Seeing as there is a ton of " were do i start in the tech industry?" sort of posts here I thought id throw this together.
As user normoran and a few others would already know, I just was hired by a local business oriented computer sales and service business. The work is easy and fun. We do some consumer stuff, but 90% of all that ends up being just hdd replacement and data recovery. otherwise its all security, point of sales, printing, typewriters, and i.t. work. It seems my certifications definitely helped. Its amazing how complicated it is to install ip cameras for a grocery store. And setting them all up in specific order has had its moments. Its great how customers stare at someone waving an orange caution cone into a hidden camera, Trying to figure what the hell is happening. I am working with my best friend practically all day, being paid for mostly the same things we would do in our basements.Tomorrow I've got to go help set up an array of servers used for payment. Essentially its all a bunch of p.o.s. linux terminals sending credit card data to one main system via vpn. Ive found that we spend the majority of the day sitting around, drinking soda, and rambling on about computers and hating on the local "scam artist" run computer repair place that charges $600 to build a celeron system with a geforce 210. I might post pictures of the electric typewriters that use mechanical keyswitches like cherry mx black, their cloans, hall-effect, buckling spring, topre cloans and much more. Its definitely my suggestion for anyone trying to start out in the tech industry to go take up a simple job at a computer shop. Just bring a 12 pack of soda and lots of stories!
That is great man!
I take it they liked your resume?
You misspelled my name :/
Anyways again, congratulations. When I worked in the PC repair it was mostly data recovery, virus removal, and hard drive replacement. Customers can be a bit hard to deal with, mainly the ones that "think" they know it all. Overall I had a pretty good experience except for my boss being greedy as hell but I learned a lot.
The best way to jump start your tech career is by getting a decently menial job like such. Not only are you able to add a few lines to your résumé but the experience is great! Generally, the tasks you are faced with do not pose a challenge, but they are able to boost your self confidence when it comes to repairing machines and diagnosing problems. There is a wide spectrum of applications. Before I got hired by Raytheon, I too swung in and out of jobs. I worked at a few pc repair shacks for a while and that really helped my spread my wings, if you catch my drift. I was able to apply my knowledge as a security specialist for some servers, and now in my current development phase. As a blunt conclusion, I wish you luck and hope that you too can progress into the tech industry.
Actually I didnt need a resume, walked in, started talking about retro ibm stuff. Was hired on the spot. IRL I am a good talker, here not so much.
Rudster, your only throwing sticks into the fire. If you have a problem send me a private message as that is the only way it would ever get resolved. Otherwise please go along with your business and leave this post to wither away.
Congrats man. This is a step in the right direction. My first tek job boiled down to crimping cat5 cables and playing Magic the Gathering.
Man, that sounds like the dream job to me! That's awesome, congrats!
What certs do you have?
Very nice man, sounds like a sweet job. Glad to hear you were able to break into the industry that way. My first job was for a small community college making a few cat 5 cables, organizing their inventory, working with faculty and students and performing software upgrades and installations. Currently going back to school for my bachelors in IT. Not sure if I should get my linux+ and other certs or just wait until getting my degree before breaking into the industry. Any suggestions?
I would suggest getting started in the industry asap. I would go A+ and get Microsoft certs. Most businesses I, my colleagues, and my friends encounter use windows server. however more certs = more experience! Even if you can just start a couple of hours a day at a tech shop its at least a good reference and cash towards certs.
IP security cameras are the worst! Especially when they aren't working because then you have to find out if it's a network issue (sucks) or a hardware issue (also sucks but slightly less)