Had an amazing job opportunity BUT...........reality hit me.

BACKGROUND: Hi guys, I have been a passive member of this community for a few months, mostly reading posts to help guide me in through my transition from a job in the medical field (emergency medical technician) into a career in the IT field. I have lost my desire to be in the healthcare field a long time ago and I finally decided to make a change. College is not within my reach due to being in bad standing with student loans which make me ineligible for additional financial aid. That being said, I started self-studying and got my A+ cert in November 2014. Since then, I have been unemployed and desperately looking for an entry level IT job.

It has been a huge challenge for me being that I have no direct job experience working in an IT business setting, but I feel I did my quite well with my resume, listing some pretty relevant skills I developed in the medical field that carry over well into the IT field. One job I thought I would be interviewed for, Geek Squad, out right denied me and sent me a nice little email wishing me luck! I mean, if Geek Squad won't give me a chance, I don't know who will.
Next week I take my Net+ exam, so BLA BLA BLA.

Long story short, I've been pretty desperate for an opportunity to get some hands on experience. I've even registered on volunteer matching websites to try and volunteer for IT projects where I was hoping to just tag along and get some experience, helping out in whatever way I can. But I was rejected by 2 of them because they want experience, lol.

Then FINALLY, last week, I get a call from my local cable & ISP (optimum). I was thrilled! This was one of the companies that I applied to and was hoping the most to hear back from. Due to the nature of their business (internet and networking) and room for advancement. I was even hoping they might pay for additional certs once I proved myself a competent cable technician and express sincere interest in becoming one of their network technicians. Anyway, foolish me for applying to this job even though I didn't have the 60 college credits, military experience (YES DRILL SERGEANT), or a degree from the highly affordable technician institutes of the world. I thought that they would at least interview me and decide on a case to case basis to make an exception. I was even hoping maybe they would allow a combination of certs to suffice instead of college credits.

Well, at this point, I am pretty freaking discouraged and flat broke. I want to remain positive but I am doubting that Network+ will even benefit me on my resume. I know I'll have another cert, but without ever working on networks in an enterprise environment, I will probably be overlooked. How can I stay positive? I feel like my golden opportunity was right in my fingers when Optimum called me, now its gone.

I know I am in this position because of myself. I made a lot of bad decisions and I earned my spot at the bottom. But damn, its hard to turn things around even when you truly want to. Thank you for letting me vent.

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Comments

hurricane1091

I know you're trying, but the A+ and no experience or degree just isn't much. It's going to be hard to find something with just that. I would look for part time gigs at a local computer store in the mean time so you have something to put on your resume since it's rather empty. I would at least try to get a 2 year degree for something IT related somehow despite the loan situation.

markulous

Stick with it. Try to post your resume and have some people take a look at it. See if you can do some probono work somewhere to get it on your resume. I always recommend protonic.com as it's a place that you can get ticketing experience and tech support experience to put on your resume. A N+ is not a bad choice. Since their prices are going up too, I might recommend some MTAs instead, but if you can afford the N+ then by all means go for it.

FWIW, I got denied from their Geek Squad a bunch of times. Don't let that discourage you at all. Just keep pumping out apps for entry-level positions, even if the requirements are higher than what you have.

studyforcerts

Thanks, Im applying for a loan consolidation that, if accepted, will make me eligible for financial aid again.

Where could I get advice on my resume? I never heard of protonic.com so I'll look into that. Thanks. I was considering some MTA's. Since Ill have Net+ soon, I figure maybe an SQL MTA might pair nice with that? What MTA would you suggest? They are pretty affordable and they do give you an actual little cert. Also the CCENT is only $150.00. I see you have that.

NetworkNewb

The first job is often the hardest. If your looking to get into help desk to get your foot in door in IT. I would suggest going after some entry level Microsoft Certifications. Whether be the MTA, or MCSA: Windows 7. I feel it looks alot better then A+ and it also gives you better knowledge that you would use on job. They are also a lot harder then the A+ though too.

studyforcerts

I will definitely do that. I will go for MTA Server and Windows after I do Network+. I already paid for the exam. I just have to take it, but I have slacked off studying lately because of the job search. But I'll buckle down and bang out Net+ and then with my income tax refund, I should be able to register for a few exams. Thanks.

anhtran35

My advice is for you to get a JOB. You got bills to pay and you need to pay them. You can study or intern part time. I would hold off on the certs till you get a job. Then you need to decide on what path you want to take in IT. You don't want to jump from one end to another.

Cyberscum

I would just get any job at this point if you are having trouble paying bills. Once you have that job start helping and doing IT stuff in that company. Usually if its a small biz the IT department welcomes people helping with the bullcrap tasks. You will start to get expierence and build up the resume.

Ever thought of joining the Air Guard or Reserves? Usually a good starting point for someone w no exp. You will get decent certs and the clearances

markulous

@studyforcerts

You could make another thread in this same forum. There's a lot of cool people that will help you.

I think protonic usually accepts anyone that has decent IT knowledge. They make you take a test for entry but it's pretty basic.

The MTA OS one isn't bad. I took that and it will show you have a decent understanding of Windows 7, which is likely the OS you'll be working on.

Other than the MTA, I got all of these certs through WGU. If you want to get into networking and get on a NOC team, then it's not a bad idea. If you're going for help desk, I'm not sure how much it'd help you at this point. You really just need to get your foot in the door. The protonic thing helped me. The tickets are trackable but I never had any company ask to see them.

TheFORCE

@=studyforcerts

Where are you located? Don't be discouraged. Here's a little story, I dropped out of college for a year, had only A+ and found a traveling tech job, more of a break/fix position where i would replace memory chips, motherboards, lcds on laptops etc etc. Very low entry position, but at the time I needed the experience just like you. I did that gig for a year, went back to college and got my degree, found a job at the Helpdesk of a company that will remain nameless. That was back in 06-07. 8 years later I am in IT security for a multinational corporation.

If you want PM me and i will send you the information of the people that helped me get that first break fix position, they most likely operate in your area also if you are located in a big city. Back then i was getting paid maybe $15 an hour but with OT and mileage reimbursement i was getting about $700 a week, pretty good for someone that hadnt finished college yet.

studyforcerts

@=anhtran35

I understand I need a job. I just am holding out for something that is at least remotely lately to IT because I do not want to feel like I'm taking a step backwards. Thank you for your advice.

@Cyberscum
Ahhhh definitely not for me. But I appreciate the suggestion.

markulous

If you're fine financially to do this, then it's not too big of an issue. If you're going broke because of it, then I think that's the reason some people here are recommending a job. No IT employer is going to look at you having a job as a negative either.

studyforcerts

markulous wrote: »

You could make another thread in this same forum. There's a lot of cool people that will help you.

Can you be more specific as to what kind of thread? And what kind of help would I find?

markulous wrote: »

Other than the MTA, I got all of these certs through WGU. If you want to get into networking and get on a NOC team, then it's not a bad idea. If you're going for help desk, I'm not sure how much it'd help you at this point. You really just need to get your foot in the door. The protonic thing helped me. The tickets are trackable but I never had any company ask to see them.

Ya I looked into WGU. Too expensive, if I get loans again, it'll be for community college. What is a NOC team?

markulous wrote: »

If you're fine financially to do this, then it's not too big of an issue. If you're going broke because of it, then I think that's the reason some people here are recommending a job. No IT employer is going to look at you having a job as a negative either.

Of course, I need the money. I am not homeless or starving, so I can hold off for a bit longer. I just really need to do something in IT to give me some sense that my efforts are coming to fruition. I really need to build confidence as well as gain experience.

markulous

studyforcerts wrote: »

Can you be more specific as to what kind of thread? And what kind of help would I find?

There's a huge sticky at the top of this forum and you can scroll through the pages here and find a thread where someone asks for resume advice.

Ya I looked into WGU. Too expensive, if I get loans again, it'll be for community college. What is a NOC team?

Google it.

studyforcerts

@=TheFORCE
Jersey city NJ

@=markulous
Thanks, I'll check that out.

@=markulous
Ok, that is just another name for a data center? I would love to work my way into one eventually.

@=TheFORCE
I added you as a friend. I'm definitely interested.

NOC-Ninja

have you tried joining IT meets at meetups websites?
have you tried going door to door on PC shops and introduce yourself to the owner?
have you meet up or hangout with people that are in IT field where you are located? you need to sell yourself face to face.

Every successful engineer in IT hit rock bottom. I hit rock bottom. Its okay to be depress but you can use that depression and turn it into anger. Get mad, study network+ and CCNA.

I have failed so many times but I kept going. I always think to myself that if nobody believes in me then i will believe in myself.

The genius thing that we did, is that we didn't give up - Jay-Z

studyforcerts

NOC-Ninja wrote: »

have you tried joining IT meets at meetups websites?
have you meet up or hangout with people that are in IT field where you are located? you need to sell yourself face to face.

That is what I want to do. I don't know one person that does IT. I would love to actually meet people who are IT professionals. I live in Jersey City, NJ.

TheFORCE

REMOVED UNNECESSARY QUOTED REPLY FROM PREVIOUS POST

You live in one of the booming IT cities! You should have no issues finding a job there. I have been approached many times for positions there but the commute would have been to long for me. You just need to get your foot in the door.

studyforcerts

@=NOC-Ninja

Thank you man for the positive encouragement. I am already feeling so recharged by the outreach of you guys so quickly.

TheFORCE

REMOVED UNNECESSARY QUOTED REPLY FROM PREVIOUS POST
Just send you some contact info. If the guy no longer works with them it doesn't matter just tell them that you would like to speak with someone or that you would like to send your resume.

studyforcerts

TheFORCE wrote: »

You live in one of the booming IT cities! You should have no issues finding a job there. I have been approached many times for positions there but the commute would have been to long for me. You just need to get your foot in the door.

Yes a foot in the door is all I want. I might be able to be a full time student again if I can get this consolidation the feds are offering. Then I will just attend college full time.

TheFORCE wrote: »

Just send you some contact info. If the guy no longer works with them it doesn't matter just tell them that you would like to speak with someone or that you would like to send your resume.

Awesome. Will do. Thank you.

JoJoCal19

Solely my opinion, but I think the CompTIA certs, especially A+ and Network+, are useless for breaking into IT. I would say that back in the day when there were more jobs than applicants they would help. It's just not the same anymore. I especially think it's a bad investment due to the cost. I do however think the material is good for a beginner, so read the books, skip the tests. Instead, knock out the CCNA doing the two test route (ICND1 and ICND2) for the pice of the Network+. As well, go for the MTAs and work towards an MCSA. If you have zero experience I'd personally go for the Microsoft certs first. Having Microsoft, MCSA, MCT on your resume should at least get your resume looked at. Just wow them during the interview and show them you have the knowledge and willingness to learn and you'll find someone to take a chance on you.

techfiend

What I'd do is sell your Net+ voucher and start studying for MCSA 8.1. Once you pass one of the two tests you can put MCP on your resume. More than likely it'll put you above the majority of the applicants. Pass the other one and you can put MCSA which puts you in the upper echelon for entry level positions. When you get in you can decide on whether to pursue windows server, cisco, security, or virtualization.

Network+ gives some good knowledge but I've never seen it mentioned on a job listing. I had 'network+ expected' on my resume but it was never brought up in an interview. I think I lost a few really nice opportunities due to lacking MCP. I'm pretty sure I lost out on one hardware position due to lack of a cisco cert, it was one of few entry level job listings looking for cisco certs.

aspiringsoul

OP,

Take it from me (I have four CompTIA certifications), the ROI on the CompTIA certifications is not anywhere near the ROI for Microsoft and Cisco certifications. However, the Security+ is a requirement for many position (especially government positions, but these are hard to obtain without a security clearance).

With that being said, the CompTIA certifications do provide you with critical foundational knowledge that is extremely helpful when studying for the vendor exams.

I have seen some job postings that require the Network+, but I have seen far more that require the CCNA. If an employer will reimburse you, then by all means, go for the CompTIA exams. But without reimbursement, I would rather spend my own money on Microsoft and Cisco exams.

If I were you, I would focus on finding a Helpdesk/Desktop Support position, and study for Microsoft exams (like the 70-680, which is still relevant since most companies skipped deploying Windows 8, and still use Windows 7).

The lack of a college degree will hurt you. My advice would be to consider going to a Community College or a Non-profit such as WGU in the future. Stay away from FOR-PROFIT schools. Your career mobility will be limited without a degree.

Until May 31st, Microsoft is running their second shot program which allows you one free retake if you fail a Microsoft exam. More details here:

https://www.microsoft.com/learning/en-us/second-shot.aspx

Good luck to you.

studyforcerts

REMOVED UNNECESSARY QUOTED REPLY FROM PREVIOUS POST

Hey, thanks a lot. I just passed my Network+ exam today. I am gonna be taking a Microsoft exam next. I am just not sure which one would be in my best interest. I have no hands on experience, but I am a fast learner and a good test taker. I was thinking should I skip the MTAs and just go right for 70-680 and work on the MCSA? I already have 1 elective since A+ and Net+ count for an elective.

As far as college, I am waiting on hearing back from the loan consolidation company about my application. If approved, I would be able to qualify for full financial aid and I would begin full time community college. FINGERS CROSSED. College is my real goal, but in the meantime, self-study and more certs are more affordable. Thanks for getting back to me.

@=techfiend
Hey. I decided on my net+ awhile ago, so I wanted to finish what i started. Im glad I did because I passed the exam today and it was worth it based on the psychological benefit alone. It feels good to get another cert, even if it was an easy one to get. Additionally, A+ combined with Net+ counts for an elective toward MCSA certification. So now I just need to take 2 of the MSFT exams. Im gonna start researching now which ones I should take. Any advice?

@=JoJoCal19
!!!! too late, already gave comptia my money, but atleast they gave me 2 certs in exchange. So, now on the MCSA. Cisco test scares me, it seems like it would be really hard to pass without hands on experience. I didn't really do much research to back that up, its just my initial assessment.

IIIMaster

MCSA exams are not easy either. You will be require to know the os inside and out along with the imaging process. The ccent is basically the net+. It goes over the theory part of networking such as the osi, tcp/ip and possibly some basic cli. One more test you could of had your CCNA.

mjnk77

I would try and land a HD job if possible. That will at least get your foot in the door while you study. I would go for the CCNA or the MCSA depending on what you want to do. I'll send you a PM.

aspiringsoul

Studyforcerts,

Don't sweat the fact that you took the CompTIA exams! They don't usually have the ROI that some of the vendor exams do, but they're certainly not a waste!!!

Consider the MCSA: Windows 7: here

or the MCSA: Windows 8: here

While the MCSA: Windows 8 is more current, I'm not confident that it is more relevant since many businesses have completely skipped Windows 8 as they did Vista.

If you were studying for Windows Server, I would recommend the MCSA: Server 2012. However, the MCSA: Server 2012 would be difficult for you to earn without experience, and it would be incredibly difficult for you to obtain a position actually managing servers at this point (certainly not impossible though).

Good luck to you in your future endeavors.

studyforcerts

REMOVED UNNECESSARY QUOTED REPLY FROM PREVIOUS POST

Hi aspiringsoul, thanks for the response. I am learning toward the Windows Server 2012 exam. I think if I install windows server 2012 as a virtual machine I can learn from "hands on" by playing with it and trying to set up practice servers and what not. Im gonna research if there are tutorials for setting it up in a virtual machine and completing "objectives". That would probably be the best way to learn.

IIIMaster wrote: »

MCSA exams are not easy either. You will be require to know the os inside and out along with the imaging process. The ccent is basically the net+. It goes over the theory part of networking such as the osi, tcp/ip and possibly some basic cli. One more test you could of had your CCNA.

I think its possible for me to self-study if I actually install Windows 2012 on my comp as a virtual machine.

I definitely wanna do the ccent. Tough choice. So you think CCENT would be easier than the 2012 server exam?

Mooseboost

It is all about getting your foot in the door. Continuing your search and driving yourself is a critical portion of the hunt. Glad to see you have your N+ now. It puts another point of favor into your court. Good luck with your search! It seems like you are already working hard on establishing a strong employment case for yourself. I have no doubt that if you can get an interview that you could win them over.

anhtran35

Your best bet is to apply for any help desk or desktop support jobs. I recommend you learn Windows 7. You can grab a book and/or learn via Professor Messer. Once you get a job with a company HOPEFULLY the benefits will be a certification reimbursement. Getting a CCNA or MCSA would be nice; however, it would take at least 6 months and for most 12 months.