# 1st Line Helpdesk Support/Analyst



## Gaming rig (Jun 7, 2011)

Hi all,

I'm looking for some advise in regards to obtaining an entry level job for the above role.

My situation is I've been working in Customer Services for around 9 years and unfortunately due to business changes my entire site is being closed and we're all being made redundant due to the distance of the re-location.

My past experience will be sadly nothing in an IT professional role but I've tried to support the people in the department as much as possible with the limitations of it being a big company and a lot of restrictions to administrator only (even the clock).

I do have a GNVQ from 10 years ago in ICT (college) but nothing to speak of in terms of education.

I've always wanted to work in IT but, ultimately I had to take a job doing something before and work my way up to a wage I could afford. Customer Services skills seemed relevant to try and gain.

I'm now 29 (In the coming week) and would really like a change in career moving into IT. I'm still employed until the end of October and I have some money available from the company and redundancy to use towards bolstering my certifications (or lack of).

Any help on what certifications would be right for me to take towards this goal and advice on anyone who might have been in the same or similar situation to me.

A couple of particulars from my research so far if anyone could answer for me?

Q: I've read a little about ITL
Would this be of benefit?

Q: A+ and Microsoft certifications
Is it good to take both of these or just 1 of these? Also would you recommend starting with 1 rather than the other.

I'm from the UK and appreciate I may need to get another job temporarily before moving into this but, I really want to make this work.

I've always been IT literate and I've always resolved my own software issues, even if I've had to seek support online to that end. Hardware I struggle with more but mostly because sometimes you just need spare parts to prove a problem and that can sometimes, be a costly practice.

Thanks for your help.

Regards

John


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## joeten (Dec 4, 2008)

Hi your probably going to need both A+ and a Microsoft, this site has 1st line support roles have a look and you will get an idea of what is being looked for 1st Line Support Jobs | Jobsite, UK


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## Gaming rig (Jun 7, 2011)

joeten said:


> Hi your probably going to need both A+ and a Microsoft, this site has 1st line support roles have a look and you will get an idea of what is being looked for 1st Line Support Jobs | Jobsite, UK


Thanks for your advice and sorry my delay in reply.

I'm currently following this up but I noticed there seems to be some entry level courses on the Microsoft website now for certification.

If I complete A+ exams, would the entry level Microsoft ones be necessary? 

I refer to - 'Microsoft Certification Associate' (MTA)

Basically do I need both (Or would it be beneficial to show both)?

Thanks for your help.

Regards

John


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## joeten (Dec 4, 2008)

I think it would depend on what area you want to work in, and experience is the one thing you will need, so if you have a voluntary or church group you could help out with their Computers IE admin or networking that will also be a help.
But as you might have noticed. 1st line can mean many things and server is an area there seems to be a lot companies looking for.


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## BosonMichael (Nov 1, 2011)

Certifications aren't really an either/or kind of thing. Getting one certification doesn't typically mean that you don't need to get the other. Some employers might prefer one certification, and some employers might prefer the other. 

That said, I would recommend you pursue the A+ certification first because the A+ is currently much more well known to employers; the MTA hasn't yet gained much traction.


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## jeffb (Apr 27, 2008)

I do tier 1 tech support and I would recommend at least getting your A+ certification. Getting an MCSA is also helpful, but probably overkill for the work you'll actually be doing. I'd actually suggest getting a Network+ first instead as it shows a more diverse skill set and is less expensive and time consuming as going for the MCSA. As far as ITIL goes, more and more service desks are starting to adopt those standards (my job does) so use that as a key word search on whatever job listing sites you use and see how often it pops up. The introductory ITIL certification exam is pretty easy so it can only help you, especially if the jobs you're going to be applying for mention it. I'd also advise checking in your area to see if there are any sorts of IT-related volunteer opportunities. If you're in or near a good sized city there are probably some sort of non-profit groups that refurbish computers or other such things that you can volunteer for. It'll give you some good hands-on experience, even if it's not directly related to what you're doing and it will look great on your resume.


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