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First IT job

By tywife25 ·
Hello everyone, as you all can tell i'm new to this blog... however i've found a lot of interesting questions and answers that has definitely caught my attention.. i suppose what i want to know is,what are the necessary steps i should take to gain experience to get my first entry level position as a desktop support technician... i have one degree and i'm working on another... i just passed comptia A+ certification and i have 1 year of internship experience as a desktop support specialist but the problem is i have little experience.... i've been job hunting for the last month, but mostly of the jobs are asking for 3 + years of experience.... where do i start and if there's anyone out there who would like to share there story i will like to hear it for motivation :) because getting your foot in the door is not easy in my situation

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tywife

by santeewelding In reply to First IT job

You have my encouragement and blessing.

I have no more to add than, that, you have succeeded in vocalizing your problem and, that, therein lies your path to the answer.

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My thoughts

by 20JohnDC09 In reply to First IT job

First off congrats on your obtaining your degree. What degree did you get ?

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Degree

by tywife25 In reply to My thoughts

thanks....i have my associate's in Network security and i'm currently working on my bachelor's

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to be honest

by jck In reply to First IT job

If you're going for a starting position at a helpdesk, don't worry when they say they want 3+ years. They are just hoping to get someone real experienced cheap.

Apply for it. I think you might have more luck than you'd think.

Good luck.

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I agree

by Fregeus In reply to to be honest

One thing you'll find out in IT is that the adds often show their wish list and not what they thing they will actually get. More often then not, they will never get their wish. I've seen adds that would require Herculaneum powers to achieve what they were asking for, and they offered peanuts for it.

Keep knocking on doors, one is bound to open.

Good luck


TCB

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Herculaneum?

by NickNielsen In reply to I agree

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herculaneum

Or herculean?

Having one of those days, eh?

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Yep, I was ;-)

by Fregeus In reply to Herculaneum?

I should learn not to trust the auto-correct feature.


TCB

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You hit the nail on the head

by TheProfessorDan In reply to to be honest

This is definitely an employers market. Employers are looking for bargains, like you said experienced techs for an inexperienced salary.

Another recommendation is contracting work. Companies like KForce,Teksystems and Robert Half hire inexperienced people for various short and long term projects. This gives you a chance to learn and make contacts as well.

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The only sure way to miss out on a job...

by NotSoChiGuy In reply to First IT job

...is to not apply for it.

Another pearl of wisdom I'd share is this: the worst thing they can say is 'no thanks', and that doesn't leave you any worse.

Volunteer work while you're looking is also a pretty decent way to stay sharp as well as build experience.

If you could hook up with a large staffing firm (like a Robert Half), they could send you on several smaller engagements to build your experience; while also offering the benefit of being exposed to different markets, potentially.

Finally, my first job in IT was not one for which I applied. I was working part-time for a firm pushing SEC (financial, not football, sadly) paperwork when I caught a break and got moved into IT. So, if applying for IT positions isn't working, expand your horizons, and aim for getting a position in a firm that is a decent size and has an IT department. If they post an opening, pounce on it.

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Apply for it - 'No' may mean 'yes'

by Geek3001 In reply to The only sure way to miss ...

<p>One of the few times I got front end 'no' in a job interview was when I emphasized a willingness to earn and a creative mind. The interviewer, the controller of a family owned company, said that he wanted to meet me. We had a nice interview and the controller said that, if the company had a training program, he would hire me. But it didn't, so I got an encouraging 'no' during the interview.</p>
<p>About a week later I got another call from the company, asking me to come in for another interview with the programming manager. I ended up getting the job.</p>
<p>I then spent a while studying the IBM manuals and software for the system while doing simple programming tasks. I ended up NOT going to the IBM training because I was able to pick up what I needed through self training.</p>

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