Is there a position lower than help desk?

I can't seem to land a help desk position. Is there a position lower than help desk I should be searching for? Everywhere is saying 2-3 years of previous help desk experience for an entry level job. Is there a lower level position I should try to get into in order to be able to land a help desk position? I noticed Comcast is hiring cable installers. I talked to a guy in that role one time when he came to install a cable line in our home for the new cable modem service we bought, previously I had DSL. He told me he knew very little about computers, didn't have any certs, or training in computers. I was asking him what were the prerequisites for his job. He told me none Comcast trained him to do everything and he said he never went to college he is just a high school grad. Although not IT, I was thinking maybe if I took a job like that with Comcast I could eventually be promoted to a help desk position. Thoughts?

Find more posts tagged with

Save $250 on 2025 certification boot camps from Infosec!

Book now with code EOY2025

Button

Comments

srabiee

I'd say lower than actual IT help-desk support would be tech support for an ISP supporting something like DSL or Cable. I did this for years when I was younger and it was a joke. You take call after call asking people to "check the lights on your modem," "power-cycle your modem," and "I'm sorry sir/ma'am, there's something wrong with your PC, you need to call a computer repair shop to have it diagnosed and fixed. We can't help you with that." Then you listen to them fuss and curse, then hang up, and you immediately get thrown into the next call. Rinse and repeat until you hate your life.

YFZblu

Where are you located?

srabiee wrote: »

Then you listen to them fuss and curse, then hang up, and you immediately get thrown into the next call. Rinse and repeat until you hate your life.

Are you sure you aren't talking about the helpdesk?

Plantwiz

Have you tried volunteering? What sort of networking have you done? People networking, not the sort of networking most think of here. Start showing people what you can do and convince them to take a chance on you.

I cannot make your decision, but I would need to be extremely desperate before considering anything with that company you mentioned.

Moon Child

I have years of volunteer experience on my resume with reference letters from the charitable organizations I did the volunteer work for. I have over 5+ years of volunteer tech support on my resume. I have done tech volunteer work for the lions club, masons, a church, schools, etc.

gbdavidx

where are you located? could think about moving somewhere else...

YFZblu

Moon Child wrote: »

I have years of volunteer experience on my resume with reference letters from the charitable organizations I did the volunteer work for. I have over 5+ years of volunteer tech support on my resume. I have done tech volunteer work for the lions club, masons, a church, schools, etc.

IMO between your education (per your sig) and the experience you reference here you shouldn't have any issues. Perhaps you can post a sanitized resume' here for others to critique

Moon Child

gbdavidx wrote: »

where are you located? could think about moving somewhere else...

I am thinking of moving ... problem is I have to get a job in the area I want to move to first. I am very close to a state that has better employment options, however since I am not a local candidate I suspect my resume just gets tossed aside even though I mention that I am willing to relocate. I recently was denied an opening with HP because the opening is in the next state over and it is a 45 minute drive for me to work everyday. I told the guy I didn't mind the drive and could relocate, but he said people tell him they don't mind the drive all the time and end up quitting on him. Despite my best efforts to reassure him that was not the case he turned me down for the job.

W Stewart

Yes. It's called unemployed.

Okay, now that I got that funny joke out of the way I can answer your question. Getting your foot in the door in IT is a combination of a few things including luck and opportunity. I started out working at a crappy call center. Some people start out working as a field tech. Some people start out at geek squad or staples. Some people won't even count a lot of those jobs as experience but they will help you eventually land a real entry level IT job like helpdesk. self study, labing and certifications are usually the best way to show an employer that you're capable of doing the job when you've never done it before in a production environment.

Edit: There's a good chance that either the comcast technician knew somebody who helped him get the job or he just got in during a time when the economy was better and employers were willing to do more training. Not saying it's not possible but nowadays you have to train yourself if you want more opportunities to move up in the IT field. If you started out as a comcast technician then you could potential move into helpdesk provided you had the necessary skills but you'll more than likely have to get those skills on your own time. Comcast themselves may also not have the type of help desk that you're looking for so depending on what you want to do, you may need to seek employment at another company when you're ready to move up because some people manage to get all the skills on their own time and their current employer still won't give them a break so they have to get their break elsewhere.

gbdavidx

Have any family out of state? Could try using their address

Moon Child

Oh I am not unemployed, I am working. Right now I am working in the education sector, kids start again in a week and I got a weekend job as a security officer. I just am not able to land an IT job unfortunately. Unfortunately if I moved I would have to give up my teaching license since it would not be valid in another state, but with time I could have that transfer to the state I wanted to work in. Some states are harder than others to get a teaching license in, California would be next to impossible. I can transfer the teaching license to FL, GA, AZ, and Texas with no problem it just would take a lot of time. I want to eventually get out of the low paying 25-30k a year pay range.

unfbilly11

In all honesty, I'd say, with your certifications you should be able to get a help desk job for sure. At the very least, a bunch of interviews. I'm not saying certifications = jobs, but your resume should at least get your foot in the door. It could be your location. I would do what YFZblu suggested and post your resume. There's a lot of very experienced people on here that are always willing to help out.

Mishra

Are you getting interviews?

Are you still applying for those jobs that ask for 2-3 years of experience? Just because they say that in the job posting doesn't mean they are ready to follow that to a tee. Just list relevant experience at the top of your resume so it doesn't start out with teacher.

Are you looking on craigslist and applying for everything?

Is your resume good? Post it here in a new topic asking for review.

Balantine

Lab Monitor.

tstrip007

Are you utilizing a recruiter/s? If not, then I would contact as many local recruiting agencies as you can and say "I'm looking to work in IT and was wondering if I could speak to a recruiter and get my resume over to you guys."

TechGuy215

My very first job in IT field, was actually Geek Squad...

Gotta start somewhere, and that's definitely below helpdesk!

Iristheangel

As others have stated, it could be your location or it could be your resume. If you feel comfortable disclosing both, perhaps we can help you tweak the resume or get a sense for what the demands are in your area. I would usually recommend some contracting work through companies like Onforce or Workmarket but given that you already have 5 years of volunteer IT experience on your resume, a few certifications, and a degree under your belt, that seems to be a step backwards instead of a step forward.

N2IT

It could be the amount of education as well. With a MS you may scare them off a bit. You could be viewed as a flight risk or considered set in your ways. You could try to list just your bachelors and see if you gain traction that way. Bachelors with certifications is MORE than enough.

NetworkVeteran

Iristheangel wrote: »

As others have stated, it could be your location or it could be your resume. If you feel comfortable disclosing both, perhaps we can help you tweak the resume or get a sense for what the demands are in your area.

+1. If you want to make a change, those are the next steps. What you're doing now is clearly not working.

Anonymouse

TechGuy215 wrote: »

My very first job in IT field, was actually Geek Squad... Gotta start somewhere, and that's definitely below helpdesk!

I'm with this guy. I started out as a computer repair tech at a retail eletronics store too. When I worked in a helpdesk a lot of people came from Geeksquad and other similar positions too. Those techs seemed to have better customer service and troubleshooting skills over other techs who didn't from my observations.

dehgrah

Best Buy/ Staples in store Computer Technician I think is lower than helpdesk in my honest opinion.

pram

The job that is lower than Help Desk are the people who blow dust out of Grandma's computer and install anti-virus software for $200

SteveLord

^ Enough about Geeksquad!

Moon Child

What about working in a call center as a debt collector? Listed on job postings for call center jobs that are computer related is 2 years of previous call center experience required. If I can't land a job in call center that is computer related how about a call center that specializes in something else such as being a debt collector. I applied to several job postings for debt collectors and got responses back from employers that they were interested in my application. Pay was $17/hr in the evenings. Full healthcare coverage and some nice perks. They listed 0-1 years of previous experience along with high school grad as job requirements. It sounds like I would be in charge of chasing down students who can't pay their student loans. It's not IT, but it is call center experience.

NetworkVeteran

What about working in a call center as a debt collector?

Sure, that would help.. albeit a much slower approach than simply posting your location and/or resume.

I know someone who used non-IT call center experience to edge into IT.

iBrokeIT

As others have suggested, it sounds like your resume isn't telling a very good story if you aren't even getting interviews with the certs you have listed. Applying to a help desk position with a Masters degree on your resume? My previous help desk manager would instantly reject most of the resumes like that for being overqualified. You need to tailor your resume to the position you are applying for.

sratakhin

^^ This.

SephStorm

Moon Child wrote: »

I can't seem to land a help desk position. Is there a position lower than help desk I should be searching for? Everywhere is saying 2-3 years of previous help desk experience for an entry level job. Is there a lower level position I should try to get into in order to be able to land a help desk position? I noticed Comcast is hiring cable installers. I talked to a guy in that role one time when he came to install a cable line in our home for the new cable modem service we bought, previously I had DSL. He told me he knew very little about computers, didn't have any certs, or training in computers. I was asking him what were the prerequisites for his job. He told me none Comcast trained him to do everything and he said he never went to college he is just a high school grad. Although not IT, I was thinking maybe if I took a job like that with Comcast I could eventually be promoted to a help desk position. Thoughts?

Are you putting your degrees in your resume for help desk? Honestly, I'd consider removing them, at least the MS. Also look at finding staffing agencies. You didnt say where you are located.

paul78

Moon Child wrote: »

I recently was denied an opening with HP because the opening is in the next state over and it is a 45 minute drive for me to work everyday.

A 45 minute commute is a fairly average commute in US cities in the Northeast so perhaps there were other reasons as well.

Perhaps, if you really are willing to relocate, instead of telling a prospective employer that you don't mind the commute, simply inform them that you are interested in the area and planning to move there which is why you are applying for a job in the area.

BTW - I have similar thought as N2IT and SephStorm - if you list your MS on your resume, it is probably more of a negative than a positive.

--chris--

paul78 wrote: »

A 45 minute commute is a fairly average commute in US cities in the Northeast so perhaps there were other reasons as well.

Probably other reasons, or they got you mixed up with someone else...it does happen. People around me routinely drive 1 hour+ to get to work, some to another country (Canada).

Id keep plugging away at it.

Do you attend the job fairs regularly?

I didn't see an answer to this before, are you applying to the places that have a higher experience requirement than you currently have? I've done some hiring (basic warehouse laborers, nothing IT) before and I have seen it mentioned on here. We would put out a dream sheet of wants, and settle for 1/2 or 1/3 of what we asked.

Its just how it works, like selling a car. You never list the actual price you desire, you always go a tad high and "settle" for a lower price once its negotiated

ivx502

Having made hiring decisions at my previous employer. I always used a simple rule of thumb one never hire anyone you think is smarter than you are otherwise they will be in your position. While in college I did a few informational interviews where people who made hiring decisions would tip toe around that subject. Maybe that master's degree is what makes it seems as if you are out for the next person's job.

Have you tried building a network of people currently working in the field? Numerous times I have been approached asking if I would be interested or did I know someone who was interested in a certain position.