junior I.T positions

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I was just wondering where most people go after getting a 1st line support helpdesk role.

Im currently working part time in an I.T department mostly troubleshooting PC hardware problems. Ive got an I.T degree and will hopefully have passed my A+ exam next month.

Im hoping to get a helpdesk role in a few months (although Im not sure I have the required experience) but not too sure where I want to go afterwards

What are the most common 'junior' positions?

Thanks in advance

 

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Junior positions sound exactly like the one that you are currently doing. I'n many companies the help desk is at the same level as it sounds you are currently at. In other places on the help desk all you do is log calls and resolve simple problems over the phone, never actually seeing what the problem is first hand.

If I were you I'd keep plugging away at what you're doing and gain experience from it, as your skills develop you will find that you are given more and more responsibility, and you may be able to skip that 'helpdesk' role and move upwards rather than sideways.

 

It depends on the size of your organisation and IT dept.

Typically there are 3 lines. 1st line who are usually the helpdesk who deal with new issues as they come up, 2nd line (me) who deal with the calls the 1st line escalate up if they can't do them and a fair amount of project work, then 3rd line who look after the back end systems.

That's how it is in a lot of places.

 

oops sorry guys, I wasnt being very clear

Im currently working for a firm fixing/diagnosing PC hardware problems (for servers/desktop pc's and laptops) whilst studying fot my A+ exam.

Im hoping to get a helpdesk job once my contract is up where I am at now, and also once Ive passed my A+ exam.

I guess what I meant to say was what are the options after the 1st line help desk role apart from 2nd and 3rd line? Would it be difficult to move into networking for example on the strength of my experience/certs/degree.

The difficult part for most up and coming I.T guys is not knowing what jobs roles are out there that are realistic and dont require 5 years of experience/I.T experts.

 

I'm having a really tough time getting into networking without any hands on Cisco experience.

The only way I can think of doing it are to:

1. Apply for sys/network admin roles in smaller companies where the networking hardware and server/workstation stuff crosses over more.

2. Go back to square 1 and start over on a NOC/ISP helpdesk- not an option with my outgoings being what they are.

3. Find myself in a position to be able to work for free for 6-12 months shadowing network contractors and getting some hands on.

Option 1 seems like the most viable for me unless I win the lottery.

If you're starting out you can go for option 2 and make sure you're very specific about what types of helpdesk roles you apply for. Make sure it's a pure networking type of helpdesk as opposed to fixing people's MS word/Outlook/printer problems.

Go for NOC and ISP entry level roles.

 

In my experience the best way to get exposure to the widest range of hardware and software is to work for a small company. In ours for instance we deal with Server, PC, networking, firewalls, remote working, telephony - the list goes on. In larger organisations you tend to get pigeon holed server or desktop etc etc

 

if need be work for free! This sounds mad but it was i did. Before i *got in* i worked shifts which apart from being a pain in the rear allowed me days off in the week. In worked 1 day a week in a busy office and got valuble experience working alongside the IT manager.
Best of luck