Thinking of starting a career in IT

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Hi Guys,

I'm a 29 year old guy who works in an office doing a dead end job.

Over the last 6 months I have been toying with the idea of starting a career in IT.

I've always had an interest in computers and get a real buzz if I can solve an issue on my own computer.

What I want to know is where to start and also what the IT industry is like at the moment.

If anyone can help it would be much appreciated.

Liam

 

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Go for it. There are jobs out there - you just have to look.
Problem is salary. 1st line roles are not the best paid circa 12-15K. So making the switch can be hard, especially if you have commitments.
I effectively took a 15k salary hit when moving roles. If I hadn't been made redundant (salary £0) then I'd still be doing my old job.

Start by looking for a 1st line role (with or without experience) and go from there.

G

 

Hi, guys,

Could anyone tell me, please, if it's worth to build own PC - is it cheaper or more expensive than buy one from a shop?
And another thing - does it help to become more confident in the field and get some experience?

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

 

its always better to build your own because you'll have what you want and need in the pc so most of the times is a bit cheaper.

 

Sonic, you've done a thread hijack / necropost, best to avoid those.

The cost of building your own versus buying is roughly the same if you shop around, system builders can buy stuff in bulk and you save on postage etc.

The main reasons to build your own are :

1. As a hobby / for interest
2. To learn about PC hardware and computer architecture
3. To build a specialist PC that precisely meets your needs

Number 3 is not so relevant these days as there are many custom builders that will allow you to spec out what you want.

I would say it would certainly help you pass the Comptia A+, if you've pulled a few PC's apart and put them back together again. However you don't need to build a £2k gaming rig for this, you could sign up to freecycle and mess with a few old PC's.

I'd look at websites for Overclockers, Scan, eBuyer, Novatech. It will give you an idea of the options for buy versus build.

 

Hi Folks,

I have been working in banking industry for long time but never got success with my career and now want to change. I met a career adviser and she advised me to start a career in IT. Though I find it interesting I am confused where to start from? Some say start with CompTIA A+ some say to do adobe or C and I dont know what to do.

Any advice?

 

Is there a typical IT career path that you would like to do? For example:

IT Technician
Web Developer
Programmer
Network Admin
Security

There is a lot of paths that you could go down.

 

I would like to build career on IT technician or Network Admin. Which among are well paid? and which I can start in a short period of time?

 

Well with little to no experience neither role will pay well, well paid jobs come with experience and knowledge, don't expect to walk into a role paying a decent salary if you have little to no commercial experience because, well, it doesn't happen.

Also worth noting that Network Admin is a role someone usually grows into not one someone starts out a career in IT in.

 

HI Simon D. Your answer is not that encouraging, isn't it?

I spoke to career adviser and many training companies and what all said me is.... "its never to late". Its not only Network Admin role that I would die for but may be IT career starting job... One training company said me yesterday that by end of CompTIA+ training and exam, I would be confident enough to looks jobs in these field. So are they lying?

 

Obviously I cannot be sure what exactly they've told you, but if it really was "Get a Comptia A+ and you'll walk into a Network Admin job" they are trying to sell you something!

True, it is never too late, but you'll still have to climb the ladder of success through experience - be prepared to take on the Helpdesk/1st Line Support roles with low pay to begin. And then strive to learn and grow into the higher roles later...

 

Richy, that is a very honest answer and I apretiate it . I know its gonna be a hell lot of roller coaster ride..... but I am all set for it . I actually wanted to enter this long time back but now i have decided. Any chance you can advice me how to prepare for A+. I have been reading different blogs and article and all are contradicting each other. Some say to do self study and watch videos while other say go for a boot camp or training. Any idea ?

 

That's no problem - we are all here to help, after all...

To be honest, the choice of study can only be your own - you will need to take into account how much time and money you have to put into it.

Generally, the less time it should take, the more money it will cost... Self-study will be slower but cheaper, whilst boot camps are much quicker but much more expensive.

Also, this will be dependant on how you 'like' to study - myself, I prefer self-study as I can do this around work on a time-frame that I am happy with. Others though, need the fast-paced "crash course" that is the boot-camp (usually though, these are due to pressures and time-constraints from their current employer).

Obviously, time is of the essence for you, but maybe your 1st course of action should be to post on the CompTIA area of these forums to ask how people have found the A+ and how quickly they were able to pass it.

And - good luck!

 

Thanks Richy... Very honest
I have decided to attend a bootcamp so that I wrap it quick. I posted same question on different blogs and was surprise to see that training companies focus less on training and more on selling through blogs . I received responses from many companies on how they will help me. So I decided to call them and guess who was the first? the company that is called hallmark in the training industry "Global Knowledge". The first thing they mentioned on call was, "seats are available and you can book it right away by making payment"... Excuse me? When I said.... "I want to know more about the course and how will this help? who will be the trainer? will I to any live practice during the class?" The answer was "all details are mentioned on website". Now I don't understand this attitude?
Then I called others on the list. Few gave partial information while few gave me a call back. The best thing of all was no one gave the answer of how can this help me and what will I gain after this course. This is very disappointing. If I pay $2000-$3000 do I not expect answers to my above questions?

 

You can seriously do the A+ in a couple of weeks (with dedication) using just Mike Meyers A+ book, Professor Messer's YouTube channel, and an old computer you can use and abuse to get a feel for changing parts.

That doesn't cost anywhere near 2-3k!! The money you save there can be then used to put towards other courses as you get more experience down the line.

 

Hi Simon

You seem pretty frustrated with training companies ! LOL

I can relate to the frustration. I am interested in getting myself CompTIA + certified and with the number of training centers that are popping up in every nook and corner , it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a reasonable provider.

I have heard about Global Knowledge, Learning Tree , MyITstudy , NetComm ..Pheww the list if loooong. I surely would like to do the training via a provider as I need to find some dedicated hours of study and with the hectic work schedule I think attending a bootcamp would be good.

In between , did you finally find any provider that you are going to complete your certification from?

Best Regards
Angie

 

Joining a training provider for a boot-camp is beneficial for those who are short on time and need to clear the exam in a week. If you have time, self-study is a good option.