New with questions!

[ChipShark]

Hello there! I'm new to the boards and IT in general. I am very interested in making my interest in the computing and technology world a career for myself. I've always been interested in computers and how they work but admit possess only very basic information on the vast world of IT. I'm planning on applying to college next year in a computer networking program. Will I be completely out of the loop and not able to learn with my little knowledge of computers? I'm prepared to learn, study, and work as hard as possible to succeed my goals of ultimately having a career in the IT department but am unsure that I will grasp everything thrown at me. Surely not every person who is in a computer program is a computing wiz, correct? My second question is if having a speech disability or impairment is going to be a problem with me finding a job after school. I most likely will try for a basic entry level job first, such as the help desk to get my foot in the door, but hope that employers can see past my "disability" and give me a chance to produce. Sorry for the rambling I'm sort of thinking and typing out loud lol. Thanks for the responses!

cliffs:
- do you have to be a computing wiz to understand and learn
- will a speech disability have a negative impact on job searching in IT

Also, is a two-year (associate's) program long enough to get into the field of IT.

 

[Trotter]

No, you just have to be willing and able, as well as teachable. If you are going in as a clean slate then you will not have preconceived ideas... which is a very good thing.

Not really, at least no more than in any other line of work. Most techs are not public relations, so as long as you can communicate you will be fine.

It is better than nothing, but you will need more. Some certifications would be a nice plus but experience speaks much louder. If you can get in with some kind of help desk or desktop technician position as you go it would do you good.

 

[ChipShark]

No, you just have to be willing and able, as well as teachable. If you are going in as a clean slate then you will not have preconceived ideas... which is a very good thing.

Not really, at least no more than in any other line of work. Most techs are not public relations, so as long as you can communicate you will be fine.

It is better than nothing, but you will need more. Some certifications would be a nice plus but experience speaks much louder. If you can get in with some kind of help desk or desktop technician position as you go it would do you good.

Thank you very much for your informative response. I am definitely looking at going for my A+ cert as soon as I graduate school. I am also hoping to get help desk experience while I'm in school through co-op. Besides help desk, what are some other entry-level jobs I should be looking into? Thanks again for your response, you've been a big help!

 

[strollin]

Often, the first job a new IT person with no previous experience is given is phone support, so your speech disability could be an issue there if it prevents you from interacting via telephone. However, there are other entry-level jobs that don't require you to interact via phone so your disability shouldn't preclude you from getting into IT but may keep you from being considered for some jobs.

 

[ChipShark]

Thanks for the response. I just keep thinking to myself that if someone who speaks English as a second language (and not fluently) can do a help desk job then I should be okay. It's not that I have a stutter and can't speak with fluency it's just there are certain words I have trouble pronouncing, I need to stay positive though and believe I could do the job