Well talk about luck and not giving up.

Well I hope this is kinda a inspiration thread. So heres my story.

After losing my job at a warehouse(pay 10/hr ) earlier this year( around january ) I decided to hurry up and finish up my A+, passed that in feburary, figured OK I have my A+ now, jobs should just start coming in left and right ( wrong!!!!! ) I continued to hear " you dont have enough experience" over and over and OVER some more. I didn't understand why somebody would bring me in, just to tell me " you dont have any experience" well duh I stated that on my resume.

So then I decided the A+ is just not enough nowadays. So I went and passed my Network+ by the middle of march, ok I figured I have 2 certs now, I should have alittle bit of luck now, but I couldn't afford to be umemployed any longer( was out of work for 2 months now ) So I decided I have about 5 years of experience in the warehouse I'll just pick one of those up and continue to look for my first IT job. Just when I was about to take a warehouse job, I finally get my big break and land a PC technician job replacing Motherboards in schools through a temp agency. I was so happy, esp since they said it would last 4 - 6 months. The pay was $12/hr. Just when I thought every was going Good, they cut the contract down to 6 weeks, I was working friday and no work that monday( no warning or anything ), So now i'm out of work again. I had alittle experience, but I figured it's time to get another cert, so I go and pass the 70-270, ok now I'm a MCP, Cool. but still couldn't find anything, so back to the warehouse again, this time I find a job paying $9.50/hr putting tools in a toolbox. Man I feel so depressed after this, cause I went from fixing PC's to a warehouse job ( again ).

But, once again another job comes to my rescue( or so I think ) I land a job working on POS stuff, I figured I would be working on POS systems that ran windows etc.etc. No They stick me with fixing cash registers n stuff. Fine I'll take it the pay is $12.50/hr. They had another guy who was there for 5 years who was working on the POS stuff that I wanted to work on and he was getting ready to quit. bingo heres my chance to take his position( keep in mind this was a small company around 5 - 7 employees ), No they pass me over for a new hire to come in and take over his stuff, they figure it was better since I knew the cash registers(which I didn't I was only there for a month,come on ). This pissed me off and I was working on stuff I didnt like, it wasn't PC stuff to me,it wasn't what I was in school for.

In October I just had it up to HERE and just left, I was working 50-60 hours a week and they kept cheating me out of my hours, plus I was under paid , but I took it cause I need the experience. So after 2 1/2 months I leave. Once again I was depressed cause I only had about 3 1/2 months of IT experience, So just when I was about to go back to a warehouse job, a guy in my class said he just landed a job with homeland security through a temp agency called APEX starting at 40K/yr and he had 0 IT experience just his A+ and network+. now he gave me the number for the place before I quit my last job. So I figured hey I may get lucky too and gave them a call. They informed me they may have a helpdesk position opening up soon and just send them my resume. So I figured what the heck it's worth a try. sent them my resume on tuesday and they said they loved it and the position was starting @ 14/hr and if I get hired they'll start me around $16/hr. I figure Hell yeaH I'd take it. So I went and took the drug test thursday started the new job at Geico's HQ that following tuesday.

The contract was for 1 month, after the contract was up they offered me alittle over $19/hr. I was shocked, like really shocked. I only have 3 certs and about 3 months of IT experience and no degree. Wow talk about luck and great timing. and if yall don't know, Geico is real big on promoting from within, my manager said after 6 months, If I work hard . they will help me move to any other team that I want ( exchange team, linux team, win server team etc.etc ) Of course you have to have the skills for it, but my manager said they dont expect people to stay at the help desk and they will pay for me to get a degree.

So I know this post is kinda long, but I had to get it out. this is more so for people trying to get into IT, dont let the " you dont have enough experience" stop you, cause you'll hear it alot. I know I must've heard it about 15 times this year and I damn sure didn't expect to make this much with so little experience. If you told me earlier this year that I would land a job here , I wouldn't of believed you..lol

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Comments

sprkymrk

avx - Way to hang in there and thanks for sharing your story. I wish you continued success and prosperity in your future endeavors.

Olajuwon

Congrats, make the best out of it.

jkstech

great story!!!!!

sounds like a good situation, be sure to give us an update in 6 months

jetdynamics

avx - great!!!!story very inspiring I thought im alone out there im also on the same situation like you work my certificates but then again always hear from the employer that you dont have that experience and now i end up in a mfg company making $16/hr but still i want to get into IT fields recently i just got an interview for a Help Desk position Level 1 support the thing is they are offering me only $12/hr im still waiting for the result. I am now trying to balance if its for the money or career. With your story this motivates me to grab the offer for the Help Desk position coz i know the experience ill be getting there would lead me to a more better opportunity

Orion82698

That's awesome!!! Congrats!

Your foot is in the door now, all you have to do is move forward

Smallguy

congrats

glad you stuck it out and proved never quitting pays off

famosbrown

Congrats!!! I wish more people like you would share their stories to realize they can make a lot of money in this field without having the years of experience or stack of certs. All you have to do is keep trying, keep applying, and something will come up. The only thing the companies can say is NO or YES! In your case, they said yes, and they are going to pay for you to attain the skills to continue moving up the chain. Truly a blessing, and I am rooting for you!! Take care!

Famos

buulam

Congrats!

Great to hear your perseverance through it all. That attitude will take you very far in your career and in life.

And if Geico is paying for more education, I will assume you know its a no brainer to suck up as much as you can!

manny355

I myself have been experiencing a similar turn of events. I had a job working for a university making just over $40K doing something not related in one bit to IT. I had always found a passion for computers, and got my bachelors degree in computer systems. Once I got my bachelors degree I went the the IT department of this university and applied for a level 1 technical support position...they told me that I didn't have enough experience...I was like...it's a level 1 position...how much experience do you need right!

Okay...I kept applying for positions....position after position...after position kept telling me that I had no experience...remember...all of the positions that I had been applying for up to this point were positions like...level 1 technical support...entry level desktop support...entry level network technician...positions that actually had entry level in the job description....I would get many interviews...thanks to a well written resume...and each and every time I was told that they were concerned about my lack of professional experience...I have lots of experience working on my own home network, fixing my own computers as well as friends computers, installing my own software and things of that nature...but nothing was done professionally. Heck...I was making 40K per yr and was willing to take a pay cut down to 33-35 per year...but still no joy.

Okay...I was prior military so I decided to take advantage of a program that they have in my state and I took the MCSE/MCSA track at my local community college...very interesting by the way...I updated my resume to show that I have been trained as a MCSE/MCSA, it was clearly stated that I had not received the certification as of yet but had been trained on the various concepts and modules and had the completion certificates to prove it...well all the time i'm still working for this university...I get to know some of the tech guys in the IT department...they give me a heads up for a desktop support position that was going to be coming up...I give my resume to the contact I had in the IT department, they give it to the manager...the manager is impressed...they set up a formal interview with me...I interview...the manager is again impressed...how do I know...the manager told me so...the manager also says that i'm the most qualified from all of the candidates that he as interviewed so far but that he has another day or two of interview to complete and that they will get back to me...

I also reapply for the Level 1 Technical support position after I complete the MCSE/MCSA track...a week later I call up the manager hiring for the Desktop support position to find out what is going on "answer any questions that they may have"...you know the speil.....i'm told that they decided to go with someone with more professional experience...keep in mind that this is an entry level desktop support position...okay...I call the hiring manager for the level 1 techical support position to check on the status of that...i'm told that they feel that I am overqualified for the position and would be bored so they went with someone else....keep in mind that at this point, I have applied to...like....4....IT positions with this company. Each time you apply for an inhouse position, you have to let your current manager know that you are attempting to apply for another position. And there comes a point where your current manager realizes that you don't want to be there and decided to start looking at replacing you...not saying that this is what happend but....come on.

Anyway, at this point i'm pretty salty about the whole situation...i've been applying for IT positions and being turned down for like more than 6 months now...I have a Bachelors degree and have been trained as a MCSA and even the company that I work for won't even hire me in an entry level position...i'm feeling pretty low at this point. Also, I contacted some of the major IT recruiters in my area...from RHT, to Teksystems, to Management Recruiters....I went in and met with the recruiters and guess what they told me...you guessed it...I don't have enough professional experience...so i'm pretty jacked up right now. How in the blue heck can you get experience if you can't get hired for an entry level position...it's absurd....to be continued

manny355

2nd half

Anyways, a few years back I worked with a small staffing firm in my local area...I decided to call them and see what they could do...they were not an IT firm but staffed postions for customer service and similar positions. It must have been my lucky day, because they had a new client that was looking for entry level help desk...I gave them my resume and they passed it along...well the new client was impressed and wanted to me me...I get a heads up before the interview that although the client was impressed with my resume, they were also apprehensive about me being overqualified for the position...so the agency told me to let them know that I know the position is entry level and am looking to get my foot in the door in IT. I meet withd the manager of IT, the interview goes well...most of the interview the manager spends trying to convince me that the position would be worth my time...it was funny...I went in with the intent of trying to convince the manager that I am the best candidate for the position but when I got there, the roles were reversed...lol. I was told that the pay was 15 per hr but the company was growing....there may be opportunities later on down the line...yada...yada....yada...so I tell the manager that the position was just what I was looking for...(it was)...and that I would like to be apart of the organization. The manager tells me that I'm hired and that they will contact the agency to let them know...this was a friday...asked me if I could start in two weeks...I said that will be no problem...just let me give my notice at my other company...the manager walks me over to HR, has me fill out all of the necessary forms to get access to systems and my key card and boom...I got my first IT job.

Well, I call the agency, tell them that I just got hired and they tell me that the manager was impressed with my background and education and instead of 15 per hr, I would be getting 16 per hr effective after a short training period...i'm like cool...well after the training...I call up to find out about when the 16 per hr will take effect and find out that instead of 16 per hr, I would be getting 17 per hr effect a week ago...i'm like cool...i'm almost back up to the 19 per hr that I was making before.

In the new position that I have, my hours are such that I get to study for certifications in between user calls...i've just added A+ and will be adding Net + in January, and then CCNA and CCA, sometime before June. With this position I gain the experience needed that kept me from getting the positions that I had been turned down for initially, and the certifications just re-enforces that education and experience so that in the future when i'm applying for positions, experience will be a non issue.

garv221

Congrats, I think you created your own luck in this case. Good Job.

goforthbmerry

Congrats!!

I had a similar experience after being laid off. I looked for 6 months for an IT job. I did not want to go back into restaurant management. When I left that career, my goal was to make the same money in 2 years but work 40 hours instead of 60. Now I didn't have any job at all. I decided that 6 months was my limit. I have a family and they supported my decision but eating is good tool. I was in the last week when I got an offer for almost twice what I was making at the place that laid me off. I started at $20/hr with less than a year of experience. I was making my restaurant money including the bonuses. I was thrilled. It does happen, sometimes you just need to wait for it.

RATTLERMAN

It's good to read posts like this... helps to pick me up.

I feel my chance is coming i just hae to wait on it.