IT Certifications and Careers (Official Discussion Thread)

[Sonny Bonds]

My background is just those two for now (I just recently passed my exam a week ago with the school I'm currently attending) as far as in the IT field? so many roads to go with, it's hard to pick one to be honest.

And what do I want to do? Be in the IT field (I love computers). I considered STNA at one point, but due to my mother passed recently, I realize I could never get used to seeing people dying before my eyes....that and the pay and the clean up is kinda

If you're in college, try to get a job with your school's IT department, which would mostly likely be help desk.

 

[Apollo Creed]

My background is just those two for now (I just recently passed my exam a week ago with the school I'm currently attending) as far as in the IT field? so many roads to go with, it's hard to pick one to be honest.

And what do I want to do? Be in the IT field (I love computers). I considered STNA at one point, but due to my mother passed recently, I realize I could never get used to seeing people dying before my eyes....that and the pay and the clean up is kinda

Excel and Word arent considered "Technical Skills". Everyone loves computers but IT does not = Computers. There are literally hundreds of different areas that full under the umbrella of "IT". I find people saying "I love computers" aka I use a computer a lot but that has nothing to do with skill set unless you are saying "I make web pages " or something like that. You have Brilliant Programmers for example that are not "Tech savy" because you dont need to know about "computers" to be a software developer. I think you should go on UDEMY and buy a few courses and see what interest you most and then revisit the career thing. Often times if your first question is money related it may not be for you because you probably won't last through the BS to make it to the real money.

and Im not trying to be a hard ass, just making sure you are setting yourself up for success.

 

[Sassy]

Excel and Word arent considered "Technical Skills". Everyone loves computers but IT does not = Computers. There are literally hundreds of different areas that full under the umbrella of "IT". I find people saying "I love computers" aka I use a computer a lot but that has nothing to do with skill set unless you are saying "I make web pages " or something like that. You have Brilliant Programmers for example that are not "Tech savy" because you dont need to know about "computers" to be a software developer. I think you should go on UDEMY and buy a few courses and see what interest you most and then revisit the career thing. Often times if your first question is money related it may not be for you because you probably won't last through the BS to make it to the real money.

and Im not trying to be a hard ass, just making sure you are setting yourself up for success.

Thank you for the advice. I'm not just worried about the pay, but I also do want to do something that I enjoy as well as success. The last thing I want is to work at a job I hate for years. Speaking of programming, I should probably work on my math skills for the field as well.

 

[Sonny Bonds]

Thank you for the advice. I'm not just worried about the pay, but I also do want to do something that I enjoy as well as success. The last thing I want is to work at a job I hate for years. Speaking of programming, I should probably work on my math skills for the field as well.

What's your major in college?

 

[Sassy]

What's your major in college?

I'm not in college, I'm in a trade school (if we want to be technical)

 

[Apollo Creed]

Thank you for the advice. I'm not just worried about the pay, but I also do want to do something that I enjoy as well as success. The last thing I want is to work at a job I hate for years. Speaking of programming, I should probably work on my math skills for the field as well.

How old are you? Write down 5 things YOU LOVE to do, then look up job descriptions for these things, then find the salary ranges and write down the MINIMUM salaries for these jobs in your city, now rank them from high to low, after doing that google the path it takes to do them, now to yourself compare the Pay to the time you would need to invest in order to do it and pursue the one that makes most sense.

 

[Sassy]

How old are you? Write down 5 things YOU LOVE to do, then look up job descriptions for these things, then find the salary ranges and write down the MINIMUM salaries for these jobs in your city, now rank them from high to low, after doing that google the path it takes to do them, now to yourself compare the Pay to the time you would need to invest in order to do it and pursue the one that makes most sense.

I'm 21.

and will do.

 

[Apollo Creed]

I'm 21.

and will do.

You probably won't even find yourself until your 24 or 25, so all I will say is right now don't take on any debt for anything you are unsure of. Granted I knew what I wanted to do since I was 10, so I`m a rare case and that being said I know a lot of people who simply went through life doing stuff they actually didnt want to do but more so society told them to do and they end up wasting time. I have seen tons of folks get College Degrees in stuff they didnt even care for and end up in jobs that dont require degrees or even going to trade schools after getting college degrees.

 

[Sassy]

You probably won't even find yourself until your 24 or 25, so all I will say is right now don't take on any debt for anything you are unsure of. Granted I knew what I wanted to do since I was 10, so I`m a rare case and that being said I know a lot of people who simply went through life doing stuff they actually didnt want to do but more so society told them to do and they end up wasting time. I have seen tons of folks get College Degrees in stuff they didnt even care for and end up in jobs that dont require degrees or even going to trade schools after getting college degrees.

You do have a point, but I can't just sit here and wait until that 24-25 to figure out what I wanted..can I?

Idk how my credit is, but I have never taken out a loan, so I think I'm good on that part.

and agreed, that's one of the few reasons why I haven't (still won't) go to college. I don't want to waste 4 years, just to find out I can't get a job in that one field, and even if I do - I don't want debt hanging over my head and still have to pay it back at the age of 65.

tbh, all this is frustrating

 

[Apollo Creed]

You do have a point, but I can't just sit here and wait until that 24-25 to figure out what I wanted..can I?

Idk how my credit is, but I have never taken out a loan, so I think I'm good on that part.

and agreed, that's one of the few reasons why I haven't (still won't) go to college. I don't want to waste 4 years, just to find out I can't get a job in that one field, and even if I do - I don't want debt hanging over my head and still have to pay it back at the age of 65.

tbh, all this is frustrating

Nothing wrong with Debt as long as you are investing in something you actually want to do, at the end of the day it takes money to make money. The issue today is folks take on debt for stuff they hate or something jobs dont exist for. Luckily in the internet age you can look up free tutorials on different thing to learn basics then if its something you enjoy you can go to school and become official. Most of the guys in this thread are on the Operations or Info Sec side so many of them big up Certs, but Certs arent needed for things like Software Dev, Web Dev, Project Management, etc. which is why I said you should find what you like then set up a plan of accomplishing your goal. One thing I will say is you should try to get a gig with an ISP or Wireless Company like AT&T or Verizon in their sales or customer service/tech support areas as they have HUGE Tech devisions that cover all areas of IT and working there they do things like tuition Reimbursement too, and they pay good enough where you can make a decent living while doing school or self study on the side and eventually try to transition to the Technical side of things.

 

[Hahahaha]

Just hit Senior Manager level. Need to finish my Bachelor's and work towards getting Director level. I'm also getting towards the 'underpaid' level in my opinion so may look to make a jump after all my current projects are deployed.

 

[patscorpio]

1. Was it hard finding a job in this field as a black person?

2. As a black person, is going in the IT field the right direction? What I mean by that is, is it worth going through all the trouble for the field?

3. What are the tips for getting jobs in the entry-level IT positions?

4. Do employers care about your first name? (I know there's discrimination in every field)

1. the low level/entry level IT jobs - not really....because call centers always need people
2. yes..one thing about IT is in order to make it, you gotta pay some dues...everyone pays dues...you got to want to do it
3. in your case you should hook up with an IT job recruiter firm of some sort...thats what I did after i couldn't extended my 3 years on and off internship any longer
4. not as much as your last name ..im half serious though

 

[patscorpio]

Thank you for the advice. I'm not just worried about the pay, but I also do want to do something that I enjoy as well as success. The last thing I want is to work at a job I hate for years. Speaking of programming, I should probably work on my math skills for the field as well.

the wonderful thing about IT sweetheart is its broader than programming..there's plenty of IT positions that you dont need to learn how to write code...programmer does need to have good math skills but more importantly even stronger logic...if you feel programming is the direction that you want to head in....youre a newbie to the IT game...you're going to have to grind to develop a skillset AND pay some dues.

 

[Sonny Bonds]

Has anyone ever been audited by Microsoft before? The company I work at is in the process of it. I didn't even know this was a thing until today.

 

[FastEddie215]

For anyone who took the MCSA Server 2012, how many hours did you put in? How much time between exams? How long did it take you in total?

I plan on substituting the 412 with the 70-346 first half of MSCA:O365 and just grab 2 certs with 4 tests.

Any advice would be great.

3 to 4 hr a day study sessions...about a month and a half between each exam...took me about 5 months to pass all 3 exams