I’m currently a line cook, considering making the switch, but I’m a little confused about where to start. A local community college offers some certs that seem promising.
I have a little relevant background, a minor in comp sci, but that was some years ago (trying to relearn some of the material in my spare time now).
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I got into IT by getting an MCSE+I Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer+Internet, an A+ Cert and a CNA Certified Novell Administrator.
I am pretty sure that other than the A+ none of those exist anymore.
Getting IT Certificates is a good move.
You can’t go wrong with cisco certs, while they are not the top tier like the used to be, understanding networking will never go away.
I’m trying to get out. It’s a fucking miserable grind through bullshit and office politics. It can pay well, but there’s a cost to that paycheck I am no longer willing to pay.
I started in basic overnight support centers. Certs are big so getting basic ones in your field can be important, but they arent always easy or cheap to obtain. I started with real basic/low level certs that arent really favored by recruiters but are important for actually learning: Network+ and Server+ as my job was focused on websites and servers at the time. Eventually I moved on to Cloud focused certs for AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud because by that time I was supporting those cloud platforms.
I didn’t switch into IT, I’ve basically been in IT since I started working (which was quite a while ago). But hopefully I can help.
I think you’re off to a good start with the minor in comp sci. That will help. Certs can help too, depending on the nature of them. I wouldn’t go all-in on super-expensive certs, but if they are affordable and hands-on they’re probably worth it.
Depending on which area of IT you want to the get into, just keep learning/relearning skills and building up your knowledge in your spare time. That might be a bit more expensive if you’re going into the hardware/network side of things (especially right now). Maybe look online for used hardware you can buy to build up a home lab. But for software development it’s not too bad, since there are lots of good open source tools out there.
If you are taking the software path, I suggest finding an open source project and helping them out, since that’s a great way to learn and it’s good for the resume. But also know that (from what I’ve heard) the software development field is BRUTAL right now for entry level/junior devs. AI and corporate layoffs are making it a tough field to find a position in.
If you have a knack for networking, especially messing around on networks, cyber security might be a good avenue.
Good luck!
Thank you! I am looking at networking mostly atm.
It took me 10 years to finish my BSc in Ecology because my ADHD hadn’t been diagnosed and I procrastinated by fucking around with Linux.
So I didn’t get hired in my field, and a friend of mine got me a support job at a software startup that didn’t find qualified people cause they paid like shit.
When it predictably went under, I had 4 years of experience and got a job as IT sysadmin in an MSP. 3 more years later I switched to the internal IT department of a newspaper, where I work now.
At the last switch, I had the choice between 6 employers who offered me a job and chose the one with a union, a workers council, a regular 35 hour work week, and 42 days of PTO per year.As far as I can tell from my agency’s IT department it takes no qualifications or knowledge of anything. Just apply to jobs. Someone will be stupid enough to hire you and you can just google search basic trouble shooting and quickly become the CTO!
The most important credentials to get a bigwig it manager job is to have the same last name as the owner apparently
This is seriously the answer. I’ve known a lot of people that are useless at their jobs. All you have to do is keep applying and someone will hire you, then you can just learn on the job.
Do not unless you want to use AI all the time.
Aside from all the current advice here. The golden rule is usually find friends in the field. Research where IT people go in your area and start to make friends. The job market is vicious right now, the more people you know, the better.
Certs can get you in the door. They aren’t that important later.
Honestly getting an internship or some form of work experience goes a very long way. Then it’s a matter of meeting the right people at the right time.
Was also in that position. Took an entry level QA job and just bounced around a lot.
Trying to be concise and noting this is all just my random opinion from personal experience:
- Always be building something. Look around at listings and see which tech stacks seem like stuff you’d enjoy and are hiring, Google them, download them, build with them.
- Carefully and securely after seeking much advice, host live demos of your builds somewhere and link them on your resume. If it’s something that might generate a large bill if abused, you could set up an auth system for it and have prospective employers email demo account requests by some form on your page. If you’re thinking web dev, at least host a simple page in AWS or Azure just to demonstrate some mastery of the basics of the front end, DNS listings, etc. Describe your setup in the page and why it is safe and efficient.
- Look for support and/or QA positions to make a start somewhere. Look for chances to leverage your new skills there for automation, analysis, or reporting.
- Contribute to open source projects and list contributions on your resume.
- (risky but often good) take freelance jobs gor short term work and exposure to different concerns… carefully with thorough research
… I think that’s my highlight reel.
I got a couple certs, then got a 2 year degree from a local technical college. That led me to getting a job working help desk, then got my current position as a Sysadmin via an internal job posting.
[off topic]
Look at this book, “Discover What You Are Best At” by Linda Gail.
I needed a career change and it pointed me at something I’d never considered before. Turns out I was good at it and really enjoyed the job.
Minor in comp-sci will probably do the trick. Pretty common pathway in the US is to get with a contract agency and then have the client buy out the contract if they like you. If they don’t buy it out, then you have the relevant job experience to get your foot in the door at most places.
You can go for certs. Everybody hates them, but I can honestly say that having an A+ and Net+ cert definitely did not hurt my career. It’s worthwhile to study for certs too, even if you don’t get them. Just mentioning that I was looking into getting my CCNA helped (and knowing a bit from the study material is useful on it’s own).
I would recommend self study for the CompTIA tests. If you really put your nose to the grindstone, you can probably bust them out in a week or two.
Shoot for a CCNP, and do the certs up to that. Networking is an easy one to get into as everybody else is doing cloud computing, devops, AI, or programming. If you dedicate your life to it like programmers do with side projects then you can get above them in salary as well, though its not necessary.
Sure, that’s a great idea! Here’s a quick step by step guide to get started:
- Wait until AI CEO visits the restaurant where you cook
- Add poison to food
- Wait for CEO to die and company collapse
- …
- Get IT job.
Would you also like me to prepare a list of potent poisons available in your area?
