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| Thread ID: 103037 | 2009-09-10 06:19:00 | How did you start your I.T career | forums12345 (15197) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 808566 | 2009-09-10 06:19:00 | What qualifications did you have before you gained your first I.T job. Also how was the whole experience. Any tips and advice? | forums12345 (15197) | ||
| 808567 | 2009-09-10 06:32:00 | Ive found its experience that counts, you can have all the certificates in the world but an employer is always gonna look for proof that you can do the task at hand. What area you looking at? |
hueybot3000 (3646) | ||
| 808568 | 2009-09-10 06:51:00 | Second that -- before I started my own business, when I went for interviews - they gave the quals I have a quick glance - and then gave me actual tasks to do. Most actually said quals mean bugger all - experience is what they are after - not a piece of paper saying you can do something. I started doing contract work with a small company on a job by job payment - after six months he helped me set up my own business, taught me a few business procedures - put an ad in the yellow pages-- got tied in with several suppliers & MS and the rests history as the saying goes. Been hard work - long hours - sometimes :dogeye: , :annoyed: - other times :clap. NOW I have people asking me for employment - complete turn around eh! |
wainuitech (129) | ||
| 808569 | 2009-09-10 07:15:00 | I've also found the same, it's your experience and talent that speaks for itself, if you can get somebody to take just a few seconds to "look you over" and make sure you're not just all talk. Most of the time if there's somebody in IT doing hiring, they're gonna know if YOU know what you're talkin about or not ;-) I got my first job at a Cyber Cafe after I went in there and showed them how to use their CD Burner (Back like 8 years ago now when the fastest you could get was a 4x). I was probably 14 at the time, and they asked if I wanted a part time job. From there, working at PC World, apparently my previous input on PressF1 helped get me a job at the time doing junior helpdesk work. My experience at the Cyber Cafe / PC World then got me a job working at EDS when I was 17-ish... and my current place of employment they've hired me because they knew I could solve problems, and think under pressure. I got some basic Microsoft Certification whilst at EDS, but I just sat the exams, never did any studies .. twice now I've been to Uni for 6 months, but personally I found it a waste of time. YMMV. Wainuitech: You make it sound so easy! :D |
Chilling_Silence (9) | ||
| 808570 | 2009-09-10 07:25:00 | For some jobs academic grades do matter - they are used to "pre-screen" candidates when there are a lot of applicants. If you don't have an average above a certain level, they put your CV in the reject pile since they have too many applications to look at. Some large companies also use "psychometric testing" to help filter out candidates. The first "proper" IT job I got was at a large and reputable firm, and I managed to bypass a lot of the pre-screening thanks to good grades. It made the whole process a lot easier. |
somebody (208) | ||
| 808571 | 2009-09-10 07:29:00 | Wainuitech: You make it sound so easy :lol: FAR from it - its not easy at all - it takes a LOT of time and hard work. What I wrote was only the tip of the iceberg so to speak when running your own business. Its not just the day to day work - theres all the other things you have to do - SMALL example - calling customers back out of hours, working Odd hours,PAPERWORK -- :annoyed: - dealing with Vendors, paying the bills, PAPERWORK, chasing over due payments - Learning new stuff all the time (trying to keep up with whats going on in the world) Taxes, ACC, OH did I mention PAPERWORK :p and thats all before lunch. I'm not saying you dont need quals. It just depends on what you want to do. Now I have my own business, its me that gets asked for jobs. Had one guy - all the quals in the world just about, but when I gave him a PC to find the faults as to why it wouldn't boot - he was completely lost. It was rigged so it wouldn't boot - two simple enough common faults - but nope couldn't do it. |
wainuitech (129) | ||
| 808572 | 2009-09-10 08:51:00 | How the heck do you do those kind of things now. I mean everywhere i look they ask for experience I need a chance to get some experience u know so far none gave me a chance better volunteer if anyone wants me for free | forums12345 (15197) | ||
| 808573 | 2009-09-10 08:56:00 | Most of the time in I.T it is not what you know it is more like who you know like the contacts. You could be a noob and have a i.t job if u have contacts. sAD but true hey that is how the world works |
forums12345 (15197) | ||
| 808574 | 2009-09-10 08:58:00 | Dont have any, self-taught. I read most of what I know, then did it. Cant be bothered learning about something, if I have to start all over again. But I build PC's and get rid of malware | Speedy Gonzales (78) | ||
| 808575 | 2009-09-10 09:40:00 | RANT time :p How the heck do you do those kind of things now. I mean everywhere i look they ask for experience It's tough alright - Sometimes you have to really start at the bottom and slowly work up. What Speedy posted is very correct -reading, doing the odd repair here and there - learning by doing - Self taught. Some of the stuff they tech in any schooling with degrees is either not often going to happen in real life, or simply cant be taught in books (or on screen). One thing you can do - ring around places, or go into places, speak to the people in charge ( not the assistant behind the shop counter who may not want to be there in the first place) - see if they have any openings for doing job experience - If it sounds like they dont have anything at the moment - ask if they have a list you could go on if anything arises - in other words, make it known to these places you are willing to work - it may be enough to put you ahead of someone else who "had" to ask for the hell of it. Sure you may not get paid - but its experience you are after. I've done it - one course I was on (before I had my own business) you had to go to a certain well known computer place in WGTN ( work experience) - was meant to be there for a week (Early October) - finally left on Xmas eve - I learn't more there in that time than any class. Another up side of being there - if anyone calls them and asks to have a tech come to see them at their house - my name is recommended / given out, as they dont do house calls. OH and the tech's there are a damn great guys - they taught me sh1t loads - Because I was willing to learn. |
wainuitech (129) | ||
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