The next step in my IT Career
Discussion
I am after some much needed advice!
I am currently in an IT support helpdesk role, which in itself is enjoyable and brings different challenges every day. Typical stuff like Active Directory, Windows issues, Configuring IP telephony and printers, iOS and Android troubleshooting. I have done this for a year now.
I am however keen to get an understanding of what is required to get to the next level in terms of progression and salary. I am currently earning mid twenties, which for the IT support role I am in is around the industry standard, but I am wanting to get over the £30k+ bracket and beyond, to be comfortable in paying a mortgage etc.
Now currently the only qualifications I have are an advanced college diploma in IT (4.5 A levels equivalent). Now I am well aware this is where I need to invest to broaden my knowledge and general employability.
What general certifications would anybody recommend? University is out of the question, I am a dropout and could not stand it! I have obviously heard of ITIL, MSCE, CCNA, Prince 2 etc. Are any of these suitable to start with.
I would be very interested in other peoples experiences and how they have progressed and basically what the recommend as a potential path and what certifications I may need to get there. This would be something I would need to do in my spare time after 40 hours a week at work.
IT career wise, I am open minded. The software developer side does not interest me, the only code I am fairly familiar with is HTML/CSS. Analytical roles do interest me, as does networking. Prior to my IT role, I worked in a supermarket as a stop gap and was an assistant manager, so IT management of some sorts would also interest me.
The company I currently work for are very good in terms of their treatment of staff, perks and general job security, but the progression path is limited.
I am a fairly ambitious young adult and fear I will get bored if I fail to invest in my career and progress.
Please let me know your thoughts.
I am currently in an IT support helpdesk role, which in itself is enjoyable and brings different challenges every day. Typical stuff like Active Directory, Windows issues, Configuring IP telephony and printers, iOS and Android troubleshooting. I have done this for a year now.
I am however keen to get an understanding of what is required to get to the next level in terms of progression and salary. I am currently earning mid twenties, which for the IT support role I am in is around the industry standard, but I am wanting to get over the £30k+ bracket and beyond, to be comfortable in paying a mortgage etc.
Now currently the only qualifications I have are an advanced college diploma in IT (4.5 A levels equivalent). Now I am well aware this is where I need to invest to broaden my knowledge and general employability.
What general certifications would anybody recommend? University is out of the question, I am a dropout and could not stand it! I have obviously heard of ITIL, MSCE, CCNA, Prince 2 etc. Are any of these suitable to start with.
I would be very interested in other peoples experiences and how they have progressed and basically what the recommend as a potential path and what certifications I may need to get there. This would be something I would need to do in my spare time after 40 hours a week at work.
IT career wise, I am open minded. The software developer side does not interest me, the only code I am fairly familiar with is HTML/CSS. Analytical roles do interest me, as does networking. Prior to my IT role, I worked in a supermarket as a stop gap and was an assistant manager, so IT management of some sorts would also interest me.
The company I currently work for are very good in terms of their treatment of staff, perks and general job security, but the progression path is limited.
I am a fairly ambitious young adult and fear I will get bored if I fail to invest in my career and progress.
Please let me know your thoughts.
Do you want to stay Microsoft focused? I would strongly recommend learning powershell, it is an important tool in any large enterprise for managing Microsoft servers and services. Provable skills in powershell scripting are marketable.
A MCSE is a useful qualification but without experience to back it up it isn't an automatic ticket to progress.
A MCSE is a useful qualification but without experience to back it up it isn't an automatic ticket to progress.
Hi Vorsprung.
I am in my mid -forties now and I have worked in IT since my 20th year. With IT, technical knowledge and understanding are the foundation for everything - it is a great benefit to have in-depth technical knowledge - so my advice would be to bone up on all the technical areas that interest you (much easier to learn if you like it) - whether that is virtualisation, Cloud Technologies, Networking, Active Directory, Database administration or whatever.
Do some scripting - whether it is Powershell, Visual Basic or whatever... even if you do not want to be a developer - having an understanding of the very basics will be beneficial and pay dividends over the years
Once you are very confident in your field of expertise - you can then branch out and study the ITIL Framework stuff and do a PMP or Prince2 qualification - If you can - get onto a trading floor and do some trader support - it is a great place to learn - there is a risk of sink or swim in those environments - but if you can come out the other side you will be a better person for it.
Good technical people are hard to find especially those with a ITIL/PMP/Prince2 accreditation under their belt. Top up your technical skills at all times - I still look to do an exam of some kind every other year - even if it is just some Microsoft ones.
Then you can have your pick of what organisation / role you want to practice in.
Oh, working for yourself may appeal also.
All the best.
I am in my mid -forties now and I have worked in IT since my 20th year. With IT, technical knowledge and understanding are the foundation for everything - it is a great benefit to have in-depth technical knowledge - so my advice would be to bone up on all the technical areas that interest you (much easier to learn if you like it) - whether that is virtualisation, Cloud Technologies, Networking, Active Directory, Database administration or whatever.
Do some scripting - whether it is Powershell, Visual Basic or whatever... even if you do not want to be a developer - having an understanding of the very basics will be beneficial and pay dividends over the years
Once you are very confident in your field of expertise - you can then branch out and study the ITIL Framework stuff and do a PMP or Prince2 qualification - If you can - get onto a trading floor and do some trader support - it is a great place to learn - there is a risk of sink or swim in those environments - but if you can come out the other side you will be a better person for it.
Good technical people are hard to find especially those with a ITIL/PMP/Prince2 accreditation under their belt. Top up your technical skills at all times - I still look to do an exam of some kind every other year - even if it is just some Microsoft ones.
Then you can have your pick of what organisation / role you want to practice in.
Oh, working for yourself may appeal also.
All the best.
hyphen said:
Step 1; look at job spec of the job you want in the future
Step 2: make a development plan that targets skills your future job requires that you don't currently Have
Step 3: Profit.
This ^ Step 2: make a development plan that targets skills your future job requires that you don't currently Have
Step 3: Profit.
Following this thread with a keen interest, as I'm in a semi-similar position to OP, albeit a tad lower on the IT food chain.
The advice thus far has been spot on, and I'll be the first to admit I've been neglectful when it comes to adding to my knowledge, time to change that I think!
To be successful in IT you have to have a passion for it. The amount of guys I have seen with huge potential (aptitude) who just don't get anywhere because they don't put the time in outside of work to understand the technologies, industry etc is criminal. If you're interested enough to the put the hours in, you'll go somewhere. If you have both the aptitude and passion, that's the winning combo.
SystemParanoia, where are you based?
SystemParanoia, where are you based?
MehrunesDagon said:
Why do you hate it?
Unstable - been made redundant twice, been through 4 rounds.People - Many are egotistical, selfish, and always know better than you, even when they don't. Quick to stab you in the bank, slopey shoulders, pointing blame
Customers - often don't appreciate the work , can often be a very thankless job
I know that the above is true of many industries, before it's said.
What rsbmw has said is very true, and strikes a chord with me.
I don't really look into technical documentation in my spare time - I like to have a clear cut between work time (IE 9-5 or whatever) and my evening/spare time.
For me it provides no interest as a "hobby" - I used to enjoy building computers, was always up to date with latest hardware (for example) but since working in IT (wireless and IP telephony), I have little interest in looking.
Same for other things, I worked as a detailer, still do occasional cars, and I ended up hating it because it turned from a hobby to something I felt turned into a chore.
If I spent as much time looking and studying parts of my industry as I did on PH I could no doubt go places, but to be honest I don't feel like I want to go any higher in position, I would rather get into support management or pre-sales.
Benefits are / can be
Good pay
There are a lot of jobs out there (but lots of people going for them, so swings and roundabouts)
you can specialise in certain areas of interest
Many companies offer flexible working, but this very much depends on the company
I have a few MCP's and have been a contractor for the past 5 years. Pretty much started where you are in support.
My progression was
Apprentice - IT Support 12k pa
IT Support 21k pa
3rd Line Support 25k pa
Field Engineer 27k pa
Consultant for a company 32k pa
Contracting
Rates when starting was £250 per day but now 5 years on its double. It can be painful at times but its good to experience all the different types of business
My progression was
Apprentice - IT Support 12k pa
IT Support 21k pa
3rd Line Support 25k pa
Field Engineer 27k pa
Consultant for a company 32k pa
Contracting
Rates when starting was £250 per day but now 5 years on its double. It can be painful at times but its good to experience all the different types of business
MehrunesDagon said:
xjay1337 said:
Get out of IT.
Hate working in it, but does pay the bills.
Why do you hate it?Hate working in it, but does pay the bills.
- Working with a bunch of mockney wideboys who actually hail from Saffron Walden,
- A total lack of professional diligence / attention to detail / pride in a quality product,
- Over-ambition / under-delivery,
- The hilarity of engaging a global IT giant who can't provision virtual machines, *VIRTUAL* machines!, for 6 months+ because all spend has to go through a dips
t Executive VP who's first name is probably Brad, Brent, Blair or Benedict.So glad I got out.
Edited by paul789 on Tuesday 9th May 14:24
My advice would be pick a specialism and learn as much as you can about it and gain certification. But don't pick a flash in the pan tech as no doubt by the time your learn it, everyone stops wanting people (sharepoint admins \ developers is a great example of this).
I picked a specialism very early in my career almost 20 years ago and whilst you never have to stop learning its paid off, never been out of work in all that time, held various positions from basic software support to now administering all database infrastructure for a global tech company.
Good areas to get into in terms of jobs available and salaries are business intelligence, IT security, database admin , database development and application development.
Personally I would ignore all the ITIL, Prince etc type certs unless you want to pursue a non tech role but within the tech industry. Good technical people are always in demand, non technical people like project managers, general managers etc are much easier to replace.
In terms of certs some people hold them in high regard some don't, similar to an computer science or similar degree. I have both a BSC in computer science and various Microsoft certificates (MCP, MCDBA, MCITP, MCSA and MCSE) all of which I felt were worth while doing to help build knowlegede but are useless without practical experience. The same goes for a degree, it proves that you managed to get 40% or more of things right at Uni.
Last of all, if you dont already do as others have mentioned, learn to code in a useful language or languages like Powershell, python, C#, VB.net etc add to that SQL as pretty much everyone has to work with data at some point and predominantly all database systems use SQL for interaction, even some No-SQL RDBMS.
I picked a specialism very early in my career almost 20 years ago and whilst you never have to stop learning its paid off, never been out of work in all that time, held various positions from basic software support to now administering all database infrastructure for a global tech company.
Good areas to get into in terms of jobs available and salaries are business intelligence, IT security, database admin , database development and application development.
Personally I would ignore all the ITIL, Prince etc type certs unless you want to pursue a non tech role but within the tech industry. Good technical people are always in demand, non technical people like project managers, general managers etc are much easier to replace.
In terms of certs some people hold them in high regard some don't, similar to an computer science or similar degree. I have both a BSC in computer science and various Microsoft certificates (MCP, MCDBA, MCITP, MCSA and MCSE) all of which I felt were worth while doing to help build knowlegede but are useless without practical experience. The same goes for a degree, it proves that you managed to get 40% or more of things right at Uni.
Last of all, if you dont already do as others have mentioned, learn to code in a useful language or languages like Powershell, python, C#, VB.net etc add to that SQL as pretty much everyone has to work with data at some point and predominantly all database systems use SQL for interaction, even some No-SQL RDBMS.
If you want to go into IT Management then I'd do ITIL foundation with a view to one of the advanced topics after like ITIL Service Delivery or similar.
A word of warning though...
I was a software developer who had got bored of the daily grind. I put myself forward for all sorts of things, change manager, yellow/greenbelt 6 sigma courses just to get a change from developing. After than I got recognised as a talent and was put on a management plan. I did a year long college course ILM L3 Diploma In Management. It was assignment based and enforced the sort of management skills you'd need. I made Deputy IT Manager which I loved. My boss started to fail and relied on me a lot more but then he lost the plot and was moved on. After a restructure, I ended up in a made up role for a while which wasn't great. 2 years later and the head of IT decided to move on to pastures new. I got the IT Manager job for the UK & Ireland. I'd been working towards it for a while and it was the career progression I wanted.
Fast forward a year and my god if I could get my salary and bonus doing anything else, and I do mean anything, I'd be out of IT and out of management all together. Thankless job where you lose your technical skills and just get all the hassles of head office, Europe and the UK on your shoulders. I drink more and find it hard to switch off. (Woke up at 4:30 this morning and lay in bed thinking about work until my alarm went off).
As much as I'd be happy to take a big pay cut and go back to being a developer again, I'm now out of date and 25 year olds have more up to date technical skills and cost half what I would so I've made my bed and I'm lying in it. For the next 20 + years :-0
A word of warning though...
I was a software developer who had got bored of the daily grind. I put myself forward for all sorts of things, change manager, yellow/greenbelt 6 sigma courses just to get a change from developing. After than I got recognised as a talent and was put on a management plan. I did a year long college course ILM L3 Diploma In Management. It was assignment based and enforced the sort of management skills you'd need. I made Deputy IT Manager which I loved. My boss started to fail and relied on me a lot more but then he lost the plot and was moved on. After a restructure, I ended up in a made up role for a while which wasn't great. 2 years later and the head of IT decided to move on to pastures new. I got the IT Manager job for the UK & Ireland. I'd been working towards it for a while and it was the career progression I wanted.
Fast forward a year and my god if I could get my salary and bonus doing anything else, and I do mean anything, I'd be out of IT and out of management all together. Thankless job where you lose your technical skills and just get all the hassles of head office, Europe and the UK on your shoulders. I drink more and find it hard to switch off. (Woke up at 4:30 this morning and lay in bed thinking about work until my alarm went off).
As much as I'd be happy to take a big pay cut and go back to being a developer again, I'm now out of date and 25 year olds have more up to date technical skills and cost half what I would so I've made my bed and I'm lying in it. For the next 20 + years :-0
rsbmw said:
To be successful in IT you have to have a passion for it. The amount of guys I have seen with huge potential (aptitude) who just don't get anywhere because they don't put the time in outside of work to understand the technologies, industry etc is criminal. If you're interested enough to the put the hours in, you'll go somewhere. If you have both the aptitude and passion, that's the winning combo.
SystemParanoia, where are you based?
West midlands.SystemParanoia, where are you based?
I run a codeclub in west Bromwich
rsbmw said:
The amount of guys I have seen with huge potential (aptitude) who just don't get anywhere because they don't put the time in outside of work to understand the technologies, industry etc is criminal.
I put zero time into tech outside of work and haven't failed to make 6 figures per year for the last ten years working in IT, and that's in non management, with no excessive hours.Concentrate very hard on core technical skills and you can do very well in IT.
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