Advice needed on career in IT

[wedge22]

OK guys I obviously like using pc's and I would like a career in IT. I am emmigrating later this year to Vancouver so it would be handy if the qualifications I require were recognised in Canada too. I was thinking of completing a MCSE course. What do you guys believe would be the right direction to head in.

[Purple]

are you about to go to UNI or are you changing directions?

The single most important thing in IT is that you have experience - and diverse experience, so if you are about to go to uni get a job at the same time - the experience will be more useful in your job interview than your degree! Its a pain in the arse but unless you are charming and brilliant at IT you may struggle to get a job without experience.

A good thing to apply for is network admin at the uni you are going to. Or work for agencies, this means in your 'proper job' interview you can list lots of companies you have worked for (emphasising it was agency work, or they will think you get sacked a lot ).

[wedge22]

I am not going to UNI mate.
Am I unlikely to be even looked at without any experience then?
How do I get the experience if no one will offer me a job?
I am willing to learn and use my brain, which has been redundant now since leaving school.

[Shorty]

I am not going to UNI mate.

Then go on a nightcourse or get some MSCE training books & read, read, read!

Am I unlikely to be even looked at without any experience then?

Absolutely no...Unless two things happen:

1) You are applying for helpdesk. It's a job, pays and gets your foot in the door.
2) You know someone who is prepared to give you a job and mentor you (as well as giving you invaluable access to a network to learn on).

How do I get the experience if no one will offer me a job?

See above.

I am willing to learn and use my brain, which has been redundant now since leaving school.

I hate to be brutal here but I spent 4 months job hunting in IT. The market is fierce. I have no quals but I have yards of experience. Almost every company I went to wanted BOTH. You will find this is the trend. My current employer wasn't looking for quals, they just wanted experience. The guys working helpdesk here, most have no experience at all but they were prepared to do what can be a darn right unfun job. They were hired for enthuiasm and basic PC knowledge...

Good luck but be prepared for ALOT of rejections. Get in on the ground floor and build from there. Working in IT is a longterm career path, not a quick jump (unless you are super lucky!).

An MCSE & computer science degree is all great but the first time you hit a crisis, your experience with dealing with it.. is more critical sometimes.. than the bits of paper you achieved.. to say you can read a book....

[Zak33]

poor old Shorty had it hard, and he's talented plus some. I hate to say it, but lucky breaks still rule the world.

God luck whatever you do.

[Dooms]

Well ive just manged to break my way into an IT Position... Im now a System Support Technician at London Science Museum. I dont have a degree and not much experiance (1year in computer store, rest is only stuff ive done myself) and was up against 5 other people in their mid 20's to 30's all with degrees and lots of experiance. However i managed to impress them the group interview and then again at my 1to1 - suppose i was just lucky to get in

[Moby-Dick]

home computer use isn't a good grounding for an IT support role IMO - its the networking side of things that are mor important.

When we take techs on , they are usually taken on at 1 of 3 levels.

Level 1 - as close to an apprentice as you are likely to get. Minimum wage to start with , and a lot of information to learn.

Level 2 - some support experience . Expected to be able to hit the ground running , and walk into a client site to deal with problems very shortly after joining.

Level 3 - lots of support experience - at this level you are likly to have a few more specialist skills which would place you in a more project role ( falling back to support as required )

[wedge22]

Thanks for all the valuable advice guys.
Looks like I may have to do a night course or some online learning.
Unfortunately I do not know anyone with their own network, maybe I could set one up at home and experiment with that.
My other problem is that we are emmigrating later in the year and I really want to get into IT. I imagine that it will be even harder for me in Vancouver though.

[Spud1]

Look into getting a CCNA certification (cisco network qualificaton), that will certainly help you with getting a job

A degree with a placement year is what I reccomend (what I am doing atm), even if you just do it part time. Gives you a year of experience and a degree, so gives you a good setup in life. My course also gets me a CCNA which is a nice bonus

[Kezzer]

OU would be a good direction

[Lead_Head]

I left college and got a break in IT. I managed to get into a big IT company within the energy services industry, started as Customer Liasion and then after about 2 months I was asked to help out in another team. I didn't realise at the time, but it's one of a few teams that a lot of people wish to be in. At this point I was Agency staff. 3 or 4 months later, I was offered a full-time contract with the company. Not on a massive wage atm, but thats because I don't have the technical skills to warrant it. But within my team we look at all angles of the business, so I could change direction within the company if I wanted to (but I am happy where I am for now).

At present I am looking for a part-time Uni course (I'm only 20 and I chose not to goto Uni) so I have both a (probably foundation) degree and valuable experience.

It can be done, it just depends a lot on persistance, and being in the right place at the right time.

[RVF500]

Depends on what you want to do. Desktop work usually looks at holders of the MCSE but it's not as highly thought of as Cisco qualifications. Cisco qualifications are more for network engineering roles.

My colleague and I both took our CCNA exams together about 3 years ago, we were both working in telecoms. I got the break and went on to get my CCNP and CCSP. I'm Taking my CCIE written in a couple of weeks. My friend has just got his first role (as a CCNA) about 6 months ago and that was primarily because I was working on a contract and was asked if I knew anyone who would suit a position. My point? It's a tough world, but can carry some very good rewards.

MCSE and Cisco quals are recognised globally so would be fine in Canada. Downside is that it requires a certain amount of investment to achieve them. What is in your favour is that the industry as a whole is coming out of recession and there is a skills gap. Get some basic quals and get on some short term contracts doing rollouts. You won't be expected to do much or know much, and will be paid in accordance, but you will learn and you can use that as a basis for building a career.

As has already been said if you bluff it in as a book learnt engineer the first big issue you come across will unmask you as just that. Your biggest bane is HR departments. They look for buzzwords in your CV and if you don't have the right letters in there then you get binned before you even get an interview. So you have to pitch in where you will be seen.

[wedge22]

Thanks for the advice.
There is a shop/company local to me offering a sales position plus repairing and building pc' but I am not sure if that position would be suited to me over a younger candidate. I would like to get in there and get some experience though.
How much is it likely to cost me to get some Qualifications in Cisco?
Also where can I learn these new skills as I need to learn them in about 9 months, is that even possible?

[scottyman]

I've been looking for work since completing my MSc - and it's a bit of a nightmare. High-end degrees will not affect pay rates, but you've got to be prepared to enter on the bottom rung (hell desk)
I'm back in contracting at the moment so that's paying the bills - but the fact I've taken a year off work really has adversely affected my worth in the market.

CCNA and MCSE are both well worth doing. CCNA simply as it gives you experience with configuration and troubleshooting, and MCSE as it's a term every single recruiter knows. I got my MCSE years ago, and for every discussion I have with recruiters, I just simply say that I have the qualification and am current with all technologies.

[Nox]

GL wedge. I got into IT through the mentor system that was a few years ago now, or i'd still be in a <well known stores> return dpt. And really, the market is ludicrous, even now. Atleast its getting better though.

Nox

[wedge22]

Well there is company in my home town that can supply training in both CCNA and MCSE. I am thinking of signing up for the CCNA course and seeing how it goes. I just need to find out how much it will cost me first though.