Get a job in IT! Is it worth it?
Discussion
To avoid the name and shame rules, this thread may sound a bit vague.
Most of us have probably seen the advert on Dave that claims "The average IT professional can earn £37,000 a year" and that this company will train you for 15 days to get you into the industry.
After looking at there website they appear to be an agency that offers a seemingly expensive training course, just under £4k for 15 days of training. I took their online test and scored a massive 62% meaning not only did I pass but I was good enough for the intesive 15 day course rather than the normal three week one. I left them my contact details and they want to orgainise an interview at my leisure. They would even put some money towards my traveling expenses to get me there.
Now this sounds a little too good tbh. Their recruiters will try and find me an entry level job, but the ones they list are IT support and the like, is this worth it?
Most of us have probably seen the advert on Dave that claims "The average IT professional can earn £37,000 a year" and that this company will train you for 15 days to get you into the industry.
After looking at there website they appear to be an agency that offers a seemingly expensive training course, just under £4k for 15 days of training. I took their online test and scored a massive 62% meaning not only did I pass but I was good enough for the intesive 15 day course rather than the normal three week one. I left them my contact details and they want to orgainise an interview at my leisure. They would even put some money towards my traveling expenses to get me there.
Now this sounds a little too good tbh. Their recruiters will try and find me an entry level job, but the ones they list are IT support and the like, is this worth it?
worth it? it can be but don't believe for one minute that you'll walk out of it with a job at 37k in the industry if it's your first job. Don't get me wrong, it's possible but a long one. Have a look on Jobserve.com or similar & see what roles are in your area & what they are going for.. people normally start in helpdesk\field services roles, possibly a grad entry into a large player - all of those are unlikely to see more than 20-25k\year for the first 2-3 years. Some people with other suitable industry or management experience can find themselves in a minor management role but it's a heck of a learning curve if you are dumped in it with no background in it.
To sum up, IT still pays (in places) but it's certainly not the pot of gold people think it is & certainly requires a lot of effort to maintain your 'level' as the industry moves on so quickly. there's no sitting back for a couple of years & there is a heck of a lot of competition, both from the UK and abroad.
Your own personal interestes & situation may make it a good idea, in which case go for it. You will find that courses\certifications are expensive & frequently you'll need several of them to get to interview stage. I think the average 5 day course is about 1800 plus any exam fees & ongoing registration fees.
Good luck.
To sum up, IT still pays (in places) but it's certainly not the pot of gold people think it is & certainly requires a lot of effort to maintain your 'level' as the industry moves on so quickly. there's no sitting back for a couple of years & there is a heck of a lot of competition, both from the UK and abroad.
Your own personal interestes & situation may make it a good idea, in which case go for it. You will find that courses\certifications are expensive & frequently you'll need several of them to get to interview stage. I think the average 5 day course is about 1800 plus any exam fees & ongoing registration fees.
Good luck.
I've been in IT for over 12 years and am on less than £37,000 basic - overtime and oncall does take it well over that though (assuming you don't mind getting called at anytime during the night). It all depends on what you end up doing as IT is a fairly generic term.
Not sure that I would trust one of these companies without doing a lot of research first.
Not sure that I would trust one of these companies without doing a lot of research first.
EDLT said:
To avoid the name and shame rules, this thread may sound a bit vague.
Most of us have probably seen the advert on Dave that claims "The average IT professional can earn £37,000 a year" and that this company will train you for 15 days to get you into the industry.
After looking at there website they appear to be an agency that offers a seemingly expensive training course, just under £4k for 15 days of training. I took their online test and scored a massive 62% meaning not only did I pass but I was good enough for the intesive 15 day course rather than the normal three week one. I left them my contact details and they want to orgainise an interview at my leisure. They would even put some money towards my traveling expenses to get me there.
Now this sounds a little too good tbh. Their recruiters will try and find me an entry level job, but the ones they list are IT support and the like, is this worth it?
Sounds like a scam.... alarm bells around:Most of us have probably seen the advert on Dave that claims "The average IT professional can earn £37,000 a year" and that this company will train you for 15 days to get you into the industry.
After looking at there website they appear to be an agency that offers a seemingly expensive training course, just under £4k for 15 days of training. I took their online test and scored a massive 62% meaning not only did I pass but I was good enough for the intesive 15 day course rather than the normal three week one. I left them my contact details and they want to orgainise an interview at my leisure. They would even put some money towards my traveling expenses to get me there.
Now this sounds a little too good tbh. Their recruiters will try and find me an entry level job, but the ones they list are IT support and the like, is this worth it?
1) an interview for a training course?
2) what is the accreditation for the training (question: how many employers recognise this course)?
Of course they want you to get on it, they are getting 4k out of you.
On the upside, 37k in IT is possible.
With graduate level training expect 15-35k max depending on location and how much of your soul you want to sell (very few at the top end, lots of places hacked back their graduate numbers). An entry level civil service job, expect good hours, but poorer pay :-), or the Accentures of this world will pay you well, but own your life.
Onwards from that, there is no limit in top IT companies if you move on into sales or have a particularly valuable specialism (eg around security, transition for offshoring, etc) but they is mostly a function of experience.
I'd be asking:
- Case studies and contact details of a couple of people who have been through it
- How they get to 37k - is that one job ever, or their average in central london, etc?
- Which employers recognise the qualification? Most are looking for degree level or specialist (eg Microsoft / Cisco approved training)
- Which employers in the area (assuming you want to stay put) have large IT requirements, and have they recruited recently.
Hope this helps. It is possible, but look around first. 4k would buy you a lot of other training, or a large chunk of the costs of an open university degree - although that would take longer...
It's pretty basic really; how much can you learn in 15 days?
Very few employers will think you can pick up anything useful to suddenly add £000s to your salary... otherwise everyone would be doing it.
I've seen this advert and everytime it comes on I give a wry smile. I used to work for a training company where we taught Comptia A+ and MCp courses which was over 4 weeks. We also done cisco, ciw etc but most people done the A and the Mcp (the mcp was a single exam for XP). The guys that did get a job from this were looking at around 14 to 18 thousand. You cant just expect to do a course then start making the bucks unless you were to maybe specialise and even then where would you're experience come from. I'm sure there are a lot of good IT guys on here that will tell you that its the experience that counts more than a bit of paper and that can take years. Even then you'll be lucky to be anywhere near £37+.If I was you I would take a look at what you like and specialise in that field. There is no longer a master of all in the IT world
jkennyd said:
I've seen this advert and everytime it comes on I give a wry smile. I used to work for a training company where we taught Comptia A+ and MCp courses which was over 4 weeks. We also done cisco, ciw etc but most people done the A and the Mcp (the mcp was a single exam for XP). The guys that did get a job from this were looking at around 14 to 18 thousand. You cant just expect to do a course then start making the bucks unless you were to maybe specialise and even then where would you're experience come from. I'm sure there are a lot of good IT guys on here that will tell you that its the experience that counts more than a bit of paper and that can take years. Even then you'll be lucky to be anywhere near £37+.If I was you I would take a look at what you like and specialise in that field. There is no longer a master of all in the IT world
I should have added to my post that I speak from some experience, having gone from retail sales, to uni, to IT and through a number of companies to my current role in a global IT company. There are plenty of people in IT (both sole traders, contractors and employees) earning above and below 37k. The bottom line is that you need to bring value in terms of specific skills and experience to a company in return for your reward... and 4 weeks training would not, in my opinion cover that gap. And as a further blow, as a hiring manager, I would discount most generic 4 week training courses in favour of either experience, or longer term training (eg nightschool), but that is me....
I wouldn't pay £4k to be trained up over two weeks as a help-desk monkey. Outside of London, your first job would probably be around the 12-14k mark, and it's likely that anyone with that sort of position would be just as happy taking you on and training you up.
The average salary in IT may well be £37k, and there are lots of people who earn both more and less than this. However, that's the average for a sector - the stuff that pays well is programming and architecture, which isn't an area you'd be trained for. Many moons ago, I left uni with an engineering degree and joined a grad training programme on £16k - they took me on and trained me up. You'd be much better trying this route, or heading to collage and doing a one year masters in computer science.
The average salary in IT may well be £37k, and there are lots of people who earn both more and less than this. However, that's the average for a sector - the stuff that pays well is programming and architecture, which isn't an area you'd be trained for. Many moons ago, I left uni with an engineering degree and joined a grad training programme on £16k - they took me on and trained me up. You'd be much better trying this route, or heading to collage and doing a one year masters in computer science.
DanL said:
I wouldn't pay £4k to be trained up over two weeks as a help-desk monkey. Outside of London, your first job would probably be around the 12-14k mark, and it's likely that anyone with that sort of position would be just as happy taking you on and training you up.
The average salary in IT may well be £37k, and there are lots of people who earn both more and less than this. However, that's the average for a sector - the stuff that pays well is programming and architecture, which isn't an area you'd be trained for. Many moons ago, I left uni with an engineering degree and joined a grad training programme on £16k - they took me on and trained me up. You'd be much better trying this route, or heading to collage and doing a one year masters in computer science.
Not to mention sales, which always pays well... good salespeople earn well over 100k/200k in some companies...The average salary in IT may well be £37k, and there are lots of people who earn both more and less than this. However, that's the average for a sector - the stuff that pays well is programming and architecture, which isn't an area you'd be trained for. Many moons ago, I left uni with an engineering degree and joined a grad training programme on £16k - they took me on and trained me up. You'd be much better trying this route, or heading to collage and doing a one year masters in computer science.
yeah 37k average being exactly that - in includes the high flyers at 100k, 150k, 200k, 250k+
The advert in question, is a bit like the learn to teach advert which also implies a similar wage for an NQT - it's certainly not that in the real world. Same goes for the drving instructor one.. you know, free car, guarenteed job & 35k\year.. if it was that easy, would they need to advertise?
IT can be fun, but you need to want to do it - it's certainly not a career I'd recommend if you are just chasing the money, there are other options.
The advert in question, is a bit like the learn to teach advert which also implies a similar wage for an NQT - it's certainly not that in the real world. Same goes for the drving instructor one.. you know, free car, guarenteed job & 35k\year.. if it was that easy, would they need to advertise?
IT can be fun, but you need to want to do it - it's certainly not a career I'd recommend if you are just chasing the money, there are other options.
The IT job market is very sensitive to recession. These IT training companies were advertising all through the last IT downturn of 2001 - 2003. This was at a time when experienced IT staff were being laid off and finding it hard to get new jobs. If you were newly qualified you would not have stood a chance of in this market.
Before doing anything you should check Jobserve and look at the number of junior positions being advertised in your area. You should also talk to a few agents about the current market conditions. I don't think things are looking too good at the moment.
Before doing anything you should check Jobserve and look at the number of junior positions being advertised in your area. You should also talk to a few agents about the current market conditions. I don't think things are looking too good at the moment.
If you haven't already, why not join your local library. Get a few books out on various IT subjects, PHP, .NET or whatever you might be interested in.
This should give you an opportunity to find out for FREE what direction you might want to go in and you can learn a lot from books and experimenting on your PC, with no cost.
I did a degree in comp sci and I'm not sure if I'd do it again (apart from the fun outside of lectures aspect). I'd certainly not consider one of the IT courses advertised on TV and know of people who've found them to be a bit of a scam. All the information is out there in books and on websites.
Although the degree I did could have taught me a lot, had I studied hard, I found I learnt the most after graduating, referring to books / tutorials and actually trying to get things done for projects etc.
This should give you an opportunity to find out for FREE what direction you might want to go in and you can learn a lot from books and experimenting on your PC, with no cost.
I did a degree in comp sci and I'm not sure if I'd do it again (apart from the fun outside of lectures aspect). I'd certainly not consider one of the IT courses advertised on TV and know of people who've found them to be a bit of a scam. All the information is out there in books and on websites.
Although the degree I did could have taught me a lot, had I studied hard, I found I learnt the most after graduating, referring to books / tutorials and actually trying to get things done for projects etc.
Get into the Financial Sector, I did and the above is certainly possible. I am 26 and have been working in IT for 6 years now. I have plenty of certificates but when it comes down to it, they are mainly interested in experience. My current role is permanent but contracting can bring in money fairly quickly and you can quite easilty blag it. I have seen some terrible contractors in my time lol
imo I would go down the security route or perhaps storage.
I have been looking at the market in the UK and I have to say some of the salary offers are a joke. 15K-18K with a job description that includes, AD, Exchange, VMware, Cisco etc. Do not be put off by a job description though as you'll never end up applying for anything.
imo I would go down the security route or perhaps storage.
I have been looking at the market in the UK and I have to say some of the salary offers are a joke. 15K-18K with a job description that includes, AD, Exchange, VMware, Cisco etc. Do not be put off by a job description though as you'll never end up applying for anything.
To be good in IT you need to have the "knack" that means a logical brain.
If that sounds like you and you read product documentation and can use things like windows server, and I mean use things like IIS, terminal services, sql server, exchange server etc or progam in basic etc, then you are the man (or woman) for the job. You will be earning average or better within a year with some effort easy.
On the other hand if you dont know what a cookie is, or what a URL is. Nor what a partition table is, then you will be the one earning under £37k for the first few years.
I have a mate with about 20 years experience on over £250k so the money is there if you know what you are doing. Mind you the same could be said about most career's
If you want to earn the bucks you have to "live it" and not just "work it"
If that sounds like you and you read product documentation and can use things like windows server, and I mean use things like IIS, terminal services, sql server, exchange server etc or progam in basic etc, then you are the man (or woman) for the job. You will be earning average or better within a year with some effort easy.
On the other hand if you dont know what a cookie is, or what a URL is. Nor what a partition table is, then you will be the one earning under £37k for the first few years.
I have a mate with about 20 years experience on over £250k so the money is there if you know what you are doing. Mind you the same could be said about most career's
If you want to earn the bucks you have to "live it" and not just "work it"
You need the experience. Not just the bit of paper. You devalue the cert for everyone else.
Start low and work up. Get a job on a server support helpdesk and do your A+ and Network+. Standalone certs in their own right, and also go towards your MS certs. Once you have a grounding, do your MCSA/E cert.
Start low and work up. Get a job on a server support helpdesk and do your A+ and Network+. Standalone certs in their own right, and also go towards your MS certs. Once you have a grounding, do your MCSA/E cert.
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