Any advice for getting into a networking or IT career quickly through self teaching?

[mxmaniac]

This may be a little off topic, if anyone knows a better place to ask, let me know.

I'm 35, and work construction, but due to progressing bone/joint problems, probably will need to switch fields.

I've always had a passion for technology and computers, and I think it could be a career I could enjoy. Without going into details, I have a mortgage to pay, most likely kids on the way soon, etc.

I'm wondering if anyone has advice if I could realistically self teach my way into an IT career, and do so in a very quick manner? My biggest challenge is I need to start out making at least a decent wage no less than about $17 - $18 an hour in order to pay my mortgage and bills, and I want to have the ability to work up to a much higher wage over time as I study more and increase my skills more.

Can this realistically be done, or am I expecting too much? Can anyone recommend which topics I should study and learn to get my foot in the door? How long I could expect it to take in my spare time to become employable at roughly an $18 /hr level? I really worry because I know a guy who went to a 2 year tech college, and has been working in IT for 5 years and still only makes $18 an hour.


A little more about me:
My current level is this. I've built many PC's, built basic websites long ago when html was done by hand, setup lots of wifi systems, done a bit of video and photo editing, repaired lots of PC's, done minimal c++ coding to make arduino projects, done soldering for all sorts of electronics projects, making simple circuitboards, put together many quadcopters with gps/bluetooth/telemetry/etc.

I think the type of IT computer job I would like is something that is partially hands on, and not glued to a screen. Although I like things like coding and video editing in small amounts, I would go mad having my eyes focussed directly on a screen all day every day.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Lexluethar]

Sounds like you are kind of a jack of all trades when it comes to IT and you don't know what you want to do.

I would suggest starting small, try to get your foot in the door somewhere then once you are exposed to other areas start focusing on the areas that you enjoy.

I don't know the time frame you are talking about. Are we talking about a month? 6 months? a year?

Realistically starting out you can expect to make 15 to 18 an hour working in a help desk / desktop support / NOC position. That's pretty standard and depending on the area you live in and the industry you work in that rate may vary. You really need to get a few certifications before people will realistically look at your resume and get an interview. You can self teach all you want, but employers in my experience (been in IT for about 5 years) want concrete results before even interviewing you. They expect either experience or certifications, saying you 'play' with stuff in your basement doesn't mean much to a potential employer - especially in todays market.

Your best bet is to get your A+ and Net+ certifications, you can easily pickup both books for less than $100 a piece, study for about 3 weeks on each exam and take the exam. Once you have those certifications employers will look at your resume and give you interviews. Once you have a year or two of experience lots of doors will open for better jobs.

 

[mxmaniac]

Thanks for the great advice so far. I will follow up and look more into those certificates.

You are right that I'm not exactly sure what field of IT I want to be in. Its hard to figure out never being exposed to it. So any recommendations of what's even out there, and the general difficulty of getting into each would be helpful. Main thing, like I said I don't want the eye strain of staring dead at a screen all day long doing something like code, or graphic editing (even though I enjoy those in small amounts). Sort of thinking something like where I set up PC's and networks, administer the network, etc sounds good. Something that has mellow downtime when everything is running right would be awesome. But what sort of titles does that cover and how hard is it to get in. I have just spent about 15 hours recently reading about networking/security in preparation to setup a home server just for fun, and this networking stuff is pretty intersting so far.

Also, I've had an idea, perhaps anyone in the field could tell me if they think this would be helpful.

I thought maybe it could be beneficial to my potential future career to build basically a "portfolio" website. If I can build a website, host it on my own home server, which functions almost as a visual resume, with brief descriptions and photos of various technical accomplishments, maybe have something fun like a robot arm they can control remotely, etc. I figure it would sort of serve as visual proof of my abilities, rather than the typical boring little paper document that says "I have x y x skills". Does anyone think this sort of visual resume would make a big impact?

 

[Nukem]

Those pieces of paper mean a LOT theses days. Those certs that Lex is talking about mean the difference between in interview or not. Keep going back to classes, if your not already enrolled, that will also look good on a resume... Means your keeping up certs and with the changing times.

You can also try getting a part time/full time position at a computer repair shop, or Geek Squad. (Something along those lines...) You can get your hands dirty so-to-speak; Gain the experience, then move on to a bigger and better position once you get your resume going.

...as for the visual resume. It's fun and interesting, but useless for a perspective company. "They" would want to talk to you on the phone and hear your level of knowledge in person, than looking up a website, that you may or may not have done on your own.

and never forget... It's not a catch-all, but saying "I don't know, but I know where to look it up" is an acceptable answer

 

[Lexluethar]

100% agree with Nukem on all points. Certifications and education is key in the field. Unelss you know someone it is EXTREMELY difficult to even get a call back with no experience and no certifications / education. It took me three months with my A+ and MCP certification for Vista before landing my first IT job. I got a few calls but only two interviews before landing my job. I'm not saying that's everyones experience, just explaining it's no walk in the park to get the job, keep the job and stay relevant (IE as Nukem said keep up on the technology).

Realize you aren't the only person looking at IT as an easy way to make a decent wage and work an interesting field. This fact makes it that much more difficult to get into the industry. Trust me though, once you are there and you stay on your craft (IE keep getting certifications) you will move up quickly.

 

[DistraughtSysop]

I thought maybe it could be beneficial to my potential future career to build basically a "portfolio" website. If I can build a website, host it on my own home server, which functions almost as a visual resume, with brief descriptions and photos of various technical accomplishments, maybe have something fun like a robot arm they can control remotely, etc. I figure it would sort of serve as visual proof of my abilities, rather than the typical boring little paper document that says "I have x y x skills". Does anyone think this sort of visual resume would make a big impact?

Whatever you do, make sure you have a conventional resume. That's not the time or place to get fancy.

Putting up a website could only serve as a supplement to that. IMO, the best reason to put up your own site for employment purposes is if you're going for a web developer position or something similar and you don't already have a body of work that a potential employer can look at. Of course, such a position usually means staring at a screen.

 

[mxmaniac]

Great advice once again, much appreciated.

Does it matter to an employer "where" the certs come from? For example, I've heard of many places where you can get free computer related courses. I did a brief search for the 2 certs referenced, Comp+ and Network+, and results popped up like "Free Comptia Certification Exams School: A+, Network+, Server+ ..."

If I were to go the route of getting a free cert, do employers look equally as highly upon it, or is that like comparing a harvard graduate to a community college graduate, where one is generally considered more desirable than the other?


Also, in general how long and how much effort does it take to move up? I'm shooting for a career to support a family, live comfortably, and retire comfortably. One of my main hesitations, is I only know 3 people in the IT field, all went to college and racked up debt. One of them was making only $19 after about 6+ years, another hasn't been doing it too long but only makes $15hr, and the last one has just been working a "read off a script phone support" job for a long time, I don't know how much he makes but he lives in a studio apartment and has no car. Although I feel like I'm probably a more motivated person as far as advancing than them, this is one of the biggest things that has discouraged me from pursuing this field earlier.

 

[Lexluethar]

Employers don't generally care, they just want to make sure your are certified and have the proper registration to prove it. Be careful, there are a lot of placed out there that you can train for the A+ or Net+ but don't provide the exam. In order to take a registered exam for CompTIA or Microsoft you have to go to a specific testing center (see www.prometric.com) that is registered with CompTIA or Microsoft. These testing centers are controlled environments to ensure people aren't cheating on the exams.

Personally, since you make it sound as if money is an issue - i would just purchase the books, study and take the exam. You can pay like $1,500 for a class, or just buy a book then take the exam.

 

[DistraughtSysop]

Well, the A+ and Net+ certs are CompTIA certs - CompTIA is the name backing the cert. It doesn't matter what testing center you take the test at or which institution you get training from. Lex already provided the link for finding a testing center; with your background, I don't think you'd need any classes. You probably don't need to study at all for the A+ if you're used to building and repairing PCs, although I would still look at a study guide just to be safe.

I don't know of any reputable certs that are free. I mean, if you can take a CompTIA exam for free, then go for it, but I don't know how you would manage that (outside of someone else paying for it). In school I did take some Microsoft MTA exams for free, but those aren't actually free - my school just had a deal where they got exam vouchers.

I couldn't say how long it takes to move up - that depends on the position, the employer, the circumstances, etc. However, if you keep your knowledge up to date while learning new skills then you shouldn't have any problems finding better positions. Again, where you work may make that easier or harder.

 

[mxmaniac]

Being able to study any way I want, and just take the exam when I'm ready sounds perfect for me. Much better than the typical college approach. In general, are most certifications in the IT field like that, or are there many where actual college classes are requited? Also are there any pros/cons of going with the microsoft certs vs comptia certs?

Your right, cost is a concern, but doesn't necessarily have to be "free". I looked up the prices of the CompTIA A+ exam at $183, and network+ at $261. So $444 to get some job worthy credentials is not bad. I'm mainly concerned about typical college costs which are in the thousands, which would not be affordable. My friend for example went to a tech school for 2 years to get a degree, and it costed him over $40K. And after all that debt, and working in the field for 6 years, he is still only making $20 /hr. That's what I was concerned about. Sounds like I don't have to worry about any of that though if I go the Cert route.

I have a good plan now where to start, I'll plan on reading through the study guides soon, and beginning to study whatever I need to. Now if I get those 2 certs A+, and Net+. What sorts of job titles will I generally be qualified for? And are there any places or websites that are particularly good to search for those types of openings?