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Hey, just wandered into these forums after a brief google-fest and thought it only decent to say hello!

Just discovered these forums and felt they might be the ideal place to sort my dilemma, so I might as well describe my situation briefly!

I graduated last year with a non-computer science degree but felt a bit disillusioned with scientific research and so I am looking to change direction into the IT sector, based on a personal interest.

I had an interview with Advent last week, and up until today was pretty sold on the "Advanced Network Specialist" course they do (CompTIA A+, MCP, MCDST, MCSA, MCSE Security + Messaging, Target salary of £40k in 2 years). HOWEVER, after reading around several dead forum topics elsewhere, i've become pretty apprehensive and decided I need to get some up-to-date insider info and help as I only have a week to notify them of my intentions.

Anyway, probably too much for an introductory topic but hey, I got carried away! I'm going to take a look around the existing threads first, but thanks for reading and feel free to contact me directly if you have any sage advice or first-hand experience.

Thanks!

 

Hi Welcome

I agree with what Ken said, do not do any certs like MCSE or MCSA unttil you have relevant experience in a job otherwise you may find it harder to get a job in IT as those certs are supposed to show your experience level not just knowledge.

 

Welcome aboard...
I'd look at Ken's advice and consider the A+ as the first option.

Good luck

 

Welcome to the forums! I was a Chemistry major - never got a research job.

Ken's absolutely right... pursue the A+, Network+, and MCDST... but no farther until you've built up some real-world IT experience. And by all means, do NOT fall for the high salary lures! Stick with self-study... it's far cheaper than training schools, and you're going to have to learn on your own in your IT career eventually - companies aren't going to pay for you to take expensive training courses, nor are they going to allow you the time to do so.

Best of luck!

 

Hi & welcome to CF

NB

 

Thanks for such a warm welcome!

Also, massive thanks for saving me from a £6k dent in my bank statement!

I pretty much had my sights set on Advent unfortunately, so being back here on the desolate plains of career-dom without a plan is pretty worrying! I feel like I do definitely still want a job in IT however; you are saying self-study through the first parts and THEN try and get a job?

Ideally i'd love a starter job whilst getting on-hand training (hence why I fell for Advent) but trying to find those sort of jobs in the career website cesspit is nigh on impossible! Is IT really that hard to get into without a BSc in Computer Science?

Cheers again, and sorry if i'm not supposed to continue posting here! :S

 

look for entry level jobs (type that in a search engine or trainee positions you do not require certification or qualifications in IT for those.

 

1) Self-study IS a plan.
2) You should try to get a job WHILE you self-study, not AFTER you self-study. If you complete a certification, add it to your CV and keep looking.
3) Advent can't promise you a starter job, nor will they likely get you one while you're in training. In truth, a training course somewhat prevents you from getting a job until your training is complete! With self-study, you can start looking for a job TODAY.
4) IT can be hard to get into with or without a degree. Like certifications, a degree simply gives you an advantage over others with similar experience levels. That said, getting into IT isn't impossible - it can be done. You simply have to be the most attractive candidate for the job.

 

Hi again everyone, since last posting I have continued to look around about getting into IT and had a few face-to-face discussions, but for now the best place to be is here on CF

I bought Mike Meyers' All-in-one A+ book partly for the exams but mostly just to further my knowledge and interest. However... because I have no work-related compy experience so to speak (purely modding and helping family out with what I presume are "help-desk" type issues), some of the more "how-it-works" hardcore techy stuff is causing me a bit of confusion. I guess it's pretty hard to relay how a PC works on paper! (That or i'm an idiot and should cease these impure IT thoughts immediately...)

Anyway, are these forums a place I could possibly get someone's help on the tech side, or is it purely based around the certs and passing them?

Thanks again for having a wonderful site; invaluable I might add!

Josh

 

Just post in relevant forum in whatever your having difficullty with, so if its something to with A+ create a thread in the A+ forum.

I recently passed my A+ so if you need help just ask

 

Hi and welcome to the forum.