# Career in IT



## mrmike1989 (Aug 23, 2016)

Hello,

I'm looking for some advice on a career in IT, I'm wondering if you guys can point me in the right direction.

Is it absolutely necessary to gain qualification before applying for a job in IT Support? I feel that I already have the skills necessary to provide IT support. Well at least on a consumer level, I have been providing remote support (freelance) for a couple of years now but I'd like to seek employment. Is commercial IT support much different from consumer support? Should I apply for 1st line support jobs and see how it goes?

I've come across a few job adverts for entry level support, that lists experience as beneficial but not required, would this be a good opportunity to get my foot in the door?

Because I've never worked in IT professionally, it terrifies me to apply for a job in case I turn up and don't have a clue how to do anything, I just don't know what to expect. Having said that, I'm good at IT, surely I would learn fast.


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## JMPC (Jan 15, 2011)

Apply for an interview for any jobs you qualify for. If certifications are required it will either state it in the ad or they will tell you during the interview. If you can articulate your thoughts and speak well on IT support topics you should be fine at an entry level job. Just be sure you're well skilled in any areas they require and can speak to those areas and you'll be fine. 

At the very least you'll get good experience with the review process and may determine and deficiencies you have areas of support.


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## MitchConner (May 8, 2015)

Hi mate,

I can tell you that whilst certificates are nice to have (and they can definitely help get a foot in the door later on in your career), they are nowhere near as valuable as a good attitude and willingness to learn (I can't stress those two key items enough) in an entry level position. Certificates or not, I'll still ask the same questions in an interview (no matter what type of job you're applying for).

There is no difference between consumer/commercial support, the users are just as helpless in the enterprise as they are in the house next door, and they can be just as patient/impatient. 

If you have seen some entry level positions, you should absolutely apply for them. Like you say, it's a good way to get your foot in the door and we all had to start at somewhere, usually at the bottom of the IT food chain 

Don't worry if you don't know what you're doing, which by the way I see as a lack of confidence rather than being clueless as a new tech, the whole reason you're there is to learn. Keep asking questions and find out how things work, and you won't go wrong.

If you're not successful when applying, keep your chin up! It happens to the best of us, and sometimes still does! My view is that a company that doesn't recognise a good attitude, and passion for your work isn't worth working for anyway. Good bosses recognise these attributes and a good boss translates as a good place to work.

I'm not sure where your interests in IT lie, but if you're into networking (and everybody should be, because network engineers are the rock stars of IT  ), you won't ever go wrong if you start studying for the Cisco CCNA (or CCENT of you're super new to IT) certification:

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/traini...cations/associate/ccna-routing-switching.html

If you have any more questions feel free to ask, and best of luck!


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## -WOLF- (Jan 17, 2009)

I've only ever worked in consumer support as well and actually most of my knowledge and experience comes from my 6 years as a staff member here at Tech Support Forum. You would be surprised how recruiters enjoy hearing about my time spent here if only because it shows that I am engaged in the entire process and capable of working with a wide range of people and problems in a limited environment. 

Since then I have worked at small charities, medium-businesses and with individuals on many tech jobs and projects all because I've shown that I will close gaps in my knowledge and work with people (be them a team, bosses, clients or even average joes.)

Remember that Information Technology is two-thirds problem solving and one-third people skills. I don't have any certification at all but I am going to school for Information Systems which will allow me to be a well-rounded person; think of it as going to Law School where you learn each part of law, and finally you pass the BAR to specialise in something. That's essentially what being an IT newbie versus a professional is. 

When in doubt with regards to your aptitude, I can absolutely understand being intimidated at the scrutiny of your supervisor on the job; however as long as you are patient and strong-willed and understand the rudimentary elements of the technology you're working with, you won't have a problem learning as they're most likely willing to help you learn. Remember you can discover a lot through Google and YouTube.


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