Careers in IT

[RTX 3090]

Hi, what sort of qualification should I get to get a position in the IT department. I want to do something that has a wide variety of jobs, as I have a wide skill set.  I was thinking like server stuff and general IT stuff. What sort of things should I do to get a job in this field. 

[minibois]

Look at different jobs and specifically look for those that seem to offer the sort of tasks you'd want to do.

Then look at the requirements in terms of schooling and certifications provided by that job posting.

[RAM555789]

Comptia certs are usually a good place too start (if your looking to work with Cisco server specifically then CCNA as well)

(IT) Information Technology Certifications | CompTIA IT Certifications

[Biomecanoid]

31 minutes ago, RTX 3090 said:

Hi, what sort of qualification should I get to get a position in the IT department. I want to do something that has a wide variety of jobs, as I have a wide skill set.  I was thinking like server stuff and general IT stuff. What sort of things should I do to get a job in this field. 

You mean certifications ? or UNI ?

 

* For UNI you would want at least a BSC in Computer Science and that's a 3 year course.

* For certifications: Cisco, RedHat, SQL, Mikrotik, also Python seems to be popular nowadays

[trag1c]

Really depends on where you are. Here in Canada you typically take a 2 year diploma program with a major in the area that you want to pursue such as telecoms, networking, computer systems etc. On top of that you may choose to pursue certifications for specific things to advance your career or make your self more employable.

[starry]

If you live in the US, dont go to college for IT, nobody cares about a computer science degree unless youre doing some serious engineering work. They care about experience and ability.

[Lurick]

13 minutes ago, starry said:

If you live in the US, dont go to college for IT, nobody cares about a computer science degree unless youre doing some serious engineering work. They care about experience and ability.

Or if you want to get past the red HR tape at large companies, then sure nobody cares about degrees.

[NineEyeRon]

The best way is to get a 1st line support role and on the side study something IT related like a sys admin course or something, when a job in the area you studied comes up you have your experience plus qualifications.

 

I work in IT and I see this method a lot.

[starry]

8 minutes ago, Lurick said:

Or if you want to get past the red HR tape at large companies, then sure nobody cares about degrees.

I find that companies with rediculous HR departments that dont know what theyre looking for are often not worth it.

My point is that your time is better spent building a portfolio and experience.

[A51UK]

I'm working a software developer, my tip do a BSc Hons Computer Science after the first year, you will know which route you would like to take, from software to hardware.  building a portfolio and experience is not that helpfully when you do not fully understand what you're doing and without a degree you will find very hard to get anyone to look at your portfolio or CV. A lot of people who just do portfolio and experience also miss out a lot of knowledge that can make a big different in many projects and in their career.

 

Note, certifications in software is really look down at and more or less pointless in the UK, most people I know only do them if the work pay for it and many have time limit like 3 year then you have to retake them, which it not the case with a degree that last a lifetime. 

[GDRRiley]

1 hour ago, Biomecanoid said:

* For UNI you would want at least a BSC in Computer Science and that's a 3 year course.

some places now are offering IT degrees. Mine is less math (still 1 dumb class but I've ranted enough) with more practical classes

[RAM555789]

9 hours ago, RTX 3090 said:

Hi, what sort of qualification should I get to get a position in the IT department. I want to do something that has a wide variety of jobs, as I have a wide skill set.  I was thinking like server stuff and general IT stuff. What sort of things should I do to get a job in this field. 

Oh one other thing I wanted to add. If your willing to the military is a good option for IT. Not sure how the other branches classify them, but the Army's 25 series, which encompasses the signal core has a ton of tech related jobs. 25B which is the MOS I went in for is specifically geared towards servers and general IT helpdesk situations. I went into the military a bit overweight, and had a 2 mile time of over 20mins, however I made it through and it's really all about your mindset and keeping positive. It's very stressful getting but that's the point, because if you can't handle that stress your not going to be able to handle a deployment. I'm currently in the reserves and just need to get the IT certifications then I'll have a rounded out resume. Also do recommend active duty over reserves, active duty will pretty much guarantee at least 1 deployment which should qualify you for the full GI 9/11 bill if your interested in going to college afterword. Also if you come out as an E-5 SGT or higher that's a great resume point for applying to higher level positions of a more senior supervisor or manager position for tech/server related jobs.

[DavidKalinowski]

19 hours ago, starry said:

If you live in the US, dont go to college for IT, nobody cares about a computer science degree unless youre doing some serious engineering work. They care about experience and ability.

This is bad advice, most employers will not even look at your app for anything more than a BASIC entry level help desk, and even then they still want at least an associates degree or 5 years experience in the field with A+ cert. Getting a higher level education is NEVER a bad idea. You might find you really don't like IT as a job, and having a BS degree will transfer to other employment opportunities. I know a guy who got promoted to a network admin from a help desk position because he had a degree (not even in the field, just a degree..) SO yea. Get a degree, if you really want IT, get an IT centered degree many universities will even cover the cost of one certification test. (Western Governors University I know for sure will, as that is where I am going to finish my degree at.)

[starry]

17 minutes ago, DavidKalinowski said:

This is bad advice, most employers will not even look at your app for anything more than a BASIC entry level help desk, and even then they still want at least an associates degree or 5 years experience in the field with A+ cert. Getting a higher level education is NEVER a bad idea. You might find you really don't like IT as a job, and having a BS degree will transfer to other employment opportunities. I know a guy who got promoted to a network admin from a help desk position because he had a degree (not even in the field, just a degree..) SO yea. Get a degree, if you really want IT, get an IT centered degree many universities will even cover the cost of one certification test. (Western Governors University I know for sure will, as that is where I am going to finish my degree at.)

People should start being more honest about what college can do for an induvidual. Im not saying its absolutely uselss, but does is the crippling debt you incur actually justify the benefits? That is the question that each and every person should ask themselves before pursuing higher education, and the answer is no for a vast majority of people.

 

I find it very irresponsible to make blanket statements such as "Getting a higher level education is NEVER a bad idea." Spending that much money and time on education is a deeply personal decision, and it is irresponsible to insist that it is necessary for everyone.

 

Also A+ cert is basically a meme, and any HR department that looks for it probably isnt worth your time.

[DavidKalinowski]

A+ cert is what helped me get my current job with out a degree, (that and I had references that knew the hiring committee and gave me a leg up because of it) Entry level help desk, at a college. Great benefits, all holidays off, spring break, thanksgiving break, Christmas break, they cover my health insurance even, salaried with the option for overtime.. But to go any higher, I need to finish my degree.

 

Not all university has to be crippling dept, my wife only owes about 16,000 for her associates and that is from a regionally accredited University, to finish her Bach degree wont add much more to that. I've worked in retail and tech, both places I have seen people get higher positions simply because they had a college degree. My experience in retail never gave me an advantage when mgmt opportunities came open, I knew every policy inside and out, could do every job in the store, but the jobs always went to the person with a degree. This was with the worlds largest retailer BTW. So from my real world ( almost 20 years of working experience) college matters if you really want to move UP in a company.

[Guest]

You can get an information technology degree. Afaik some community colleges and some universities will help you get certifications and point you in the direction of them or even prepare you for them. 

[Radium_Angel]

On 1/14/2021 at 2:40 PM, starry said:

If you live in the US, dont go to college for IT, nobody cares about a computer science degree unless youre doing some serious engineering work. They care about experience and ability.

I cannot stress this enough. I'm in IT and we don't give a rat's ass about degrees, we want to see results. Can you do the job? Then you get the job.

[starry]

6 hours ago, DavidKalinowski said:

A+ cert is what helped me get my current job with out a degree, (that and I had references that knew the hiring committee and gave me a leg up because of it) Entry level help desk, at a college. Great benefits, all holidays off, spring break, thanksgiving break, Christmas break, they cover my health insurance even, salaried with the option for overtime.. But to go any higher, I need to finish my degree.

 

Not all university has to be crippling dept, my wife only owes about 16,000 for her associates and that is from a regionally accredited University, to finish her Bach degree wont add much more to that. I've worked in retail and tech, both places I have seen people get higher positions simply because they had a college degree. My experience in retail never gave me an advantage when mgmt opportunities came open, I knew every policy inside and out, could do every job in the store, but the jobs always went to the person with a degree. This was with the worlds largest retailer BTW. So from my real world ( almost 20 years of working experience) college matters if you really want to move UP in a company.

Well Im glad that those things worked out for you, but saying that getting a degree is never a bad idea is a bit misleading, even if the statement was well-meaning.

[RTX 3090]

1 hour ago, Radium_Angel said:

I cannot stress this enough. I'm in IT and we don't give a rat's ass about degrees, we want to see results. Can you do the job? Then you get the job.

I have a lot of skills, massive skillset from video editing, web design, both consumer and server hardware, but I wanted to know which degrees I would need to do to prove to them that I can do what I say I can. 

[Radium_Angel]

Just now, RTX 3090 said:

I have a lot of skills, massive skillset from video editing, web design, both consumer and server hardware, but I wanted to know which degrees I would need to do to prove to them that I can do what I say I can. 

Where I work (gov't) you'd simply have to prove to us, via a hands on test, that you can do the work.

A degree is not relevant to us.

 

But something like a ComTIA+ or Net+ cert may be useful

[Donut417]

On 1/14/2021 at 2:04 PM, RTX 3090 said:

Hi, what sort of qualification should I get to get a position in the IT department. I want to do something that has a wide variety of jobs, as I have a wide skill set.  I was thinking like server stuff and general IT stuff. What sort of things should I do to get a job in this field. 

My friend started working at Call Centers at first. He did a few of them, one of them did tech support for Sears/Kmart stores, another did Samsung Support. Then he got in at a insurance company doing call center work. He came in as a contract to hire, that might be a route you might have to do. Eventually he worked his way up. He now works on the Linux team. I do know he has a Associates in Web Design. Then he has numerous CompTIA certs. 

 

As @Radium_Angelstated in IT, a degree is not necessary. You might consider a degree to maybe to get some knowledge. But Id defiantly look at certs. If you're good at learning on your own, then you might just be better off getting certs and trying to get hired.

[OGKRG]

On 1/14/2021 at 2:02 PM, NineEyeRon said:

The best way is to get a 1st line support role and on the side study something IT related like a sys admin course or something, when a job in the area you studied comes up you have your experience plus qualifications.

 

I work in IT and I see this method a lot.

I am looking at an IT job at Amazon right now, either that or get on with Amazon Games, I def need to take a few courses to study some skills required, but it looks fun and promising. 

[Blade of Grass]

Depends what you mean by “IT”. 
 

The path for someone working in network ops, in a datacenter as a tech, or managing a company’s active directory is very different from someone working as an engineer or programmer. 

I don’t work professionally in the first category, but I do in the second, and if that’s what you’re interested in (basically anything from programming a desktop/mobile video game, an OS, all the way to designing/building distributed systems, etc) then a degree in Computer Science/Software Engineering (hopefully with some internships completed during it) is extremely helpful for getting into industry and advancing. 

[DavidKalinowski]

On 1/15/2021 at 4:32 PM, starry said:

Well Im glad that those things worked out for you, but saying that getting a degree is never a bad idea is a bit misleading, even if the statement was well-meaning.

I actually said getting a higher education is never a bad idea, its not. Knowledge is power. My examples of people succeeding with degrees was to simply illustrate my point that from my experiences getting a degree will help in the job market. You can google, bing, duckduckgo, etc. search, the numbers dont lie, having a higher level of education will help with getting a job, and make more money while doing it.

[RTX 3090]

3 hours ago, DavidKalinowski said:

I actually said getting a higher education is never a bad idea, its not. Knowledge is power. My examples of people succeeding with degrees was to simply illustrate my point that from my experiences getting a degree will help in the job market. You can google, bing, duckduckgo, etc. search, the numbers dont lie, having a higher level of education will help with getting a job, and make more money while doing it.

What is more beneficial, getting a wider skill set or just getting certifications for the stuff you already know ?