How did you get into IT?

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Good thread!

I had a similar start... Basically graduated from high school and went straight to college. During my first semester, I enrolled myself in Mathematics and various other math type classes like Micro and Macro economics, etc... I soon realized that this wasn't for me and that I loved technology in general. I then had a friend who've attended a vocational training center for a System Administration course. Where I live, in Colleges and Universities, we don't have those types of degrees other than computer science (programming oriented). So I dropped out of college to take the vocational course which was roughly 1800 hours with a stage at the end. Luckily for me, I was able to land a job very quickly within the first month of graduation. I was 19.

Today I work as a consultant focusing on virtualization technology (Datacenter and EUC). Definitely made the right choice but at some point I do plan on completing a Masters degree.

 

For me it was first this:



This:


And this:


My interests were perked trying to get the most out of the limited resources of the machines of the time and upgrading my 50Mz PC from 4MB to 8MB's RAM was mind blowing. I kept it as a hobby, helping people out with their pc problems and building new ones for them back when it was actually much cheaper to build new ones for a few years then took the plunge and turned it into a career.

Back in the 80's I had a cpc464 and my dad bought me a book on BASIC which I went through but as with most things back then there were often errors in the pages or I just couldn't see any problems with what I'd written, but I guess that means I'd always be inclined to go into IT so I'm making sure my children are well versed in modern tech for both its uses and its pitfalls and dangers.

I might occasionally wonder about my choices but I really cannot think of anything else that I would get the same amount of job satisfaction and opportunities that IT has been kind enough to bestow upon me so far.

 

That reminds me of the days when I was learning how to installing Windows 95 and Windows 98 with FDISK !

 

Pfft! youngsters today eh! Our first pc was on windows 3.11.

 

My whole IT career has been working with IT pros who are at least 8 years senior to me.. When I say that the first OS I ever used was Windows 95, they laugh ;) ... I guess with the next generation of IT pros claiming to use Windows XP or Vista as their first OS, I'll be laughing too!

 

I know what you mean! I was 19 when I started... I am now getting closer to 30 and starting to see next generation IT pros entering the field. Times sure have changed and the jobs too! Automation is a thing, and it will most likely eliminate certain tasks.. but the jobs and careers will evolve and become a different field all together.

 

Ah the bad old days of dos extenders, couldn't believe it having come from an Amiga when my dos programs ran out memory after 640k !
Then I had to link against DOS/4GW.

"640K ought to be enough for anybody" - Bill Gates

My first Windows was also Windows 3.11 - Windows for Workgroups, but I started with a C64 about 10 years earlier.

I also had the 'joy' of trying to force dos drivers into extended memory.

 

Damn you're all whipper snappers.

I first started playing with the ZX Spectrum (48k), moved up to the Amiga, played with DOS, Windows 3.11, 95, 3.11, 95, 3.11, 95, ME, 98...... you get the idea.

I was using the internet when it was still called CompuServe and Prestel.

I then joined the Army at 16, still very much into IT, I spent 10 years serving and still had computers, more often than not more powerful than my commanders and would always get calls asking how to do something on the PC (usually Word Perfect for DOS rather than Windows) etc.

I started playing network games (original Warcraft, Doom, Duke3D etc) that lead to me getting in to networking (IPX\SPX rather than TCP\IP).

Then I left the Army and had to get a career, now at the time I could have gone in to Long Distance Lorry driving (lots of my Army colleagues still do that today), become a Policeman (I spent time working as a Military Policeman) but wanted to do something that would pay me for my hobbys, unfortunately Porn was out so then I decided to move in to IT.

In my first year in IT I became a Novell CNE, spent a couple of years doing that then moved over to the world of Microsoft and Windows NT.
Spent a few years supporting Windows environments both on the Server and Desktop side and then moved in to Systems Management with SMS 2003 and then SCCM 2007. Around this time got in to virtualisation as well and decided that's where I wanted my career to move in to (for me the next logical step).

18 years after getting in to IT I am now the manager of a Cloud Operations team looking after virtualised workloads and loving it (for the most part, the politics I can leave behind).

I spent more time as a contractor than permy and quite honestly love that life style but having a young family with a stay at home mother brings with it some difficulties which is why I have just reached my 4th year as a perm member of staff.

 

Pretty cool experience! I am sure you miss the techie days unless you're still hands on

 

Definitely still techy. Unless I can find a decent management role with VMware technologies I will be looking for a techy role next time around.

 

Funny you mentioned that, Bill is quite adamant he never said it, but some phrases never die (supposedly there's no proof that this particular quote was ever said *shrug* )

I started work repairing computers in a mom and pop style computer repair and sales store after feeling more or less ready to fix computers having done so for myself and my friends. I was also doing some remote/freelance work for a few game companies in level design and so on (but it didn't pay all that well). Ended up being hired in my first Enterprise when a head hunter overheard me speaking a little Japanese (and the company in question needed someone who could take care of Japanese employees computers which were not installed in English or French, as was typical for that company with offices in Switzerland).

Ended up growing up from there having done MCSE's and swapped companies several times.

 

Yeah, I ended up being 'vouched' for a job at Microsoft, by my ex-Manager who joined MSFT a year after I left the company we worked at (it was a great company, we were a good team, and he's still a good friend of mine). We kept in touch (while I was employed in a Security related role at a Bank) and he dropped many a bit of advice regarding his work at Microsoft Enterprise Service (Consulting Services).

The more I heard, the more I felt I could probably do that type of work, and so he opened a door for me to discuss things with HR and the Services department. Hiring process took a long time (over 20 hours of interviews spread over many sessions), but next week I will celebrate my 5 years as an FTE

I don't think Bill does any 'technical' work per-se anymore, but he has a keen business mind and was asked by Satya to provide guidance when Steve stepped down. Bill's back at MSFT on a ~30% basis, and there's still bits and pieces of technical info and ideas that trickle down from him time to time, but he also has his family and spends the remaining time on his charities.

 

I think it's typical for large organizations like Microsoft, VMware, Cisco, etc to have very thorough interviews... I've interviewed for one of those types of companies in the past and had 4 technical interviews on various different technologies, plus two more interviews with Sales/leadership team. It was for a senior consultant role.

 

Just a little ;)