film Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 Hi ... well to questions as i have never been in a IT/Server room expt once when i walked through it to check the Air Con (helped dad fix it) 1) Can you get a GOOD job im IT if you are not a programmer (As around here all the teachers are saying go to university and programe stuff for banks or games) 2) What job do YOU have :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manuel Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 Hi ... well to questions as i have never been in a IT/Server room expt once when i walked through it to check the Air Con (helped dad fix it)1) Can you get a GOOD job im IT if you are not a programmer (As around here all the teachers are saying go to university and programe stuff for banks or games) 2) What job do YOU have :) basically I started being an admin for the school distrcit by offereing to volunteer my time to the learn and help the admin at that time. as time went on and as I became more reliable and trust worthy it developed into a full-time IT job. at a minimum go to www.brainbench.com and earn som certificates for knowledge if any or at least learn your strenghts and weaknesses and go from there. -Manuel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
degoba Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 Hi ... well to questions as i have never been in a IT/Server room expt once when i walked through it to check the Air Con (helped dad fix it)1) Can you get a GOOD job im IT if you are not a programmer (As around here all the teachers are saying go to university and programe stuff for banks or games) 2) What job do YOU have :) Yes, yes you can. In fact alot of programming jobs are outsourced. Degress to look at are Management information systems, Computer Forensics, and Computer Science. Also it wouldnt hurt to have certifications on a number of platforms including but not limited to , Windows, Unix, and Linux. My job is currently student, and Im in computer sales. Word to the wise. DO NOT get into computer sales. I want to shove a pencil through my eyeball everytime someone gets ram and hard disk confused, or refers to the whole tower as the cpu. Ive been yelled at a few times for telling customers that we do not carry cpus, only to find out later that they were referring to the tower as a whole. I mean hey. We dont sell processors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKo Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 I have no qualifications in computing, not one, and i can work in IT fine. Its just a case of being able to learn rapidly and being able to apply the knowledge you have. Although I will say this, people who can't use computers make working in IT depressing. I'm doing 1st line support for Host Europe atm, and the amount of web designers who can't use FTP is depressing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren Kitchen Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 I picked up my current IT job while in high school in a cooperative tech education program where I would get credit for working. Through networking (the people type) I was able to interview for an entry level publishing position using things like photoshop and powerpoint. From there I got bumped up to web developer when the opportunity came. Soon after that network administrator until finally systems administrator. I never finished my degree in uni, that's something I'll have to get back to later. I'm way too busy chasing an iptv dream right now. but the lack of certs of degree have never been an issue as i've countless times proven my ability to think quickly on my feet and learn whatever it is i need to do. when your boss asks you if you can integrate the abc with the xyz, tell him you'll learn how. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SomeoneE1se Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 The trait of IT seems to be learning quickly and putting it to use. What no one has said yet is that you have to love it, because if you don't it will drive you nuts with the number of people out there who can't even plug their computer in let alone use it in a smart, safe manner. As Vako said it gets depressing and at some times can be painful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metatron Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 It’s all about confidence, if you come across well you will get a job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
degoba Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 I have to agree with vako. It is depressing. End users can be rude, and impatient when things dont go well for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKo Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 Tell me about it, I've been dealing with a guy for over a week now, doesn't have a fucking clue. He's deleted his frontpage extensions 3 times now & deleted everything on his account twice (including the public html dir). You can see the case history where people have had a stab at fixing his problems only to find he is the problem. I'm just emailing him links to wikipedia or MS support now, hopefully he'll close his account soon. Or the guy who spent 2 days calling us about his email not working, then we find he's moved house and doesn't have internet installed. Having said all that, it is easy money and you learn stuff everyday. As Metatron says, it is about confidence, if you can walk into a room and say "I can learn anything you want me to, and be good at it", they will quite often hire you. I put my CV on the web and get 3-4 calls a week about jobs. Learning how to talk to people is also a must, as a lot of the users will need help putting on there shoes and your asking them to use the most complex stuff man has ever created. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisiam Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 sound like my job, i work for my ISP actually i do tech support on the phone working in a call center sucks ass. Should try helping an 80 some year old person who bought a Mac because it looked "nicer" and they don't even know how to open up a browser. thank god for remote desktop but i get to read between calls so I'm working on getting my A+ right now so i can work my way off the phones and do help desk support then see what comes from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKo Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 Trust me it gets worse, you get company execs who call demanding you to fix a problem, then refuse to give you any access to the system. Its almost like they think its some kinda holistic thing where the mere presence of an "engineer" will scare the computer into working. Then you make the mistake of telling them that there server doesn't exist and is in Germany... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rFayjW98ciLoNQLDZmFRKD Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 I thought about trying to get a job in IT, but dealing with the extreme of computer illiterate will result in me moving more of my sanity. I dont want to help people turn on their computer or help them copy and paste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OtterFox Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 at a minimum go to www.brainbench.com and earn som certificates for knowledge if any or at least learn your strenghts and weaknesses and go from there.-Manuel I went to brainbench.com but it seems to just be trying to sell something for employers to test candidates on. Is there a way for me to do the test so that I can find out what my strengths and weaknesses are? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burn Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 It really depends on what you want to do. Do you want to program? Then get a Computer Science degree. Do you want to be a network/systems administrator? Then skip school and get a few certifications. However, certifications won't get you in the door at most places but they will help keep you there. Degrees are very important. They're stupid and a waste of time and money but if you don't have one then a lot of places won't even consider you. It's stupid but that's big business for you. A lot about jobs isn't what you know, but who you know. The majority of my jobs have been from friends referrals or people I've socialized with in the past. I went to high school with my current boss which is how I got the job I have now, which is being a network/security admin for a small firm of about 150 desktops and about 30 Windows 2000/Linux/FreeBSD/AIX servers. The only place you'll be able to work when you're first starting out is a helpdesk position. I started out doing dialup ISP support at an outsourcing company. It sucked but it lead to much bigger and better things. The best thing you can do for yourself is find what you're interested in, whether it's programming (C, C++, Ruby, PHP, Visual Basic ...etc), network admin (Cisco, routing, switching, firewalls, windows servers/workstations) security (protocols, hacking, reverse engineering code) and going with it. It's rather difficult to be good at more than one area since each area takes quite a bit of knowledge. Oh, and don't be scared to move unless you live in a big city. Don't let Mom and Dad hold you back because they don't want to see you grow up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kickarse Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 First off I don't have a college education or any certifications. The problem is that you have to start somewhere. Even if that means reading up on forums like these first, reading books, taking courses (not always needed), working first at a place like BestBuy or Circuit City. Basically for me I learned completely on my own. I had an inherent desire to read about things and figure them out on my own. Therefore I broke many of my fathers computers trying this. I first started out fixing and building pc's for friends and family at around 13. I then took whatever school courses I could that was related to computers. I took a typing course, heh, just so I could play with the pc. I took networking 1 and web page maintenance. I think the most important thing I could have done was mess with everything and not worry about breaking it. I also built a portfolio of fake things that I made for web sites and desktop publishing. I then showed them to all the companies that I ever applied for. Remember that references are a great need. Any computer work you've done on the side ask them to be a reference for you. The more good references you have the better off you are. I had built a couple of sites for people and have them as references to get my first job. My first job in IT was at the ripe age of 18 at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA. Jobs before that were at the local Movie Theater or woodworking. My friend who was working there for about 4 years was leaving, he was 26 mind you, and referred me. I showed them everything I did and sold myself. If I didn't know how to do something I'd learn, and quickly. I got the job, needless to say. At the job I learned valuable social, business and technical skills. Something I'd never learn actually going there. I learned alot on the job. I always looked for ways to improve whatever I could. I got it to a point where everything was so streamlined and got everything going so well I made it so I wasn't really needed anymore. Therefore I was scooped up by another department where I did even more work. Starting there I was the sole IT person for 1 department with 1 headquarter and 7 satellite offices. A total of about 50pc's statewide. I then moved onto sole tech for about 17 state offices, about 300 pcs and 5 departments. Stayed there for 3.5 years. From there I moved onto where I am now at a Hospital, last August 05. My experience where I was before was a necessary evil. I was hired because of what I had acquired before. I am now doing much more technically advanced things. Custome AD planning, network architecture, databasing, etc, etc. It's nice to have 3wks paid vaca, 10 personal days, 10 sick days and healthcare. So just be patient I guess. Start somewhere small and move up. Not everything will work as smoothly as it did for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
almostageek Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 I work for a Medical insurance company and the one thing that sticks out most is that not enough people know data bases!! We use a lot of MS SQL for the heavy duty stuff and MS Access (possible the worst program on the planet in my book) for the lighter stuff to filter through lots and lots of data. Out of 60+ people on my floor there are 2 people that really know what they are doing with data bases and the rest of us are pawns in a chess game!! LOL The power of a little data base knowledge is amazing and can get you some good money!! Also believe it or not doing web pages is a pretty good thing to learn too. I have no formal training at all and i got a couple side jobs running a couple online stores. Through these jobs I have a couple more in the works just through referrals. My advice is to figure out what you like doing in the IT world and start messing with whatever you decide on. I myself like HTML, Photoshop, PHP, Javascript, OScommerce, Wordpress, and Drupal. I have never taken a class in any of these and can use them pretty well. Also if you have friends that are good at something get them to show you a little here and there. Its always good to have a different perspective. Good Luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nico Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 I work for an Hospital as a technician but I do a lot of sysadmin on linux/unix servers, and a few windows servers. Actually, I do a lot of stuff that I coudn't do in a big company or big hospital. I worked in a big one before, I only did network tasks on cisco switchs. This is my third job and it is a pretty cool one and I don't have to code or anything like that (or just a bit, but that's really nothing) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debianuser Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 Ya... I am 22 years old, got specialized in Computer Programing at the university... right now hired as Network Administrator... Almost sounds like the old good Forest Gump "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." Study some computer thing and they will put you somewhere else... if they ask you, can you do this!? and you do not know, then google it. The thing about education is about being able to learn by yourself. alright, i am out now :arrow: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DLSS Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 Hi ... well to questions as i have never been in a IT/Server room expt once when i walked through it to check the Air Con (helped dad fix it)1) Can you get a GOOD job im IT if you are not a programmer (As around here all the teachers are saying go to university and programe stuff for banks or games) 2) What job do YOU have :) Yes, yes you can. In fact alot of programming jobs are outsourced. Degress to look at are Management information systems, Computer Forensics, and Computer Science. Also it wouldnt hurt to have certifications on a number of platforms including but not limited to , Windows, Unix, and Linux. My job is currently student, and Im in computer sales. Word to the wise. DO NOT get into computer sales. I want to shove a pencil through my eyeball everytime someone gets ram and hard disk confused, or refers to the whole tower as the cpu. Ive been yelled at a few times for telling customers that we do not carry cpus, only to find out later that they were referring to the tower as a whole. I mean hey. We dont sell processors. thats funny XD i'm also a student currently following , well my best translation for it would b office (5th year) it comes down to a mix of accountant stuff and logistic stuff ... after my 7th year i'll do a extra specialisation year called e-lab wich basically is a 1year course of network management and this gets u a extra certificate , if within that year i dont find a job i'll also do a specialisation year logistics wich again gets me an extra certificate ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooper Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 There's tons of work in IT outside of programming. In fact, these days if you want to work as a programmer, you need to be fairly good to be considered precisely because they can hire 10 indonesians who can do that work and more for the same price. Don't be too put off by that though. In my experience the coding jobs that get sent there are the boring tasks. Stuff that's already completely thought out, and only needs some drone to put the text into the source files. I did that work a while and it gets really boring really fast. Your value lies in understanding the problem of the customer and making something that takes that problem, and its side effects, into account. So far every indonesian I've encountered in tech wouldn't DREAM of questioning whatever's written in the specs, even if he was pretty certain it was wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKo Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 Tech support is damn easy to get into, you just need a few months phone experience and a google powered cramming session before the interview. Yes, you do have to talk to n00bs all day. But its basically paid training and looks good on your CV. Plus it sure as hell beats working in a shop or factory. (And I have plenty of time to admin/play with my own servers via ssh, webmin and rdp) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debianuser Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 Tech support is damn easy to get into, you just need a few months phone experience and a google powered cramming session before the interview. Yes, you do have to talk to n00bs all day. But its basically paid training and looks good on your CV. Plus it sure as hell beats working in a shop or factory. (And I have plenty of time to admin/play with my own servers via ssh, webmin and rdp) Ya.. i agree... however it reminds me of the time when once, I had a problem with my hosting company and when I actually was walking tech support into solving the problem... :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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