Help! Considering Training To Enter The IT Industry.

[StarMan]

Hey yall.

I have been out of work for a couple of months now after things turned sour with my previous employers (I worked as a bar manager). Hospitality was never a career path I intended to stay in for life so I've spent considerable time examining my options.

Now deciding on which path to take has been frustrating. I have just turned 30 and am prepared for a couple of years time invested in study. I feel I am capable of anything I set my mind to but it's simply a matter of whether I will enjoy it!

I have done some career path tests and IT features in my results. IT is an industry that won't be disappearing anytime soon and it is a well paid industry.

If anyone in IT has time I would appreciate your thoughts on the industry and your experiences. Are there any prerequisites you believe anyone thinking of entering IT should have?

 

[Amaris]

1] Before you do anything, realize that the IT industry is filled past overflowing with applicants and employees. It was one of the fastest growing industries in the country, and now it's so crowded that finding a position is much more difficult than it was even 10 years ago.

2] Figure out what you want to do, and do something that has a lot of future left in it. Think of the poor guys who learned how to program using punch cards, only to find themselves out of work 5 years down the road when punch cards gave way to software. Don't be those guys. Plan ahead.

3] Along those same lines, don't be vague, be specific. Anyone can have general IT skills. Be a specialist. Pick a field that requires real knowledge and skill, something that can grow with the industry.

There's lots more, but that's a start.

 

[ed629]

Consider going into teaching, specifically math/science education. There are teacher's being laid off, but the area that is and has always been lacking. This is the area that is lacking in graduates from teaching programs. There are plenty of history/art/english graduates but not in the math and science fields.

 

[Valin]

I've been in IT since '94, and I want to get out of it. You never have time for a real life. You work weekends, holidays, nights, and on the days you're not working, you're on call. I should have gone into teaching.

 

[sojourner]

The OP's location might have an effect on the results he could get in an IT career. IN the U.S. as has been noted, the field is over saturated. The high schools here have vocational programs that allow you to graduate with Cisco certifcations. It sucks.

 

[TheBrew]

Depends on where is the US you are. IT market in DC is booming.

 

[StarMan]

LOL... New Zealand.

 

[Davros]

I used to be with IT. Then they changed what IT was and what I was wasn't IT.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I dunno what the market is like in New Zealand, but I do have some general advice for pursuing an IT career:

1. Don't do helpdesk work. The pay is shit and it's a dead-end job. If you start out in helpdesk, you will die in helpdesk.
2. Get some certifications. Find out what's in demand (check local job listings) and pursue those.
3. In the meantime, do a lot of self-education and try some freelance work. Do you have friends or family members with any connections? Wrangle those into doing some IT work--network setup, some light programming, etc. Just get your hands into some practical work so you start building up a resume.

While it's good to have general skills, in the long run you want to have some specialties--particular languages, platforms, etc. These show you've had some focus in your career and it helps recruiters find you.

 

[TheBrew]

I don't think that help-desk is that bad, especially for someone with no professional experience. Two years ago I was at a help-desk. It's not a career, but it helps build a resume and start to get some limited hands on experience. And you will learn patience.

2 & 3 are spot on.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I don't think that help-desk is that bad, especially for someone with no professional experience. Two years ago I was at a help-desk. It's not a career, but it helps build a resume and start to get some limited hands on experience. And you will learn patience.

2 & 3 are spot on.

Well, I would just say not to stay with helpdesk for long, or you will never be able to leave. Employers can be real jerks about stuff like that.

 

[StarMan]

Not particularly interested in helpdesk work. The three year degree I'm looking into states you may gain employment as a consultant programmer, systems analyst, project manager, network manager, webmaster, support specialist, database administrator, web designer, multimedia developer or software engineer. Whether I will find any of these roles fulfilling is what I am wrestling with. I would hope there would be more stimulation involved than pouring the local alcoholics beer.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Not particularly interested in helpdesk work. The three year degree I'm looking into states you may gain employment as a consultant programmer, systems analyst, project manager, network manager, webmaster, support specialist, database administrator, web designer, multimedia developer or software engineer. Whether I will find any of these roles fulfilling is what I am wrestling with. I would hope there would be more stimulation involved than pouring the local alcoholics beer.

Yes, I'd say most of those positions are a good bit more stimulating than that.

 

[TheBrew]

Mostly because you will end up on the other side of the bar!

 

[Lindley]

Not particularly interested in helpdesk work. The three year degree I'm looking into states you may gain employment as a consultant programmer, systems analyst, project manager, network manager, webmaster, support specialist, database administrator, web designer, multimedia developer or software engineer. Whether I will find any of these roles fulfilling is what I am wrestling with. I would hope there would be more stimulation involved than pouring the local alcoholics beer.

Have you ever done any programming? Are you good at breaking down large problems into their component parts in a logical way?

I can't speak to all of those, but programming (software engineering) is something that can be highly satisfying once you're good at it, but highly frustrating when you're not.

 

[TheBrew]

I found Object Oriented Programming quite satisfying when it came to designing my projects. I just could never get the hang of programming languages.

 

[Lindley]

I found Object Oriented Programming quite satisfying when it came to designing my projects. I just could never get the hang of programming languages.

Different languages have different strengths and weaknesses. I like languages which support OOP because that's nice for a lot of things.