Wondering what a technician job is like

[RileyTheFox]

2 minutes ago, knightslugger said:

sounds like you're after some life advice here... and i'ma give it to you straight.

 

love what you do, but don't make your hobby a job.

 

Learn a craftsman's trade. Learn to weld. learn to machine. learn to swing a hammer or wire a complicated electrical circuit.  they are infinitely more useful in the real world than building computers EVER will be.

Thing is, I've NEVER been good with my hands. I'm not a practical person at all. Which makes it hard for me to get a more real world job in the future. 

[desertcomputer]

1 minute ago, SherifsDog22 said:

Yeah, this is what I mean, an offsite technician job is impossible for someone under the legal driving age. 

 

He'd be best off setting up a small fb group to do repairs for people for cheap prices

^ even than it hard to find paying customers, I have few family and friend which i look after but this is not like full time/part time thing is more like once a while enough to cover my online expenses such as music subscriptions and paid services. Personally it better of doing something else and just do tech as hobby. Go outside and kick a ball or two. 

[_JohnB330ci]

2 minutes ago, EvilCat70 said:

Thing is, I've NEVER been good with my hands. I'm not a practical person at all. Which makes it hard for me to get a more real world job in the future. 

If you're not good with your hands go with coding. I'm good with my hands, but also a logical thinker, but I found Software Engineering to boring for me, so I went into hardware.

[ARikozuM]

You come to the hospital, clean kennels, check on the patients, do bloodwork/microscopies/CBC Chemistry, grab charts and welcome clients and patients, write notes, do a preliminary physical, and repeat. 

[snagals]

Well if coding is not your thing you can try networking too. Enterprise networking is paid very good, but is very complicated. I personally never write code. If some of the programmers made a mistake I can correct it but kill me I cannot write my own code. In IT there are a lot of jobs. Technicians is the probably lowest paid one. As the company sees it we spend money and we do not make any for it.

[Kick]

I hope I don't offend anyone, but I think it's a great way to *start* a career. It's how I started mine, working in a small computer repair shop, but it was clear the industry was hurting. We didn't get a lot of business, and the business we did get was almost all returning customers. Got a gig setting up a SMB office, though, so that helped. 

 

I'd recommend following your passion by helping friends/family with tech. Try to see if your school needs IT help, mine did and I managed to get a lot of experience just hanging out in the computer lab talking to the computer people there. Don't be irritated if all they need is someone to go mark down the serial number of every monitor, it's a start (plus you'll get a sense of what tech inventory is like). My High School didn't offer much in the way of tech electives, but if yours does go for it! Learn the basics of networking (routing, switching, IP addressing), learn a programming language (doesn't have to be fancy, C++ is good to get a sense of what programming is like), and keep up with tech trends. 

 

But back to what you were asking... I didn't make good money as a tech. I don't recommend it as a career, more as something to help while you go through school. I made more money putting boxes on trucks for UPS (and that paid for school and gave me full medical coverage). But my experience fixing problems--sometimes with exhaustive research, sometimes with a quick whack from a hammer--was invaluable and helped me get where I am now.

 

You're young. Stay in school, when given a choice, opt for classes that pique your interest. Look at local computer tech shops, see if they would take on an intern or hire you part-time. Good luck!

 

P.S. I don't mean to sound like a know-it-all or anything, just had the same thoughts when I was around your age and wanted to share advice I would have given myself

[desertcomputer]

2 minutes ago, EvilCat70 said:

Thing is, I've NEVER been good with my hands. I'm not a practical person at all. Which makes it hard for me to get a more real world job in the future. 

Well you are still young and plenty of time, you have practices, just like how baby learn to walk. 

 

1 minute ago, SherifsDog22 said:

If you're not good with your hands go with coding. I'm good with my hands, but also a logical thinker, but I found Software Engineering to boring for me, so I went into hardware.

You always need hardware to code software. 

[_JohnB330ci]

1 minute ago, MrUnknownEMC said:

Well you are still young and plenty of time, you have practices, just like how baby learn to walk. 

 

You always need hardware to code software. 

If he went into corporate coding (software engineering) he wouldn't be required to handle any hardware.

[RileyTheFox]

7 minutes ago, Kick said:

I hope I don't offend anyone, but I think it's a great way to *start* a career. It's how I started mine, working in a small computer repair shop, but it was clear the industry was hurting. We didn't get a lot of business, and the business we did get was almost all returning customers. Got a gig setting up a SMB office, though, so that helped. 

 

I'd recommend following your passion by helping friends/family with tech. Try to see if your school needs IT help, mine did and I managed to get a lot of experience just hanging out in the computer lab talking to the computer people there. Don't be irritated if all they need is someone to go mark down the serial number of every monitor, it's a start (plus you'll get a sense of what tech inventory is like). My High School didn't offer much in the way of tech electives, but if yours does go for it! Learn the basics of networking (routing, switching, IP addressing), learn a programming language (doesn't have to be fancy, C++ is good to get a sense of what programming is like), and keep up with tech trends. 

 

But back to what you were asking... I didn't make good money as a tech. I don't recommend it as a career, more as something to help while you go through school. I made more money putting boxes on trucks for UPS (and that paid for school and gave me full medical coverage). But my experience fixing problems--sometimes with exhaustive research, sometimes with a quick whack from a hammer--was invaluable and helped me get where I am now.

 

You're young. Stay in school, when given a choice, opt for classes that pique your interest. Look at local computer tech shops, see if they would take on an intern or hire you part-time. Good luck!

 

P.S. I don't mean to sound like a know-it-all or anything, just had the same thoughts when I was around your age and wanted to share advice I would have given myself

I see where you're getting at and you don't sound like a know-it-all! You just sound like a person with better real world knowledge than I do . When I'm a bit older (14 ish maybe, 12th birthday is in a week) I'll try to find some sort of part time 

 

EDIT: I'd love to get into networking, stuff like the difference between a modem and a router just baffle me though 

[snagals]

Techquickie  Networking is not easy, but its very interesting and highly paid. There is a software and hardware side of it. The basic is putting cables, switches, routers, setting ip`s and so on. With that stuff you can earn as a basic technician.  

 

In the next level Active Directory, Linux/Windows server, network security and a ton more you can get very good money. 

 

You can also try my job as a sysadmin, but it takes much more time to make name and develop the skills. In some companies they don`t do nothing but sleep and play games. In my case you will hate your job  Sysadmin is a mix of all skills but not perfect in any. The maximum salary for a tech in my country is max 450 euro, for a sysadmin starts at 1200.

 

*Sysadmin is connected to specific company so you will have a boss and there arent many free spots there.

[biker]

fixing computers and building computers is not really an income that can grow. Its better to get skills that you can earn more and more income.  For example something like programming is good I guess I dunno. Maybe IT tech is alright too but I dunno. If I were you, at your age, I'd think about a clean trade to get into, something like an Industrial Electrician.

[knightslugger]

On 2/4/2017 at 9:26 PM, EvilCat70 said:

Thing is, I've NEVER been good with my hands. I'm not a practical person at all. Which makes it hard for me to get a more real world job in the future. 

You've got your whole life ahead of you to learn. you are young. you can pick up things much faster now than you can when you are older. You don't need to be good with your hands (that's for medical people to fuss with), just know the work. Again i emphasize: Learn a trade. Did you know underwater welding is both highly sought after and HANDSOMELY salaried? Plenty of people can SCUBA dive and weld at the same time, it's the ones that bother to get certified are the ones that end up making $80,000 more a year and almost always have employment. All they did was love scuba diving and went to trade school.

[Clanscorpia]

On 2/4/2017 at 10:35 PM, EvilCat70 said:

I see where you're getting at and you don't sound like a know-it-all! You just sound like a person with better real world knowledge than I do . When I'm a bit older (14 ish maybe, 12th birthday is in a week) I'll try to find some sort of part time 

 

EDIT: I'd love to get into networking, stuff like the difference between a modem and a router just baffle me though 

The chances of you getting a job at 14 are almost 0 unless your family knows you, coming from a 14 year old. And I was in the same situation as you, but I realized its a pretty bad path leading to nowhere, so I stared studying Electrical Engineering and Im basically teaching myself grade 9-13 mathematics and how to design circuits etc. Unless youre very good at math engineering isnt going to be a very good path.

[TheBestUserName]

2009ish - 2010ish I worked for a local computer support company. It was the worst job I've ever had. (I think I worked there for about 8 months.) And that includes the first job I had at a car wash for about a month when I was 17. 

 

Do do yourself a favor -- do something else with your interest in computers. Stay away from service.  

[Ithanul]

On 2/4/2017 at 9:35 PM, EvilCat70 said:

I see where you're getting at and you don't sound like a know-it-all! You just sound like a person with better real world knowledge than I do . When I'm a bit older (14 ish maybe, 12th birthday is in a week) I'll try to find some sort of part time 

 

EDIT: I'd love to get into networking, stuff like the difference between a modem and a router just baffle me though 

Look up Professor Messer videos on Youtube.  He goes over info from certification information like CCNA, Sec+, etc.  Even if you don't go for the certs, great info to get a basic knowledge of components.

 

On 2/4/2017 at 9:54 PM, snagals said:

Techquickie  Networking is not easy, but its very interesting and highly paid. There is a software and hardware side of it. The basic is putting cables, switches, routers, setting ip`s and so on. With that stuff you can earn as a basic technician.  

 

In the next level Active Directory, Linux/Windows server, network security and a ton more you can get very good money. 

 

You can also try my job as a sysadmin, but it takes much more time to make name and develop the skills. In some companies they don`t do nothing but sleep and play games. In my case you will hate your job  Sysadmin is a mix of all skills but not perfect in any. The maximum salary for a tech in my country is max 450 euro, for a sysadmin starts at 1200.

 

*Sysadmin is connected to specific company so you will have a boss and there arent many free spots there.

Yep, I'm kind of like a sysadmin in my Guard job.  Jack of all trades, and the one they hunt when Sharepoint don't work.   

[LAwLz]

Dude, you're 11. Wanna know what I wanted to be when I was 11? I wanted to be a chef. Then when I got a bit older and learned what a stressful job that is I changed my mind. Then I changed it again, and again, and again. 

 

You really shouldn't be thinking too much about your future career when you're so young. What you should be focusing on is getting a good base to build upon so once you're a bit older and know what you like/dislike, and know more about which jobs actually exist, then can you choose what to work as. 

 

[biker]

2 hours ago, LAwLz said:

I wanted to be a chef. Then when I got a bit older and learned what a stressful job that is I changed my mind

Chefs make minimum wage. Even Red Seals dont earn much. Now you get into the oil fields, there's big money there, but you are away for long stretches of time.

[LAwLz]

5 minutes ago, biker said:

Chefs make minimum wage. Even Red Seals dont earn much. Now you get into the oil fields, there's big money there, but you are away for long stretches of time.

Yeah chef sounded horrible when I started looking into it.

Super stressful, I can't cook for crap, pay seemed poor.

 

Oil field work seems terrible as well. I am currently working as a networking consultant.

[biker]

Oil field work is good work, high pay but long hours and long tours. Even janitors in huge camps get paid good money. I was setting up a halloween gig in the dining hall and over heard the pow wow of the kitchen staff. My jaw dropped when the managers had to explain what an embankment was, what a ditch was. So anyone who speaks fluent english is a very high step up from most of whom they hire. Heck even bus drivers get paid very well.

[MrDynamicMan]

On 2/5/2017 at 5:01 AM, EvilCat70 said:

Oh yea I forgot I could just become a scammer  in all seriousness I am actually looking for answers to this 

Theres a lot of positions. Front line tech/onsite/etc. would be the first group, customer support, along with that is retail (boring imo, but can be a decent college job). After that you get the upper escelons, levels of engineers who will do networking, sysadmins, upper tier tech support, project managers, devs, troubleshooters, etc, etc, untilfinally you get to cto. The big daddy.

[MrDynamicMan]

On 2/5/2017 at 5:54 AM, snagals said:

Techquickie  Networking is not easy, but its very interesting and highly paid. There is a software and hardware side of it. The basic is putting cables, switches, routers, setting ip`s and so on. With that stuff you can earn as a basic technician.  

 

In the next level Active Directory, Linux/Windows server, network security and a ton more you can get very good money. 

 

You can also try my job as a sysadmin, but it takes much more time to make name and develop the skills. In some companies they don`t do nothing but sleep and play games. In my case you will hate your job  Sysadmin is a mix of all skills but not perfect in any. The maximum salary for a tech in my country is max 450 euro, for a sysadmin starts at 1200.

 

*Sysadmin is connected to specific company so you will have a boss and there arent many free spots there.

As I put "Sysadmins are the jack of all trades that can really fuck you over if you piss them off."