Career Advice


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Thread: Career Advice

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Posts
    220

    Career Advice

    From the posts I've seen here the past few years a lot of you have jobs in IT. So I figured I'd ask for advice.

    Currently I have an associates degree in computer networking, (solid 4.0 gpa every term) but have not been able to find a job in that. My current job involves fixing laptops and desktops (hardware/software, computer networking, etc.) I make around $200.00 a week. I have been looking for a better job for the longest time; i.e. looking online, posting my resume, etc. I have been looking for help desk, IT support, network monitoring etc. My skills are in computer networking and A+ type work.

    A lot of IT jobs are contracts, usually short ones. $15 an hour is great, but if its only a day, or a month, then my resume makes me look like a wanderer. (I had this problem thrown at me in a recent interview - as in "Why were you only here for x amount of time?" That was the duration of the contract...I needed work.)

    I have recently been considering going for a bachelors. It seems more education would make me more likely to be hired somewhere. However, I owe over $50,000 in student loans from my previous college degree. I don't know how I would fund a bachelors degree, my FAFSA only has around $17,000 free money left. An alternative to college is to save up and take some industry certifications. For example, the CompTIA A+. I am studying for the comptia A+. Certifications are much cheaper as I can study and then take the test - it is not required to have certain classes done, or a certain amount of credits. Finding a second part time job would also help me (or a good paying full time one).

    Summary:

    I need to decide if a) I should go to college for a bachelors -or- b) I should try and get some certifications. C) something I haven't thought of yet.

    Thank you all in advance.
    Currently running Xubuntu & Blag.

    My blog:
    http://truthjournal.blogspot.com

    The Easy Guide to Installing debian:
    http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=2016

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Spokane, Washington
    Posts
    580
    First, I want to ask about your contract work? Was it W-2 or 1099 based? (Assuming you live in the US, that is)
    I would not list 1099 based contracts separately on a resume, but have one entry as an independent contractor spanning from the beginning of the first contract to the end of the last contract. (Not having a current contract or any customers doesn't mean you're not still a contractor.) You might still want to do that if they were W-2 based.
    I tend to recommend specialization. Find a focus and do it well: VoIP, or Samba domain controllers for example. Perhaps seek out certifications that lean that way.
    Advertise. Business card are the most cost-effective means of advertising. Hand them out everywhere to everyone. Throw them around town like raindrops.
    I recommend small businesses over personal services if you don't have a storefront. Maybe regardless. You can charge a lot more with a commercial specialization. I've heard of VoIP specialists charging $60/hr.
    Lastly, computer services is a very crowded marketplace; competition is holding down prices. I left computers to run a residential housecleaning business with my wife. My 1.5 years trying computer work provided enough experience to competently handle the backend duties of a small business. We charged $30/manhour for residential services with no certifications (insurance, bonding, and licensing should be obtained) in an uncrowded market. You could consider changing industries.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    People's Republic of North America (Former United States)
    Posts
    849
    Here's my advice: Move to someplace where technology is king. I live in Austin, TX. The longest I've ever been unemployed here is a week. I have a solid mix of contracting and salaried work. Now admittedly, I've been doing this for over sixteen years but when I started, I was a ten dollar an hour temp, just trying to get my feet wet. The advice might sound quaint but work hard, show your worth, network like a crazy person and prove you've got the knowledge and passion to make it in Information Technology. Here's some great skills to add to your resume:

    1. Linux - Know it from the command line!

    2. Windows (yes, really) Active Directory, Exchange, etc. - Know it from the command line too!

    3. VMware or any other virtualization - knowing the command line is a definite plus!

    So, ask yourself a question. Are you willing to invest the time and effort to make it in I.T. ?
    I equivocate, therefore I might be.

    My Linux/Unix Boxes:
    Home: Slackware 10, CentOS 5.3, RHEL 5, Ubuntu Workstation 9.10, Work: RHEL 5, CentOS 5

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Posts
    220
    Thanks for all of your advice.

    The contract work was W2. What happened was I was freelancing for a while (that went okay but the work was not steady) so I looked for IT jobs and found a contract job.

    Going for certs seems to be the right idea. I am dedicated and enjoy learning new things.

    Any recommend certs for moving in the helpdesk/support direction?
    Currently running Xubuntu & Blag.

    My blog:
    http://truthjournal.blogspot.com

    The Easy Guide to Installing debian:
    http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=2016

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