Be my career advisor

[wholesalestunna]

I currently work as a police officer and am looking for a change in careers. I want to get into the IT world and have been learning for the A+ exam and am finishing my bachealors in criminal justice this summer. Whats my best way to try to enter the field? I eventually want to get into networking, but know I have to get good experience and stuff before I will be able to do that. I go to work with my dad on my days off to learn (he's a network administrator) but don't really have anymore extra time because I have to continue to work my full time job.

My biggest concern right now is taking a huge pay cut. I know I'm going to take a little bit, but need to stay in the 40k annual salary range. Any tips or ideas would be greatly appreciated because the IT world is so different than what I'm used to.

 

[MustISO]

Salary would obviously depend on location. If you're truly passionate about IT then I say go for it but the hours can be long and you're the one who gets the blame when something goes wrong.

The fact that you have a family member in IT already will certainly help when looking for a job.

You're going to most likely need to start off in desktop support/service desk. Continue getting certifications while working and getting experience and you can move up quickly.

If you're a fast learning and has the knowledge you may be able to find a junior network admin job but those typically require some amount of actual work experience, not just certifications.

Start looking at Career Builder, Monster, Indeed, etc and see what is available and what the requirements are. That will help guide you toward educational goals and salary structure.

 

[wholesalestunna]

Hours don't matter, it will never be worse than what I'm working now in law enforcement. I don't mind starting at a help desk, and wish I could find some kind of a part time gig to gain some experience to get the salary up to where I need it to be. I'm not being greedy, just want to be able to continue paying my bills

 

[Pr0d1gy]

My advice would be to take a few years off and enjoy your family.

 

[SSSnail]

I currently work as a police officer and am looking for a change in careers. I want to get into the IT world and have been learning for the A+ exam and am finishing my bachealors in criminal justice this summer. Whats my best way to try to enter the field? I eventually want to get into networking, but know I have to get good experience and stuff before I will be able to do that. I go to work with my dad on my days off to learn (he's a network administrator) but don't really have anymore extra time because I have to continue to work my full time job.

My biggest concern right now is taking a huge pay cut. I know I'm going to take a little bit, but need to stay in the 40k annual salary range. Any tips or ideas would be greatly appreciated because the IT world is so different than what I'm used to.

No, DON'T!

You best bet is to stay with the department, and learn digital forensics.

 

[ghost_willis]

Certifications are just something to throw on a resume. They won't get you or not got you the job. I work in the IT field and you should just get experience at your dads place. If you don't have time to go there how will you have time for the A+ and learning on the side?

 

[wholesalestunna]

Certifications are just something to throw on a resume. They won't get you or not got you the job. I work in the IT field and you should just get experience at your dads place. If you don't have time to go there how will you have time for the A+ and learning on the side?

The problem isn't so much having time to go there, it's having time to go there during their business hours when they're working. I can learn the stuff on the side any time I want and my free time is usually at odd hours. I want the A+ as a basis to show my knowledge to try to get that first job making 35-40k and then to gain experience from there.

 

[wholesalestunna]

No, DON'T!

You best bet is to stay with the department, and learn digital forensics.

Not interested. I'm sick of the criminal justice system and don't want to work in the field anymore. I want a career where hard work can pay off and I have room to continue learning, doing different things, and to make more money. My job now has none of those things and I don't see any future there.