# OK I need some serious advice from I.T. based people about getting an I.T. career...



## Richdog (Jan 11, 2005)

Well, as the thread title suggests in a painfully obvious way, i'm looking to get into I.T. for a career. I have reached a crux in my life where I know that if I stay with my current job (tracking banking mergers and acquisitions for USA banks and holding companies and entering them into a database) I will go completely and certifiably insane, just like this little bunny here. 

Now i've used and maintained computers for ages, since I was young, but my skills (as far as they go) have always been the hardware side, problem-solving components, system building, and i'm getting OK at networking now too. The software side like programming or web-design is most definately not my forte. 

With this in mind there has been a certain amount of rooting around that i've been doing with regards to the necessary qualifications, andfrom what I can see the two main (most useful) ones are...

A+ Certified (CompTIA or OCR) ~£400-£600

MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) ~£2200-£3000

Now I am not fooled into thinking this will get me a good job with good money straight away, they are certificates proving you are capable, and no substitute for experience in a pressured environment.

From what I can find by job-ad hunting a beginner with the above qualifications working for a company will get roughly between £15-17k, while a PRO with more experience will be pulling in £25k+ (I saw a couple at over £35k, must be for veterans though).

What I have typed above is not based on sure-fire knowledge of what to do and the course to take and this is where you come in...

Are the above qualifications (A+ and MCSE) what I will need to get a decent foot-inside-the-door for I.T. support. Do you have any advice in the slightest with what will be useful to me and what would be good course of action?

Cheers for reading and hopefully some replies... as many as you can be arsed to write, lol... ray: 

Oh, and i'm new to this forum... HELLOOOOOOOO! :wave: 

Rich,


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## elf (Jul 19, 2002)

I find myself in sort of the same position as you. Not in needing a career change, but in trying to find a way to squeeze my foot into the IT area. From what I've heard/gleened from various sources, the best way is to get certified, get a degree of some sort, and as much experience as you can get. 

There was a person here earlier that was unable to find a job, despite having a degree because he had no experience or certifications. Certifications will take you a long way, but they are no substitute for experience.


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## Jason (Dec 30, 2001)

Do you have any idea of what you want to do in the field eventualy or do you just want to get your feet wet some? A+ is decent, and from what I've heard has gotten better since I got it. 

I'm not sure what the area is like around you, but around here most people that are hiring in the IT field is call centers doing phone support. Not much fun, but it will get you into the field and you can do some networking through that.

Databases, and networking security are some areas that might also get you in the door.


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## epos159 (Dec 1, 2004)

Grrr... I find myself in a tough spot too. I have a general knowledge, but not enough in one area. That's why I started studying for the MCDST (very basic), but I need the job now. I just took another pay cut and I couldn't even make it on what I was making... I don't even know where to begin anymore. :sigh: 

Housing in this area, Monmouth County, on average is $250,000 or so!! $8.50 just doesn't cut it lol :4-surrend


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## Richdog (Jan 11, 2005)

Ahh cheers for the replies guys, and sorry to hear you fellas have been having bad luck. 

I'm based in the UK in the South East, a bit below London just outside a place called Crawley. I can find information on lots of online A+/MCSA courses and not many on local training centres but I just don't know which to go for.

Are online courses decent and pretty similar? How long can you complete them in?

I was looking at one from this company which is an MCSA course with CompTIA electives http://www.pitmanskills.com/course_description.php?course_code=1166850042 but the thing is that it is a 240 hour course, and it is done in weekly 2-hour online seminars... so by the time i've finished the bloody thing mankind will be onto the phase of evolution. 

I just want to get a good course done in a reasonable amount of time... hae any people in the UK gone through the same thing?


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## Jason (Dec 30, 2001)

I know here in the US that a lot of colleges have courses in A+ and other certs. Have you looked at any colleges in your area?

Also you can look at home study from places like smart certify.


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