TECH I want to get into IT... Tips?

[Rob Jones]

I'm only 19 but I was an intern at a networking consulting firm because the owner was a friend. We had many projects including an entirely open source voip system, which is still used in their office today, and an entirely open source automated offsite backup system that i finished myself. I've had many jobs since then and that's the only thing i'm really interested in. My last job didn't work out (sales for aquafuzion).
It got me thinking it's definately where I want to go, so my question is where should I start? What entry level jobs should I be looking for? tips?

 

[Peyomp]

You're 19. Go to school.

 

[Rob Jones]

You're 19. Go to school.

are you buying?

 

[Peyomp]

No. Work whatever job you can around campus. Get a loan. Get grants. Find a way, just like everyone else.

 

[Peyomp]

Sounds like you're starting from near 0. You can be an IT handyman for years, or you can go to school and get a decent job.

 

[Limp_Brisket]

ya, i don't know why you wouldn't be able to go to school.

if you're poor, you can get government grants and student loans, if you're not poor... well you can pay for it yourself.

so what's the problem?

 

[deusexaethera]

Get a chest wax and sign up to do a couple of free blowjob scenes; that will get you some contacts in the business.

Oh wait, that's porn, not IT. Nevermind.

 

[trouphaz]

what exactly are you into with IT? if you're interested in programming, then don't bother without getting a degree. if you are interested in PC support and break/fix kind of stuff, you don't need a degree, but you can only go so far with that.

getting into IT takes a lucky break a lot of times without a degree or some college. while having a degree hasn't made a big deal in my career, the fact that i went to college made a big difference. i say that because i know i got at least one job before i actually got my degree (i dropped out a few years) because i had worked with UNIX in class.


anyway, for support type jobs you don't need a degree, but it does help get your foot in the door (and be a more well rounded person overall).

 

[crontab]

You don't need a degree to succeed in IT. You may need a degree to get your foot in the door at some places, but it looks like you have experience. Experience w/o degree > degree w/o experience. But of course every little bit helps, especially in this current economy.

I would go back to see if there are any opening at previous projects/employers. Else just look for an IT job. I assume that you have enough to put on your resume. And I would take classes full/part time if you have the desire and time to do so. And funds of course.

See if you can find an employer that assists in paying for a degree if it's that important for you.

I know more competent IT people w/o degrees or with a non-IT degree than with a computer related degree. English, bio, chem, psychology, astrophysics, etc.

 

[Peyomp]

I know more competent IT people w/o degrees or with a non-IT degree than with a computer related degree. English, bio, chem, psychology, astrophysics, etc.

Yup, but how many of them started at 19? Everyone I know like that started at 9 or 12.

 

[Rob Jones]

thanks guys for the input

 

[deusexaethera]

Experience w/o degree > degree w/o experience. But of course every little bit helps, especially in this current economy.

That really depends on the person doing the hiring. Most managers will appreciate a college degree, if for no other reason than it shows a willingness to work for years with no reward or recognition in a situation where you have no control over the outcome, and honestly that's what virtually all 1st- and 2nd-tier jobs are like.

 

[dorkultra]

try to get your foot in the door as early as possible. don't rely on thinking that having a degree or certification will get you a job - because it probably won't. employers are looking for people with experience. try to get a coop or internship

 

[Peyomp]

He could spend the next four years as a low-level handyman or in a college program. If he already had skills, that would be one thing. But it sounds like his only IT exposure was that internship, so he doesn't have that going for him either.

Its one thing for a whiz kid to skip college. Its another for a n00b to do so.

 

[chips]

at your age id do some kind of school and certs on the side..

and play with anything you can get your hands on in your free time.

 

[deusexaethera]

He could spend the next four years as a low-level handyman or in a college program. If he already had skills, that would be one thing. But it sounds like his only IT exposure was that internship, so he doesn't have that going for him either.

Its one thing for a whiz kid to skip college. Its another for a n00b to do so.

More importantly, it's one thing for a whiz kid to skip college in the mid-to-late 90's when half the shit we have now was just getting started. It's another thing for anyone to do so in 2008.

The economic climate has changed a lot in the past ten years. The same tricks won't work now.

 

[Peyomp]

More importantly, it's one thing for a whiz kid to skip college in the mid-to-late 90's when half the shit we have now was just getting started. It's another thing for anyone to do so in 2008.

The economic climate has changed a lot in the past ten years. The same tricks won't work now.

Good hackers can find work even if their only job history is the 7-11.

 

[1999TL]

Peyomp speaks truth in this thread.

 

[deusexaethera]

Good hackers can find work even if their only job history is the 7-11.

Did you actually just use the word "hacker" in a serious statement?

 

[Peyomp]

Did you actually just use the word "hacker" in a serious statement?

Yeah, and you would too if you were one. But, you're not.

 

[deusexaethera]

Yeah, and you would too if you were one. But, you're not.

Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize you yourself were a hacker. Okay, carry on.

 

[Peyomp]

You really do seem like you're 10 years old, sometimes. But the bottom line is: you're not very curious about technology, you are no hacker. And thats why you're a mediocre engineer.

Here's a lesson for you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker_(programmer_subculture)

 

[awns729]

If you want to make real money and you're not already damn good at what you're doing, go to college.

 

[Bruticus]

You really do seem like you're 10 years old, sometimes. But the bottom line is: you're not very curious about technology, you are no hacker. And thats why you're a mediocre engineer.

Here's a lesson for you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker_(programmer_subculture)

 

[deusexaethera]

I love coming up with creative solutions to problems, but I would never stoop to calling myself a hacker. It's too trendy and there are too many posers. I honestly have no idea why you would want to associate yourself with them; I prefer a more respectable title.

Then again, I don't work in a nook under my basement staircase, so I might have a different perspective on it.