Looking for advice on getting into I.T., i MUST get a different job !!!

[toddzilla]

i know there are some Info Tech people here. Yes i know this is a horrible time to want to change jobs. I would like to know what the best avenue is to get my foot in the door.

is tech school the best way? should i just get a few certs and go from there?


what are the best Certification programs offered?
i'm looking for the quickest way to get in, i'll take a pay cut, i just need to do something else with my life, and quickly before i lose my mind.

thanks.

[FlemingsGhost]

1. Where are you located? (n/t)

Dems

[Elad]

2. Certs are useless

The only thing that matters at this point is experience. Your best bet is interning for at least a year before attempting to find a job.

Also, IT is a horrible field to try and get into nowadays, so be careful and don't quit your job until you have a SURE thing.

[BlueJazz]

20. Amen to that, elad......

...I'm a MCSE and A+ and Cisco that and Cisco this....and I finally
just started a home Computer fix/tutor business at home
because frankly....There just ain't no jobs! :)

[htuttle]

The best way nowdays is to move to India

Gain Indian citizenship, then get a job in the US on an L-1 visa.

[private_ryan]

3. wrong field to get in right now I believe

especially since Indian IT people get paid $6500 a year to do the same job you would for $50-$100K.

[TrogL]

4. Programming jobs are going to India

Managers are finally figuring out that MCSE's aren't worth the paper they're printed on without experience.

There's less and less UNIX work.

[Hawkeye-X]

6. Which sucks basically

My dad is turning to me to ask what stuff I should sell on eBay as part of my "offshoot" business.

Any ideas?

Hawkeye-X

[Kusala]

5. don't

too many good experienced IT people out there looking for the same jobs.

[Noordam]

7. Unix/Linux guru out of work 30 months

But I live in Jebbie's Florida ;(

[Langis]

8. I.T. is not a good place to be right now

There are so many people looking for work, that employer’s standards are very high right now. At my work we are only hiring people with at least 2 years exp. for our lowest positions. Anything that pays decent we want at least 4 years with a degree and a lot of certs.

If you really want to get into it though, you need to get your foot in the door somewhere and get experience. Then work on your MCP/MCSE/CCNA and go from there. I switched professions a long time ago, there just isn't enough IT jobs out there right now.

[Booberdawg]

9. IT people getting laid off and can't find jobs right now

not a good field to move into now

[donotpassgo]

10. According to Dubya,

its your fault for not having the right skill set. There are wonderful careers in Court Reporting or Refrigerator repair.

[Deja Q]

12. Well, "it takes one to know one" is half-apt here...

Dubya doesn't know a fuck about his job, which is mainly about dealing with people both foreign and domestic.

The sad part is, Dubya doesn't know a fuck about people in America - he's too busy allowinhg corporations to sodomize him and he's happily enjoying the sensation. (I'm gay so I get to legally say that. :-) )

The good part is, everybody knows Dubya is a total anti-american dipshit. His acidic comment is UNPRECEDENTED from a "president". Restoring honor and dignity?! FUCK NO!

In this regard, I've got plenty of choice words for that Bushbastard*, but then this post would get deleted for sure.

He's not only dissing hard American workers, he's supporting of corporate america leeching off the rest of the world.

Oh, I've got some mighty fine choice words...

[Dogmudgeon]

11. Start your own business

Write a booklet telling men how to increase the size of their penis and how to get more women to service it. That's about the only thing that's a "sure thing" these days, other than being born into money.

I'm a programmer. I'm supposedly very good at it. I made $450 programming since January 1st of this year. Also since January 1st, I've watched three contracts I was hired for move to India.

Program for pleasure, not money.

--bkl

[toddzilla]

13. i live in st. louis

i'm looking at technical stuff , like networking and hardware, troubleshooting etc.

i'm no programmer, nor do i want to be one.

i know it's a horrible field to be getting into, but it doesn't hurt to start looking and preparing. I don't want to be painting fucking vacant apartments a year from now.


thanks for the replies.

[htuttle]

15. Have you checked with your local cable company?

Gotta truck?

A friend of mine actually did work his way up from cable TV installer to a network administrator at the cable company. Not saying that could happen everywhere, but it might.

I'm not sure it's much better than painting vacant apartments at the entry level, however.

[Deja Q]

16. I'll trade you jobs, for real

It probably doesn't pay very well ($12-$15/hr?), but don't apartment maintenance dudes get a dnice discount on living in the complex?

I fear of layoffs everyday.

Cost of health insurance will drive me bankrupt, but the whole damn country should be on the streets in protest over the greedy industry... so why the hell isn't it?

My responsibilities get expanded quite often and there are only so many hours in a week. (I like most of my responsibilities, but most of them are coming from my department, not the department who I support who has other reasons for wanting me and given they had a person full time before me, they deserve no less....) My job is very stressful right now.

Trust me, I'm starting to look into other fields despite my counselor, who is happy at home in his utterly stable job of listening to people... of course, a gay auto mechanic is somebody who won't fit in well at a mechanics' shop... but it's the sort of stuff I would't mind getting into as it's at least technical in nature. Heck, I should study psychology and become a "professional listener". I know I'd be better than the guy who gives out prescriptions for drugs. All he can do is chastise me because I'm dying under the pressure and how he'd rather be playing golf but decides to work so he can listen to me (he's a nice guy but he sure can't listen properly...) and he should be damn grateful I haven't reported him. He also forgot the amount of prescription medicine I'm taking (lowered my quantity from 3 to 2 though he said I should stay at the same level :crazy: ...)

[ET Awful]

14. There's not a lot of IT jobs out there right now. . .

Otherwise I'd be looking to change companies.

Your best bet is to contact contract/temp agencies and try for a low level help desk position. That's how I got my first job in the IT field. I don't have any certs at all, but I'm a network administrator for a small pharmaceutical company.

[jmowreader]

17. The only certification you want

ASE

Yes, the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence is, right now, the way to go. Become an auto service technician! Why?

* There's a shortage of good technicians right now
* Technicians make good money
* Technicians earn the respect and admiration of their friends, neighbors and associates
* No one is going to ship their car to India to get it fixed

Someone attempting to gain ASE certification needs either two years experience in an auto repair facility, or a year's experience and a degree from a regionally accredited auto repair program, or a four-year apprenticeship. The aspirant then takes a group of tests, and there are twelve of them: Automobile Technician, Undercar Specialist, Advanced Engine Performance Specialist, Medium/Heavy Truck Technician, Truck Equipment Installation & Repair Technician, Med/Hvy Vehicle Electronic Diesel Engine Diagnosis Specialist, Collision Repair/Refinish Technician, Estimator, Engine Machinist, Compressed Natural Gas Technician, School Bus Technician and Service Consultant.

If you have a taste for the sea, certify in the medium/heavy truck tracks, add on the advanced electronic diesel engine analysis test then go to the Detroit Diesel and Caterpillar marine diesel schools. The Detroit Diesel 6V71 is the world's favorite marine diesel, and the new MTU Series 2000 and 4000 engines (MTU, which is Mercedes-Benz' heavy diesel arm, and Detroit Diesel, which belongs to Chrysler, are now one firm; road diesels are still DDC while marine diesels are MTU) are pushing a lot of new boats. Add to that the huge number of Caterpillar 3000-series diesels pushing fishing boats and you'll see that a good marine diesel mechanic will never want for work. Once again, no one's going to drive a boat that won't start to India to get it fixed. 

[toddzilla]

18. well..

i quit working on cars years ago.. i raced and built cars for quite a few years. i'm tired of having to take a shower when i get home.

i work for a small painting company, and am not affiliated with any particular apt. complex.

i absolutely love the freedom my job offers, and it pays very well (35k) considering i work about 6 hours a day. but it's a dead-end nowhere career and the people i work with generally don't have two brain cells to rub together. i had my own painting company several years ago and it put me in the poorhouse with the fucking huge corporations paying me when they felt like it. i'd gladly

if i didn't owe so much money in student loans i'd switch degrees and go back to school..


i guess i'll just finish my A+ cert and check with the temp agencies.. i'm living at home right now due to family problems (:puke: ) so i figured it would be a good time to change over before i move next spring.

ugh.. i hate conservatives, i used to quit jobs on a regular basis and be working within the week somewhere else.

[ramapo]

19. Good luck but...

Another vote for you to look into a different field. System admins are a dime a dozen, help desk is a possible entry but it's tough to move up the food chain. Plus it can be a frustrating job.

[Pert_UK]

21. Graduate Training Scheme?

I don't know about the US, but in the UK some big companies have Graduate Training Schemes.

I got onto one with a big Blue Chip company. It doesn't matter what degree you have (mine's philosophy), provided you have the ability to learn new skills and be professional. They train you in the areas that they need (I'm a Business Systems Analyst, apparently).

Age usually isn't too much of a barrier - some of my fellow recruits were over 30, and although the starting wage sucked I'd managed to increase mine by 50% in 2 years.

Of course, you need to be a graduate with a reasonable degree......

Check out company websites to see what's on offer.

Hope it's of some help.

P.