Want to work in I.T support - is win 8 easier to leanr than windows 7??

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A+ level know how is all you need to get your foot in the door on first line. It will teach you sweet FA about Exchange and Active Directory. But that doesn't matter because wherever you work, as a first line engineer, you will be shown what you need to know about those things as and when you need to know them.

 

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this is exactly what I wanted to know^.. But most jobs Ive been looking at, show that its important to have experience in using AD and exchange etc. :/

 

In that case then, you are probably aiming too high. With the A+, expect to be answering the phone and logging the fault to escalate the problem. As you see some answers in the helpdesk when the engineer updates them, you may see patterns.

1st line of a helpdesk is basically reporting the fault, and running really basic diagnostics / fact finding that would save the 2nd line from having to do it.

So for example, if the person on the other end of the phone says "the printer isn't working" ... you may go through the basics (is it plugged in, are there any flashing lights on the printer, is there paper in it, are others having the same problem, etc) You may get to reset a password from Active Directory Users and Computers, but that's as far as first line would go.

Of course, that's not a hard and fast rule, as what is 1st line for one organisation is 2nd line for another.

The other problem for you is, there are a lot of people out of work, which means there is almost a skills squeeze, and everyone dropping down a level. So whereas that job you posted above may have been at 20-25k role before, because companies know there are people who can earn that, but through no fault of their own, are out of work through redundancy or whatever, and need to pay the bills, they can offer them less. Once that starts to become the norm, it starts to spread across the industry.

That's my take on it anyway

 

I think then, that the problem lies in the fact that you have a job you *may* want to get out of but only at a certain 'price'.

Sadly, as ade has said, you probably need to look at roles that require experience to get the salary you require to move. In an earlier post you mentioned £22-28k after 2 years. That would certainly take some doing within the current climate - it is 'do-able', certainly at the bottom end of that, but it may take a little luck of being in the right place at the right time.

Obviously, there are no guarantees. I hope you find what you are looking for, but as a first job at least, you will have to look at those that require no experience, as the A+ will get your foot in the door at the bottom level, it will rely on your enthusiasm to learn and the experience you gain to move up that ladder.

 

thanks guys! Yes I think 1st and 2nd line support haven't clearly been defined or differentiated from company to company. I am trying to find the most basic job, by typing 1st line support, helpdesk in sites like reed.co.uk .

What other sites are good for I.T professionals seeking employment?

 

I use:

JobServe
TotalJobs
Monster
Fish4Jobs

HTH