How you start in I.T and where are you now?

Discussion in 'Employment & Jobs' started by coolc, Dec 23, 2010.

  1. coolc

    coolc Nibble Poster

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    How did you start in I.T? At what age? What qualifications or experience you have prior to your first I.T role?
    Where are you now? In your journey what were your high and low points and what have you learned so far about I.T? Also where do you plan to head in the future?
     
  2. toshiba145

    toshiba145 Nibble Poster

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    I am going to start my it career through an apprenticeship programme from 4th jan as a desktop support engineer for a financial company. I will be 19 tomrw. I got A+ and ccna. Used to work for a charity for once a week upto 10 weeks and also got my own side busniness selling computers.
     
    Certifications: A+, CCNA
    WIP: MCITP
  3. danielno8

    danielno8 Gigabyte Poster

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    While doing my degree i had a placement year where i worked in a small IT dept 4 days a week doing general desktop support. After i finished my degree i got my first full-time job in an IT dept of two around Nov '07. Again desktop support, but after a few months i started doing server admin, building servers/setting up our virtual environment and virtualising as much of our infrastructure as we could. Replaced our Cisco PIX firewalls with ASA firewalls. Then moved to where i am now which is in the telecoms team of a global oil company supporting offshore platforms and our UK/Norway offices.

    It's only been 3 years, so there hasn't really been any low points. Each step up, new responsibility or other, have been high points. Most recently I got a substantial pay rise which, along with the increasing responsibilities being given, i feel shows my work is being noticed, and it's good to work with company/bosses like that.

    My plan is to get as skilled as i can on the main equipment we use (Nortel/Cisco/Juniper/Checkpoint), then start looking for positions with companies who have even bigger networks.
     
    Certifications: CCENT, CCNA
    WIP: CCNP
  4. Kitkatninja
    Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    Kitkatninja aka me, myself & I Moderator

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    By applying for 5 years for every single IT job that I could find.

    Experience: One of my responsibilities in the job before I got into IT was to be one of the admins of the printers, apart from that 5 years of studying (programming, software, hardware and networking) and building PC's & home networks for friends and relatives.

    Qualifications:

    C&G's 7261 Computer Programming (inc's programming, software, hardware and networks)
    RSA IBT2
    NVQ 2 in Software Creation
    C&G's Basic Competence in IT
    C&G's 7261 Information Processing
    HNC in Computing

    Career wise... An IT Manager.

    Low points: Cowboy IT Tech's, devaluing the profession as a whole.
    High points: Promotion, successful project completion.

    The more you know, the more you find out how much you didn't know and how much more there is to learn.

    Maybe some sort of IT Director/CIO role, in the distant future.

    -Ken
     
    Certifications: MSc, PGDip, PGCert, BSc, HNC, LCGI, MBCS CITP, MCP, MCSA, MCSE, MCE, A+, N+, S+, Server+
    WIP: MSc Cyber Security
  5. westernkings

    westernkings Gigabyte Poster

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    I started at 18 on an Apprenticeship at a small Software house on the Support Team. I was at college studying for a BTEC in IT at the time, was a year in, got that apprenticeship, left college and started there. I had no other qualifications though, I had a single GCSE and no previous experience.

    That was 3 years ago, I'm in my 4th job at the moment having experienced the public sector for a while and headed back into the private sector for an IT services firm.

    lowest point was jumping ship on an employer months before my contract would of ended because I got offered everything under the sun from a big hosting supplier, only to find it was a really crappy work environment where you sit at your desk having work rammed down your throat with no flexibility at all, so I walked out after 3 days, was unemployed for a month, so started getting a bit worried. Then interviewed for my current role, which was on better pay, better conditions and have loved it ever since, so that was the high point so far.

    I'm wanting to go more into the Business side of IT soon and begin moving away from the technical side, eventually it's CIO time :D
     
    Certifications: MCITP:VA, MCITP:EA, MCDST, MCTS, MCITP:EST7, MCITP:SA, PRINCE2, ITILv3
  6. j1mgg

    j1mgg Kilobyte Poster

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    Got my first job in IT after doing my A+ at the age of 26/27. Started off doing very basic 1st line helpdesk, and then moved after a few months onto another 1st line helpdesk where i was doing alot more stuff, recreating roaming profiles and remoting on to people desktops. Now have a permanant job for nealry 3 years doing desktop support. Looking to move on

    Was doing mainly customer services roles before, call centres, shops, pubs.
    Usual school qualifications and did a year at uni doing accounting. In it have got my Itil v3 Foundation and A+, hopefully going to add a few more next year.

    High - getting a job
    low - current job has no promotion prospects or chance to learn new new technologies

    Just to keep progressing at a steady rate would do me.
     
    Certifications: Comptia A+, ITIL V3 Foundation, MCDST, 70-270, 70-290
    WIP: 70-291, security+ and SSCP
  7. BosonMichael
    Honorary Member Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    BosonMichael Yottabyte Poster

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    You seem to be awfully curious about starting out in IT, despite having worked in IT for 3 years.

    I started out as a field service tech at age 28. I had a BS in Chemistry and no certifications. But I had been the go-to "computer guy" at my previous job of six years as an operations analyst for a telemessaging company.

    I am currently a senior content developer for Boson Software. Prior to this, I was the only network/server admin for a mid-sized healthcare company.

    High points: my last two positions (this one and my previous one) have been great.
    Low points: back when I was at SelfTest/Transcender, editing content that came from India. It was horrible, both technically and grammatically. It would have been faster to trash it and start over, but our supervisors wouldn't allow us to do so. After about 18 months, I had had enough.

    What have I learned so far about IT? There's no possible way I could summarize in one post all the things I've learned over the past 13 years. Stick around on the forums and you'll end up reading it over time. ;)

    For now, I am content where I am. Perhaps someday I will be an IT manager or CIO, but I don't have that burning desire to "be the boss" that I once did. As long as I am highly respected and valued by an employer, that is enough for me.
     
    Last edited: Dec 23, 2010
    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. Theprof

    Theprof Petabyte Poster

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    I started at 19 as Desktop Support Technician right after finishing my computing and network support course. By the time I finished the course, I already had my A+ and Network+. After about two years I got lucky and got promoted to a network admin and I have been there ever since. It has now been 4 years since I've been at the company and I've learned a lot.

    Hi points: The fact that I can see my hard working paying off and that I am getting somewhere...
    Low points: I could do away with the technical support calls I get sometimes but that's just how our IT department is setup.

    My goal is to do senior consult type jobs such as migrations, deployments, configs on large scale networks. Eventually going towards team lead... I once wanted to be management like CIO or CTO but I am really loving the technical aspect of my job so until I see my self really getting bored if the technical side I am going to continue on this path.
     
    Certifications: A+ | CCA | CCAA | Network+ | MCDST | MCSA | MCP (270, 271, 272, 290, 291) | MCTS (70-662, 70-663) | MCITP:EMA | VCA-DCV/Cloud/WM | VTSP | VCP5-DT | VCP5-DCV
    WIP: VCAP5-DCA/DCD | EMCCA
  9. Apoc220

    Apoc220 Byte Poster

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    I got my start in the U.S. Marine Corps at the age of 18. Took a basic networking course where I learned administration of windows servers, workstations, and routing/switching. After that I spent the next four years maintaining networks around the world on military installations. I got out in June 2009 and worked for a healthcare company for a year doing a desktop support/server admin role. I've recently moved to Australia to be with my partner, and am working at the helpdesk for the dept of health. It's a helpdesk role, but challenging since we maintain the systems for the whole state's healthcare facilities. Lots of applications to know and troubleshoot, lots of users.

    I'd say my high has always been learning something new. I had the privilege of learning my basic skills on the government's dime, but everything I learned afterwards was me not getting complacent and taking on new challenges. If there's something that I don't know, I'll research it online and play with it until I've got a grip on it. This has led to my success in every role that I have filled. As for lows, there really haven't been any. I would prefer to be back in a desktop/server admin role again, but right now I'm happy to have a job even if it is helpdesk.

    Right now I'm pursuing my MCDST before it expires just so I can have the cert to go hand in hand with my experience. I'll use that as an elective for my MCSA. I don't know where I ultimately want to be in IT. I haven't had enough experience in other areas (such as networking routers/switches or security) to know where I want to be. More and more I am hearing that it's best to be multi-faceted so that you are marketable to employers, so I'll make sure to keep up-to-date on as much as I can. Ultimately, I'll most likely be involved in server administration since it's what I know to enjoy the most right now. I'm finishing my associates degree and have yet to pick which IT degree I want to pursue. Still debating if it's going to be security or regular it systems management. I plan on being in IT for the long haul, though.

    I'd say that I've learned that the most important thing is the thirst to learn more, and to build your technical and people skills. It's amazing how many techs out there don't have the people skills to match their technical skills. It's even more amazing how many techs out there just don't know their stuff at all. Believe me, if you keep on updating your skillset, and maintain your people skills, you'll go far, because it's a combination that is hard to come by.
     
    Certifications: MCDST
    WIP: 70-680

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