How did people make their way up in IT?

[realm]

Well i did the 'office for monkeys' corses for 3 years coming out with a AVCE in ICT which is the same as 2 A level's. Then i had a child on board so had to basically end my college route and found a job at a window company. At the company my and another guy run the networking for over 100+ computers in 3 different buildings. The money is not great and its not the best of jobs either.

At the moment i am back at college 2 nights a week for my HNC then degree. Maybe it is not the best option but i feel like 2 nights is not much plus i am breezing threw it. I am just waiting for that lucky break also but they are hard to come by. I have applied for so many jobs i have lost count. I think seeing as i am only 20 people tend to frown upon it.

[MD]

I went to Uni, then left, just was not my thing, I went to an agency and got a job in a call center the next day, from there I worked for a year doing the customer services thing and got a break in It for the same company, still here three years later, working my way through, slowly but surely, its coming to that point now where I have to make a decision, and thats the tough part, I am considering starting up on my own, although daunting, I have many contacts in many places and I am hoping to decide not long after christmas, its true though, you get the break it works, if can be frustrating not getting anything tho.

m@

[TiG]

Uni for me,
Got my foot in the door at Trafficmaster a few months after finishing Uni,
Spent 3 years there, picked up the IVR products that they offered, reveloped and improved them all,
A couple of quick job changes, one enforced and one optional over the last 6 months. I'm settled in a much nicer job as IVR Consultant earning a very good wage.

TiG

[Aaron]

I did a degree and then couldn't find anything, so I did a masters and found a job as a software engineer. If programming isn't your thing then I don't really know what to suggest. I know loads of people looking for IT work.

[Spunkey]

I left school after sixth form when i was 18. I couldnt be arsed with the uni gubbins as i wanted to start earning and not be your scrounging layabout type

i applied for a few jobs - all without any formal IT qualifications, and ended up working in the IT dept of an accountancy practise. The money was worse than cack (5k pa) but it got me experience of networks, maintenance, databases and server side web development. Luckily still living with my parents, the money wasnt so much of an issue.

After 2 1/2 years there (and a few pay increases) i moved on to a Promotions company creating online systems for staff reward catalogues and order systems.

I've been here for 2 years now and I'm looking to move on again, hopefully to a company who sole business is Web Development. Working in promotions teaches you one thing and one thing only - salesmen are ******s *edit* ok then they're retards .

Moral of the story is to get your first job with a half decent wage you need at least 1 bit of paper saying you know roughly what you're doing. After that, its all about experience, companies dont care what you're qualified in, more about what you know, and how long you've been working with it.

[yamangman]

I got my HND from college and went staight into SSADM job, but bloody hell it was boring, if not well paid, left after nearly 3 years. At university now doing a CS degree and semi-self employed doing various IT related support jobs.

[XTR]

While doing my GCSE's i done a few college courses in the evenings.... City & Guilds Global Communications and RSA IBT2. Not bad trying to fit all this in for a 16 year old doing exams at the same time.

I then went to college..... done a GNVQ Advanced IT... and a City & Guilds Visual Basic course and a Hardware Maintenance course... Along with all the key skill Numeracy crap too.

Then went to uni, got my HND in Computing and decided to top it up to a BA Hons.....

Mr XTR BA (hons)

So thats 5 years of additional study on top of school............ To be successful in IT... you need the right balance of experience and academic qualifications. I've got my academic side sorted......... Working on the exerience now......... I'm getting there

[Shorty]

I went to an interview recently (got the job as well!) and was asked this question...

Which one are you?

1. Comes in, does job for 8 hours, goes home.?

2. Comes in, does job, notices things, suggests improvements, talks to people and works to improve both skills & the work.?

3. Comes in, does, notices things, implements "improvements" without talking to people and just wants to get noticed as an innovator?

Option 2 was the magic answer (for those wondering).

I've worked from helpdesk upto network ops engineer in 5 years.

In IT, there is always someone who knows something better than you. Expect that and deal with it. Take their advice, ask them questions and work with them. Learn constantly. By all means, show ya talents & skills but do it without treading on toes.

No one likes an IT smartass (despite what you may be led to believe).

[tiggerai]

Shorty > What kinda things do you do as a network ops engineer?

I'm still not sure what i want to do. I'd like to go into engineering, and I think i want to aim for a CEng. I may do a masters in Advanced Internet ops and Dist. systems next year. ... then onto finding a job :s

[Shorty]

Shorty > What kinda things do you do as a network ops engineer?

Working with a team of engineers managing a cluster of IBM blade centres running Windows 2003 Advanced Server. These are connected into a set of CISCO routers & Nokia firewalls.

Maintenance, tuning, setting up and routing these mofos including the OS & apps (Exchange, MSSQL, a bespoke in house written app & Active Directory (and it's components).

Won't know the whole in's and out's until I start on the 4th January

[schmunk]

At university now doing a CS degree

Excellent - A degree in Counterstrike? Where do I sign up?

[Kezzer]

I'm nowhere near a job. Went from GCSE's to college where i studied an AVCE in ICT whilst studying a module with the Open University (got my results back the other day) and have no just moved to england to do my degree in computer science. I won't be in work until my third year when i do industrial placement.

[stytagm]

I did a biology degree (nearly failed 'cos of counter strike!) then idled for a year not knowing what to do. Decided to head for computing (which, possibly, I should have done in the first place)

MSc conversion in computing at Bournemouth. 12 months intensive, theoretically to the same level as a BSc but more argumentative! Passed the PG-Dip(Post-grad Diploma - the taught part) no problems, struggled with the project a bit, and won't find out if I passed the full MSc until January (still nervous)

I lucked out and got a fantastic job by being enthusiastic and pointing out that I could learn anything I didn't know already, and having the good sense to admit that basically I hardly new anything. (In my second interview, I actually voluntarily pointed out all my weakest skills and qualities - go figure)

So now I'm working in a web development company leaning about IIS, .NET C# ASP XML and a whole bunch of other stuff. It's a totally microsoft shop, but I don't mind Currently working on Premium-Television's contracted footbal club shops. Horrible!! We also do Toys-r-us and Oddbins (much better)

Really enjoying new job (although utterly scary at times, I still feel a little out of my depth). Really lucky, but I do have to work over Christmas

[Flash]

slept with the bosses daughter

[Flash]

[Mblaster]

I'm nowhere near a job. Went from GCSE's to college where i studied an AVCE in ICT whilst studying a module with the Open University (got my results back the other day) and have no just moved to england to do my degree in computer science. I won't be in work until my third year when i do industrial placement.

I'm a year behind you Doing the last year of my AVCE ICT and A level Maths now and i'm off to uni studying Computer Science next year (if i get in that is )