Where to start?

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Hi everyone,
I consider myself lucky to have found this forum. Gives spot on advice and am relieved to hear from someone else how many training providers are just interested in getting money. You all sound very helpful!
I really need advice on where to start in IT.
Here is what qualifications I have:
HND in business information systems
MCP - done exams in web and windows apps development using VB .NET (Visual Studio .NET)
But am not confident in programming as it has been a while since I passed these exams...+ no work experience.

My worry is how to get first job? I have knowledge about computers as I maintain my own - changed HD, upgraded memory, changed OS.... done some bits and pieces for friends etc
I have never worked somewhere in IT.
I would like to do DBA in future but how will I get experience - from what I read here I should get some job in support but how then I get into DBA from there as support job will not give me experience with databases?
Also where is good to look for first jobs - small companies or big, apprentice - how good is that?
Thank you!

 

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Welcome to the forum. You're in a tough spot right now. Getting into the IT industry has never been harder. We're smack in the middle of the worst recession in living memory and, when you factor in the difficulty of getting a first IT role in general (which is often much harder than for other professions) that makes your task all the more difficult.

However, don't give up hope. I would advise that you send as many copies of your CV off to recruitment agencies as you can, scour the jobsites on the net for vacancies and start canvassing local businesses in your area for work or volunteer opportunities.

You need to live and breathe IT to make a success of it. I've often thought that IT is somehow 'different' from other professions. Being a lawyer, accountant, salesman etc isn't the same - you can easily do those jobs without caring one iota about them. If you want to succeed in IT, you need to love it enough to spend pretty much all your waking day either thinking about it, studying it, or doing it. If that sounds like you - then get out there and start applying! Your first job will likely have very little to do with actual IT - it will be on a helpdesk resetting passwords and working to a script to fix known issues, then escalating unresolved problems to a second-line team. This will seem boring to you, but without it, there's no way you can progress further (into, for instance, Database Administration)

Best of luck!

 

Thank you for reply Zebulebu.
I believe my next step is A+ and N+ MCDST?
Also when I apply for jobs what salary should I expect (London)?