Entry Level Tech Job

[Sheol]

Ok heres the deal... I just graduated from high school and I recieved my A+ certification. I really want a job working on computer but everything (at least where I live) asks for for an expeirenced tech... I dont know that much however i do have my A+, and I have built PC's for my family and friends. The question is how do I get my foot into the door... And what kinda places hire entry level techs like me? I thought a lot of you guys may know a few ways to get an entry level job, and what kinda places to look for... Internship would be great but what kind of places do tech interns???

Well thanks guys.


~Sheol

 

[BREAK_EM_OUT_JONES]

Dont go right to work man, get some college under the belt. Take some programming classes or major in computer science and your foot may jsut be big enough...

 

[DJ]

I agree with OutbreaK, college and real world experience are everything to employers.

College + Real world Experience = Hired.

 

[Sheol]

Yeah i am going to school in the fall... but i just wanted to find a job where i can do some entry level stuff... and have someone kinda mentor me a lil you know, and still be an asset to the company.

 

[Sheol]

Oh one other thing ( i may have answered this myself but i want some input from experts=)

I dont really like programing, umm i have had little expeirence with programming i will admit but i just dont like sitting there and screwing with programs and stuff... I like more of the networking aspects of the computer industry, with little programing... Right now what is thriving better in the computer industry side of things, programming or networking???? i

thanks...

Sorry for these weird posts, and stuff . I figured there would be some computer experts in the clan=)

 

[Dominion]

I'm a computer engineering major (specialized electrical engineering) and may have a bit of advice I can throw at you...

To be honest I wouldn't go for either field with the current state of the market. Networking isn't something you can really get a degree in from college unless you start delving into the theory behind it and work with network optimization. Also, if you don't like programming I'm going to take a stab in the dark and assume you're not a big math fan. If you're looking for a career in networking, you're going to need to love math and be very good at it.

As far as programming goes, I'd try to stay away from it. CS is really the only route here to go and even then it's a very tough side of the industry to compete in. You really need some solid experience (and a CS / SE degree) before you can work on big programming projects.

It sounds to me like you're interested in basic IT work. I'd poke around a few local stores and see if anyone needs it but you may have some difficulties. Have you ever administered a network before? What sort of experience do you have in computing besides an A+ certification?

 

[Sheol]

Thanks for the advice dominion...

Well your kind of right about math, I am not terrible at but i dont want to do math all the time. So a degree in CS would be pretty good to get then? Isnt CS pretty broad?

My A+ Certification is the only thing i have working for me. I havent had any admin network skills before. I am pretty good at diagnosing single PC problems, but as far as networking stuff I dont know much, but i want to learn more. (if that makes sense?) So my idea was to find a job where i can do the simple computer repair stuff, and have some help with the bigger, harder, issues. The idea sounds great... find a job where i can do the simple stuff!!=) but I found out its harder to find a entry level job.

My idea of a computer related career wasnt really as basic IT work... I guess i need someone to elaborate on what "basic IT work is", I want to do something as a career with networking matainance, and setup... but hey may be classified as basic... (not sure).

Dominion what exactly do you do as a specialized electrical engineering? Thats something I havent really looked into.


Thanks for your posts guys.

 

[Dominion]

I do a lot of work with circuitry and hardware level engineering (microcontrollers etc.). Computer engineering requires quite a few software programming classes as support but as I said I primarily work on the hardware level.

All computer majors in college are pretty math intensive. CS has a LOT of programming (problem solving, yay!) but cuts off a lot of the math most engineers like me have to take. I'm required to take up to calculus IV coupled with linear analysis, linear algebra, and differential equations. CS majors on the other hand only need to take up to calculus II.

Where you want to go pretty much depends on what you enjoy doing. Computer majors in college aren't usually geared toward IT jobs so I would research some of the majors out there before you make any decisions.

 

[Dominion]

Ah I missed your little bit about IT work...

I don't want to sound discouraging but a lot of the IT field is difficult to get into. There are a lot of people out there that can do IT work which makes for some tough competition. As others have said in the thread, I'd really shoot for a college degree if you want to land a career in the computer industry.

 

[BREAK_EM_OUT_JONES]

If you want to do some basic computer repair, go to local computer repair stores. Try best buy or circut city. I have some small computer repair store in my town that ive been trying to get a job at for years...

 

[Sheol]

Hey thanks guys for the reply's that was grand of you to do that. =) Yeah I am not exactly sure what I want to do, but I am sure I will figure it out sometime=) I am definitely planning on going to college in the fall.

Thanks


~Sheol