IT jobs......

[UDT89]

I spoke to a friends IT department head and he said most companies look for experience over certs.....

so how does one get into IT? i have my 4 year degree in economics and minor in business management. i have enough personal knowledge of IT to take a few classes and get my MCSE and CCNA.

but will that help me break into the IT field?

I live in the NY metro area.

**update**

spoke to someone from the school that offers classes for the certificaitons. they recommended MCSA 2003 + Security and CCNA. This was based off what i told them my career goals were.....which i said wanted to be involved in computer/network security evenually working for the fbi or another agency.

 

[tfinch2]

You break in by either knowing people or starting at the bottom in support.

 

[eleison]

Originally posted by: UDT89
I spoke to a friends IT department head and he said most companies look for experience over certs.....

so how does one get into IT? i have my 4 year degree in economics and minor in business management. i have enough personal knowledge of IT to take a few classes and get my MCSE and CCNA.

but will that help me break into the IT field?

I live in the NY metro area.

Its easy... work for very small companies doing small IT stuff for experience... keep on doing this until you get to do big IT stuff... its a 5 year plan though.. good luck..

 

[UDT89]

Originally posted by: tfinch2
You break in by either knowing people or starting at the bottom in support.

errr the knowing people response. i figured.....

guess i could call some old college buddies.

 

[Kaido]

So far I have found:

1. Knowing people gets you in the door a lot quicker (referral from school, friend who works there, etc.)
2. Certifications don't mean beans to most companies
3. Companies look for college graduates or at least college students as a sign that they can work and finish projects
4. Experience is better than certs since you will actually have to USE your knowledge in a real-world situation. From my experience certs/experience are two entirely different animals.

 

[UDT89]

Originally posted by: Kaido
So far I have found:

2. Certifications don't mean beans to most companies
/q]

how come every job requires ccna or mcse? i could pass off a year experience at my current job b/c i have been involved a lot with network maintenance.

 

[Feldenak]

Networking...it's not just for nodes.

 

[bearxor]

I agree that it is really more who you know than what you know to get your foot in the door. You just have to be in the right place at the right time. Time to work on your social networking skills. Join a club or something locally. Go to meetings, hang out in places IT people may hang out in your area, be bold, etc, etc.

 

[UDT89]

Originally posted by: Feldenak
Networking...it's not just for nodes.

awesome......

 

[SoulAssassin]

If you don't have the experience, you'll get a better job having a cert vs not having one but experience is preferred. Most jobs that list 'MCSE required' also say 'or relevant experience'.

 

[grepcomputers]

Experience is what got me my current job, a year and a half out of college (and a little over a year ago). I have no certs. It's an awesome job, for a financial company, so also a very demanding job. After a year I already have a lot of responsibilities, so it's not just a menial support tasks, either (but does involve some).

EDIT: NYC.

EDIT2: I find the certs really depend on the company. For the places I've worked, one couldn't care less, the other *heavily* favored them (I was only an intern there).

 

[classy]

Originally posted by: Kaido
So far I have found:

1. Knowing people gets you in the door a lot quicker (referral from school, friend who works there, etc.)
2. Certifications don't mean beans to most companies
3. Companies look for college graduates or at least college students as a sign that they can work and finish projects
4. Experience is better than certs since you will actually have to USE your knowledge in a real-world situation. From my experience certs/experience are two entirely different animals.

I just laugh everytime I read a post like this. All I know is that here in the Phila. area certs are valuable. As a matter of fact many upper level jobs won't even consider an applicant without certs, even applicants who have college degrees. I will throw in another fact, if you go to any job search (Monster, Careerbuilder,etc), a MCSE cert is the only cert I have seen in many instances that an employer will accept in place of a college degree. Experience is always king, no question, but all education in todays world whether its certs or degrees not only will enhance your knowledge base, but make you more attractive to employers.
For the OP, just do a job search for your area and stop listening to people. I have been in the field for 3 years now and the cert bashing I read here is just so far from the truth it ain't funny. For me all I know is, I went from a 30K a year job in a field I hated, to gaining some certs to making close to 50K a year in a span of 24 months. I got there on a lil side experience and a MCSA cert and by the way when I started out I got my direction from a 30 year IT manager who worked for IBM. He pointed me in this direction and I am so glad I listened to him.

 

[UDT89]

Originally posted by: SoulAssassin
If you don't have the experience, you'll get a better job having a cert vs not having one but experience is preferred. Most jobs that list 'MCSE required' also say 'or relevant experience'.

tahts the thing. i think getting a cert or two would be good.

its hard to put on a resume what you know how to do, when you never got paid for it or your job title didnt reflect what you did.

 

[classy]

Originally posted by: UDT89

Originally posted by: SoulAssassin
If you don't have the experience, you'll get a better job having a cert vs not having one but experience is preferred. Most jobs that list 'MCSE required' also say 'or relevant experience'.

tahts the thing. i think getting a cert or two would be good.

its hard to put on a resume what you know how to do, when you never got paid for it or your job title didnt reflect what you did.

Soul really wraps it up in a nutshell. To be honest I would do MCSA and then do CCNA. That should round you out pretty good. Oh don't overlook a career working with Linux either . While its not my bag, linux brings a lot to the table. But it really comes down to what you want to do.

 

[Wapp]

Originally posted by: UDT89
I spoke to a friends IT department head and he said most companies look for experience over certs.....

so how does one get into IT? i have my 4 year degree in economics and minor in business management. i have enough personal knowledge of IT to take a few classes and get my MCSE and CCNA.

but will that help me break into the IT field?

I live in the NY metro area.

Enlist in the military for 4 years. It'll pay off your student loans, get you in shape, further train you, and maybe get you a security clearance.

 

[ultimatebob]

Originally posted by: Wapp

Originally posted by: UDT89
I spoke to a friends IT department head and he said most companies look for experience over certs.....

so how does one get into IT? i have my 4 year degree in economics and minor in business management. i have enough personal knowledge of IT to take a few classes and get my MCSE and CCNA.

but will that help me break into the IT field?

I live in the NY metro area.

Enlist in the military for 4 years. It'll pay off your student loans, get you in shape, further train you, and maybe get you a security clearance.

Assuming that he doesn't get blown into little pieces by a suicide bomber in Iraq first. No thanks.

 

[slsmnaz]

What's funny is I had the exact same degree/minor as you. I started working for my company in sales and operations at a branch level. I kept checking for open positions within IT and finally found one that fit. With the business experience I had it was a great job. I have been learning on the fly but think I picked it up pretty quickly. I wonder if the same is available to you now through your current job. Just my $.02

 

[Wapp]

Originally posted by: ultimatebob

Originally posted by: Wapp

Originally posted by: UDT89
I spoke to a friends IT department head and he said most companies look for experience over certs.....

so how does one get into IT? i have my 4 year degree in economics and minor in business management. i have enough personal knowledge of IT to take a few classes and get my MCSE and CCNA.

but will that help me break into the IT field?

I live in the NY metro area.

Enlist in the military for 4 years. It'll pay off your student loans, get you in shape, further train you, and maybe get you a security clearance.

Assuming that he doesn't get blown into little pieces by a suicide bomber in Iraq first. No thanks.

You do know there are non-combat jobs in the military? For real, you honestly think some network monkey running cable in Iraq is going to get blown apart?

 

[Andrew111]

Originally posted by: Wapp

Originally posted by: ultimatebob

Originally posted by: Wapp

Originally posted by: UDT89
I spoke to a friends IT department head and he said most companies look for experience over certs.....

so how does one get into IT? i have my 4 year degree in economics and minor in business management. i have enough personal knowledge of IT to take a few classes and get my MCSE and CCNA.

but will that help me break into the IT field?

I live in the NY metro area.

Enlist in the military for 4 years. It'll pay off your student loans, get you in shape, further train you, and maybe get you a security clearance.

Assuming that he doesn't get blown into little pieces by a suicide bomber in Iraq first. No thanks.

You do know there are non-combat jobs in the military? For real, you honestly think some network monkey running cable in Iraq is going to get blown apart?

I'm an Information Systems Operator in the Army and deployed to Iraq......I never went outside base except on a helicopter to pick up computers from another base I imagine that shall look good on a resume as well......created and provided support for a DOD network in Iraq in what used to be a blown out hangar. Many people like to criticize people who join the military but you'd be hard pressed to get the type of experience anywhere else. Plus while you join they pay you to take college classes and computer certifications. I'm already halfway to my bachelor's degree, tons of experience, just got my first computer certification, and I'm only 21. And I didn't have to pay a dime....I'm actually making pretty decent money considering the Army pays for everything I need.

 

[jlbenedict]

Originally posted by: Andrew111

Originally posted by: Wapp

Originally posted by: ultimatebob

Originally posted by: Wapp

Originally posted by: UDT89
I spoke to a friends IT department head and he said most companies look for experience over certs.....

so how does one get into IT? i have my 4 year degree in economics and minor in business management. i have enough personal knowledge of IT to take a few classes and get my MCSE and CCNA.

but will that help me break into the IT field?

I live in the NY metro area.

Enlist in the military for 4 years. It'll pay off your student loans, get you in shape, further train you, and maybe get you a security clearance.

Assuming that he doesn't get blown into little pieces by a suicide bomber in Iraq first. No thanks.

You do know there are non-combat jobs in the military? For real, you honestly think some network monkey running cable in Iraq is going to get blown apart?

I'm an Information Systems Operator in the Army and deployed to Iraq......I never went outside base except on a helicopter to pick up computers from another base I imagine that shall look good on a resume as well......created and provided support for a DOD network in Iraq in what used to be a blown out hangar. Many people like to criticize people who join the military but you'd be hard pressed to get the type of experience anywhere else. Plus while you join they pay you to take college classes and computer certifications. I'm already halfway to my bachelor's degree, tons of experience, just got my first computer certification, and I'm only 21. And I didn't have to pay a dime....I'm actually making pretty decent money considering the Army pays for everything I need.

In addition, you are getting 3 squares a day, and a cot to lay your hat on after work

 

[ultimatebob]

Originally posted by: UDT89
I spoke to a friends IT department head and he said most companies look for experience over certs.....

so how does one get into IT? i have my 4 year degree in economics and minor in business management. i have enough personal knowledge of IT to take a few classes and get my MCSE and CCNA.

but will that help me break into the IT field?

I live in the NY metro area.

Can your friend get you into an entry level job fixing computers in an office somewhere? That's how most people get started in the business.

 

[Trell]

Originally posted by: classy

Originally posted by: Kaido
So far I have found:

1. Knowing people gets you in the door a lot quicker (referral from school, friend who works there, etc.)
2. Certifications don't mean beans to most companies
3. Companies look for college graduates or at least college students as a sign that they can work and finish projects
4. Experience is better than certs since you will actually have to USE your knowledge in a real-world situation. From my experience certs/experience are two entirely different animals.

I just laugh everytime I read a post like this. All I know is that here in the Phila. area certs are valuable. As a matter of fact many upper level jobs won't even consider an applicant without certs, even applicants who have college degrees. I will throw in another fact, if you go to any job search (Monster, Careerbuilder,etc), a MCSE cert is the only cert I have seen in many instances that an employer will accept in place of a college degree. Experience is always king, no question, but all education in todays world whether its certs or degrees not only will enhance your knowledge base, but make you more attractive to employers.
For the OP, just do a job search for your area and stop listening to people. I have been in the field for 3 years now and the cert bashing I read here is just so far from the truth it ain't funny. For me all I know is, I went from a 30K a year job in a field I hated, to gaining some certs to making close to 50K a year in a span of 24 months. I got there on a lil side experience and a MCSA cert and by the way when I started out I got my direction from a 30 year IT manager who worked for IBM. He pointed me in this direction and I am so glad I listened to him.

That is deffinitely what I am seeing in the South Jersey area. I worked in IT for a company for almost 7 years, and then when the branch I was with closed down I found that it is pretty hard to find a new job in this area without a degree or at least MCSE and A+ certs (unless you want a crappy temp/contract job).

 

[Marinski]

Originally posted by: classy

Originally posted by: UDT89

Originally posted by: SoulAssassin
If you don't have the experience, you'll get a better job having a cert vs not having one but experience is preferred. Most jobs that list 'MCSE required' also say 'or relevant experience'.

tahts the thing. i think getting a cert or two would be good.

its hard to put on a resume what you know how to do, when you never got paid for it or your job title didnt reflect what you did.

Soul really wraps it up in a nutshell. To be honest I would do MCSA and then do CCNA. That should round you out pretty good. Oh don't overlook a career working with Linux either . While its not my bag, linux brings a lot to the table. But it really comes down to what you want to do.

Hey, I already have an A+ cert and I signed up for a Cisco class at community college this fall. Would i be better off getting a Net+ instead? Or just go after the CCNA?

 

[Stuxnet]

Certs mean jack. There was a time and place when they held some value, though. In the late 90's the tech boom was in full swing, and no one could make heads or tails of what was going on. Certs were the easiest way for a company to determine if you were qualified for the job (even though most people holding certs - myself included - were book experienced).

When I interview someone, I'm going to tech them to the fullest extent of MY knowledge. I want to know exactly what they know and don't know, and I also want to make sure they're capable of admitting they don't know something, as opposed to making a bunch of bullshit up. I don't claim to know it all, and I don't want people around me or my team who think they know it all.

All a cert tells me is that you can buckle down for a couple weeks. I can glean that info from the previous project experience you have.

 

[zephyrprime]

In my experience, certs are very valuable especially to entry level people. For me, they were more valuable than my 4 year bs degree which turned out to be pretty worthless.

The problem people have when they start out is the classic catch 22 "can't get a job without experience and can't get experience without a job". Certs help you get your foot in the door and without taking that first step, you'll get nowhere.