Starting an IT career

Oh man! Ad-blocking software has been detected! :'(

This website is run by the community, for the community... and it needs advertisements in order to keep running. Blocking our ads means your killing our stats!
Please disable your ad-block, or become a premium member to hide all advertisements and this notice.

Hey guys, been almost a year since I finished my degree in chemistry, haven't been able to find a job so I'm taking a look into IT.

I don't have any relevant experience on a commercial basis however I've been repairing and maintaining my home laptops/desktops

Was wondering where would be the place to start

Thanks for your help

 

Oh man! Ad-blocking software has been detected! :'(

This website is run by the community, for the community... and it needs advertisements in order to keep running. Blocking our ads means your killing our stats!
Please disable your ad-block, or become a premium member to hide all advertisements and this notice.

Comptia A+ and N+ are genrally seen as the first steps on the Certification ladder, then followed by either Microsoft exams or possibly Cisco, depending on which route you want to go down!?!

 

Hi MrCheese, welcome to the forums!

Start by getting A+ certified. This is the entry level cert that gives you the vendor-neutral understanding of hardware and operating systems at a basic level.

To get information for the A+, go to CompTIA

In regards to resources, I highly recommend Mike Meyers A+ book. As always, use a second resource and for this we have ProfessorMesser - a free online video resource Professor Messer, CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+, Microsoft Certification TrainingHope that helps. Best of luck!

 

Hey there!

If you decide to go for certifications like A+ and Network+ I would also recommend that you also start looking for entry level IT positions, like Help Desk/Desktop Support. Having a degree is definitely an achievement and will help you out down the line, unfortunately in the beginning, its harder to find IT jobs because of the lack of experience, but it is possible. Once you get your foot in the door, it gets easier each year.

 

Hi MrCheese

I am in the same situation as you. Basically I came in the UK a year and a half ago with: very poor English, average IT knowledge (troubleshoot in the hood), 60£, no right to work, work experience opposite in every way to IT field and willingness to learn.

Today: BTEC level 3 diploma in IT/networking, English level above average (still using spell checker: tune), IT Support/Tutor (volunteer for a non-profit org.) and will go for N+ or CCNA. I have been applying for jobs since February and got 4 interviews with the same company (been 4 weeks since i didn’t hear anything from them - so unsuccessful).

Do not give up!!! Get a volunteer role meanwhile as it still counts as experience and the luck will strike.