Ways to get experience?

Ok for starters, I am in a local community college studying network administration.

The focus seems to be on cisco(training for ccna of course) windows server 2008 and linux.

Unfortunately my job has nothing to do with IT, I work in manufacturing. And I can't just up and quit to take a low pay(if any pay at all) internship as I live on my own and I'm 30 so moving back in with my dad isn't a option(we get along and I could in a case where I'd be in a bad spot and am laid off) Aside from that I also am being reimbursed 100% on my tuition so all I'd have to pay for are the extra study materials I've have(videos, extra books, my real lab etc) and the certs.

I was wondering if anyone has any luck finding some volunteer work for maybe a few hours during the week working in some kind of IT environment? Or possibly going into some small business yourself maybe installing home networks for the computer/networking illiterate? Obviously being a student and working full time I don't have time to take on any major responsibilities but any suggestions?

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Comments

Kasor

Try local super computer store like: bestbuy,.. or you can open up your own little workshop (run from your house) to help out the local community or family members.

Get anything that you can from school or networking...

msteinhilber

Doing some business on the side out of your house is a good way for some extra cash and to get more comfortable with networking, but in my opinion it isn't really going to go a very long ways in helping you land a job working in IT.

I think even a part time job with the Geeksquad outside of your primary jobs hours (not sure if they do much PT work). I would keep working towards your degree, maybe look into a PT job, also wouldn't hurt to get a couple certifications under your belt such as the CCNA. During this time I would keep applying for an entry level position someplace working helpdesk. How much can you afford to make at a minimum? It can be difficult to break into the IT industry without doing time working helpdesk, some people get lucky enough to skip it but it's kind of a rite of passage for a lot of us.

Out of curiosity, does your current employer have any sort of an IT department? If so, is there any possibility of transitioning over to the IT department or helping out from time to time?

jamesleecoleman

Have you tried work study??? I swear alot of people don't mention workstudy while going to school and getting a degree in computers. There should be a list at the job placement center at your school for jobs that are available.

ziggi138

If you dont qualify for workstudy, you could talk to the IT director at your school and see if you can do an internship.

jamesleecoleman

ziggi138 wrote: »

If you dont qualify for workstudy, you could talk to the IT director at your school and see if you can do an internship.

This is true as well. At my school, we can't even do internships if they don't have any workstudy positions open or money for that position.

RobertKaucher

Look for places like this in your area: Donate or recycle your old computer in Cincinnati, Ohio

Talk to small businesses, churches and other non-profits. Be very clear about the types of services you offer and at what price. Donating your time, though, is a good way to get things started. Just be clear and provide your users with documentation if you need to. I did an SBS 2003 deployment for a small business and they just paid my mileage. I still support them today, for a fee, and the experience looks good on my resume.

Crunchyhippo

jjbrog wrote: »

I was wondering if anyone has any luck finding some volunteer work for maybe a few hours during the week working in some kind of IT environment? Or possibly going into some small business yourself maybe installing home networks for the computer/networking illiterate? Obviously being a student and working full time I don't have time to take on any major responsibilities but any suggestions?

I'm not sure what kind of volunteer work you're looking for, but IT departments don't generally take on "volunteers." Too many issues with security, not to mention time drained away from training their own staff in order to train/watch over someone not even with the company.

You need experience to get that job. But then - to get a job, you need experience. You'll just need to keep plugging away and wait for that small opening to begin building experience. It can be a slow road at first.

Good luck.

dynamik

Tons of churches, other non-profits, small businesses, etc. could definitely use volunteer work. You're not going to be put in charge of thousands of users, but you'll still learn a lot and build credibility at rinky-dink organizations while starting out.

grayfox587

as crunch said it can be a slow road, a very slow road, it took me 3 years to land the internship im at now. You says wow 3 years IT is terrible, now i have had job interviews but i blew them because well i didnt know enough, while your in school, get your A+ and you will land a job easily

Solaris_UNIX

Volunteering to do network administration / system administration for free is the best way to rack up experience. Just work for a charitable or non-profit organization free of charge in exchange for getting a good bullet & contact info on your resume.