Starting in IT

mick1980

hi folks

I'm currently working in a pharmaceutical factory and theres a possiability of redundancies cropping up in about 12 months. I've been thinking about switching jobs and the whole IT sector interests me but I'm not sure how to start. The only courses I've done are the ECDL which i found to be pretty simple so i'd like to progress onwards from that.
Starting out i thing i could do the ComTIA A+ course and perhaps the network+ course prior to redundancy. I'm just not to sure what else is required after that to get a reasonable job with good prospects.
I'd like to work in IT perhaps starting off doing work such as installling software/hardware and troubleshooting and work up from there. FAS have a 24 week course titled introduction to computer maintenance and networks. Does anyone know if this course would be highly taught off in industry. I could also go to college for a couple of years and do a computing course.
What i'd really like to know is what route would give me a better chance of landing a job going, to college or accumulating the it certs on my own or are the 2 different routes designed to bring you down different paths.
Can anyone give me some of their views on the best path to take. Thanks in advance.
Mick.

pclancy

Do the A+ and N+ if you can and any Microsoft certs going...get any experience offered your way and try for any helpdesk or desktop support job you see to get your foot in the door getting in somewhere to build up real world experience is probably even more valuable then certs.....just show a willingness to learn and work with other more senior teams like network or systems guys. Try and eventually find a niche in an area of IT you're interested in and specialise/certify strongly in this area.

Kinetic^

mick1980 wrote: »

Starting out i thing i could do the ComTIA A+ course and perhaps the network+ course prior to redundancy. I'm just not to sure what else is required after that to get a reasonable job with good prospects.
I'd like to work in IT perhaps starting off doing work such as installling software/hardware and troubleshooting and work up from there. FAS have a 24 week course titled introduction to computer maintenance and networks. Does anyone know if this course would be highly taught off in industry. I could also go to college for a couple of years and do a computing course.
What i'd really like to know is what route would give me a better chance of landing a job going, to college or accumulating the it certs on my own or are the 2 different routes designed to bring you down different paths.

I started that FAS course 3 weeks ago. The course covers the syllabus for A+ (practical and essentials), Network+ (the new syllabus) and Windows Server 2003 (70-290 or 70-291). They pay for you to sit the exams (actually sit them in FAS Loughlinstwon now). With the 2 A+ exams, N+ and either of those Server exams you're half way to an MCSA certification which is a good start.

Everyone (18 of us) got their own PC and the instructor takes you through everything.It lasts for 24 weeks with the last 4 of those on work placement which you have to get yourself but they will help you to a certain extent. The course is not just sit down and go through theory either, it can be practical as well as gearing you towards what potential/existing customers will ask you and how to deal with them.

It's going well so far but if you do plan on applying then I'd go then asap as there was about 100 signed up for it the one I went for. We'd to do an aptitude test which was on maths, verbal reasoning and visual recognition. The top 18 got accepted. I never did the ECDL but have built a few computers so sort of know my way around them. A few of the folks have done the ECDL so there's a varying degree of PC experience in there.

If you've any questions just let me know.

AARRRGH

Sooooo many people who get into IT want to go the maintenance/networking route. If you really want to be sure of a good job, you should look into learning how to be a software developer. This will basically require a lot of study and writing programs. It's a highly skilled job, you'll be valued as an employee, and you'll earn good money.

This is a great book to get started as a Java developer.

techdiver

AARRRGH wrote: »

Sooooo many people who get into IT want to go the maintenance/networking route. If you really want to be sure of a good job, you should look into learning how to be a software developer. This will basically require a lot of study and writing programs. It's a highly skilled job, you'll be valued as an employee, and you'll earn good money.

This is a great book to get started as a Java developer.

As a software developer I agree whole heartedly with your sentiments. The one point I would put across is when trying to get jobs in the sector it is almost always required that you possess a primary degree in a relevant field.

I am in no way discouraging anyone, in fact I am of the opinion that we will need more qualified software developers in Ireland in in the coming years and if we don't it could have a spiralling effect on the industry as a whole.

The most desirable route would be to return/enrol in a third level computer science course of equivalent.

I do also find that getting into development with no experience is quite difficult, (I experienced this), so what I would say is to try to get as much work experience as possible and also perhaps take any position that can get you in the door of a software house, whether it be in QA, Second Line Support etc and from there you can often move into the development teams as positions become available.

MysticalRain

I am in no way discouraging anyone, in fact I am of the opinion that we will need more qualified software developers in Ireland in in the coming years and if we don't it could have a spiralling effect on the industry as a whole.

It's a bit of a chicken and a problem. Employers are constantly calling out for highly skilled people with loads of years of experience, but they are not willing to take on graduates and entry-level people. The lack of new blood is what ultimately creates the major skills shortage. Thousands of good programmers don't magically appear overnight. Employers have to do their bit to.

As for the OP... I wouldn't even contemplate getting into software development unless I was prepared to spend the next four years studying computer science in one of the best universities in the country. Otherwise employers aren't going to touch him. If he was serious about going down that route, I would advise him do some web tutorials on programming to see if it appeals to him and he has an aptitude for it. If he developes a passion for it, then go for it.

The other route is IT support which is also difficult to get into. Option A) would be to go back to college. I wouldn't advise him to do a full computer science degree because most of what he'll study will be irrelevant. I would choose a college course that is specifically geared towards the networking side of things. Those courses tend to be shorter as well.

On option would be to do IT certification. There's plenty of advice on what Certs to do than this forum MSCE/MSCA etc.

techdiver

MysticalRain wrote: »

It's a bit of a chicken and a problem. Employers are constantly calling out for highly skilled people with loads of years of experience, but they are not willing to take on graduates and entry-level people. The lack of new blood is what ultimately creates the major skills shortage. Thousands of good programmers don't magically appear overnight. Employers have to do their bit to.

As for the OP... I wouldn't even contemplate getting into software development unless I was prepared to spend the next four years studying computer science in one of the best universities in the country. Otherwise employers aren't going to touch him. If he was serious about going down that route, I would advise him do some web tutorials on programming to see if it appeals to him and he has an aptitude for it. If he developes a passion for it, then go for it.

The other route is IT support which is also difficult to get into. Option A) would be to go back to college. I wouldn't advise him to do a full computer science degree because most of what he'll study will be irrelevant. I would choose a college course that is specifically geared towards the networking side of things. Those courses tend to be shorter as well.

On option would be to do IT certification. There's plenty of advice on what Certs to do than this forum MSCE/MSCA etc.

+1 on all of the above.

hobochris

If you are going to go the software route, I would look into learning the following on your own time: java,vb.net/c#.net,c++ and the relevant web technologies that are spawned from these languages. Knowing these puts you in good standing for a majority of software developer jobs.

but experience is king in this industry, the more you have the more pay you can expect.

rom

AARRRGH wrote: »

Sooooo many people who get into IT want to go the maintenance/networking route. If you really want to be sure of a good job, you should look into learning how to be a software developer. This will basically require a lot of study and writing programs. It's a highly skilled job, you'll be valued as an employee, and you'll earn good money.

This is a great book to get started as a Java developer.

This is only suited to some people and not everyone like it once they get into it. If you are an obsessive person and don't give up easy then this may be a track you want to go. I did it for about 2 years and I wasn't into it. It takes a whole lot of study and with all study structure makes more sense than just learning concepts etc. If its Java then go for a basic cert in it so that you are at a recognized level rather than just saying that you have 0 real world experience and nothing to back up your knowledge but if you can say I have x , y and z in Java then at least there is a structure to your learning and your employer will know that you have the foundations and there are not gaps there in your knowledge. always a good thing is to look through the job sites and what do they look for in the area you want to go into to. But like everything if you have no interest in it then its gonna be harder.