Anyone working in IT who can help me?
Discussion
From experience and as others have said, if you've the aptitude and patience to learn, I'd recommend getting into the programming or web development industry rather than IT support. Although programming too does have it's pitfalls!
The CompTIA A+ exam is a basic intro into computer maintenance and served no real benefit over what you would get with tinkering/building your own computer and understanding the basics of PC operation. As said, IT support is relatively lower paid than other IT professions (unless in management).
If programming sounds of interest, I'd recommend checking out https://www.codecademy.com/ as a start. With web development you've options to focus on front-end development (HTML, JS, Angular, CSS), ideal for those who like to design and be creative, or back-end technologies such as NodeJS, PHP, ASP.Net etc. Both areas with salaries outside of London from £20k - £60k (back-end is usually higher)
The CompTIA A+ exam is a basic intro into computer maintenance and served no real benefit over what you would get with tinkering/building your own computer and understanding the basics of PC operation. As said, IT support is relatively lower paid than other IT professions (unless in management).
If programming sounds of interest, I'd recommend checking out https://www.codecademy.com/ as a start. With web development you've options to focus on front-end development (HTML, JS, Angular, CSS), ideal for those who like to design and be creative, or back-end technologies such as NodeJS, PHP, ASP.Net etc. Both areas with salaries outside of London from £20k - £60k (back-end is usually higher)
Dannyboy85 said:
I'm looking to re-train for a career in IT. I'm coming into it with no IT experience whatsoever and I have been recommended to complete a CompTIA A+ course and then an MCSA either in Server 2012 or SQL. The courses will cost over £1k though so i need to be 100% sure that it will be worth spending the money and taking the 6 months or so to complete.
You don't need to spend any money at-all. The first exam (of three) in the MCSA2012 track is 70-410. The Microsoft virtual academy is really good and is free, watch the videos, setup a virtual environment and practice the subjects.My approach has always been to build a virtual company to practice the scenarios. So I build a domain controller, file and print server, web server, mail, firewall etc.
Here's my links for 70-410
70-410 Resource WIKI
http://borntolearn.mslearn.net/certification/serve...
Full training book:
http://it-ebooks.info/book/2348/
Teched Exam Prep
http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmeric...
Virtual Accademy Course:
http://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/training-co...
MVA Objective Domain Video for this exam (410):
http://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/Content/Vie...
MCSA is definitely the icing on the cake rather than the cake itself.
I wouldn't employ someone just because they had that (and certainly not if they had no actual experience, but had got an MCSA).
At the stage you're at perhaps a college course or Open University course may be a better option.
I wouldn't employ someone just because they had that (and certainly not if they had no actual experience, but had got an MCSA).
At the stage you're at perhaps a college course or Open University course may be a better option.
Dannyboy85 said:
I'm looking to re-train for a career in IT. I'm coming into it with no IT experience whatsoever and I have been recommended to complete a CompTIA A+ course and then an MCSA either in Server 2012 or SQL. The courses will cost over £1k though so i need to be 100% sure that it will be worth spending the money and taking the 6 months or so to complete.
Are these courses worth doing and more importantly what sort of jobs and salary can i expect on the other side.
Thanks,
I did the CompTIA A+ course.Are these courses worth doing and more importantly what sort of jobs and salary can i expect on the other side.
Thanks,
Also did MCDST / MCP and ended up with a few Diplomas for various IT related things.
It was VERY hard to get a job before this. I kept getting no reply, no qualifications = nothing.
I walked out of my 5 month full time apprenticeship (covering a 2 year college course basically) and have been going from strength to strength.
The qualifications are a good "foot in the door" but experience matters a lot too. I spent more time talking about projects I have done than my qualifications.
So it would be a good starting point.
Also look at some of the big IT services providers who are increasingly offering apprentice schemes.
IT covers a huge range of salaries. For example, with 10 years experience in some specific technologies you can be contracting for £700+ a day. Niche, complex and steep learning curve.
Plenty of senior salaried consultants earning 100-150k with 10 years solid experience.
IT covers a huge range of salaries. For example, with 10 years experience in some specific technologies you can be contracting for £700+ a day. Niche, complex and steep learning curve.
Plenty of senior salaried consultants earning 100-150k with 10 years solid experience.
I tend to think attitude and aptitude and experience are more important than certifications.
I say that because, and anyone in IT will know where I'm coming from here, certifications don't give you the "nose" for where an issue lies - you get that from experience.
It's a bit of a paradox in that someone who is an MCSA wouldn't be on an IT Support desk, but respectfully if you got dumped in front of a bunch of SAN kit, servers, VMware and Windows DataCenter ISO's with no practical experience but your CompTIA and/or MCSA you'd just be so far out of your depth it would be untrue.
I say that because, and anyone in IT will know where I'm coming from here, certifications don't give you the "nose" for where an issue lies - you get that from experience.
It's a bit of a paradox in that someone who is an MCSA wouldn't be on an IT Support desk, but respectfully if you got dumped in front of a bunch of SAN kit, servers, VMware and Windows DataCenter ISO's with no practical experience but your CompTIA and/or MCSA you'd just be so far out of your depth it would be untrue.
There are a multitude of jobs in IT so what are you looking to get into. Users just see people that work on PC's. The reality is very different.
I work in a small part of a large IT department. There are about 7 of us in our office and we might as well speak different languages when it comes to our skills. We are all employed to do different things.
I work in a small part of a large IT department. There are about 7 of us in our office and we might as well speak different languages when it comes to our skills. We are all employed to do different things.
Those courses are brilliant for the training provider. I'd say that they are possibly useful to prove competence in your chosen field, but less useful to gain knowledge and competence.
To see if you are high enough on the Aspergers spectrum , have some free fun here instead.
https://mva.microsoft.com/
To see if you are high enough on the Aspergers spectrum , have some free fun here instead.
https://mva.microsoft.com/
ATG said:
Is there any scope for moving within your current organisation? Your airport's IT teams would benefit from your experience as a user.
This is a good suggestion actually, so don't overlook it. A know a lot of people that now "work in IT" that were end users previously. End User -> Super User -> Analyst -> Tech/Senior Business Analyst/Project Manager is one route you could consider.All of the certs you mentioned in your original post can be self studied for free. Lots of resources out there and it's easy for someone interested in the tech to spin up some virtual machines and to tinker away, break and learn stuff from it.
Spending over a bag speculatively in the hope of getting a job off the back of it with no experience could be disheartening.
There's lots of training providers that pray on this hope.
Spending over a bag speculatively in the hope of getting a job off the back of it with no experience could be disheartening.
There's lots of training providers that pray on this hope.
eliot said:
Dannyboy85 said:
I'm looking to re-train for a career in IT. I'm coming into it with no IT experience whatsoever and I have been recommended to complete a CompTIA A+ course and then an MCSA either in Server 2012 or SQL. The courses will cost over £1k though so i need to be 100% sure that it will be worth spending the money and taking the 6 months or so to complete.
You don't need to spend any money at-all. The first exam (of three) in the MCSA2012 track is 70-410. The Microsoft virtual academy is really good and is free, watch the videos, setup a virtual environment and practice the subjects.My approach has always been to build a virtual company to practice the scenarios. So I build a domain controller, file and print server, web server, mail, firewall etc.
Here's my links for 70-410
70-410 Resource WIKI
http://borntolearn.mslearn.net/certification/serve...
Full training book:
http://it-ebooks.info/book/2348/
Teched Exam Prep
http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmeric...
Virtual Accademy Course:
http://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/training-co...
MVA Objective Domain Video for this exam (410):
http://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/Content/Vie...
geeks said:
lostkiwi said:
For example consultancy gets around £60-£100k pa typically.
1st level support is £25-30k
Errr these are unrealistic! 1st level support is £25-30k
Milton Keynes - 1st Line upto £20k £22k tops!
Consultancy is a wide field, salaries from £30 - 6Ok
Here are the permanent salary consultant bands that I know of (contractor rates excluded), good luck to you!
1. 18 k- 2x k
2. 2x k- 65 k
3. 65 k - 100 k
4. 100k - 120 k
5. 120k - 180 k
6. 350k - 500 k
7. 1m - 3.5m
8. Steve Ballmer.
swerni said:
Hilts said:
swerni said:
Apart from the fact it's fking dull and you can't tell people what you do for a living.
However the mortgage has to be paid, as has the car, the washing machine, the CD player and the electrical tin opener.
Or you could choose something else.
Always a conversation killer at a party.
And it is soul crushing after the short term.
Do something,in fact,anything else !!
swerni said:
Hilts said:
swerni said:
Apart from the fact it's fking dull and you can't tell people what you do for a living.
However the mortgage has to be paid, as has the car, the washing machine, the CD player and the electrical tin opener.
Or you could choose something else.
Always a conversation killer at a party.
And it is soul crushing after the short term.
Do something,in fact,anything else !!
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