Issue with gathering more knowledge

[luke127]

I'll take a look and see what I think. Will report back once I've done so Thanks for the suggestions haha, but there's like only one computer business in my town and they're not interested in volunteers


EDIT: JACKPOT. Lynda is absolutely awesome. Learning all of this will certainly give me the challenge and something to do with my time. Thanks a bunch guys


EDIT 2: Just noticed it costs to use this site Dunno how I'm going to deal with that...

 

[PP Mguire]

Use the Linus code and the NCIX code. That's 20 days free.

 

[carnageX]

I'll take a look and see what I think. Will report back once I've done so Thanks for the suggestions haha, but there's like only one computer business in my town and they're not interested in volunteers


EDIT: JACKPOT. Lynda is absolutely awesome. Learning all of this will certainly give me the challenge and something to do with my time. Thanks a bunch guys


EDIT 2: Just noticed it costs to use this site Dunno how I'm going to deal with that...

If you go to a church or any other kind of activity like that, ask the office people. That's what I did while in high school for a while as well. The office people at my mom's church knew I did computer work, so I'd go in and help them when they gave me a call. They'd sometimes give me cash for helping them, so that was nice. Wasn't steady work by any means at all, but it was just side work.

 

[Lexluethar]

volunteering is good, another thing is studying on your own.

Considering your age and the fact you are in school I understanding getting certified probably isn't in the cards. What you can do though is study those topics which will help you learn the basics. Doesn't mean you have to go get certified, but you can still study up on the topics.

Start here:
professormesser.com - it's hours and hours of free videos on networking and a+ material. If that is too basic go buy a book on a topic you enjoy and just read it and lab it.

Get VMWare player (free) or some other free virtualization program and create a virtual server environment to study up on. If networking is your think you could purchase a book on that and get a network mapping tool (most are for pay but you can find free ones) to mess around with networking.

Point is you have options, you have to take the initiative and do them yourself. A lof of adults in the IT industry take the same approach you are taking - expecting their employer (or in your case school) to teach you and send you to classes. That's not reality, you have to help yourself before others will help and invest in you. Take the initiative and get to studying and learning.

 

[luke127]

Volunteering is off the cards because of insurance. Businesses where I live, (regional area) will NOT take anyone unless they're insured for every form of accident you can think of. So that's out of the question because as outlined above, I'm a student and don't have the money to be paying for insurance that tbh, is being used for a voluntary position that doesn't get paid xD


As for gathering knowledge on my own, I've been trying to do that for the 3-4 years. I started with a massive research project on active directory, group policy, and other security measures for server management and stability. I then went into the hardware area, started looking at how computers work, what is the most likely to break, etc.


I have now built my own custom desktop, and am going to move onto a more indepth coverage of networking. I will take any advice I can get on how I can go about learning the topics, and thanks for listings the sites that you have. Lex, I'll be sure to take a look at that site as it may contain information that I do not have, but only time will tell

 

[luke127]

Use the Linus code and the NCIX code. That's 20 days free.

I will do this in my holidays when I have the absolute maximum amount of time to spend on research. Mum'll be at work, and I'll be at home with no one to bother me

 

[gman40]

Hey guys, most of the regulars probably know me, or of me haha. I'm a high school student with a passion for computers and IT in general, but unfortunately my school wants no part of it whatsoever. They've basically pulled the BS excuse of legalities not allowing them to learn from the IT department (conflict of interest, bla bla bla).

The school has pushed me over to the TAFE IT course, which admittedly is better than nothing, but it teaches me things that I already know, and to be honest I only did it for the piece of paper proving that I actually know what I'm talking about. This is extremely annoying because I know that if someone decided to help me nurture my talent, I could become very knowledgeable in this area and I plan to get a career in this industry too.

So does anyone have any ideas on how I can gather more information on things such as networking, and understanding servers and how they work on a deeper level. I know how they work on a surface level, but I'm trying to learn the intricacies of how they work, the different ways of implementing something network wide, etc.

Some of you might know about an incident that occurred a while back in my past, where I attempted to access the group policy object editor via a created shortcut on my desktop. This promptly lead to right clicking being disabled for ALL students for 2 years, and me getting yelled at for not using the school computers in an appropriate manner.

So that's my dilemma. If anyone can assist me with my knowledge gathering, I'd be forever grateful

PS: Based in Australia, and getting certifications at my age is difficult because I have to travel to the city of Canberra to do them, which is 2 and 1/2 hours away from where I presently live. This makes my knowledge gathering even more difficult.

Well, I don't know of THE best way to gather knowledge. I think the others have given you some good advice, Luke. I can tell you how *I* gained my experience. Basically, I went back to school and got my 4 year degree in info tech, and then was able to land a job as a software specialist. Of course, the job itself wound up being more in line with desktop support than software writing, but it was a start.

I did that for several years, and finally was able to land a job as a sys admin. This sounds more like what you're wanting to do. Sys admin can be fun, frustrating, nerve-racking, but rewarding all at the same time. But, I can honestly say, if I had not started off getting more acquainted on the desktop support level first, I probably wouldn't have had a chance as a sys admin. There is ALWAYS something to learn as a system administrator. We definitely earn our keep!

Once you get your degree, even if it's a two-year degree, I'd find a college that would hire you on as desktop support, whatever computer entry level job they have available, TAKE IT! Even if you feel it's beneath you. It's always easier to move up once your foot is in the door, than to leap frog into the position you really want. And trust me, if you know what you're doing, you're going to move up quickly.

Just food for thought, system administration is such a broad, broad job title in IT. There is so much an admin can do. Not just firing up servers and installing Active Director or DNS, but visualization, understanding how VDI works, what an ESXI host does, how to configure SANS, what is an Raid Array, Federation systems, how do servers outside in the DMZ work with servers in your internal network, etc... It can be mind-boggling work, but there is always something new to learn!

Right now, I'm training to be a hybrid network admin/system admin. My brain is fried -which is why I'm wasting time posting this when I need to get back to work!