how to begin helpdesk career

Most corporations will look at actual work experience. I have heard varying degrees of successful work placement from graduates of trade schools i.e Chubb, Devries etc. Getting your foot in the door with a temp agency is a good approach. Your certification is in a + helps. Many companies will hire temps and offer them full time positions after they meet their employment specs. Not to dishearten you, but the employment scene in the helpdesk industry is not the best right now. Many companies are looking at outsourcing (for the 10th time around),consolidating centers, automating processes (like automatic password resets), and down sizing. Also, good customer service skills make points! Good luck.

Your best bet to get your foot into the door is with a job agency, contractor or a company directly. I think since your starting out you should go for a temp agency. They can help you get a 3 months or more positions. 3 months doesn't seem long but hey the experice counts alot.

Customer service skills and communication skills are key to landing a job as a helpdesk agent. Good call for wanting to start out hereinstead of thinking you're ready for something you're not.

As for getting started, find placement companies andtemp agencies, and permanent placement recruiters who can help you. When I was looking for a job, the people at rhic.com were the most helpful and got me the most interviews, but there are other resources. Do searches on the web for help desk, and for jobs, and see how many placement companies and engines you come up with. I have a document with over 300 URLs on it that I used. Read and learn as much as you can....

I think that you are on the right track. I would have to agree that temp agencies are a good source for IT work/contracting. I have a friend that has probably been contracting through temp agencies with various IT-related companies for the past 2 years. Now, he has all of that experience under his belt. If he wanted, I'm sure that he would be able to get a full-time position, but contracting apparently gets him more money. The moral of the story is, the more experience you have, the more marketable you are in the field. It really counts a lot in this industry. Talk to other professionals working at the companies you volunteer or temp with to get a feel. Take a few classes here and there when you can, or get a hold of some good books to build a foundation on, and you'll be on your way.