Advice on entering IT Field

This is not meant as a frivolous question. The IT arena is changing and easy opportunities are no longer the norm.

Many of the traditional entry level positions within IT for North American and Western European locations have or are targeted for outsourcing to Asia and Eastern Europe to take advantage of the lower labor costs. Help desk functions and application development are two areas where this is occurring.

Other areas within IT and ICT are in decline from a workforce perspective due to advancements in technology. Installation/implementation, operations, and maintenance roles are declining in terms of people to systems supported. The hardware and software goes in with a lower demand on technical expertise, has a longer MTBF, and is often cheaper to replace than repair.

Now if your career change is driven by a passion for a particular aspect of IT, that passion may well translate into a niche market that you can grow and expand for 20 or 30 years. If it is driven by a desire to move into a stable or growth labor demand area because your former career has no future, look very hard at other alternatives.

Best of luck.

Here's my advice, and it's served me well: Do some volunteer work. You'll get your hands 'dirty' with some real-world experience, and you'll get to find out whether IT is really the place you want to be. As Oldefar said, IT isn't exactly the hottest job market right now, but if you've got passion for it, and you've got the skills, you can find work. Where to volunteer? Contact any nonprofit agency in your neck of the woods - nonprofits almost never have a full-time IT person on staff. I've done things as menial as installing a network printer and as complex as rewriting an Access database for various nonprofits where I live. They liked what I did for free in Access so much that they brought me in as a contractor for three months to finish the job!

Do you have a mentor? You might volunteer to go on some "runs" with a break/fix person or sit in and watch a Web designer or netadmin do their things.

I am 41 and studying for my MCSE cert. I have a real interest in computers and you can call it a passion I have gone as went to build my own network in my home and bought the books to study. A good friend of mine is the IT manager at were i work. he's very impress with my network. They just don't need anymore IT personal. That is the case Globaly

I have a job that pays the bills. An that is what it is a JOB. I am wanting a carrer where its a never ending learning experience. Yes it well be hard to brake into the IT world but think it will be well worth it. And thanks to the TR people like Oldfar and Fasthands and many others for there advice that they give to others. There are alot of good people here in the TR

Finally remember that in are midlife that are choices need to be made more carefully we dont have the time to make mistakes like the teenagers can. I wish you well in your pursuit ( I am there to)

It is hard working in tech right now. I've been doing this for 12 years. I used to make 120k a year. Now I dont make enough to pay the bills.
But I found a good supplemental income. It sound a little strange at first but beleive me, its a lifesaver. Just take the bus on down to your local business district around lunchtime. Find a nice bench facing traffic and sell BJ's to the businessmen in nice cars. They are willing to pay the big bucks. And talk about a great way to make contacts. Give it a try.
Good Luck!!