how did yall get started, im in college and just wondering how yall get your foot in the door, im having some trouble getting any experence ?? just looking for ideas
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how did yall get started, im in college and just wondering how yall get your foot in the door, im having some trouble getting any experence ?? just looking for ideas
started in 91 with basic repair course, and just build on that from there, did Physical Education 1st... but
I know a few guys that got internships. They have benefited greatly from that!
Internships bro...you can't beat experience. Even if your grades are mediocre (sp?), employers look for experience before anything else. Trust me.
Peace
I started doing my own IT consulting/web design. then took a job as a customer service/first level support at a ISP and have worked my way up to a NOC Analyst for a different ISP start networking and applying to any job that could help you.
What do you IT guys think of schools like DeVry and ITT? Do you think that they're a waste of money or worth the money?
Try and see if there is a co-op option, that is a great way to get your foot in the door.
Speaking as an ex-IT-employer, experience can be a big plus when making the choice to hire a person. Grades don't always translate into how well a person adapts to a real-world work environment.
What area of IT are you studying and what area do you plan on going into?
Internships are great. You trade a few months of free labor for the company taking the time to train you on how to assimilate intot he work environment. (The intern wins in this deal; in my experience in IT, the company spends more $'s on the training than they get back in work!) Work with your school, they must have a co-op/internship placement office. If you do get paid, more power to you!
Do freelance work. Find small-medium sized companies that need what you know and contract to do the work for them. Even if you don't make much money, the experience is valuable.
If you are a programmer, work on an open-source software project. Even though they are non-commercial entities, many are run the way a good software project should be run.
Do your own projects. Completing an assignment is not the same as working on a real-world problem. High marks for guys who see a problem, think of a solution and work it all the way though to the end. Definitely a quality employers want. Make sure you FINISH it. You will lose all the points (and go into negatives) if you show it, it crashes and you spend 20 minutes explaining what you were GONNA DO or SHOULDA done!
Cheers!
I started a web site (Way back when) that gave tips on hardware and software development. Got a mail one day from a guy who wanted to employ me (I was working as a poolside lifegaurd at the time and my IT work was just for fun)
I went from there to another job a year or so later - Never looked back - Iv been doing software and/or hardware engineering for about 10 years now, all off the back of a hobby web site!
BTW: Currently looking for a new job - Anyone interested let me know :D
ajax makes a very good point i teach and have been at college level IT for about 11 years now. I can only remeber maybe 4 times employers asking for or about marks. They are more concern with attitude and abiliity to fit into their work evn.
Hey bro, that question is kind of loaded, so I'll dance around it. Try and get into a regular 4 year institute if possible. Especially if they have a decent engineering or technology department. If you are going to spend the same amount of money and basically the same amount of time and energy, go ahead and make sure that it never gets held against you. Make sense?Quote:
Originally posted by G Child
What do you IT guys think of schools like DeVry and ITT? Do you think that they're a waste of money or worth the money?
Good Luck Bro.
ttgb :lift:
I got into IT through CO-OP in high school. Started off doing data entry stuff and went from there.
I've heard one of the best ways to get your foot in the door is through contracting. They will contract you to jobs that meet your skill level and you will grow from there.
As far as those schools I can’t really say. I looked into ITT and it was like $30 grand for a 2 year degree. They have job placement and they claim most all students get a job before they graduate but I can get a 2 year degree at my local community college for a fraction of that price.
Another good thing to have is a certification, those are valued almost if not more than college degrees these days. There are different certification depending on what field you are going into. I'm trying to get my MCSE. You can get those certifications by studying at home, however they are not easy tests.
if i had it to do over i would take the money i waisted in school and i would have used it to get my certs DBA, MCSE, Cisco, HP-UX
what i learned in school did not even come close to prepare me for the crazy sh*t i encounter on the job
intership is good even sign up to be a tutor at your school
any hands on exp you can get is a big help
That is very true, you can get all the degrees and certs in the world and it wont teach you anything like experience will. You have the book/Microsoft world and the real world, they are two different things.Quote:
Originally posted by DevilsDeity
what i learned in school did not even come close to prepare me for the crazy sh*t i encounter on the job
I have seen many people that dish out the cash, take a crash course for a couple certs, get a job and wind up no knowing anything.
BigD
amen bro
I used to trun out 10-15 MCSE in a year, very few could really "do the work" Just good book smarts.
Where I worked we hired a few MCSE's that didn't know how to install a network card. 1 of my co-workers said that at his past job an MCSE they hired asked him how to format a floppy. it's brutal. on the other hand there a few MCSE's that I go to for help when I am stuck because they know there stuff inside out.
Devry and ITT Tech are big names but with that comes big money, look for a well respected college that employers in your area will know. then price out what you want to take and go with the cheapest. The college here had a 93% hiring with in 6 months from grad when I was taking some courses there. and there job board almost always has something.
I heard that Houston was booming with IT work. look for places willing to hire a student. sure you will only be making 10 bucks an hour but thats to start give your self a few years.
figure out what you want to do...do some research and take some courses in that field. Try to find some course with coop or other job placements type arrangments..and if you are a hard worker you should be on your way.
WOW THIS THREAD BLEW UP ... i didnt' know there were that many guys out there, as far as what i want to do, im on the hardware end of it right now, i just got my a+ (like i said just trying to get my foot in the door) i will for sure look into a co-op job, the stay there for a couple of month's, from what all yall are saying that seems to be the best way to go... thanks for all the info i got, and what about programming, what got all yall coders into that, im thinking about taking a vb class next sem. just to have some of it under my belt also gonna take a net + class next sem too, i know cert s are just a peice of paper, but they do help ... thanks agian guys
Right now, i would focus on XML, and java or vb script, java, vb. Seems to be the trend right now. Good base is C++ comes in handy, but can get same info, skills from java for most part.
if my school offers it do you think i could do a intro java class with no coding exp at all, or is this a lil advanced for me to start with ??
So certs are the way to go? The community college where I'm at just started to offer Cisco, think it's a good idea to look into? They also have a program for Computer Information Systems, thinking about that also.
And damn this post did blow up!
Thanks for the help fellaz. I'm going to stay with regular schools because don't know how grad schools feel about ITT and DeVry.
I have taught lots of ppl java with no experince in coding. It's harder for sure, but most have no problems if they applythemselves.
hey g child... LOVE THE AVATAR, looks like you been doing alot of business or just got back from vegas !!! haha
Quote:
Originally posted by caseylee
vegas
Bro, that shit can get very advanced...you should take a basic programming class of some kind b'f entering that...JMIQuote:
Originally posted by caseylee
if my school offers it do you think i could do a intro java class with no coding exp at all, or is this a lil advanced for me to start with ??
Building hardware skills: if you can spare some cash, buy a few older computers (low-end pentiums) and build a network in your basement/bedroom. Mix up WinNT, Win2000, Win98, WinXP and Linux computers. Install mail servers, web servers, file servers, proxy servers. Get a second hub (hubs & network cards are dirt-cheap), add a second network card to on machine and make it a router. Add extra network cards to another machine and make a multi-homed web server. Run Netbios and TCP/**. Set up users and groups. Set up a network printer. Set up an internet gateway /proxy server / firewall so all the computers can access the net. Apply patches and try to make all the computers secure.
Having your own lab and getting real-world experience is the best expereience you can get!
You get the idea. It's not that pricey. Buy cheap, used boxes, a decent monitor and a KVM (Keyboard, Video and Monitor) switch so you can run four or more computers off one monitor and keyboard.
For software, you can't go wrong knowing Java, it's a great basic OO language; if you understand the OO concepts, picking up a nerw syntax is pretty easy. If you are doing web work, Java and Perl are great along with ASP and PHP. If you are doing Linux admin, Perl is a must and knowing DB administration is cool too. Definitely learn SQL, it's in demand in almost every environment. C++ is still the king as far as power developemtn environments, but C# and the new Visual Basic will be giving it a run for their money in the MS world.
OK. I am through pontificating. Glad to see there are a lot of nerds here!
Ajax you working in IT over there? If so is it worth it or just fun living in Tailand?