Female CCNA=A+=Bachelors and Masters+no work experience in computers Have a ?????

Hey, I am a 28 year old female with a Master and Bachelor in Communications, i have working experience but not in comps. i am looking to switch industries for a number of reasons, mainly because i like computers and should have did that in the first place...Any way, right now i am studying for the A+ cert. on my own and just got into a year long CCNA program at the community college ( i thought this would be better with no experience). I understand not working in the field and no experience makes it harder for me to get a job or good money. This is why i would like to get the a+ cert so i can start working and get a little experience at least while im in the program. What are your thoughts? Advice? Thanks!

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devilbones

Does it make a difference that you are female?

danny069

The IT field is broad, so you have to narrow down what you want to do specifically. You're off to a good start getting your A+, then your CCNA. What did you major in for your Bachelor's and Master's? Once you get those certifications you have to apply yourself and don't stop until you get in. Someone has to give you a chance sometime, and that will give you some experience, which only comes with time.

MeanDrunkR2D2

Being a female doesn't matter to be honest. You could get the A+ and find a job when you get that wrapped up. However, to get started in a helpdesk type of role, highlight your communication skills and ability to effectively communicate and be sympathetic to users as that will take you very far quickly. For the CCNA, I wouldn't worry about that certification until you actually start working in IT. Being that you should have great soft skills, you can be taught the technical stuff that a tier 1 helpdesk would encounter but you will have a huge headstart on others if you have those people skills that are very valuable for those roles. I'd say, go and start applying for those roles now and see where that takes you. It should be easy to explain why you want to work in IT.

If you land a role before you get the A+, I'd probably not pursue it any further as that really is a cert that is targeted for getting that first IT job.

markulous

devilbones wrote: »

Does it make a difference that you are female?

That's kind of what I'm wondering. There may be a wage difference in the long term, but getting your foot in the door shouldn't matter if you're male or female.

Anyway, try to get some hands-on volunteer experience. Having that with a cert (plus a degree) should get your foot in the door for a help desk.

Remedymp

A Bachelors and Masters and no internship?

scaredoftests

It does not matter if you are female. Take it from one.

Lexluethar

Doesn't matter if you are female or not. Getting your A+ and CCNA are great starting points.

As you and others have said, getting into the industry without any experience is difficult - it can be done as everyone in the industry right now at one point in time didn't have any experience.

Get those certifications and try to land a heldesk or desktop support role to get some experience under your belt.

gespenstern

Surprised by the comments above dismissing the fact that the TS is a female.

TS, you have better chances to get employed than men in large international enterprises because all of them fight for equality. Your chances roughly double if you are a black female. Skills are still needed, but you will have better chances if your skills are enough to fill the position than the chances of white men candidates with similar or better skills. Small and medium businesses rarely honor this approach but big companies surely do and they would be your best bet.

Get your A+, CCNA and probably look at some MS certs as enterprises have tons of Microsoft. Look to get employed in large businesses, like 100 000+ employees and high visibility. Later on, if you don't stop investing in yourself and your education, you can go with corporate management route, women are also very welcome there in big companies.

Techytach

What's a "female CCNA"?

I generally agree with gespenstern. Apply to the right places (hint equality will be part of their company motif) and being female should help you land a job. Still have to have the skills and experience of course though. And IT is hard to break into for anyone.

joemc3

devilbones wrote: »

Does it make a difference that you are female?

Actually it does make a difference.

devilbones

joemc3 wrote: »

Actually it does make a difference.

I know. Its pretty sad that her skills and abilities have been reduced to her gender. I guess we no longer hire people based on their ability, rather only to show our diversity and tolerance. If I were her I wouldnt even waste my money to better myself, I would only highlight my gender and ethnicity and publicly slam any company that didnt hire me. She was born lucky.

nnayr3

thanks i appreciate that!!! i figure getting the A+ would be a good start and the CCNA test i hear is hard but will really get me noticed

nnayr3

thanks for giving me suggestions on the type of jobs i should look for

Lexluethar wrote: »

Doesn't matter if you are female or not. Getting your A+ and CCNA are great starting points.

As you and others have said, getting into the industry without any experience is difficult - it can be done as everyone in the industry right now at one point in time didn't have any experience.

Get those certifications and try to land a heldesk or desktop support role to get some experience under your belt.

nnayr3

YESSSS that is exactly why i said female because like any hiring process it does matter and yes i am Black and Mexican female and speak Spanish. Even though i have no experience i thought maybe being a minority and female might help me get in the door at least and having a BA and MA in communications!!! thank you for giving me the perspective i was looking for. what about job titles or any good websites related to it jobs?

gespenstern wrote: »

Surprised by the comments above dismissing the fact that the TS is a female.

TS, you have better chances to get employed than men in large international enterprises because all of them fight for equality. Your chances roughly double if you are a black female. Skills are still needed, but you will have better chances if your skills are enough to fill the position than the chances of white men candidates with similar or better skills. Small and medium businesses rarely honor this approach but big companies surely do and they would be your best bet.

Get your A+, CCNA and probably look at some MS certs as enterprises have tons of Microsoft. Look to get employed in large businesses, like 100 000+ employees and high visibility. Later on, if you don't stop investing in yourself and your education, you can go with corporate management route, women are also very welcome there in big companies.

nnayr3

I was also wondering what do you think of me paying basically 500 a semester i need 4 of them doing the CCNA program at a community college?

gespenstern wrote: »

Surprised by the comments above dismissing the fact that the TS is a female.

TS, you have better chances to get employed than men in large international enterprises because all of them fight for equality. Your chances roughly double if you are a black female. Skills are still needed, but you will have better chances if your skills are enough to fill the position than the chances of white men candidates with similar or better skills. Small and medium businesses rarely honor this approach but big companies surely do and they would be your best bet.

Get your A+, CCNA and probably look at some MS certs as enterprises have tons of Microsoft. Look to get employed in large businesses, like 100 000+ employees and high visibility. Later on, if you don't stop investing in yourself and your education, you can go with corporate management route, women are also very welcome there in big companies.

NetworkingStudent

As others have said I would focus on finishing your A+ exam.
Once you have finished A+ exam, then you can focus on the job search.

To get noticed:
On your resume highlight your communication degree and skills.
Also, highlight any customer service skills from past or current jobs.

Communication skills and customer service skills are big in IT.

NETWORK, NETWORK,NETWORK (with people)
You said you’re taking college level classes for CCNA.
I think you should connect via LINKED IN with some of the other students in your class.

GOOD Luck!

CertifiedMonkey

nnayr3 wrote: »

I was also wondering what do you think of me paying basically 500 a semester i need 4 of them doing the CCNA program at a community college?

$500 a semester? Sounds great! The CCNA courses at my CC are $500 each per quarter. Access to NetAcademy, access to physical equipment, being able to talk to an instructor and classmates. Definitely worth $500 per semester IMO.

beads

@OP

No offense and coming from myself who constantly has to work at written English but you need to pay more attention to basic grammar, particularly capitalization and phrasing. You received a bachelor's before your master's degree and need to be listed as such. Language like that will do more harm to your prospects before you even reach the interview process. Particularly if you are listing both bachelor's and master's in communication.

OK tomato tossers. Have at it.

Quip of the day: "The story of how 'Captain Obvious' got his name" was said to an end user today for asking the... well, obvious.

- b/eads

madtownliz

Speaking as a female network engineer, it does matter, but not in the way some people on the thread are assuming. No one's going to hire you just because you are female, or a person of color, or whatever. But it certainly does get you noticed. That can be noticed in a good way or a bad way, all depending on your skills and how you present yourself. If you shine, you'll shine that much brighter and everyone will know your name. However, the same goes if you can't cut it. Your incompetence will stand out from the crowd of equally incompetent (male) peers, and it will go worse for you and for other women who follow you (https://xkcd.com/385/).

I've found networking to be a pretty solid meritocracy. You can't go in demanding respect because of your certs or whatever; you have to earn it. But once you do, you're part of the club. It's kind of a locker room - understandable for a field that's something like 3% female - but I've never been slagged for being a "girl". Once I showed I could keep up with the guys, I became one of them.

Your path to break into the industry is a solid one. It's the one I took, also after getting a bachelor's and master's in an unrelated field. Throw yourself into that community college CCNA program, get to know your classmates and instructors, do your best to excel. If you do that, your name might be the first that comes to mind when doing recommendations for internships and employment. And the coursework, particularly if it has a strong lab component, will be a good indication whether you're a good fit for this field. If you find that you hate troubleshooting, for instance, you'd be better off somewhere else.

gespenstern

nnayr3 wrote: »

what about job titles or any good websites related to it jobs?

Nothing special, technical support, desktop analyst, helpdesk support, server engineer, network support network engineer, network analyst, security analyst -- entry level jobs to get some experience. Just don't forget that you have better chances at larger well-known corporations. Intern type of jobs would do as well, large companies hire tons of people from their interns after seeing how they do.

Also $500/semester is fine.

nnayr3

thanks for you help! i will look into this

gespenstern wrote: »

Nothing special, technical support, desktop analyst, helpdesk support, server engineer, network support network engineer, network analyst, security analyst -- entry level jobs to get some experience. Just don't forget that you have better chances at larger well-known corporations. Intern type of jobs would do as well, large companies hire tons of people from their interns after seeing how they do.

Also $500/semester is fine.

nnayr3

I appreciate your response, just by reading the thread responses i can already see what you are saying lol. I wanted to paint a pic. so you can see my perspective and if i am in the right direction.

madtownliz wrote: »

Speaking as a female network engineer, it does matter, but not in the way some people on the thread are assuming. No one's going to hire you just because you are female, or a person of color, or whatever. But it certainly does get you noticed. That can be noticed in a good way or a bad way, all depending on your skills and how you present yourself. If you shine, you'll shine that much brighter and everyone will know your name. However, the same goes if you can't cut it. Your incompetence will stand out from the crowd of equally incompetent (male) peers, and it will go worse for you and for other women who follow you (https://xkcd.com/385/).

I've found networking to be a pretty solid meritocracy. You can't go in demanding respect because of your certs or whatever; you have to earn it. But once you do, you're part of the club. It's kind of a locker room - understandable for a field that's something like 3% female - but I've never been slagged for being a "girl". Once I showed I could keep up with the guys, I became one of them.

Your path to break into the industry is a solid one. It's the one I took, also after getting a bachelor's and master's in an unrelated field. Throw yourself into that community college CCNA program, get to know your classmates and instructors, do your best to excel. If you do that, your name might be the first that comes to mind when doing recommendations for internships and employment. And the coursework, particularly if it has a strong lab component, will be a good indication whether you're a good fit for this field. If you find that you hate troubleshooting, for instance, you'd be better off somewhere else.

thomas_

madtownliz wrote: »

If you shine, you'll shine that much brighter and everyone will know your name. However, the same goes if you can't cut it. Your incompetence will stand out from the crowd of equally incompetent (male) peers, and it will go worse for you and for other women who follow you (https://xkcd.com/385/).

I think I agree with the first part, but not the second part. If a woman is a dud I think everyone thinks that she's a dud who happens to be a woman. I don't think people will think she's a dud because she's a woman or automatically relegate all women to being incompetent due to one incompetent woman. If all of the women I personally encounter are incompetent, then I'm going to think all of the women I have met so far are incompetent, but I'm not going to extend that to all of the women of the human race just because my personal experience has included nothing but incompetent women.

volfkhat

Ummm...
i see frequent postings for helpdesk Roles looking for fluent Spanish speakers.
(seriously)

Not sure what market you are in, but look on indeed and see for yourself
(search something like: A+ certification Spanish)

As a guy.... i appreciate having more women in tech ;]

trueshrewkmc

@beads Yup, that's exactly what I've thought as I've read OP's posts.

I am a female veteran who majored in English. Earning A+ helped me get my first help desk job. My rapport with my help desk supervisor (and earning MCSE) helped me get a sys admin job. Employers appreciate soft skills for tech support jobs, but their appreciation will not be reflected as pay. A+ and CCNA certs might help you learn more about PCs and networks, but the pay or the work may not be what you'd like.

A long term plan might be to leverage the IT knowledge you pick up from A+ and CCNA studies AND your communications degrees as a business analyst. Being able to translate what users, C-suite staff, and others want for other IT people is a useful skill and more lucrative than trying to get rich in tech support, system administration, or network operations. Tech writing would be another possibility. Communications is a degree requirement employers sometimes mention in job postings for technical writers. (Like beads, I am a little concerned, however, about the writing style of your forum posts.)

NetworkingStudent's advice about using LinkedIn is pretty sound. If I were a recent grad, I would try to network with older grads from my alma mater in LinkedIn. Before reaching out in LinkedIn, try to identify which IT jobs appeal to you. People will be more willing to help you in LinkedIn if you apply a little introspection first. (Trying to tell someone who has already earned a masters degree what to do when she grows up is awkward.) Other than LinkedIn, try Googling for women in technology groups and join one or more.

fullcrowmoon

devilbones wrote: »

Does it make a difference that you are female?

It did for me 19 years ago. Maybe things have changed.

DoubleNNs

I didn't read thru the thread, but honestly even tho people in IT always talk about how it's a meritocracy and how only skills matter, that's not completely true. Unfortunately, "culture fit" is thrown around all the time, and a lot of "soft" qualities do play a part in the hiring process. Beyond communication abilities, personal interests, age, sex, and ethnicity actually do play a part in employment, regardless of whether it's openly talked about or even conscious towards the people involved.

Additionally, large companies don't actually give that much advantage over other ethnicity or sexes than white males.

However, sex and ethnicity are things that you can't really change. Therefore, (un)fortunately, they aren't things that should be focused on (from an individual's standpoint, not from an organization's). Simply improve your skills/credentials and expand your network and doors will open for you.

Jumping into the CCNA course sounds like a great idea. Feel free to use this forum, in addition to the resources in your class, if you need help or want to bounce ideas off like-minded techies.

scaredoftests

I have been in the business close to 20 years and me being female never made a difference (at least it didn't feel like it). I want to be hired on my talents not by what sex I am. That is my 2 cents.

No_Nerd

The fact that you titled this starting with female +...+..... might be where your issue starts. Think about fit and ability to work with coworkers.

olaHalo

markulous wrote: »

There may be a wage difference in the long term,

There would be no difference.