Help desk?

When y'all started in IT, how long were you in a Helpdesk role? How did you get out? And for those who skipped Helpdesk, how did you accomplish that?

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omi2123

It would be helpful if u tell us what state do u live in? sometime it depends on job markets. If u r like me from a southern state, then chances r u will start at a helpdesk position first unless u r in big texan cities....

xenodamus

I skipped helpdesk by starting in a small time PC repair shop. They were glad to hire me with no experience......at $5.50/hr.

After a number of years fixing PCs for little old ladies and SMBs, it wasn't tough to get a desktop support job in a corporate environment. That's when I jumped on the fast track and completed my CCNA and MCSA...moving into a System/Network Admin position 2 years later.

Nemowolf

seven years and I'm still classified as a help desk/desktop support. Same title just much more responsibility. If I get lucky, I will get a Sys Admin type job role in the next 5-6 years at my current employer.

--chris--

I skipped helpdesk by replying to a add on craigslist lol. That got me into desktop (helpdesk is different than desktop support IMO) for a large healthcare organization.

Luck of the draw I guess?

puertorico1985

I worked on a Helpdesk for just under 3 years. I worked the desk and went to school for my Bachelor's degree, and got a new job a few months before I finished my degree.

jvrlopez

I was in a traditional help desk role for about 3 months. When I was in the military, I did help desk type work on the side (additional duties) for my entire 4 years in the Air Force.

I got out by blasting my resume and getting a call back for another job.

cloudyknight

I skipped it by just being the right guy in the right place. I was taking some job search classes at Goodwill and met a lady that knew someone in need of my skills. Next thing I know I've got a job at a small company, being brought up to the level of their only IT guy. Now less than 2 years later I'm the DBA.

It takes more than qualifications, jobs are highly political, especially when you move up within a company.

coreyb80

cloudyknight wrote: »

I skipped it by just being the right guy in the right place. I was taking some job search classes at Goodwill and met a lady that knew someone in need of my skills. Next thing I know I've got a job at a small company, being brought up to the level of their only IT guy. Now less than 2 years later I'm the DBA.

It takes more than qualifications, jobs are highly political, especially when you move up within a company.

I definitely agree with this.

xenodamus

By year 2 or 3 on the helpdesk, you should have some certifications to show you don't want to be there forever. If you don't, you need to get your rear in gear and open a book. If you think getting off the helpdesk is hard, wait until you're looking for someone to give you shot at server or network administration. You've got to prove that you have the ambition and intellect to take your skills to the next level.

If I had to do it from scratch today, my plan would be something like this:

Start - Get first helpdesk job and learn the ropes
6 months - Now that you know the ropes, start working on A+
12 months - Pass A+ and start dropping hints that you want to move up while working on additional certs (maybe N+/S+)
18 months - Pass Network+/Security+. You now have the CompTIA trio + experience. Start asking yourself how much they like you here. What are your chances of moving up?
24 months - If you haven't moved up to desktop and don't see something happening soon.....start applying elsewhere. Meanwhile, study additional subjects. Start reading MCSA or CCNA texts.

You get the idea. If you aren't learning outside of work, you should be. There's no way working on the helpdesk (or desktop) will teach you everything you need to know. Politics do play a big role in moving up internally. You need to show that you have ambition and get along well with the team. If you can't move up, though, move out.

coreyb80

Great points xenodamus, except I believe the A+ would be a waste of $300+ considering the A+ is usually used to get on the Help Desk not necessarily out of the Help Desk. I would go w/ your recommendation of studying for either MCSA or CCNA as oppose to CompTia personally.

Fidelity

I worked Tier 1 for 4 months. Quit because I was bored out of my mind and I didn't like that I had to do Customer service/sales as well. I wanted to only do straight up technical work.

From there I moved straight to Tier 2 for a software firm. I did helpdesk work for roughly 3 months before I started working more as an administrator. My day was 50% desktop, 40% Administration, and the last 10% was spread across networking and helpdesk work. They tried to get me to do Quality Assurance for their software which was a big no-go for me. The first time I did it was enough to tell me I never wanted to do that again. I worked in this role for exactly 1 year before I left.

Now I work as a junior Network Engineer. Not too shabby considering I only have 1.5 years of professional IT experience. I do however have an AAS:CS and am finishing my BS:CS with Computer and Network Security emphasis in December.

A lot of what helped me get this pointis that I am atypical for an IT professional. I have very good soft skills so people tend to instantly like me. Employees/Employers have remarked that they like that I always have a smile on my face and am willing to help with anything. My current employer said all the other people they interviewed were cocky about the job and it was a big turn off for them. I had no problem admitting when I didn't know something, but let them know that IT is my way of life. I work in IT, I go to school for computing, and in my time off I read books about computers. They liked that. They hired me even though this is a 90% Linux / 10 Windows environment and my only Linux experience totals less than a year and is purely academic in nature.

It also probably helped that the CTO from my last company told them I was basically a savant when it came to computers. lol.

I agree with the sentiments of getting an A+ cert. I say read the book if you need the hardware knowledge, skip all the customer service stuff unless you're really that bad with people, and skip taking the test. I'm currently reading Network+ and Security+ and then need to decide between either MCSA, RHSA, or CCNA. All 3 of which basically make up my job.

If you want to get out of Helpdesk quick do as I did and always be learning new things. Don't wait for work to come to you - if you have down time go ask one of the System / Network administrators if they need help with anything. Talk to your boss and find out what you can do to get more responsibilities. Work on your people skills. Most IT folk can NOT talk to people and they can be very unapproachable. Having good soft skills can easily set you apart from the competition. An administrator that shows he is happy to help and does his best to not make other people feel stupid for not knowing stuff about computers will stand out.