Starting a new career!

[hack17up]

Hello! I am an American line cook and have dabbled in computers for quite some time. I actually completed a two year IT-tech program during high school and even a good bit of a Computer Information Systems degree. Long story short, life got complicated for quite some time and I never did more than freelance/probono work for friends/family.

This work could range anywhere from fixing no-boot scenarios, tweaking system settings for speed & performance, upgrading hardware, salvaging hard drives from failing systems, bypassing passwords on old systems (maybe the user forgot the password or it was passed onto them from a relative), reformatting systems, recovering system images, creating rescue media, backing up data, migrating operating systems, removing viruses/malware, setting up complicated software, etc. I have some experience doing a bit of everything at introductory levels; networking, security, web dev/des, 3d/graphics design, video/audio editing, data entry, programming, etc.

I recently designed & built a new rig for gaming/streaming/work to kind of help restore my confidence as a fledgling tech. I have built a few computers before, but this build is my best one yet. I am currently attempting to obtain my CompTIA A+ certification and take my first step into entering the IT field! I am hoping to obtain an entry level job such as Computer Help Desk in a local company. I understand that such a job would grant an enlightening perspective of the IT business and provide not only entry level IT experience but also information on IT business infrastructure and the customer service side of things. This will be valuable when marketing myself in the future or for if I ever want to start providing my work as an individual.

I am hoping that people here might be able to provide advice on content for an IT stream. I want to work my twitch stream into an IT focus but I am hesitant about it because there are already pros out there posting great stuff. I really don't know what to do. Maybe youtube? I would like to do some sort of Q&A's or more interactive learning, but I'm just not sure. I want to be able to put myself out there as an IT tech to force myself to engage with people as an IT tech and better recognize myself AS an IT tech.

I just need to break into a better industry and I truly enjoy IT work and hope that I can help people understand it better to better the quality of life for everyone willing to give technology and myself a chance!

my new build!- https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hLxx3b

 

[U.F.O.]

Do you even octocore bro? J/k welcome, I have never built custom pc. Put together a lot of those sff refurb desktops but they are all the same. Hope you can make money at helpdesk. Imo the only ones making a decent living at it are the owners and they work long hours and you have to either run down business yourself (very hard) or farm that out as a boss which costs money. I used to do this as a business and had a few loyal clients but it wasn't enough. The corporate world is not for me but some can handle it. Don't let it make you fat. It means a lot of sitting. Don't snack and chug sugar drinks at the pc all day.

I haven't used windows 10 since it dropped, the experience was repulsive to me, and the idea of helping end users fix that dumpster fire os makes me shudder. And it's hard to get hired.

But they pay and it's a useful skill. Good luck let us know how the test goes. I've never taken it but I took a practice test for Network+. You need 80 to pass, I got a damn 43.

Do practice tests, just saying, it's expressive and takes time so prepare yourself to succeed!

 

[hack17up]

Thanks for the advice! I want the exposure to the business side of things and I think Helpdesk could give me that. It definitely wouldn't be my endgame, just a good starting point coming from cooking maybe. I passed classes that taught me everything in A+, Net+, Security+ and more, I just never took the exams. I know people way less qualified than me who have entry level It jobs, so I'm not worried about not getting hired.

 

[U.F.O.]

Most of them where I'm from, those employers won't look at you without secret clearance, best jobs go to ex military first which not me, and part of secret application is polygraph. Hell to the naw. That's the corporate equivalent of being a crack whore. Like damn this is terrible, I don't like doing this but need that money? Come on guy, I'll flip burgers for the rest of my life before I go to cubicle prison with Lundburg asking me for TPS reports every few minutes. Most also drug test which I'm super uncomfortable working for people who rationalize that into being ok.

I have worked food before though. IT even helpdesk is better, air condition, cool chair usually or at least work bench and someone else's stuff to use.

Best operation I worked for was like this: boss has friend with office and lawyers, law practice. Boss's friend hires the company for IT. To get the computers they needed set up, they wanted 4 - 10 desktops and screens and all that set up.

So the boss went on ebay, found a guy in another state selling off lease fleet laptops where the rich company who leased them new, the lease ran out. Had lots for sale on ebay. My boss calls the phone number that is on the description for the listing. The guy has a pallet of machines he is trying to get rid of. So my boss does a deal over the phone to get the guy to send us 4 or whatever desktops, with no drives which helps shipping weight.

The deal worked out and he developed a relationship with ebay guy and we installed them all over town. For the drives, I would install a new drive in the first desktop, put windows 7 and office or whatever they wanted and antivirus, and take a drive image. Then all other desktops just ghost with previously made image, and all desktops are good to go. As long as the case and screen look good and new keyboard and mouse, customers were happy.

I wanted to do it myself but don't want to try and clear the over head with my own credit or cash.