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Getting your foot in!!

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by jabney

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I am currently in the financial field; I am a Margin Associate at a financial institution. I am thankful for my job but at the same instant, this is not what I want. I am looking for a way to get my foot in the door. I am currently pursing a degree in computer science. You can say that I am part of the first generation video games; I remember trying to write a program in basic and playing games on my commodore 64. It seems that companies are not looking to get people from within the company but to out source, I was initially looking to go into helpdesk support but it seems like jobs in that field are becoming far and few in between because of the out sourcing to overseas. I was going to get certified in Windows XP (MSDST). I guess I need some kind of guide or advice on how I should try to get my foot in the door. What type of training or tactics I should use in order to break The IT door down. I tried with the job but...it?s who you know and not what you know. I guess networking is the way to get your foot in but I don?t know where to go from here. Are there sites and conferences where I can pass a resume or two?!?! The other problem is good material, I guess I am looking for work books or exercise that will help me understand and challenge me to keep the knowledge I have fresh, if you don?t use it you lose it

14 replies

by gralfus

IT is a huge field, and I'm not sure from what you posted what kind of job you are seeking. You mentioned programming and maybe XP support. Programming jobs are still available, but many large companies are off-shoring those jobs to India. "Tech support" jobs are also available, but typically are contract positions, unless you can get a gov't position.

Other kinds of jobs are networking, telecommunications, cabling, servers, web design, internet providers, home PC repair and troubleshooting, and so on.

Check out what kind of jobs are available before committing to that direction. Check out Monster.com and other job boards. Plan your steps or you will probably become disillusioned rather quickly when you actually try to find a job.

by jabney

I have an idea as to what I enjoy doing but I also know that it helps to start from the ground up. From my experiences the types of jobs where you are ?level entry? they are either non existent or giving to a friend of a friend. I want to be able to fix computers and build networks. I enjoy the satisfaction of building a box and knowing it was made by me. I took programming classes and I have made some personal programs and that is also something that I am interested in. I am still trying to learn the networking because this is what is needed to become a system administrator. I had some experience with a few aspects of IT when I worked at a dot com for a little under a year part time. So I was able to get my hands in a few things. I know it is up to me what I ultimately have to choose a specific career but I guess you can say a jack of trades but a master of none. My main problem is I want to utilize all the skills I acquired

by gralfus

I understand your approach, but I don't know that you will find anything with a generalized attack. Well, you might find something, but it won't pay a decent wage. There are zillions of people with basic computer knowledge.

Look at what is becoming "hot" in IT today and put your energy into that. But your idea of having a foundation of multiple disciplines is good. The A+ cert can get you familiarized with hardware. Net+ can help get a non vendor-specific understanding fo basic networking. Server+ and Security+ are also helpful. And as much hands-on as you can eat. Buy some old PCs and network them, etc.

by jabney

I have an idea as to what I enjoy doing but I also know that it helps to start from the ground up. From my experiences the types of jobs where you are ?level entry? they are either non existent or giving to a friend of a friend. I want to be able to fix computers and build networks. I enjoy the satisfaction of building a box and knowing it was made by me. I took programming classes and I have made some personal programs and that is also something that I am interested in. I am still trying to learn the networking because this is what is needed to become a system administrator. I had some experience with a few aspects of IT when I worked at a dot com for a little under a year part time. So I was able to get my hands in a few things. I know it is up to me what I ultimately have to choose a specific career but I guess you can say a jack of trades but a master of none. My main problem is I want to utilize all the skills I acquired

by maxwell edison

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The best way to get your foot in the door is to be carrying something that the folks on the other side of the door want or need.

You've repeated the old line, "it?s not what you know but who you know", and if you believe that, you'll never get as far as you would otherwise. No, it's not who you know, but what you know - and more importantly, what you can do with it.

Find a need, and show that you can fill it. Carry that through the door, and others will hold it open for you.

by jabney

I hear ya loud and clear and in many ways I tried to use that to my advantage but look down because the lack of paper (degree /certification). The field I am in now is in the financial district so I am quite knowledgeable about the Market but if you are an IT manager which would you prefer a knowledge person with some technical knowledge or a person who you know has the technical knowledge but lacks skills that you may have. Desire is a beautiful thing and it may get you a second interview but in my experience you have to have someone who knows you or a friend of a friend to get you in

by maxwell edison

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Of all the people who have ever received job offers (yep, the numbers will go into the billions), were they all acquaintances of the person making the offer (or someone who knew the person making the offer)?

The answer is, of course not.

Therefore, you don't HAVE to "know somebody".

I would guess that 90 percent - or more - of all job offers are made by/to complete strangers.

No, you don't have to "know somebody". All you have to know is how to convince someone that you can help them improve/increase their product, their process, or their profit.

Would I hire a friend that would cost me money or a stranger who could make me money? Gee, that's a no-brainer - show me the money.

I have a maxim for hiring, and it's never failed me. I hire for attitude, and train for skills. (That doesn't mean that I would hire someone with absolutely NO skills just because of a great attitude, but a positive "can-do" attitude will take you a long way.) However, I will admit, that not all people see things the way I do. But there are a lot of us out there.

Good luck.

by dc_guy

Do you really want to go to all the trouble of starting your career all over again and working your way up from the bottom... in a discipline which, according to your own personal observations, is migrating offshore?

by jabney

Well I see that as an outlet to get the exposure of seeing all aspects of the IT field. When you start at the bottom you have more of an opportunity to see what a head is or above you then a person jumping in the middle and not know which way is up or down... but that is only one road that can be taken.

Since you posed that question, I a question then what an appropriate way of getting your foot in the door of the IT World

by ianknapton

I trained in IT and have seen the industry slump after spending ?4000 on a course(what a waste should have pissed it up against a wall).Very few entry level positions in the UK and they want the earth for a below the breadline wage.
Big companies want years of experience, small companies want a wide range of experience, do either of two things wait until the market picks up and then they will accept anyone or train as a plumber.

by hasanmdfarid

I am also trying to enter the IT jobs and suffuring from indecision.I am an Electrical Engineer. I have Oracle DBA Certification and Application Development Certification but without any practical experience. I have recently completed COMPTIA A+Certification and preparing for Network+ Certification. But I am getting depressed as I have not recieved any interview even after submitting many applications for entry level jobs.
Your opinion sounds good and I shall try to have Server+ and Security+ Certification also.
Let me hope for better opportunity with new certifications.

by jabney

This doesn?t seem good. I understand what people are saying in terms of level entry but the whole reason of me posting the comment was to get some insight on what would be a good way it seems like there isn?t one. My best bet is to start my own company or something. Thanks for your comments ?..They have been quite depressing

by mlayton

...the negative comments here would lead you to believe, at least not where I am. And I do believe it is a little bit of who you know - if for no other reason than hanging out with the same types of people will allow you to hear of opportunities you may not hear about otherwise. This is true of all industries, not just IT. So here are my recommendations: a) join a user group or professional association in your area and become active. They don't care if you have experience, and typically give you an opportunity to interface with similar people, and occasionally have talks on subjects of interest. As a female, I have had good experiences with WITI and general Executive Women's groups, but I also recommend IEEE if they have chapter meetings in your area. Check websites. b) Think about volunteering somewhere, right now is a good time for campaign hq, but also schools, churches, museums, nonprofits are always looking for people to help them - I am constantly getting requests for setting up VPNs/firewalls, upgrading networks, etc. This is a good way to build up the experience portion of your resume. c) As an employer, I have not had much good luck with A+ certified people. Think about checking out the WIndows security certs in SANS - you can challenge and take the tests/do the practical for a lower price, and this will give you a referenceable body of work and a solid recognized GIAC cert for employers who are looking to fulfill govt regs that they have certified people on staff. d) To keep knowledge fresh, there are many trade magazines that professionals can get for free. Subscribe to as many as you can, read as much as you can. Even the TechRepublic newsletters on subjects of interest may help give you an idea of how to apply knowledge to practical real-world subjects. In addition, a lot of those publications will lead you to things like free conference passes and stuff like that which will only help your networking skills. It becomes sort of cyclical then.

Good luck. It's not all doom and gloom, and especially in small companies they are always looking for people who can handle their networking in house and are good with people.

by jabney

I guess the way I presented things, made it seem that I was just trying to get a job from a friend, but in fact you took the words out of my mouth. I have some skills but I don?t have a place to display them and where I work that isn?t priority sure it is good to have me around to take care of those things ? you know they computer guy who works in ?? That is my Title at this moment and I am trying to ?Get in so I can find the exact area I want to go that I can excel in.

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