For those that are new to IT, and looking to dive in...

--chris--

I ran across this blog entry about a week ago, while on vacation. If your like me (new to IT, trying like hell to get hired into anything IT to get that coveted "experienced" title) you probably "feel the heat". You are probably trying to discover the best angle to break into the field and get the most exposure to the most technology as quickly as possible. Your probably trying to pass the basic certifications to assist you in doing this.

Your probably doing all of this with a sense of urgency, or at the very least with a "sooner than later"...again to get experience quickly.

Back to the blog post:

Moxie Marlinspike >> Blog >> Career Advice

Everything before a career has defined beginnings and endings. Elementary school, middle school, junior high, highschool, university. There’s always been a predefined end, and that contributes a lot to making the indignities of those institutions bearable. Once you start working full time, though, it’s just One Long Semester that you’re expected to attend for the rest of your life.
So consider caution if you’re overly excited to start down that road as quickly as you can. Other than being forever, it’s not as different from what’s come before as you might imagine.

That really hits close to home for me. I don't have any reason to be rushing into this. Ive got now, till the end.

Hopefully someone else will read that one post, maybe the whole thing....and breath a little easier...focus a little better, and get down to business.

tbgree00

To add to this something I've had to come to terms with now that I'm seasoned in the IT Career field: your life is about to become an unending series of interruptions. Perhaps that could be phrased better but it is the honest truth. You will have stuff you want to accomplish, stuff you need to accomplish, and interruptions that can easily fill the day. As a helpdesk it will be pretty much your entire job, the higher you get the less frequent the interruptions from end users but they become more important and time sensitive.

This isn't particularly a negative. It's exciting, fast paced, and you never know what is next. If you can't handle thinking on your feet and doing a combination of "calm in the storm" troubleshooting and quick recall of your procedures it becomes a point of stress. If you're at a small place there's not a strong divide between "time at home" and "time at work". You can easily become "at work" at any point if you let yourself. I like being helpful and putting in the extra time so this isn't a negative.

There is some money to be made and a lot of reward watching yourself grow as a technician, manager, etc if you stick with it. I've seen people crack with the pressure or get frustrated with urgent printer repair needs when you're trying to fix a downed server. Set up your expectations to know this could be your first couple (or 7-10) years and you will be fine.

gchild00

Great perspective. Thanks for the post. I share in many of his thoughts. I am actively trying to get into the IT career field as well but I do remember to stop and smell the roses!