I can only land IT Public Sector jobs! Is this bad?

Short story about me.
I graduated from a State University with a Bachelors in Computers
Ever Since then my first and current IT jobs have all been in Public sectors.
if you count my part time jobs and Internships while in college they all been in schools and city halls.
Now im job searching to see whats out there but no private sector employee will take me seriously saying I need real world experience I only get public sector jobs offers ( Universities , City Halls, Community Colleges etc)
Is this bad?

Find more posts tagged with

Free for TechExams community: Cybersecurity salary guide

Compare cert salaries and plan your next career move

Button

Comments

goatama

What *kind* of job experience do you have? Public sector isn't necessarily a nail in your coffin, unless it's just grunt work.

Bchen2

goatama wrote: »

What *kind* of job experience do you have? Public sector isn't necessarily a nail in your coffin, unless it's just grunt work.

Mostly Help Desk work
I went to an interview and they wanted to see if I worked with servers and networks that i had no clue about I done all help desk tasks even desktop and remote but none of that other stuff
It seems they were looking for a system admin instead not help desk but made me what the heck I was in that interview for.

BerkshireHerd

Your bachelors in Computers did not teach you anything about Servers or Networking?

Bchen2

BerkshireHerd wrote: »

Your bachelors in Computers did not teach you anything about Servers or Networking?

Yes but we never worked with setting up a server or anything hands on.
My hands on experience was mostly grunt work. Printer and computer repair all the basic stuff
To Be honest theres sometimes a lot of down time and feel Im not as knowledgeable as I should be even thou my boss says I do my job good

W Stewart

Then you're issue is not with only having public sector experience, you're issue is lack of sys admin / network admin experience. It's hard to provide a clear path for getting your foot in that door. I'd say you just have to be open to whatever you can get and don't be too set on one particular path so long as your moving up and getting experience that you can use to market yourself. I went from linux point of sales systems to being in a JOAT position where I can literally move in any direction I want with my career at this point without the road block of not having experience in this particular area. Just be open to anything that will make you more marketable.

cowill

You probably need a tweak of your resume.........If you know what direction you want to head in and have SOME experience in that area/path/sector, no matter how small it is, list it and find creative ways to indicate it more on your resume.

Recruiters generally get a sense what you've done based off your resume and only want you for what you've DONE...not for what you want to be.....

I'm not sure of your certs...but if you knock a few out....I bet that will help .

IIIMaster

To be honest at the moment your not qualified for a system admin role. Your skill set is that of a comp tia trio. There is nothing unique about hands on server experience its nothing more than a computer with a complex mangement system, remote access, and storage system. The real task comes with knowing howing to operate and configure those enterprise os install on them. You have IT experience get one of those vendor specific certs such as mcsa, rhel or esxi that validates you know the basics. Then a company may be more willing to bring you on as a net admin.

Bchen2

IIIMaster wrote: »

To be honest at the moment your not qualified for a system admin role. Your skill set is that of a comp tia trio. There is nothing unique about hands on server experience its nothing more than a computer with a complex mangement system, remote access, and storage system. The real task comes with knowing howing to operate and configure those enterprise os install on them. You have IT experience get one of those vendor specific certs such as mcsa, rhel or esxi that validates you know the basics. Then a company may be more willing to bring you on as a net admin.

It wasnt even a system admin role
I applied for a help desk tier 2
They expected me to have knowledge of a system admin along with java programming and able to design a network i was stunned and the manager made comments saying my work experience isnt real world experience like i was stun

Bchen2

Bchen2 wrote: »

It wasnt even a system admin role
I applied for a help desk tier 2
They expected me to have knowledge of a system admin along with java programming and able to design a network i was stunned and the manager made comments saying my work experience isnt real world experience like i was stun

Like wth am i really suppose to know all this for help desk?
Manager was rude thou im glad i did not get that job but is this typical in the private sector?

TheFORCE

Bchen2 wrote: »

Like wth am i really suppose to know all this for help desk?
Manager was rude thou im glad i did not get that job but is this typical in the private sector?

No it's not, but there are bad and rude managers out there in every area and industry. Don't let that discourage you. You need to apply to jobs that match what you are currently doing as close as possible, look at the requirements too. If they say CNNA preferred or required then you know it's not for you, you can give it a shot but if you get called you need to sell yourself extremely well.
Do you have any certifications? If not, you can increase your knowledge and experience by getting 1 or 2 certifications. You will not go far in IT if you do not atleast have 1-2 certifications. Especially since now, people are getting them while they are at school.

echo_time_cat

^ What he said. Also, keep in mind that this particular employers definition of Tier 2 duties may greatly differ from another's. So don't worry so much about job titles.

Hammer80

Ok saying that you graduated with a Bachelors in Computers is such a relative term, it tells us nothing. Did you get:
1. Computer Science
2. Computer Information Systems
3. Management Information Systems
4. Accounting Information Systems
5. Information Technology - Dev
6. Information Technology - Security
7. Information Technology - System Administration
8. Computer Engineering
9. Software Engineering

Ok by now I think you should be getting the idea. If you tell us we may point you in the right direction.

cyberguypr

I think the problem here is simple and has nothing to do with private/public sector. You are not doing your homework and are going for the wrong jobs. In the example you cited, did you know (you shoudl've) upfront the details of the position? If system admin and programming were listed, then you knew that and still decided to apply. That means you gambled. If they omitted that info, their fault. My point is that you need to analyze what the position entails and which required skills are 'required' vs. 'desired' or 'nice to have'. Keep in mind that titles mean NOTHING. You need to look at both the duties/responsibilities and the requirements for whatever position you are going for. I've seen "helpdesk" positions that required CISSP and SANS certifications. They are obviously not helpdesk jobs but are listed as such.

To illustrate my point, here are three randomly selected "Helpdesk Support Technician" posts from Indeed.

Required skills:
-Knowledge in Microsoft Office 2007/2010/2013/365 (i.e. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access)
-Knowledge in Microsoft Outlook 2007/2010/2013
-Knowledge in Windows XP, 7, 8.1 Operating Systems
-Knowledge of Citrix and VPN
-Knowledge of Active Directory and user account changes a plus
-Telephone helpdesk and ticketing system experience is a very strong plus.

Requirements:
- 2 or more years of experience on Helpdesk
- Knowledge of Windows Active Directory
- Knowledge of Exchange Server
- Print Server Management
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment
- Understanding of SOX rules and responsibilities
- Knowledge of Microsoft Office products

Requirements:
- Experience: 0-2 years of corporate or plant IT Helpdesk support, equivalent programming assignments, a pertinent internship, or relevant certification.
- Education: High school diploma or Associate’s degree, corresponding work experience, or relevant technical training classes/certifications completed.
- Technical Ability: Fundamental understanding of C#.net programming, or equivalent language, and SQL queries/SSRS. Proficient in Microsoft Office/Windows environment. Competency in networking concepts, experience with PC hardware and software.
- Travel: Limited travel is required to support multiple locations.
- Any combination of the above criteria will also be considered.

IIIMaster

Yeah I got ya but in a sense make sure you meet most of the requirements. I interview for one job. Meet most of the requirements to find out they are looking for someone to actually build and scale out their Network, Servers, Storage etc for the future, lol. Then they was looking for a one man show. I could have done it and talk my way into it but I didn't bother. I felt like he wanted me to create it then after several months fired me and out source the support over seas.