Bleek future for only High-School Grad?

DigitalZeroOne · August 2011

The problem that you and more people will have is that now everyone is getting a degree, everyone has certs. Now that so many people have a degree and multiple certifications, why would a company hire you?

When I started in IT, if you had an MCSE you could go just about anywhere, now it does not mean as much, companies almost except that you have it. You talk about going to college and amassing more debt, but what about community college? How much was the bootcamp that you attended? That could have gone to self study and a home lab, or maybe some credits at the CC. If you don't plan on going to college, take any IT job and start working your way up, along the way, you can earn certs and you will definitely gain experience.

MrAgent · August 2011

The military is a great option. They will train you, pay for college, and give you a clearance. Do your obligated time get out and youll be making a ton -- degree or not.

Akaricloud · August 2011

You can definitely succeed without having a degree but it's going to be a bit more difficult. You have to gain experience and connections even if that means taking low paying or non paying jobs for a while.

Had you taken a $12/hr job 2-years ago then not only would you have made ~50k but you'd surely have the experience and connections to move into a better position. Personally I've been playing that game for the past few years with increases in pay from $9 -> $10 -> $16 -> $20 and now much, much higher for my most recent part-time contract. I'm 4 classes away from getting my BA and already making more than most graduates from my program.

You really should look into going to college though. With no income you'll get great financial aid and will probably have not only tuition but also part of your living costs paid through grants(not debt). The only reason I'm even finishing my degree is that I profit off of taking classes because of the grants that I'm awarded.

johnnyarks · August 2011

DigitalZeroOne wrote: »

...going to college and amassing more debt, but what about community college? How much was the bootcamp that you attended? That could have gone to self study and a home lab, or maybe some credits at the CC...

I was enrolled in school when I was canned, I had to pull out of my classes because if a job came along that had those hrs (Noon-6pm). Are you suppose to turn it down cause your going to school?
its a catch-22, Money needed now VS. future Education later, <--what is prioritized as more important.

the bootcamp was $1300, I do have a home lab of 5 routers and 3 switches.
Like I said before I have achieved my Network+ and CCENT with-in a 4month time frame with the intent to site for ICND2 in a few weeks.

and.. I'm not sure how it is other states, but If you get financial ad from the Govt, You don't get unemployment benefits unless the labor department approves you schedule!!!...guess what, they didn't...thus the reason I didn't pursue school when unemployed, my income would have stopped!

DPG wrote: »

I hear this BS all the time. How can someone not afford to work? That $12/hr job could easily turn into a $25/hr job if you worked hard enough.

I guess you didn't read where I wrote these are dead end jobs, Security companies here in NYC are like cheap temp agencies, $12/hr is considered "high-end" on their pay-scale, with a rent of $1000/month really, man? You can't live on this. The most they pay is $18 tops and that's supervisor positions with 7-10+ years, or an ex-cop... like I said dead end jobs. Now living with my parents I can take something like $25-30K a yr cause I'm not paying rent, and honestly I'd be pretty content with that for a while, since I consider myself entry level. Seems like you guys think I'm holding out for $60k/yr job I'm not, I only made $35k/yr at my last job...and I was barely getting by on that.

Mrock4 wrote: »

To echo what everyone else said, do something proactive about your situation.

Ever consider- taking a NOC job (that appears 'lesser' to you) might give you time to study when things are slow..at work! Or, working in a NOC, you prove yourself- they might consider you for a higher level position from within. I've seen it happen more than once.

Either way, good luck.

This is EXACTLY the type of job I described in the #1 post... did I give the impression that I though this type of work is beneath me?
...at this point I'd be happy to work help desk for $13/hr ... and thanks

Everyone wrote: »

... I'm 29, so only 2 years older than you. I have 12 years in IT now, and a technically never even graduated high school. I don't have a GED either. I have 72 credit hours towards an Associates, but no degree. I have a very well established career, and my skills are in demand. I'm in the $80k-$90k/yr bracket, and I do it all from home...

Lmao... I like how you compare your 12yrs experience vs my 0 ...

networker050184 wrote: »

Get a job, any job. Do you really think the longer you sit on unemployment the more attractive you will become to potential employers?

....did anyone read the post were I said, I've applied to Best Buy, staples radioshacks, and even Starbucks?!

I haven't been sitting on my ass for 2yrs I've applied to hundreds & hundreds of jobs with less <12 face to face interviews of positions, (tech, and Non-IT, between 470-620 applications, at a point I had to start keeping count/record for the labor dept.) ... I'm a heart beat away from applying in Mcd's... smh

I've applied to 20-30ish free non paying intern positions, no responses.

...and honestly Minimum wage position even at 40hrs/week is not going to pay my minimums on my credit cards/loans.

Another thing to note is you need a license to work security, and my license expired, and takes 6-9+months to "clear", even If wanted to work security I can't, and you need a different license for every state, i.e., NJ, NY.

Strangely enough not many of you answer my original question is how many of you guys are working in the industry and have no degrees...and how did you get your start, what was your first job/experience...?

Akaricloud · August 2011

johnnyarks wrote: »

I haven't been sitting on my ass for 2yrs I've applied to hundreds & hundreds (between 470-620, at a point I had to start keeping count/record) of jobs with less <12 face to face interviews of positions, (tech, and Non-IT) ... I'm a heart beat away from applying in Mcd's... smh

I've applied to 20-30ish free non paying intern positions, no responses.

If you're applying to that many jobs with that little success then something is wrong. Either what you're using to apply with isn't up to par or you're not applying for the right jobs. To put it in perspective I got interviews with at least 50% of the companies I applied for when I had 0 IT job experience.

You should post up your resume and maybe a sample cover letter for us to look over and possibly help you with.

hiddenknight821 · August 2011

Okay, I think we have enough preaching you, and I'm sure all of this posts are making you feel awful, but it was necessary to enlighten you that we had our share of frustration too. However, instead of moping around, we picked up our slack and get with the program. Hey, we can throw a bunch of motivation links at you, but I think we did enough for now. The least we need from you is your honest opinions about how we may have changed your perspective after we gave you our responses. If you are not yet convinced by our success stories and continue to whine about the unfairness in this world, then please tell us what's still bothering you. Other than that, you should thank us for sharing our insights that you may did not realize before. I'm younger than you are, and I have made mistakes too. No one is perfect. One thing that set me apart from most people I know is that I am ambitious about what I want to do. I learned from other people's experiences and mistakes, which makes me a better person each day.

I see that I live in the neck of your wood. You should consider yourself extremely lucky that you may find more opportunities here than someplace else, but you should definitely plan on staying with your parents for the next few years and invest into paying off debts. Frankly, I don't give a damn about your dignity, because you don't want to be in debt again like you were when you living on your own.

By the way, Everyone (yes, I meant the screenname). Nice success story and thanks for sharing!

johnnyarks · August 2011

the_Grinch wrote: »

I have two options you can try, though option 2 kinda depends on where you live in NJ. First, school districts. Go onto the websites of the various school districts around you and see if they are hiring techs. I worked part-time for two school districts, one for 9.70 an hour and the other ended up being 14.25. The second one gave me 25 hours a week (every week) and sick days. Both were no weekends and every school holiday off (great for studying and a crappy second job). The other option is Comcast. I worked on their helpdesk and there were people who were only high school grads and maybe knew how to turn a computer on. The pay was pretty good, but the hours were bad. You can also look at maybe be an install tech. Best part, free internet and tv (cheap phone service). I wouldn't worry about the kinda being fired, in NJ they can only say you worked there and from what dates. Good luck!

this looks interesting I'll check it out. After CCNA, I'm gonna get some MCP certs, I'm sure that will help.

johnnyarks · August 2011

Akaricloud wrote: »

If you're applying to that many jobs with that little success then something is wrong. Either what you're using to apply with isn't up to par or you're not applying for the right jobs. To put it in perspective I got interviews with at least 50% of the companies I applied for when I had 0 IT job experience.

You should post up your resume and maybe a sample cover letter for us to look over and possibly help you with.

As requested... I usually do individual cover letters for every job, I never save them cause they're always different.

tpatt100 · August 2011

Is anybody aware of the unemployment situation going on right now? The 9.8 percent or whatever average it is right now is a reported average that is not even truly accurate. Once you are laid off more than 12 months they drop you off the records so in some states like Michigan the unemployment rate can be upwards of 15 percent or 20 percent for some cities.

The jobs I interviewed for when I was laid off were not advertised on job search sites, the company's websites, etc. When I was interviewing for my new position the HR person told me they did not advertise because they did not want to wade through a ton of resumes so my resume was pulled off Monster. You get selected for a lot of jobs now, calling and asking does not always work.

So I have over 10 years experience, certs, degree, etc, etc and I get called for jobs that are not advertised. Its a buyers market for many jobs especially the mid level ones. So if there are a lot less jobs the bottom workers, the ones starting out are fighting an uphill battle.

Buuttt on the other hand when I was at my poorest and had the least opportunities I was also my strongest in my desire to succeed. I think the OP has made several excuses. You can go to Community College at night and still find work for first shift. Get out of the house and back in night class, there are connections to be made in college. That was how I got my first IT job was somebody who sat next to me in my PC Hardware class.

Mrock4 · August 2011

tpatt100 wrote: »

Is anybody aware of the unemployment situation going on right now?

That is a very valid point, except when I was desperate for a job, I accepted one across the country..so there IS work, if you're willing to follow it.

Also, to the OP. When I was in your shoes, I joined the military and got experience. It was my path, and it worked. Everyone is different.

pham0329 · August 2011

Lmao... I like how you compare your 12yrs experience vs my 0 ...

You could of had experience, except you chose to stay on unemployment because it was more money. Those "dead end" jobs could have lead to other opportunities, and the experience you would have gotten from working in a NOC would absolutely help right about now.

....did anyone read the post were I said, I've applied to Best Buy, staples radioshacks, and even Starbucks?!

Don't mean to be harsh, but if you're applying for retail position at places like staples/starbucks and can't land a job, it's probably because there's a giant red flag somewhere on your resume (2 years without a job), or you're not the best when it comes to interviews. It's certainly not because you don't have a degree.

I haven't been sitting on my ass for 2yrs I've applied to hundreds & hundreds of jobs with less <12 face to face interviews of positions, (tech, and Non-IT, between 470-620 applications, at a point I had to start keeping count/record for the labor dept.) ... I'm a heart beat away from applying in Mcd's... smh

The problem is that you've been applying for jobs that you will most certainly not get. Like you said, you have 0 experience, and until recently, no cert either...why would anyone hire you as an admin, or as security analyst? Also, places like starbucks hire people with good, well, people skills. Having a Network+ or CCENT on your resume won't do you much good there. At the very least, they'll think you're over qualified and that you'll be bored and quit once you find a better job.

N2IT · August 2011

Johnny might as well finish off the CCNA. That would be my first piece of advice. Along with applying for part time or contract work. Get back in the work force. You might have to be flexible or mobile.

Get your debt under control it can be done. Read up from debt experts and settle that. Then expand your horizons and become mobile.

tpatt100 · August 2011

I would take any job just so you can get used to having to be somewhere every morning.

Armymanis · August 2011

What I don't get is why you don't want to move back in with your parents or aunt or uncle or grandmother or grandfather. It's not that bad. Free rent and it gives you a chance to get started. Admit that your having trouble and instead of being evicted from your place, live there at a relatives and take an entry level IT job. It does not matter if its a contract job or full time or even part time. I do desktop deployments and I am on contract while going to school. If I can do it, you can too!

johnnyarks · August 2011

tpatt100 wrote: »

I would take any job just so you can get used to having to be somewhere every morning.

I actually interviewed twice for a entry level NOC position, last week, that was $25-35k/yr, They started out by asking me silly simple questions like..."how would you ping this router's X" ....then once they figured out I wasn't an idiot they started asking me about BGP & MPLS...I was puzzled like isn't this an entry level position? then they asked what my "five year plan was" ...I told them something like I wanna be a Network Engineer and finished my CCNP they all of a sudden they looked scared...so I don't know what exactly they were looking for... honestly I would take any job, but I live in a rather suburbanite town, its 90% Mexican so speaking Spanish is a must here, which I do not...my job search is NYC/Hoboken area, NJ is not really an option cause you need a car to get around which I do not have.

tpatt100 wrote: »

I think the OP has made several excuses. You can go to Community College at night and still find work for first shift. Get out of the house and back in night class, there are connections to be made in college. That was how I got my first IT job was somebody who sat next to me in my PC Hardware class.

This is the plan, but I need a job first.

Armymanis wrote: »

What I don't get is why you don't want to move back in with your parents or aunt or uncle or grandmother or grandfather. It's not that bad. Free rent and it gives you a chance to get started. Admit that your having trouble and instead of being evicted from your place, live there at a relatives and take an entry level IT job. It does not matter if its a contract job or full time or even part time. I do desktop deployments and I am on contract while going to school. If I can do it, you can too!

...sigh* ...I believe I already answered this, please read post #35

W Stewart · August 2011

johnnyarks wrote: »

I was enrolled in school when I was canned, I had to pull out of my classes because if a job came along that had those hrs (Noon-6pm). Are you suppose to turn it down cause your going to school?
its a catch-22, Money needed now VS. future Education later, <--what is prioritized as more important.

the bootcamp was $1300, I do have a home lab of 5 routers and 3 switches.
Like I said before I have achieved my Network+ and CCENT with-in a 4month time frame with the intent to site for ICND2 in a few weeks.

and.. I'm not sure how it is other states, but If you get financial ad from the Govt, You don't get unemployment benefits unless the labor department approves you schedule!!!...guess what, they didn't...thus the reason I didn't pursue school when unemployed, my income would have stopped!

I guess you didn't read where I wrote these are dead end jobs, Security companies here in NYC are like cheap temp agencies, $12/hr is considered "high-end" on their pay-scale, with a rent of $1000/month really, man? You can't live on this. The most they pay is $18 tops and that's supervisor positions with 7-10+ years, or an ex-cop... like I said dead end jobs. Now living with my parents I can take something like $25-30K a yr cause I'm not paying rent, and honestly I'd be pretty content with that for a while, since I consider myself entry level. Seems like you guys think I'm holding out for $60k/yr job I'm not, I only made $35k/yr at my last job...and I was barely getting by on that.

This is EXACTLY the type of job I described in the #1 post... did I give the impression that I though this type of work is beneath me?
...at this point I'd be happy to work help desk for $13/hr ... and thanks

Lmao... I like how you compare your 12yrs experience vs my 0 ...

....did anyone read the post were I said, I've applied to Best Buy, staples radioshacks, and even Starbucks?!

I haven't been sitting on my ass for 2yrs I've applied to hundreds & hundreds of jobs with less <12 face to face interviews of positions, (tech, and Non-IT, between 470-620 applications, at a point I had to start keeping count/record for the labor dept.) ... I'm a heart beat away from applying in Mcd's... smh

I've applied to 20-30ish free non paying intern positions, no responses.

...and honestly Minimum wage position even at 40hrs/week is not going to pay my minimums on my credit cards/loans.

Another thing to note is you need a license to work security, and my license expired, and takes 6-9+months to "clear", even If wanted to work security I can't, and you need a different license for every state, i.e., NJ, NY.

Strangely enough not many of you answer my original question is how many of you guys are working in the industry and have no degrees...and how did you get your start, what was your first job/experience...?

Sorry hate to be a hardass but a lot of these people are right. First question. Can you afford to live off of unemployment? If so then go back to school and look for a job that works for you schedule wise and one that will also give you the right experience. If not then you're just gonna have to get out and get a job. If the jobs in your area don't pay enough to make a living then that's called life. Move back in with your parents for awhile or get a roomate and split the rent. Maybe two roomates. That's all you can really do short of relocation(still not sure what your stance on relocation is). I think a CCNA will get you a good paying entry level job in one of these 50 states.

Armymanis · August 2011

Get a junker car! It does not have to be a nice one! You can buy a junker for less then $2000 these days. Get something that drives then you can say you have a car. This guy is just not motivated and is putting himself down, and we are trying to help. MOTIVATE YOURSELF AND STOP PUTTING YOURSELF DOWN! DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT IF YOU WANT TO AVOID BEING POOR!

johnnyarks · August 2011

W Stewart wrote: »

Sorry hate to be a hardass but a lot of these people are right. First question. Can you afford to live off of unemployment? If so then go back to school and look for a job that works for you schedule wise and one that will also give you the right experience. If not then you're just gonna have to get out and get a job. If the jobs in your area don't pay enough to make a living then that's called life. Move back in with your parents for awhile or get a roomate and split the rent. Maybe two roomates. That's all you can really do short of relocation(still not sure what your stance on relocation is). I think a CCNA will get you a good paying entry level job in one of these 50 states.

Dude read the quote, If I would have went to school, my unemployment checks would have stopped. My schedule didn't get approved by Dept of Labor. To be clear that was the situation when I was living alone by myself. Now, My benefits have been exhausted since Jan, and I've been living with my folks. Since then I have been doing the IT study on my own.

johnnyarks · August 2011

Armymanis wrote: »

Get a junker car! It does not have to be a nice one! You can buy a junker for less then $2000 these days. Get something that drives then you can say you have a car. This guy is just not motivated and is putting himself down, and we are trying to help. MOTIVATE YOURSELF AND STOP PUTTING YOURSELF DOWN! DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT IF YOU WANT TO AVOID BEING POOR!

Where do you get $2k? You need money... how do you get money...you need a job...back to original point. I wonder how many of you have been on unemployment ever, for a sustained amount of time...

JohnnyBiggles · August 2011

I hear what everyone is saying. And thank you all for you inspiration - there are some great success stories and some have motivated my complaining azz to do even more. However, in the OP's defense, there are some strong forces that can still work against you. Maybe it's luck, maybe it's not pushing yourself to the extreme limit. Maybe things just don't line up for everyone. I don't know, everyone is different. Going to school can be costly not just through its own major expenses. You need to 1) get there; 2) get books, supplies, etc.; 3) eat; and most importantly 4) endure/survive what school does to you over the time you're in it. If you're working for free or damn near it - while in school, and working like a mad man, one will start to interfere with the other and neither will ultimately succeed. At my busiest, I was working 2 jobs while in school part time, and the last year of school I managed 39 credits and Dean's List status while working full time (one job), living in my own apartment. Despite all my valiant efforts, it was in vain because of poor timing with waves of layoffs just after I graduated, and I don't have parents to move back in with so that's not even an option. Taking any old job just won't cut it. Bills MUST get paid... and not only that, EVERYTHING is getting out of control as far as costs go. And income must follow suit, which it is not. So, it's become a race against time.

I am working right now - 2 jobs in fact - but not what I want and need to be doing. One is sort of IT, which I specifically took to get experience and to show some sort of IT background since my actual hardcore experience is years back and this job can at least be be stated as IT... AND to move up within if possible, since they have a large network. They pay ****, but still, the title and tasks would be better and so would the money compared to what I get there now working part-time. I've been applying there (and asking around) and to 100's of other places (I too am in the NYC metro area, maybe it's just our area??) and even here at this place, budgets were cut so even that seems to be in vain since it hasn't led to anything in the 2 yrs I've been there and chances of moving up seem to be going down!

I'm still not giving up and am exploring areas and still networking with people, but as I said I've only recently rebooted my own search, and already things look better than they did months ago... I'm just in a tight spot myself since not much has worked out yet and I took plenty of steps back and sideways & spread myself out quite a bit to try to get ahead. All I'm saying is just give the OP a tiny break at least since it's not quite as easy as all the advisement posts make it seem. People get caught up in these loops that are hard to break out of since it's a major risk to accept certain things. Taking steps back doesn't always get you ahead, I've learned all too well! But, to the OP, ya gotta snap out of it too. I often have to check myself because it gets frustrating as hell and more time going by makes it worse. It does get hard on many days. Keep your head up and see if these posts can help you out in some way, too. I don't know about military, but I'm going to explore some new things.

JohnnyBiggles · August 2011

To add also, I acually registered for my master degree program and didn't start for 2 reasons:

1) They wanted me to take 6 classes before actually starting the program. This poses at least 2 problems: a) it would set me back at least a semester to more than a year. If I depended on a job that required a masters, that wouldn't come for years down the road. b) it would cost, at 875 per credit, phenominally more to complete and would add to my debts, making that job I'd get years later that much less valuable, anyway.

2) The only classes available did not fit my schedule, workwise. The classes simply did not exist that would allow me to work and attend school simultaneously or at least work enough to not live on a street or in my car.

So, my point is school is not always an option for everyone. Just saying.

johnnyarks · August 2011

@JohnnyBiggles, you sound like one of the few that has been in my shoes

advanex1 · August 2011

Johnny,

I've been in worse. Laid off in 2008, baby on the way, father died, no job market, wanted to do IT, signed up for a boot camp, got no certifications, running out of time...

The only difference between you and I is that I joined the military.

I mean, there are NO jobs in NJ period? I mean, no one necessarily cares to work at McD's, but you've done that successfully once before.. There are ways to get jobs, temporary, construction, one of the websites another member posted for temporary/specific jobs/payment per job...

I think what people are getting at here is that sometimes you have to suck it up, take a hit to your pride, and survive. People can laugh at you all they want for you working at a Burger King or something, but the fact of the matter is, behind the scenes you're working on your education and a career.. and when you make it... it will feel oh so sweet.

You're saying that you've applied for hundreds of jobs and I believe you, but sometimes you have to take a step back to move forward in this life. Like everyone's said.. any money is good money at this point. Go be a lifeguard or something, just make the money somewhere, keep working on school, and get it done.

Waiting on the world to change won't help you succeed. I hope you do find something and can get out of this rut that you're in. Just don't be the enabler for yourself.

johnnyarks · August 2011

Akaricloud wrote: »

You can definitely succeed without having a degree but it's going to be a bit more difficult. You have to gain experience and connections even if that means taking low paying or non paying jobs for a while.

Had you taken a $12/hr job 2-years ago then not only would you have made ~50k but you'd surely have the experience and connections to move into a better position. Personally I've been playing that game for the past few years with increases in pay from $9 -> $10 -> $16 -> $20 and now much, much higher for my most recent part-time contract. I'm 4 classes away from getting my BA and already making more than most graduates from my program.

You really should look into going to college though. With no income you'll get great financial aid and will probably have not only tuition but also part of your living costs paid through grants(not debt). The only reason I'm even finishing my degree is that I profit off of taking classes because of the grants that I'm awarded.

Please read post #35, these offers were from Security companies, as in Security Guard Companies, contracts... You are just a employee# to these companies, everyone is expendable... If I took a $12 gig 2yrs ago I'd be making $12 now, they are thankless dead end jobs, that is the reason for the career change into the IT field, the only ppl who make good careers in Security are ex-law enforcement, i.e. Cops, retired FBI.

and to be clear I have no problems taking a $12hr job now, I'm living at home with my parents, I don't pay rent, that was the issue with taking these jobs before was that my rent was $1000/month, $12 a month wasn't gonna cut it.

johnnyarks · August 2011

advanex1 wrote: »

Johnny,

I've been in worse. Laid off in 2008, baby on the way, father died, no job market, wanted to do IT, signed up for a boot camp, got no certifications, running out of time...

The only difference between you and I is that I joined the military.

I mean, there are NO jobs in NJ period? I mean, no one necessarily cares to work at McD's, but you've done that successfully once before.. There are ways to get jobs, temporary, construction, one of the websites another member posted for temporary/specific jobs/payment per job...

I think what people are getting at here is that sometimes you have to suck it up, take a hit to your pride, and survive. People can laugh at you all they want for you working at a Burger King or something, but the fact of the matter is, behind the scenes you're working on your education and a career.. and when you make it... it will feel oh so sweet.

You're saying that you've applied for hundreds of jobs and I believe you, but sometimes you have to take a step back to move forward in this life. Like everyone's said.. any money is good money at this point. Go be a lifeguard or something, just make the money somewhere, keep working on school, and get it done.

Waiting on the world to change won't help you succeed. I hope you do find something and can get out of this rut that you're in. Just don't be the enabler for yourself.

like I said in post #35, Mcd's is not out of the question, but I'm gonna get my CCNA and hunt for helpdesk/NOC/anything IT related hardcore...kinda don't care much about pay at this point, experience is what I need...if this fails then back to fastfood for a while.

advanex1 · August 2011

johnnyarks wrote: »

like I said in post #35, Mcd's is not out of the question, but I'm gonna get my CCNA and hunt for helpdesk/NOC/anything IT related hardcore...kinda don't care much about pay at this point, experience is what I need...if this fails then back to fastfood for a while.

That's what we are saying though. I realize that you said you are a heartbeat away, but having any job is better than having no job. The fact of the matter is, you wouldn't even have to add something like McD's on your resume if you didn't want to.

This is what we are saying, you can still get your CCNA and go to work, I do it, a bunch of people do. That's the excuse that you're making for yourself and you're holding out on the other jobs in HOPES of still finding something soon.

You're trying to attack this thing one thing at a time when you could be multitasking and better handling your problems.

If your problems are the following:

No money
Need CCNA
Would like IT Job

Then the following actions should be taken -

Get any job, IT or not
Continue to study and test
Continue to apply while working at ANYWHERE.

I think this is the thing you're not seeing. We aren't attacking you, but you're leaving yourself open for a bad situation when you could atleast slow the bleeding. Maybe it won't stop it, but it will certainly put you in a better situation for now.

Remember, the end game is to be working in a career in IT, your short game is to get income and increase your education (through certs, volunteering, etc. etc.)

At any rate, I hope you can see that we aren't attacking you, but trying to open your eyes to the fact that you're holding yourself back right now when you could be doing much much more to help your situation.

JohnnyBiggles · August 2011

johnnyarks wrote: »

@JohnnyBiggles, you sound like one of the few that has been in my shoes

Man I hear you, absolutely. I'm in a rough patch right now myself... a LONG rough patch... but I have no choice but to stay positive and just keep looking for opportunities, as few & far between as they may seem. I have my days and sometimes it seems like no one can understand, and sometimes I really don't think people can understand, since your issues are unique and you'd probably need a lot of time to explain how you got where you are, if you know yourself. At least that's my situation.

Dragonranger · August 2011

Heres my 2 cents. Where theres a will theres a way.

while i wasnt working last year I was going to school. I was lucky enough that a very good friend saw i was trying to get a degree and better myself and he allowed me to stay with him on a budget that my financial aid would cover. Getting financial aid is hard but stick to it and u can get it.
I recently accepted a contract job for $9 an hour and its 60 miles there and back. But im happy to take it because I feel its a foot in the door at the company and at the very least its a technical job on my resume and keeps some extra cash coming my way while I attend school and study for certs.

W Stewart · August 2011

johnnyarks wrote: »

like I said in post #35, Mcd's is not out of the question, but I'm gonna get my CCNA and hunt for helpdesk/NOC/anything IT related hardcore...kinda don't care much about pay at this point, experience is what I need...if this fails then back to fastfood for a while.

sorry guess i wasnt really reading your posts but u did make it seem like you were running out of time and couldn't take any entry level job. my bad though. you'll pretty much just have to keep pounding the pavement for that entry level job to get experience if school isn't an option and you'll also need a job if you want to continue certs. it looks lik u wanna do networking so try to get a job with an internet service provider doimg helpdesk. that seems like entry level for networking. somewhere down the road you should consider relocation especially if there are no jobs where you are. life could be so much better if you lived in the right state. maybe it would be easier if you had someon to move with you.

Armymanis · August 2011

johnnyarks wrote: »

Where do you get $2k? You need money... how do you get money...you need a job...back to original point. I wonder how many of you have been on unemployment ever, for a sustained amount of time...

Its called getting a loan from your parents. I took out a loan with my parents and got a car and a job when i was 16 and yes i am still employed to this day. Have only taken 1 year off from work because I was in school other then that I have been working non-stop. When I did enter back into the workforce I had to go to a grocery store and work.

Bleek future for only High-School Grad?

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