in IT, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. If you're already 6 months in, and you're considering leaving IT, it may be best to do so. You have to decide is healthcare what you want, or are you going off of someones else's success in that field? Before you make any hasty decisions, you should really just be patient and decide on a career field, whether it's healthcare, IT, or something else.

Mishra

DigitalZeroOne wrote: »

In my opinion, that statement is enough to say that you probably should not be in IT

On the surface, I feel the same way as you do. But as I try to understand his situation, I understand it could simply be the need to provide for his family that trumps any passion/grasp for the IT field. Sometimes, people simply change their priorities to their goals. He could be a great IT engineer if maybe, he changed his thoughts about that need... Or maybe saw a light at the end of the tunnel which fed his goals.

I feel that I started out with a need to learn, be better at my job, and always improve. I think this base goal brought me to where I am today. It may be a completely different situation if I had changed my goal to earning that base figure that I feel I need to learn for my family.

I think the advise I want to give is if this person can change that priority, then he may actually succeed faster...

I'm watching through the wormhole so I'm in theoretical mode.