new member looking for IT advise

bchang89

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HI Guys,

New here and i'd like to introduce myself briefly.

Currently located in southern california, 23 and hold a B.A. in History, working in the real estate industry (completely random, I know). I'd like to jumpstart my career in IT and I was wondering what entry level certifications are worthwhile? I've been looking into A+ and some Microsoft certs. I don't have any previous IT experience, but i've been using PC's my entire life. I'd like to get into the more lucrative IT positions after i've paid my dues in some entry level positions. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
 
Welcome to TF.

As you do not have any previous experience in IT. Getting a college or University course might be your best option.

Depending where you may want to end up in the IT industry will depend where you want to focus.
What is your 10 year career plan for IT?
 
Welcome to TF.

As you do not have any previous experience in IT. Getting a college or University course might be your best option.

Depending where you may want to end up in the IT industry will depend where you want to focus.
What is your 10 year career plan for IT?

Thanks for the response. I want to get my MBA eventually and somehow integrate that into my prospective IT work experience + IT certifications. I want to know if my B.A. in an unrelated field and an entry level cert like the A+ can get me a decent entry level job. I've been working as an escrow coordinator for the past year, and I do a lot of work on the computer to perform daily job tasks.

What are some good entry level certs to start with, keeping in mind that I do not have any work exp/education in IT?
 
Some good entry level certs are the CompTIA A+ and Network+ and some Windows client certs. Any more than that may or may not be overkill. Your current BA will be fine for an entry level position; if anyone gets that picky at the entry level, it will be on experience more than anything else. You may want to get an IT degree later on.

You should also start thinking about what particular field you want to get into because it will only be to your advantage to start planning for it from the start.

The things that employers look for in order of importance is: experience > degrees > certs. Customer service experience is also almost always a huge plus. Bear that in mind when figuring out how you want to get into the field. These days even a lot of entry level positions want experience; if you can't get a paying position then an internship or volunteer work would be the next best thing. Experience is king. I'm not sure how true this would be for programming, though, since that seems to be more cut and dried; either you know the code or you don't. Maybe a programmer can speak more about that.
 
Some good entry level certs are the CompTIA A+ and Network+ and some Windows client certs. Any more than that may or may not be overkill. Your current BA will be fine for an entry level position; if anyone gets that picky at the entry level, it will be on experience more than anything else. You may want to get an IT degree later on.

You should also start thinking about what particular field you want to get into because it will only be to your advantage to start planning for it from the start.

The things that employers look for in order of importance is: experience > degrees > certs. Customer service experience is also almost always a huge plus. Bear that in mind when figuring out how you want to get into the field. These days even a lot of entry level positions want experience; if you can't get a paying position then an internship or volunteer work would be the next best thing. Experience is king. I'm not sure how true this would be for programming, though, since that seems to be more cut and dried; either you know the code or you don't. Maybe a programmer can speak more about that.

I'm not entirely sure on which route I want to go yet. I think once I get a year or two in an IT position, that's when ill give the masters degree a shot. I know theres some MBA programs that integrate IT aspects, so i'll look into that further. My plan is to get the A+ cert ASAP (any tips on how to study/if those $2,000 classes are worth it would be appreciated) and maybe a few microsoft certs like MCA or something.

With that being said, what are the most in demand IT jobs currently? I'm looking into mobile tech, DBA, or some sort of IT consultant. I'm seeing that a lot of entry level jobs are in the desktop support field. Is this a good place to start?
 
What you need for A+ depends on how much you already know. Unless you know nothing about computers at all, you'll probably be okay with a decent study guide like the one from Mike Meyers or Sybex. Professor Messer's videos also come highly recommended. You don't need an expensive course for A+ even if you know nothing at all. Maybe for something like the CCNA, but not anything entry level.

When I took it, I had only ever swapped a few cards and drives and I'd looked online to troubleshoot problems. After taking the exam I realized that I probably would have passed without studying. Speaking of, don't let the practice exams discourage you. They are nothing like the actual exams.

Pretty much everything in IT is in demand; I can't think of anything that nobody needs right now. Security is in great demand but that's not entry level. That's what I'm working towards, actually. Right now everything is moving towards mobility and virtualization, so that's one thing to keep in mind.

Desktop support/help desk is pretty much the standard for entry level into IT as well as repair tech. There really aren't too many other places to start unless you get lucky or you have connections.
 
The things that employers look for in order of importance is: experience > degrees > certs. Customer service experience is also almost always a huge plus.

Adding onto this. I've even heard places prefer customer service experience over tech experience. You can usually be taught tech stuff fairly quickly on the job. But customer service experience is harder to learn. People would much rather deal with somebody who doesn't know as much, but is trying to help them (and wants to help them), rather than the "IT guy" that berates customers, or blames them for causing problems.

Experience is king. I'm not sure how true this would be for programming, though, since that seems to be more cut and dried; either you know the code or you don't. Maybe a programmer can speak more about that.

Most places want a degree for programmers / software developers. At least a BS in Computer Science or something like that. I'm about done with my BS in CS, and the places I looked at all required a BS at minimum. Got my job already lined up after I graduate next semester though, so all good for me :thumbsup:.
 
carnagex said:
Adding onto this. I've even heard places prefer customer service experience over tech experience. You can usually be taught tech stuff fairly quickly on the job. But customer service experience is harder to learn. People would much rather deal with somebody who doesn't know as much, but is trying to help them (and wants to help them), rather than the "IT guy" that berates customers, or blames them for causing problems.
If you have this skill (the ability to relate to people and understand their problems as if they were your own), it's is an extremely invaluable skill in the industry that is highly coveted by employers looking for new hires.
 
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