Want to get into IT

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Hello, this is my first post -

I'm 25 and would like to get into IT. I've been thinking about doing a National Diploma For IT Practitioners (Systems Support) which takes 2 years to complete. Would this be a good basis to starting an IT career? Are employers likely to give me a job with this qualification or would I need to go onto further study and get a degree?

Ideally I'd like to learn something that would eventually enable me to work freelance and/or from home/abroad.

Thanks for any info.

 

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Sounds good to me. Depending on your circumstances might be worth you going to Uni and taking a degree with a placement year which allows you to go out and work for a year before finishing your last year. Most big companies have placement years and if you can get into one of them you might be sorted when you finish Uni. Alot of my ex-uni colleagues worked for big ones such as J.P. Morgan, Intel, Oracle in their placement and now work for them after graduation.

If that doesn't pick your fancy, also look towards getting the A+ N+ and some volunteer experiance. Alot of schools might be interested in your volunteering. Probably smaller ones but anyway good luck.

Just a side bit - we have a volunteer person helping with creating animation stuff for educational software. She has a masters and degree and can't get work at all. The school won't pay. Its a hard world out there at the mo.

 

Thats a big ask in todays climate, you'd generally have to have something very special to offer.

The ability to work from home in most IT jobs is generally over hyped, companies generally want you in the office or at a client site at least 3 days a week.

The ability to use IT skills to emigrate again over hyped, you will have to land a job first in most cases and get a sponsored visa.

Realistically you are better off looking at other jobs if you want more freedom now and not in 5+ years time.

There are plenty of other jobs that offer flexible working, taxi driver, driving instructor, bar staff, etc.

 

Nothing automagically guarantees you a job. Diplomas and degrees and certifications can help make you more attractive to employers, but NONE of them are absolutely required when starting out in IT. If I were starting all over again from scratch, I'd pursue the A+ certification while looking for an entry-level job... perhaps one that is flexible enough that allows me to attend a BSc degree program while working.

You can work freelance NOW. All you need to do is find customers who want you to fix their computer.

Ah, yes, that IS more difficult than it sounds...

As far as a company paying you to work freelance or from home... that's gonna be difficult-to-impossible until you build up experience. If that was readily and easily available, we'd ALL be doing it! ;)

Welcome to the forums.

 

Thanks for the advice. I went to an open evening at a local college and they persuaded me to do a foundation degree in computing (support), I was told it would be 1 day per week. Spoke to my boss who told me they wouldn't be able to employ me and allow me to take a day off each week for it.
I then went to the open evening and was told by someone else that it was definately an evening course. So I enrolled. I thought it was strange being told 2 different things so I called and spoke to the course leader who told me it's 1 day a week 9-5pm. So now I'm thinking crap I really need to keep my job.
So I was looking at another college's course, they do a foundation degree in ICT Support which is on an evening twice a week, sounds good.

Basically I'd just like to know if there is a lot of difference between the foundation degree in computing and ICT support. Computing looks like it covers more topics which seems better for employability/skills but if it's not going to put me at a real disadvantage, obviously I'll do ICT support and keep my job, esp with it being so hard to find one at the min.

Has anyone had any experience with either of these courses?