IT Career Advice

[Lone Wolf]

Ever since i got laid off from my sales job, I've been getting more and more interested in a career in the IT field.

I've always been good w/ computers i.e. grasp concepts quickly, not afraid to try and experiment on my own, and enjoy learning new things. Heck just 4 years ago, I didn't even know what a dual-boot was until i read about it on the net and starting experimenting on my own PC. While I love working on my PC, there's a limit.... it's sort of gotten really stale and boring and would llove to learn some vb code, or something to do w/ networking...etc.

The problem is that i have a business degree and most employers & headhunters don't give a rats a*s about my resume. In this job market where there's a glutton of IT workers to choose from, it's an employer's market and i'm not a contender yet.

So I decided to get my A+ certification to atleast get some credibility and get my foot in the door somewhere. I've passed the OS part; now i have to pass the Core. Although, a help desk position would be OK to start with, I couldn't imagine doing that forever.

I know there's a lot of experienced IT workers here who have expertise in various areas. My problem is that I have a business/sales background and would like to get into IT but don't know what field.

For an analytical person who likes problem solving, is there any one particular field of IT that would be suited for me? For example, I don't know anything about being a network administrator. Can someone tell me the primary duties and skills that involves on a daily basis? I really do NOT enjoy jobs that are monotonous; i enjoy variety and challenges as opposed to the 'daily routine' stuff.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Ken Masters]

Perhaps you might think about opening a computer sales shop?

 

[Lone Wolf]

Perhaps you might think about opening a computer sales shop?

That does sound pretty good. However, I don't have sufficient funds for that and my credit is not that great so getting a loan would be impossible at the moment.

I had however thought of something similar - once i get my A+ i was thinking of passing out some flyers and providing some type of comptuer service to home users. I live in Chicago, and the competition I think is stiff just as in any large city. However, I think there is a market for it. I know I would struggle at first as I try to build up a customer list. That's why i need some type of regular F/T job to help pay the bills while I build up my clientele list.

 

[subdivizion]

hey i'm from Chicago also. i thought MicroCenter on Elston was hiring? if you get your A+ Cert. you can do the technician job at MicroCenter. you're right though, it is tough. i'm graduating from DeVry in a week but i'm going to the army for a year and then i'll look for a job when things will have hopefully calmed down.

 

[Lone Wolf]

That's cool - what sort of program were you in at DeVry? Are getting your associates or bachelors degree? Can you tell me about your experience there, i have a business degree and don't know much about tehcnical curriculums. TIA.

P.S. you're prololy right about MicroCenter - once i get my A+, i could probably get a job there.

 

[RyansTech]

Ah, good old Chicago. I'm an IT manager at a PR Firm in the city, I had no experience or college. I graduated Highschool brought my laptop downtown and found an IT job the same day. It is a tough market in Chicago but I had nothing to show as far as credentials, degrees. All they had from me was my word that I have been working with computers for 14 years and can handle whatever comes. Also I make a decent amount just consulting around the Chicago area. Most charge well into the 100's so I charge around 50% less and that gets me a lot more business and the word spreads quick.

 

[Lone Wolf]

Ah, good old Chicago. I'm an IT manager at a PR Firm in the city, I had no experience or college. I graduated Highschool brought my laptop downtown and found an IT job the same day. It is a tough market in Chicago but I had nothing to show as far as credentials, degrees.

Yeah and that was what... like maybe 10-15 yrs ago? Times have changed. And like I said earlier, in this economic downturn w/ a glutton of well-qualified IT workers w/ experience, i don't stand a chance unless I get some sort of certification. I would have appreciated your reply more if you had been a bit more specific to the questions in my post.

 

[rampage_uk]

While they may be a glutton of experienced IT workers around today, you can still get ahead of the game by acquring some hidden skills which mainly includes having a strong knowledge of a particular industry. For example there is a need for bioinformaticians, which are essentially people with IT skills and a strong understanding of biology. They are a few courses availabe to get started in the area. You can find more info about it at http://www.biohealthmatics.com/

The main thing here is to remember that having just IT skills is no longer enough, ther are plenty of people about for that, you would need strong industry knowledge, there are fewer people like that and thus you are more marketable.