GeekLimit

Getting started in IT (or anything else)

Posted by The Technocrat | Filed under Geeky

For some reasom, I’ve heard a lot of people talking lately about how they want to get into IT (either Information Systems or Computer Science), and some of them have been asking where to begin. Some want to start their own comapnies, some just want to get a job.

Know what you’re talking about

Getting a degree from a reputable school in IS or CS is a good start, along with reading books on web, net, machine technologies, etc. Certifications don’t hurt either, but they’re not as powerful as they used to be, due to many people getting certified when they obviously only studied for the test…

Define your goals, and stay focused daily

I’ve been telling people that while these things are very valuable, you need to define exactly what your goals are for your career in IT, and make a daily effort to reach for them. Literally. Do something, anything, every. single. day. Even if it’s reading the blogs of Java programmers when you want to be a Java programmer: Every. Day.
How I started

With my first job out of college, I told my employer that I wanted this job to be a learning process, and that I realized that I was new to the workforce. Also, that I was confident in my ability and desire to succeed.

They put me in a low-level job, (basically a helpdesk secretary) but allocated time and money my training. I went from an IT secretary to a Jr. Net Admin in a year, + a 15% raise, using what I learned in the training. In another year I was managing our Email server and acting as a co-Sr. network admin, plus another 15%.

A year later, it was made obvious there was nowhere else to go career-wise in that organization, so I switched org’s and now run my own WAN of 400 machines, split across 3 campuses, and am continuing to fight hard for the right to educate myself. (The current job is a blend of Sr. Net Admin and Director of Technology, although the official title is an unflattering ‘Technology Coordinator’)
I’m planning on continuing this level of progress, getting my master’s degree and gunning for a CIO job before 30. And it is a daily grind, let me tell you.
Sell out your pride for massive gains in the future

If you keep fighting, and have the will to succeed, look at a low-level job as an investment in your future. I’ll be 27 in 3 weeks, and am already have my own network to command, after being in the workforce for only 3 years. To get here, I probably put in at least 5 hours per week reading tutorials online, or tinkering with admin interfaces, just to try and be more knowledgeable about every technology I might want to control some day as a CIO. The ultimate goal is that I will have had some expirience and (at least) a small amount of knowledge about any technology I might have to deal with in my role as CIO.

Summary for the ‘just get a job’ argument

Getting any old job is good just to be doing something, but have a plan/goals, and ask yourself ‘what can I do TODAY to reach for my goals?’. For example, I’m reading up on XHTML, CSS and AJAX while I wait for my master’s degree course to begin. If you don’t have a job and want to be a programmer, find a job that can lead to that. If there aren’t any, get any job, retail, whatever, and study programming at night until a good ‘entrance ramp’ job opens up.
The key is to do something, anything, but also to make sure it’s in line with your ultimate goals. Make sure it’s moving you forward, and not a waste of your time in the long run. (Sometimes it will seem like a waste of time in the short run, such as a programmer working in retail, but look 3+ years down the road…even a small paycheck can buy used programming books…)

Finally, good luck to everyone!

Comments (4) | June 9th, 2006

4 Responses to “Getting started in IT (or anything else)”

1. neoncheez Says:
   June 9, 2006 at 8:05 pm

   I know what you mean by working those low-level jobs at first. It’s practical for an IT professional to say, “I’ve worked at [insert retail store here].” Just like me and most IT workers, landing a job as a Network Administrator isnt easy if you havnt worked up to it and gained experience.

   So… A Bachelors in Computer Science OR CISCO/MCSE certifications OR 5 years experience in an IT environment??? All of these are possible to have at the same time. But as you said, working a simple job and studying at night. Which should be an everyday thing, treating your free time as a job in itself.

   I myself think the degree at first is the way to go. But, not everybody gets the chance to go to school. It’s expensive and takes up a lot of time. That’s where certifications are a good start. You can read books, online info, etc. You can even take classes online (which can be expensive). I’ve taken mcse certification classes and cisco academy classes. Along with paying for the classes, you also have to pay for the cert tests themselves. I didnt end up finishing the cisco cert tests because I got a job working in the IT department of a large company.

   Also, networking with people will help tremendously! Get to know someone that works at a hiring agency. Or, say you wanted to work at a tech shop. Visit the tech shop and chat with the owner/manager.
2. The Technocrat Says:
   June 9, 2006 at 10:40 pm

   oh, definitely.

   let me clarify: certifications are great. I have a handful myself. What I’ve found however, is that there are a lot of goofballs out there that don’t take it seriously.

   At least where I’ve worked, employers start to look at certifications as a joke because people are coming in who are technocally certified, but don’t know anything.

   It’s kind of a downer, I know, but maybe the up-side is that if you can work at a place for a bit, and then get them to help with the certification, then they know that they’re getting a quality, hard-working employee, who now has an expanded skill set.

   Unfortunately, the employers don’t have a relationship with people walking through the door, so when the employee flashes the cert, and doesn’t deliver, it looks bad on everyone… but like I said, if you can get the relationship going, and then throw the certs in on top, you’re golden.

   —–

   I also understand about the college part. Man do I ever. The masters degree I’m looking at is like $30K. Ouch. The way I look at it is that with student loans, you can pay it off over 10 years with a low interest rate. And with the salary bump that type of knowledge gives you, you should be able to make up the $150/month payment without any problems. (Just checked – CIO in my area is US$148K/year!)

   Same as everything else – gotta spend money to make money, I suppose. The easy part is the spending…the hard part is making sure it’ll pay off for you, which is different for everyone.

   —–

   OK, this is getting too serious. I’m going to go write some XHTML/CSS tutorials for next week…
3. Software Development Guide Says:
   October 21, 2007 at 10:18 am

   Software Development Guide…

   I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting…
4. Glen Burkhard Says:
   January 13, 2010 at 5:30 am

   hehehe yeah good thread but missing a LOT of info. I got cerfified in 4 weeks and how did I learn so fast?? lol —-> http://bit.ly/learning-software