A little bit of advise, please :)

Discussion in 'Employment & Jobs' started by GrymD, Mar 23, 2009.

  1. GrymD

    GrymD New Member

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    Hello guys,

    As you probably gathered by my introduction in the new users area, i do not work in I.T but i am looking for a start somewhere (anywhere truthfully!).

    From reading many posts on here its best to keep trying, and yes i have no intention of giving up, instead i want to be alot more well rounded in terms of my I.T skills and certifications. I have no problems with self study and i am very self motivated, my problem lies in experience.

    I have gathered more or less that i will need my A+ and maybe N+ to start at the bottom of the I.T ladder.

    However some employers dont give me the time of day, i have had quite a few interviews (2nd and 3rd interviews for a few positions) for a range of jobs in IT eg. Helpdesk role and Field Engineer role. I guess i dont have much luck with the jobs at the moment. Am i doing something wrong or is it down to the way the market is?

    Truthfully i think if i get my A+ and N+ and scrap my cisco off my CV if it means i have more chance of getting a job. Alot of employers think once i have the experience of a few years under my belt then i will high tail it and run off to a magical gateway where some one is handing out free jobs for anyone with a cisco cert and 2 years experience :dry

    Anyway guys i am rambling, can anyone give me an idea of where to go next?

    Obviously i want to stick at it and eventually become an experienced professional but its hard to get that break you need to show them what you can do.

    Apologies for the dry humour

    G

    P.S Advice not advise....*slaps self*
     
    Certifications: CCNA
  2. Qs

    Qs Semi-Honorary Member Gold Member

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    Was going to say that, but nevermind - I'm just picky.

    Anyway...

    My advice (:p) to you would be the same as to the other numerous posts regarding breaking into the I.T industry. Yes, it doesn't help that jobs in I.T are pretty few at the moment but it is still possible.

    The best certs to obtain are A+, N+, MCDST and possibly the MCITP Vista upgrade - In that order

    This will give you a good solid foundation with which to start pursuing your I.T career.

    Experience is also necessary and without any whatsoever you will find it harder to obtain a job. To counteract this general advice is to start applying to do voluntary I.T related work with real employers (as opposed to 'fixing PCs for friends and family') as it shows you have the dedication and motivation to succeed. In addition you can mention this on your CV to appeal to potential employers.

    With specific regard to your CCNA I'd suggest you do what I did, which is to leave it off your CV until you have more real-world experience. Being over-certified may, as you said, scare off employers and as it's not an essential benefit to you at this point in your career than you should remove it from your CV.

    Keep going for first line support/helpdesk roles (even whilst studying for the aforementioned certs) as it will give you a better understanding as to what such roles require and you may get lucky.

    Any other questions then fire away :)

    Hope this helps.

    Qs
     
    Certifications: MCT, MCSE: Private Cloud, MCSA (2008), MCITP: EA, MCITP: SA, MCSE: 2003, MCSA: 2003, MCITP: EDA7, MCITP: EDST7, MCITP: EST Vista, MCTS: Exh 2010, MCTS:ServerVirt, MCTS: SCCM07 & SCCM2012, MCTS: SCOM07, MCTS: Win7Conf, MCTS: VistaConf, MCDST, MCP, MBCS, HND: Applied IT, ITIL v3: Foundation, CCA
  3. greenbrucelee
    Highly Decorated Member Award

    greenbrucelee Zettabyte Poster

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    Hi Welcome:)

    I agree with QS on this.
     
    Certifications: A+, N+, MCDST, Security+, 70-270
    WIP: 70-620 or 70-680?
  4. GrymD

    GrymD New Member

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    Yeah i am picky too, dont know how i missed that one.. :blink

    Anyways yeah my CCNA seems to scare people off big time. I read an article saying if you have a CCNA and no experience they think you "winged the course" and did some bootcamp to get your cert?

    I will have to look into the volunteer work in my area. As you said it would be some real experience as opposed to lab/test enviroment.

    Yeah the current climate of employment doesnt help either.

    I will keep on trucking :D

    cheers Qs
     
    Certifications: CCNA
  5. Qs

    Qs Semi-Honorary Member Gold Member

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    No worries man.

    Keep us updated. :) The first job is always the hardest to find.

    Qs
     
    Certifications: MCT, MCSE: Private Cloud, MCSA (2008), MCITP: EA, MCITP: SA, MCSE: 2003, MCSA: 2003, MCITP: EDA7, MCITP: EDST7, MCITP: EST Vista, MCTS: Exh 2010, MCTS:ServerVirt, MCTS: SCCM07 & SCCM2012, MCTS: SCOM07, MCTS: Win7Conf, MCTS: VistaConf, MCDST, MCP, MBCS, HND: Applied IT, ITIL v3: Foundation, CCA
  6. Metalstar

    Metalstar Kilobyte Poster

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    Sound Advice.

    Welcome to the Forums!
     
    Certifications: A+
    WIP: Network+
  7. BosonMichael
    Honorary Member Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    BosonMichael Yottabyte Poster

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    You have exactly hit upon two out of the three main reasons why your CCNA scares off entry-level employers, so your perception is dead-on accurate. The third reason is because you look more expensive to an employer than someone who doesn't have the CCNA... so many won't even bother asking you what your salary expectations are.

    In truth, entry-level employers aren't scared of you leaving within two years... turnover in entry-level jobs is pretty common. What they DON'T want is for you to leave within a few MONTHS of starting, leaving them to find, hire, and train someone all over again. And if an experienced CCNA were applying for an entry-level job, that's exactly what would happen.

    Shoot, even without a CCNA, intelligent, motivated individuals often end up leaving within a few months! Why? Because helpdesk jobs aren't typically jobs you work at forever... if you're even moderately ambitious, you'll get a year or two or three of experience and then move upwards, either within the same company or at a different one. It happens, and entry-level employers are aware of it... but there's no reason why they should shoot themselves in the foot and hire someone with MORE risk factors (such as your CCNA).

    The other advice given prior to mine is quite solid - start with the A+, Network+, and MCDST, and drop the CCNA off your CV until it can be of more use to you.

    Welcome to the forums!
     
    Certifications: CISSP, MCSE+I, MCSE: Security, MCSE: Messaging, MCDST, MCDBA, MCTS, OCP, CCNP, CCDP, CCNA Security, CCNA Voice, CNE, SCSA, Security+, Linux+, Server+, Network+, A+
    WIP: Just about everything!
  8. GrymD

    GrymD New Member

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    Yeah i think i will follow that route of study.

    Yeah i understand where you're coming from, i didnt think my CCNA on paper would make me look expensive?

    By reading the forums, i see alot of people seem to be in the same boat with this kind of problem.

    Cheers for the support guys and for taking the time to read my atrocious grammar :D

    G
     
    Certifications: CCNA

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