Volunteer

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Hello,
you might see this in the welcome thread as somebody asked me a question so I answered but that was not the right thread to do so. Sorry.
Ok, here is the deal:

I am looking for work at the moment and I am a recent MCSE. Computers have always been my passion so I decided to change my professional career and go into IT. I made a mistake though by going all the way through to the MCSE acreditation. I should have done the MCDST certs and then start looking for work and carry on with MCSE exams. On the other hand I could have had problems with studying while working and I doubt if I ever could become an MCSE.

I have been looking for a Helpdesk position in London for 3 weeks now and I can see that my acreditation is impressive but at the end of the day it all comes down to experience which I lack...

I think I should start working as a volunteer somewhere, first. Where can I find it, please? Do you know some sites for volunteers? if so, please share with me.

 

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how did you manage an MCSE without any experience ? What jobs have you done previously ?

GRim

 

I actually just suggested something on your intro thread.

As for volunteering there are loads of charity organisations looking for someone.

 

Passion and determination can get you anywhere you want. Plus I enrolled on relevant IT courses and studied as hard as I could.

 

Do you know some by name?

 

save the children, oxfam, that christian one that I can't remember the name of, RSPCA etc etc

 

I'll check them out.

You also wrote "maybe hiding all of your MCSE cert on your cv would help you find a job. Having MCSE and no server admin experience can hinder your job prospects so maybe a couple of the MCPs would help."

Why should I do that actually? My problem is the lack of experience in IT not me being overqualified.

 

He's right, it'll stand out like a sore thumb and wont sit right on your cv. Your best bet is to list some MCPs maybe 270, 290 etc. I have an MCSE and a couple of years experience and i still get questioned about the weight of the MCSE on my cv.

GRim

 

Actually - it is both. Put yourself in the shoes of the recruiter.

He thinks "This guy has a MCSE but no experience. Is it a 'paper cert' (i.e. braindumped)? Or if not will he walk as soon as something else appears? Or was he sacked and he hasn't owned up to it?"

That's is the sort of problem that over-certification can bring.

Harry.

 

what they said.

Certs like the MCSE are supposed to show that you can do the job with little or no training. i,e you can hit the ground running.

Certs like the A+,N+ and MCDST are seen as entry level certs designed for entry level positions.

 

The recruiters can see my hospitality background and that last 10 months I spent studying. Is is so strange that people change their profession and no one is born with experience. Anybody had to start somewhere, right? Anybody had to build their experience form scratch.
I don't get this world, honestly. Don't get me wrong. It is not about your comments but more about how it all works.

 

Yes, we all have to start somewhere. But again, you have to put yourself in the shoes of the hiring manager or recruiter. I would sooner hire someone with no certifications and no experience for a true entry-level job (meaning, no experience required) than someone with the MCSE and no experience for the exact reasons that the others gave above.

Don't misunderstand us - the MCSE is a great certification. But without having relevant real-world experience to go with it, the MCSE is not very useful... particularly if you're not applying for a job that is relevant to the MCSE (meaning, server admin jobs, which are NOT entry-level).

Some certifications which might be helpful to getting an entry-level job are certifications that are geared towards techs with little to no IT experience, such as the A+, Network+, and MCDST.

 

When applying for a volunteer work, should I also, do you think, avoid mentioning me being MCSE?

 

yes take it off your cv totally and have a couple of MCPs

 

I own a small computer repair shop. To get the lowest insurance rates I need to have industry certified staff (A+ at a minimum). As I'm basically looking for someone to swap out dead parts and clean out malware, I won't flinch so hard at your MCSE as someone at a larger company might.

That being said, your interview will consist of cleaning up one of the nastiest machines I can infect (or telling me why you can't clean it), and diagnosing a problem with two dead PCs. If I see that you know what you're about (and this is stuff you should pick up doing an MCSE or an A+), I'll hire you. If you come across like a braindumper, you're @#$%ed.

I'd recommed applying at the smaller shops first and then working your way up.