Suggestions for experience ... ???

[mwwwilson]

While I am pursuing my Associate's degree, I would like to gain some valuable experience in something related to IT. I'm located in the Central Florida (ORLANDO) area. How do I go about even starting to find something that would be considered like an internship or apprenticeship or even volunteering?

I really want/have to land a decent paying job in IT upon completion of my AS, which is next APRIL. So, I am starting to plan on getting a little experience in the meantime. 6 months experience may not be much but it is better than none. What types of options do I have and where can I find a place that would allow me to do the above?

Thanks,
Mark W.

 

[DistraughtSysop]

As you said, internships and volunteer work are a good way to start. An actual job that pays would be ideal, but we all know how tough that can be these days. The first place I would check is your school - they might have a job placement program or at least some kind of resource for finding internships. Sometimes the faculty might have something; in school I had one instructor who could guarantee you an interview with an employer if you finished certain courses and another who passed along any opportunities that came his way.

A lot can also be found online. In my area there's an organization that refurbishes used PCs to give to disadvantaged kids, and a lot of IT students from my school volunteer there for the experience. I applied online and would have been doing that but I got lucky with an opportunity that got passed along.

You could always just go right to a PC shop and offer your services - they get free labor, you get experience and a reference. It's win-win for everyone.

Find work wherever you can get it. Geek Squad, Microcenter, Conn's, Fry's, etc. Those won't be great jobs but they usually don't require experience and it's a foot in the door. Having an A+ certification would also help with anything I just mentioned.

 

[mwwwilson]

Having an A+ certification would also help with anything I just mentioned.<!-- google_ad_section_end -->

While I am schooling... how would I go about obtaining my A+ cert? Is this a purchase exam?

Computer upgrade and repair is what I would prefer for now. That being said, I am going to look into volunteering at a PC shop. Thanks for your advice.

Can you help me out on the A+ certification question.
Thanks,
Mark

 

[DistraughtSysop]

Yes, you do have to pay for the exam. IIRC, I scheduled my exam through Prometric.

Most people use a self-study guide to prepare for the exam. Some people will pay for a study course/boot camp, but I don't think that would be necessary unless you are absolutely clueless about hardware. People usually recommend the Mike Myers guide; personally, I used the Sybex guide.

 

[mwwwilson]

Great... thank you for the information. I will be sure to look into all these.