I wanna know .....

[Kpaumen 0]

what kind of jobs I should be looking for, to gain VALUABLE expercience in the IT field in general. I go to ITT-Tech for the COMPUTER NETWORK SYSTEMS class and the recruiter said I have to get some experience before I graduate. I also readed on this site that some people got good jobs without any degrees because of experience. If im getting a degree I should have no problem getting a good job?? I hope. ITT does help us get jobs but, my school is so new that there hasn't been 1 class of graduates yet so I dont really know what I am looking at in a paywise scale yet. I live in Minnesota. Oh by the way I just stumbled on this site and it really looks like a good 1

8)

[adamvjackson 0]

What do you want to do after your schooling? Be a consultant? Network administrator? Exchange Administrator? Security analyist? Just fix home PCs?

 

Well-paying IT jobs are tough to find, at least here.

 

It's kind of a catch-22, it's VERY difficult to get an IT job without some experience, but you can't get experience without starting somewhere. Best bet? Take a job that you may otherwise turn down, even if it's just for 6-12 months, so you have some IT experience that you can place on a resume. Of course, you may need to be prepared to accept a lower than expected wage in order to get started.

 

It's also important that in this first 'real' IT job, you make a good impression, assess problems correctly and resolve issues accordingly and promptly. Having a good relationship with your superiors/PHB is good too, since they will be providing you with a reference in the future.

[felix 0]

You should also go here: http://www.comics.com/comics/dilbert/ and subscribe to "The Daily Dilbert".

 

Aside from that, these guys are quite right. Apply for everything that sounds interesting, that you know you can do. For the most part, your employer expects you to have a certain skill set that they are employing you for and while they will offer training and development, they will expect you to know the nuts and bolts enough to do the base level of your job.

 

If you haven't had an IT job, look at your other jobs/uni/school stuff and see how that fits in. If you went throuh college/uni chances are you have a decent working knowledge of Windows/Linux/Mac and a full office suite. Teamwork, leadership and adaptability are a must and you need to provide examples of all of these things in your resume and application. One thing I was told though, don't tell them too much as you want to leave them something to ask you in your interview.

 

If you've installed Windows2000 on your own or someone else's computer and got it to run programs and access the net, you aren't lying by saying "Experience with installation/configuration of Windows2000 professional". If you've seen stuff done and had some hands on time but aren't overly confident, use the term "exposure" as in "I have had exposure to Windows2003 Server" which says to a prospective employer "I know it exists, I've used it but I'd like a Sys Admin around if the server cracks itself open". Basically if you have a better idea than "that's a pretty box" say you've had exposure.

 

Best idea, talk to a recruiment agency and get them to critique your application/resume. I have a BInfoTech degree from one of the better Universities (IT degree wise) in Australia but it was my time living in the campus college that taught me my stuff regarding design/building networks and workstation/server/domain configuration. Degree time was good for upper level theory and methodologies but the "hitting with stick" part came from college and summer internships.

 

Start reading MCSE and CCNA literature so that you can honestly say that you are working towards these. Obviously you may need to pay but check with friends, colleagues and libraries to get something of a start. If you have done enough preparation and can show your employer, through practise tests, that you have all your spoons in the same drawer, they may even spring for the exams after you start, providing you stay with them for x number of years.

 

Above all, if you have no IT experience, try and find a reference, preferably someone who has not got a personal connection to you (ie friend, family, debtor) and will tell someone that you are capable of learning and adapting to new environments and technologies. You are at a dedicated IT school so have your marks ready to show that you understand the difference between an RJ45 jack and a CD-Rom.

 

If your folks/family live in a decent sized city, move back in with them for a summer and sponge off them so you can do a un-paid internship. I did this early in my degree and whilst it cost me $$$, I leant heaps, got experience and was moved into the help-desk and desktop support role after 2 weeks. When my time was up they asked me to apply for the position properly and stay on with them. I didn't and don't regret the decision for various reasons, but that helped me get future jobs.