What certifications would I need for an IT Technican role

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Hi I hope this is ok to post here, I want to become a it technician I have done courses in college level 2 and 3 in IT. I am after some advice on which would be the best certifications to go for I have basic knowledge of computers and have built my own computers.But with the vast amount of certifications to choose from, it is a bit overwhelming. any help much appreciated thanks in advance.

 

The truth of the matter is that it's all about experience. My advice to you is to concentrate on getting a job in IT. For me, back in 2000 I had no "certs" but knew my way around PCs. I was a drum tutor at a local private school but showed some interest in helping out on IT related issues when the headmaster mentioned such stuff to me. Within weeks, I was the school's IT Technician and I ordered a book on "Networking" because they had 30 PCs on a Workgroup network + ISDN gateway. So I had to learn things like DHCP, IP addressing etc. A year later and I got a job with a big corporate firm on their helpdesk and the rest is history.

Truth of the matter is that you don't need "certs" to get into IT, just aptitude, good attitude and being in the right place at the right time. Later on in your IT life, yes go for certs because they may get you that interview but sealing the deal will be down to your "experience".

Hope that helps.

 

This is something which cannot be stressed enough for anyone looking to get into "IT", particularly the infrastructure side. One thing which surprised me back in my early certforums days was the sheer amount of employers who were simply not interested in my certifications. Back then I think I had just passed A+, N+ and had an MCSA 2000 under my belt. I got a job with (sh)ITNET who did not ask to see my certs, and around 99% of those I worked with had no certs. Then I got a job with a County Council, again they did not ask to see my certs and around 95% in the dept had no certs. After that, I got a job with a huge PFI construction company and they did not ask to see my certs. All three of those jobs ranged from 1st line to 3rd line - construction company job even came with a company car (my 2nd car with them was brand new lolz).

It wasn't until I got a job as a Systems Administrator for a logistics company that I was asked to prove my certs, and that was only because I had mentioned them on my CV. The previous Sys Admin didn't have any certs.

The latest contract I have, the agency asked to see my certs once I was offered the gig. They were doing the background checks on behalf of the client but only asked for proof because I had mentioned them on my CV.

So be prepared to put in a lot of time, money and effort to get certified but only to find that not many employers care about certs. MSPs tend to care about them because it helps them out on their partner status with MS.

Since I started contracting I have been dragged into the hiring process for permies or contractors, I'd usually be the guy asking the tech questions at interviews. What always stood out for me when sifting through CVs was a damn good CV which was to the point. 2 sides maximum (1 sheet of A4) and full of the info that I want to see (take the page margins to the outer limit): experience going back 10 years, certs/courses and a brief professional statement. Just enough info to make me think "yeah, we should meet this man/woman". You'd be shocked at the amount of CVs which I've seen put forward by agencies that are 5 to 10 pages long lolz.

 

From my experience its good to have a few basic certs on your CV when getting into IT.. anything such as an MTA or CompTIA A+ will do, it just shows you are putting in effort, more than anything.. yes you dont need certs to get into IT but it cant hurt having one or two entry level certs.