bridgeram wrote: » Hi, Long story short, I'm looking for a career change. I've been doing the law thing for 5 years now and I want out. Working with computers has always been pretty easy for me (was a hardcore PC nerd in HS/college) and I'd love to get into IT. I understand I'd have to pay my dues and start at an entry-level position. I'm ok with that. Any advice as to what certifications I should start with, given my age/career so far? How do I get my foot in the door? CompTIA A+? MCTS 70-680? Should I look into going back to school/taking (online?) classes, or do I have a shot at an entry level position by passing some certifications? I'd really appreciate any advice you guys can give me.
stryder144 wrote: » I would do a couple of things, since I, too, did the career change recently. Here they are: 1. If you haven't already, research what areas of IT are in strong demand in your area. 2. Keep your day job while you finish up the research and start building your IT certs and experience. 3. I would probably start with A+ as the first cert to pursue. 4. If you want to increase your chances for finding a job, I would also suggest looking into going to WGU. Inexpensive IT degrees that also provide you with a lot of certs. With your previous educational background, you will probably have a lot of transfer credits and will need to get one cert (such as A+) in order to qualify for acceptance. Please review several of the WGU threads on this forum for more information. If you would rather pursue a Masters instead, WGU has a couple that you could look into as well as Capitol College, Dakota State University, etc. 5. Look at securing a volunteer position somewhere. Most hiring managers want to see experience, so you will need to build that up while studying. Remember, your J.D. will likely scare a lot of prospective employers away when looking for entry-level positions, so having verifiable job experience will be of utmost help to you. Now, since you have a J.D., you might want to look into how to leverage that degree in your IT career. I am sure there are plenty of jobs out there in the risk management/compliance side of IT that would use both your future certs and your knowledge of the law. Coupled with a relevant MS in Information Security/Assurance or a few certs, you could really put that law degree to use and not feel like you might have wasted your time and money. Cheers
bridgeram wrote: » Thanks again for your reply, I really appreciate it. I think I'll start with the Mike Meyer's A+ book and take a look at the Mueller book too. Now, reading about upgrading and repairing PCs is one thing- but it sounds like actually DOING it would help a lot. Ie, buying parts and putting together a PC would probably be good experience (did a bunch of upgrades back in the day but haven't in a while). But it sounds like an expensive hobby. Is there a cheap way to go about getting this experience? Should I try to build computers and sell them? Meetup- what a great idea. I hadn't considered that before. I'll look into that. Volunteering at churches/non-profits/etc- should I get my A+ cert first so I can at least tell these people "hey I'm certified to do this and would like to help you with your computers" vs just being a random guy who wants to help?
--chris-- wrote: » No need to spend much money, the A+ covers technology from the past 10 years for the most part. Pick up a few laptops, desktops and even a server or two for as cheap as you can. Tear them down, frankenstien them together and see what works and why. Figuring out what PCI-e slots look like, sata, serial, molex, etc...those are the important parts. Knowing how much force is required to seat RAM, PCI cards, etc...all good stuff. Find old computers and new ones. The exam still covers PATA! Be able to ID it.
bridgeram wrote: » Also, how much of a concern is my age here in getting an entry level position?