Getting a tech job

Julio1417 · August 27, 2021

I've always been interested in technology and would love to have a job in the tech field whether it be networking or help desk I have applied to some pc repair shops in my area but have had no luck. all I have is what I would consider an above average knowledge on computers and the motivation learn more but It looks like I'll need to get some certifications in order to get some attention and I understand that someone who has proven to their knowledge with a certification would be more qualified than someone who only said they know computers. So I would like to ask what was your experience getting a certification and did you also tried getting a job in IT without a certification?

Skiiwee29 · August 27, 2021

Network +, some basic Sysadmin stuff, Linux is always helpful. These are some of the basics you need at most entry level IT jobs.

Rauten · August 27, 2021

5 minutes ago, Julio1417 said:

I've always been interested in technology and would love to have a job in the tech field whether it be networking or help desk I have applied to some pc repair shops in my area but have had no luck. all I have is what I would consider an above average knowledge on computers and the motivation learn more but It looks like I'll need to get some certifications in order to get some attention and I understand that someone who has proven to their knowledge with a certification would be more qualified than someone who only said they know computers. So I would like to ask what was your experience getting a certification and did you also tried getting a job in IT without a certification?

HAH

You'd be surprised at how wrong that can be; of course, most recruiters are HR people who, more often that not, don't even know wtf they're talking about when it comes to IT.

Each country can be different with this, but networking is probably not gonna happen without either university-level education or vendor certifications; you can probably get into helpdesk-level jobs with basic government-endorsed IT courses.

Also, if English isn't your native tongue, try to get your English skill certified too. I spent years just saying that my English was very good and that didn't help me one bit, then I got the European C1 certification for English and that got me quite a few more interviews.

One of the things that irks me about working in IT is that most degrees and certifications usually end up being paperweights once you get a job, but you can't get a job without them because HR won't give your CV a second glance - straight to the trash pile.

suedseefrucht · August 27, 2021

4 minutes ago, Julio1417 said:

what was your experience getting a certification and did you also tried getting a job in IT without a certification?

I don't know, where you are from or what job system there is in your country.
In germany there are basically 3 kinds of jobs:

1. Jobs which you can do without special education. Like part-time jobs which you can do to finance your studying at a university. These jobs are often not very well paid and you only work for a few hours a week.

2. Jobs which you need special education / training for. For these you go to a company and become a trainee for 1-3 years. In this time, you learn a lot about your job. With a job like these, you work more practically. So you can be a programmer or work in a help desk.

3. Jobs you need to study for at an university. These jobs are much more about theoretical things and more in depth knowledge. So you can be an engineer for example.

A help desk probably has different kind of jobs. There will be trainees and people who were trained, who can answer most of the questions and repair things. But there can also be people who studied IT, so they know exactly, how a CPU works internally and who can answer some more complex questions and tell the trained people, how they can solve some difficult problems.

My story:
I was a trainee to become a electronics technician. Then I studied to become an electrical engineer.

So now I know a lot of practical stuff, which usual engineers dont usually know and I still got to know the theoretical stuff (how electromagnetic fields work for example). Now I theoretically plan and design electronic devices for research and because of my practical knowledge, I can also build prototypes. When the prototype works, trained people build more devices like the prototype.

LAwLz · August 27, 2021

First thing first, how old are you, what education do you have and what experience do you have?

2 hours ago, Julio1417 said:

I've always been interested in technology and would love to have a job in the tech field whether it be networking or help desk I have applied to some pc repair shops in my area but have had no luck.

Hold on there.

"the tech field" is a very broad term and I can safely say that you do not want want any job in it. What exactly do you mean when you say you "like tech"? Reading about the latest iPhone or AMD processor is very different from sitting in a help desk. Watching an LTT video about some project is very different from being a programmer.

Saying that you "like tech" is about as broad as saying "I like sports". Just because you like soccer does not mean you like curling.

2 hours ago, Julio1417 said:

all I have is what I would consider an above average knowledge on computers and the motivation learn more but It looks like I'll need to get some certifications in order to get some attention and I understand that someone who has proven to their knowledge with a certification would be more qualified than someone who only said they know computers.

It entirely depends on which job you are applying for. I seriously doubt you need any kind of cert to get employed at some mom-and-pop computer repair shop. The problem with low-skill jobs is that there are usually A LOT of people who can do those jobs, so the competition (between you and other potential employees) becomes tougher.

The more advanced job you apply for, the more you have to prove that you are qualified.

3 hours ago, Julio1417 said:

So I would like to ask what was your experience getting a certification and did you also tried getting a job in IT without a certification?

When I first got my job, I did not have any certificates. I did however have a university education which is basically the same thing.

It entirely depends on what job you are applying for. You have to remember that applying for a job essentially a competition. The employer might have 10 different people to choose from and your job is to present yourself in the best possible way. If there is a particular job you want and a lot of highly educated and certified people are applying for it, you will probably have to match those other applicants in terms of credentials to stand a chance.

If you think of it from an employer standpoint, if two applications are basically the same, but one has a certificate that proves they got a certain level of experience and knowledge about something, while the other just claims that they know something, then there isn't really a reason to pick the one without the cert (all else being equal).

I think the first thing you need to do is decide what job you actually want.

Whispre · August 27, 2021

Above average knowledge of computers means you know what the difference between a power cord and HDMI cord is.... sigh... you need to be way above average to work in "tech" lol.

That said, I have interviewed at least 60 people over the last few years for sysadmin and service desk jobs and I can tell you one thing... you can have all the certs and education in the world, but the guy with real world experience and none of that other stuff will get the job first. At a sysadmin level for sure I barely even look at certs/degrees. I care more about past work experience and how you answer our screening questions.

That said, go out and get your A+ cert first if you just want to get into Help Desk type work to start, then just start applying to places, eventually someone will take a shot as long as you interview well. Once you get some experience you can start moving to better jobs.

https://www.comptia.org/faq/a/what-is-comptia-a-certification