Fastest way to get an IT job?

if you're clean, confident, in relatively good shape, polite, and provide a good experience/ dont see why wouldnt get you tips

Thank you very much for the advice man, I appreciate this a lot.

Frankly I am a bit more interested by programming than IT. However, IT seems more "straightforward" where one can follow a "certifications path" while it seems like with programming, you have an infinite amount of knowledge at your disposal, but you are on your own to plan your next steps towards building your portfolio.

Hence why I think that starting with some basic help desk job at this point of my life would provide some amount of stability/put food on the table. I would still be learning to program during my free time.

Am I mistaken?

Story?

For science.

Maybe if you want to work at fucking Buffalo Wild Wings, while I'm not disgusting looking I'm certainly not attractive (except to middle aged Filipino women) in fact most fine dining restaurant wait staff is 40+ year old men.

I recommend doing these certs in order:
Network+
A+
Security+ (give yourself 6-12 months for this)

While doing these, try to find a job that will at least give you some experience. You need to work your way from the ground up and keep getting certs and teaching yourself things along the way. Don't worry about pay, the biggest things to have on a resume in this field is Certs & experience. If you desire to be an Network admin I have heard that a bachelors degree is very helpful, along with certs and experience.

>be me
>in US Air Force
>net+
>sec+
>Network Infrastructure Tech
>mfw I have admin privileges to a huge chuck of one of the biggest networks in the world
>mfw I could cause millions of dollars worth of damage with just a few commands
shits pretty cache

I tried going to IT/helpdesk route at first but couldn't fit in time to get the certs and things needed to actually get a job. If you can do that it might be easier but keep in mind that development and IT are completely separated. They're pretty much completely different career paths. If you want to be a programmer focus on that, and if you want to work in IT focus on that.

Good advice for the IT route.

With the constant automation of things wouldn't it be wise if you are considering IT too learn programing for job security?

Acquire skills.
Lie on resume.

That's what I did. 2 Years in. Promoted 1.5years in. Get with the times.

Fuck, dude. Don't subject yourself to helpdesk shit. That's the fastfood equivalent of IT. Manage servers or something. Get a Linux+ (for lack of competition, but fewer openings) or a Win 2012 MCSA and push for a do-nothing job watching servers run (and figure out how to fix the inevitable downtime in your, um, downtime).

>keep in mind that development and IT are completely separated. They're pretty much completely different career paths. If you want to be a programmer focus on that, and if you want to work in IT focus on that.

Advice noted.

Unfortunately, I need to make money really as soon as possible, and all things being equal, IT seems easier to break into. Is it generally true?

Are there "official" programming certifications (like the equivalent of CompTIA A+, CCNA, etc. in IT)?

What did you lie about on your resume? Did they fact check?

How many hours a day did you code?

IT people almost never do any programming in my experience. IT is essentially fixing printers and keeping anti viruses up to date. Someone in this thread feel free to correct me if that's wrong.

Here's a typical day for me:
>wake up at 9am
>start work at 10am
>work until noon, mostly answering emails/, watching stocks (I'm in PST, markets close at 1), and personal development (working on side projects to get better at programming mostly. some days it comes down to fucking around on Veeky Forums for a while, some days I get a lot done. It depends.)
>hour lunch
>work until 3:30-4, maybe later if I'm in a groove and am really getting stuff done. Maybe earlier if I wanna go grab beers or something.
>meetings from 3:30-4 or 4:30 on Mondays and Thursdays. I really don't know why I have to be in these meetings but I appreciate it because it's let me rub shoulders with some pretty impressive people (imo). They're business/marketing meetings with a small (5 mins) section dedicated to tech stuff. I usually have to give a 3 min speech about what I've done and what I'm gonna do. Sounds scary but you'll get good at it, just try not to live up to mr. robot autism stereotypes.

I work remotely and get paid 40k usd/yr. It's not the greatest gig and I could probably get paid more but the culture is perfect for me and is giving me plenty of time to think of/work on my own web development company. I plan on hanging out until the company fails or I get 2 years of experience and can apply to google or my own company takes off.

Really focus on either node.js or rails if you just want a job. Pick one and stick to it. HTML and CSS are easy to pick up on the go if you're not a complete dumbfuck and have been on the internet for more than a few years. You should also learn git for maximum employability, but you only really need to learn how to pull, make commits, and change branches. Anything else can be learned on the fly. That is 99% of the job. Just learn to google.

I don't have any certs and never went to college. As far as I know there's not really any viable front end certs worth getting. I may be wrong about that but I wouldn't stress it too much.
I would come home from work at an amazon warehouse (don't do it. Not worth it.) and work through a little of something every day for 2 hrs. Set time limits and really fucking focus on programming for 2hrs every day. You won't get a job if you're not actually writing your own code daily, I can promise you that. You really need to practice and you really need to hammer in the basics. These are the curriculums I used:

>the odin project (free)
Good curriculum based on ruby and rails. It helped me break through some big walls and gave me a bunch of stuff to add to my portfolio. I finished sections 1-4. I'd strongly recommend this one but it requires a lot of structure. Don't cheat.

>freecodecamp (free)
More interactive than the Odin project, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's better. This was good for introducing me to some basic stuff and I would come back here for practice on days I wasn't feeling particularly motivated. A lot of people have a lot of success with this and the pro-bono work you can get at the end would be insanely useful if you can actually finish the course.

>treehouse (15usd/mo but there's a free trial)
I would start with this. Do the web design track and try finishing as much as you can in however long the trial is nowadays. The videos might work well for you, they may not. If you like a more structured, school like environment this one is probably best for you. I did the two week trial and would say that I learned the most about HTML and CSS from this course. I'd recommend starting here if you're a complete beginner.

Once you honestly feel you could get paid for your work, sign up on angel list and just apply fucking everywhere. I applied to probably 200+ jobs over the span of 2 months before I finally got an interview.

I would agree based on what I know about help desk work. It's cubical tier suicide inducing work unless you can get in at level 3+ with a company like IBM or something. Definitely need to get certs also, takes some time and quite a bit a of cash as well.

>and work through a little of something every day for 2 hrs
I asked because I'm not going back to college when this semester is over next week and I was planning on programming at least 8 hours a day. I'm in a small city where anyone of worth that can program goes an hour or two away to get paid more at a metropolitan area. Theres been 1 web dev job open for months and all their websites they have made have been pretty simple, figured I could get good enough for that in 1 or 2 months but wasn't sure.
I already know HTML/CSS

nice trips.

Program 8hrs a day then. Treat it like a real job. Just try working through one of those curriculums start to finish. If you already know html/css the first few sections should take you a day or two at most but don't skip them. Don't underestimate the basics.
After you have a portfolio (doesn't have to be anything special. simple is probably better.) just shoot them an application and apply to a bunch of remote jobs on angellist or linkedin or wherever works for you. Just don't stop programming and don't get dead set on working for one company. Your first job is just a stepping stone. It doesn't need to be glamorous.

I'm trying to sign up for Angel list but it wants to know my current job... I'm a fucking security guard. What do i put down?

I've made a pomodoro timer, weather app, node.js chat client and a shitty little multiplayer rpg with node. How long til I can get a job?

Is angel list really worth the effort ? I've applied to some jobs in finance and operations haven't heard back from any yet.

Can you guys pls guide me on where to begin and what to learn to get a foot in the door position in IT.

I'm an accounting graduate with 5 years in insurance underwriting but now I've moved to Canada and have been applying to jobs online byt don't hear back from recruiters probably coz of my lack of local experience.

I have always been interested in IT and programming I saw some online courses and found it to be interesting like Python and SQL.

Pls tell me what did you start with and where I'd prefer to learn a language which is easy and employable. Or any IT course which is job ready. Pretty good with computers here

When I signed up for angellist I had amazon warehouse employee and two other jobs that were completely unrelated. Doesn't matter. Just throw all of those projects on a little bullshit portfolio and start applying to junior/entry level positions. When I started applying I had a horrible portfolio design and two to three projects. Right now I don't have any projects on my portfolio. Just a contact form and social media links. The design is the most important part.

Look here for good examples: designm.ag/designer-showcase/200-portfolio-sites-webdesign-inspiration

I gave a guide here Nobody will hold your hand through this. google those projects and start working on one.

Are you retarded? Stay in accounting.

How do you get payed? I assume you have to give them your SSN and bank account information for payment.

Just like anyone else? I have my paycheck direct deposited. We use Gusto for payroll.

Join shopify and work from home. They're even Canadian

>I like computers
I wonder how long that will hold out?

>I recommend doing these certs in order:
>Network+
>A+
>Security+ (give yourself 6-12 months for this)

A better order would be A+/Network+/Security+

Network+ refreshes/completes all the continuing ed for A+, but not the other way around. That way you don't have to do any CEU shit.

Though really A+ -> Network+ into the CCENT/CCNA line could actually land a solid job, especially in more rural areas with less competition. Even with that A+ isn't really required, but it is good simply for having a broad base of generalist knowledge.

DO NOT GET THE A+ IT'S A FUCKING WORTHLESS CERTIFICATION

Security+ is useless as well unless you want to work in a security oriented role.

Network+ is pretty good for learning networking basics (which every IT person should know if they every want to do anything besides reset passwords all day). CCENT would be better, though.

The easiest way to get an entry level job with no experience would be to send your resume to some local Managed Service Providers. They always need warm bodies for their helpdesks, and you'll typically get a chance to at least see and maybe do some interesting stuff beyond desktop support. Be warned that you're going to burn out quick in these places - make sure you learn as much as you can so you can move onto bigger and better things.

IT is a huge field and there's a lot of different specialties you can get into. The biggest part is figuring out what you specifically want to do.

t. Network Engineer with 11 years experience in IT. Started as an intern doing desktop support.

Feel free to ask any questions I'm happy to give advice.

Thank you for your reply!

Regarding the A+, it's being memed everywhere, not just on websites I've found after Googling "how to entry level IT" but also IT forums.

At the moment, I am working in a completely unrelated field and I am afraid that I wouldn't be able to get hired when HR sees my resume with my unrelated jobs and no A+ cert.

Thus, even if the A+ is "a meme", isn't it basically required by HR for entry level jobs?

>Thus, even if the A+ is "a meme", isn't it basically required by HR for entry level jobs?

The only places that truly "require" an A+ cert are military/government organizations (why I don't know).

The A+ teaches you how to fix computers and hardware. The meme is that unless you're working for Geek Squad, you don't actually fix computers in IT. Desktop support is 95% customer service - you keep the user calm until you figure out what they're being an idiot about.

Way back when when I did desktop support, if someone spent more than 30 minutes trying to fix a user's problem, we gave them a loaner machine, took the broken computer back our lab and re-imaged it. If there was a hardware failure on the computer we called the vendor and they sent us a replacement. That's how it works in the real world - nobody has time to spend all day fixing a computer.

Going even further, nowadays, any organization worth their salt uses Thin Clients and VDI instead of actual desktops. So the "skill" of fixing computers has become even more useless.

Getting passed HR to get an interview is just a numbers game. What IT managers want out of an entry level worker are:
- Follows instructions and processes
- Won't break shit (i.e. asks someone else for help when something falls outside of the instructions and processes he's been given)
- Has a basic aptitude for troubleshooting
- Wants to and is able to learn

I see. I do have all the skills you listed, so basically, my best bet is to apply to a shitload of places until I find one where the hiring manager is somebody who knows what the real deal is instead of some 25 y.o. HR cunt who just filters applicants according to meme-keywords on resumes?

Still, though, regarding my CV, can I really get an entry-level help desk position even if I have nothing computer-related on it? I did work retail for 2 years, but never did phone customer support, either.

>my best bet is to apply to a shitload of places?
Yes. Like I said, your best bet is going to be local Managed Service Providers.

>Still, though, regarding my CV, can I really get an entry-level help desk position even if I have nothing computer-related on it?
Yes. The newest helpdesk guy my company hired last month was a college dropout who worked at Walmart for 3 years.

>never did phone customer support, either.
Just lie and say that you have. Don't go too crazy and say you worked at a call center or anything, just say that one of the functions of your retail position was talking to customers who called the store and calling customers for whatever reason.

Also, I'm going to make a general point about certifications since most people ITT are telling OP to study and get certs before he even applies to jobs.

Certifications are not substitutes for experience, they're supplements to experience. Most certifications are USELESS without any experience to back them up.

The reason for this is because any kind of entry-level cert (and most mid-level certs as well) only require you to take a multiple choice exam that may also have a handful of basic virtual labs. Any exam like this has a myriad of question dumps available online that let you cheat to pass.
If I'm interviewing you and see you have certs listed on your resume with no/little relevant experience, expect to be grilled on the subject matter as I'm going to assume as a rule that you cheated to get it.

The exemptions to these are expert level certs where you go onsite and work in a live environment as the test.

depends on the restaurant. i cant stand on my feet all day with a plastic smile and in a uniform

Thank you very much for the advice!

>Like I said, your best bet is going to be local Managed Service Providers.

I will research Managed Service Providers. Is there something I should know about this that isn't necessarily well known or popular opinion? (just like the thing about CompTIA A+ being useless, which contrasts with the "Get your A+" advice found everywhere after a Google search)

Previous experience.
They didn't bother to call my employer at the time. Plus there is a real fine line on what people can actually ask when they call your employers.

>You can apparently get a starter help desk position in less than a year
So can a street-shitting Indian.
>potential for growth
For offshoring.
>I like computers
I bet you do.

If you actually bother to get into IT, or god forbid web development, consider your job to be about as stable as a fuckin' earthquake.

Consider it a shitty part-time job you only have because it'll hold you over until you get a real job.

Show me where the outsourcing touched you

>Acquire skills.
>Lie on resume.

>Luck
You forgot the most important one

>Most certifications are USELESS without any experience to back them up.
And how do I get out of this f***in catch 22 scheme?

Where do you get these certs? Do you just study on your own or do you need to take classes at some official place?

I've been a help desk manager for a while now but am stepping down to work on my degree, ad both school and work are during the day.

Anyone know any IT jobs that would be good for a student, like keeping an eye on servers? I don't know these official names though

You have to be tall and good looking. Uglies, manlets, and fatties don't even get hired, or they get thrown in the kitchen making minimum wage with no tips.

>And how do I get out of this f***in catch 22 scheme?
Get a job that doesn't require certs (any desktop support job) and get experience.

>Where do you get these certs? Do you just study on your own or do you need to take classes at some official place?
For entry-level certs you can get self-study material or take classes. I'd recommend self-study, but it's up to you and how you learn. The classes will usually have you take the test at the end, but if you self-study you schedule the test (usually through Pearson) and go to a local testing.

Good luck not getting run out of a job by Pajeet in a year after you try to "grow into" your job.

Go read jobs reports you fool. IT along with healthcare are the fastest growing job markets. It's not like you stay in helpdesk forever. The longest should be a year.

>Going even further, nowadays, any organization worth their salt uses Thin Clients and VDI instead of actual desktops. So the "skill" of fixing computers has become even more useless.

I would second this. Learn how to work with VMs and learn cloud concepts.

I'm about 3 months into a new job in IT. I worked a few years in finance before switching over. What I did was really take my time. If your goal is to make as much money as possible as quickly as possible, you're going to fail hard. That applied to anything in life. Stop looking for shortcuts, get your ass to work and push yourself closer and closer every day. It's not going to happen overnight.

Since you are obviously in the very very beginning of this career-choosing process, I'd suggest you focus most on research. Read job reports, industry reports, etc to see where opportunities are and what fields are growing. Try out a bunch of things- build a lab or take different courses. See what you like, and see what's in demand. Nobody can just point you in some direction and set you off. You need to figure that out on your own.

>It's not like you stay in helpdesk forever. The longest should be a year.

As long as you get this, you'll be alright...

Don't be one of those ignorant minimum wage Niggers who refuse to improve their own skillsets and instead demand higher pay for work that can be easily automated.

Right, one of the nicest things I've enjoyed is being paid to learn. Got nothing to do? Pop open some courses my bosses paid for and chill and learn. I'm constantly getting more valuable and can take my show on the road whenever I please.

>I've been a help desk manager for a while now but am stepping down to work on my degree, ad both school and work are during the day.

Smart.

I'm doing product management for AWS cloud solutions and we are literally automating 1,000's of high paying, highly skilled IT skills on a weekly basis.

These are skills that would normally lead to a 6 figure salary in 2015.

Literally, ever week, we automate and eliminate high paying IT jobs... and the pace of automation is only becoming faster.

What kind of pay did you manage to earn starting out/after time progression? Very interested in pursuing a similar path.

,.l,

>in AF
>on Veeky Forums

God help us all.

Make the right friends or tell the right lies amigo

Keeping my eye on this thread.

How difficult would it be to transfer from working at an insurance company call center filing/handling claims into entry level IT?

I was studying for the A+ for a while but got hesitant and never took the test because I kept reading it's worthless and didn't want to waste $400.

Probably not too hard, just apply for any and all IT related jobs, get experience, find a niche and learn it.

don't go to technology fields unless you are highly competitive person.

the "sit in office and program for 70k" is the biggest meme ever.

since china and india got into IT the salaries have been dropping bigtime and you need to know like 10 languages and 5 programs to get a decent salary

shut the fuck up.
Incredibly false statement, north american educated is worth tenfold more than anything the east has to offer. 9 year network engineer and haven't seen a single poo in loo in my company since i started.

>haven't seen a single poo in loo in my company since i started
Hard to believe, every time threads like these pop up, everyone complains about pooinloos. +90% of IT related employees are pooinloos in both north america and europe.

who this

>local Managed Service Providers

What is the best way do find job postings for these or IT jobs in genereal?

Target specific companies and look at their job postings on their websites. Go to job listing sites (I find Indeed very helpful). Network with people in the industry and ask who's hiring.

Familiarise yourself with GNU/Linux. And I don't mean just run a *buntu distribution, explore the software centre and be done with it. Actively seek out the 'harder, more complex' distributions, as in most cases their setup/problems teach you more about how a computer works and how you can prevent/fix future problems.

Saying an 'IT job' is kind of vague because the field is a lot more varied than you might think. With pretty basic knowledge you could probably find a job in a local IT repairs/servicing shop which thrive from overcharging non-tech savy people for their tech needs.

If you want any type of sit behind a computer IT job then you'll need to be familiar with programming and be versatile with at least one language. Here's a few routes you can research and head down:
>Server configuration, maintenance and administration
>Security vulnerabilities contractor
>Free lancing/contracting web developer; back end, front end, full stack, blah blah
>'Programmer' AKA Software Development

The opportunities are pretty endless if you're good and especially if you're good and have a degree. If you just want a job the quickest most cost effective way is to just buckle down and start learning shit for yourself, start experimenting, start googling for resources, start reading books, start interacting with professionals in the area you desire to be in. Having experience in doing shit someone might actually want will serve you much better than having any CERT/degree - although it is a good indication of the minimum skill you might have (AKA you had to be at least good enough to receive said qualifications).

TL;DR If you really want something you'll work towards it and do everything in your power to make it fall in your favour. Don't expect to get a CERT/degree and have a comfy job fall right onto your lap

LMAO

What's the best way to get your foot in the door when you don't have any experience yet? Spam your resume to helpdesk jobs/staffing agencies?

Join the Navy and try to get IT or DT rates

If you have some sort of qualification(s) or even if you just have the knowledge and no formal qualification(s) than your best bet is to go out and get experience. Don't spam your resume expecting for one to hit because chances are if you're having to spam your resume out you'll only get picked by a pretty shit employer.

Approach I business you'd enjoy working for and explain your situation, what you know, show them you're interested in their company specifically, and then maybe hint at/ask if they have any opportunities for you. Even if you are working for free or for fuck all, you've gained some experience which you can then slam onto your resume and that gives you a better chance the next time around.

There's a few online programming platforms that do big collaborative charity type IT work so you could hop on those and it would look good on a resume.