IT Career [Week 13 2021] What would you like to know Wednesday? General Question Thread |
- [Week 13 2021] What would you like to know Wednesday? General Question Thread
- Getting medically discharged from Army and trying to figure out how to get started in IT
- I've got a phone screen at one of those sexy SaaS companies in sanfran that have like 20 hours worth of interviews. The benefits are amazing, it's not too niche of a role - my skills aren't rare Aside from studying the hell out of the company and data on glassdoor, how do I really succeed?
- IT in the out doors?
- Trying to make the career change as a 30 year old to IT, need guidance!
- Best beginner cert to do? A+ too difficult for a beginner?
- I am unable to redo university and kind of at a loss with where to take my career next
- Career advice: Burned out, bummed and struggling to advance
- Does your title matter in IT? Does it matter more, less, or not at all if you are a contracted employee or a full-time employee?
- What am I qualified for? I keep applying and am getting nowhere...
- Is scheduling at other MSPs this much of an issue?
- Career Guidance
- How can I negotiate floating remote work days as a field technician?
- As someone looking to immigrate to Canada one day, which field would be a better choice career-wise: cybersecurity or devops?
- How prevelant are silo's and major fragmentation among employee's in larger companies?
- (Another) Just landed my first IT related role at 33 years old (UK)
- Is an IT career--i.e., eventually sys admin, networking or security--a realistic prospect for me (UK)?
- Networking vs. Server Certifications?
- Better to complete more courses or get certificates?
- Need help transitioning to career in Software Development.
- Degree advice for Cyber Security... CS degree VS CIS degree.
- Is acloudguru worth it? Looking for a platform to start learning sysadmin/cloud/networking
- wanting to leave a company, but also feeling like no one will hire me if i leave
- Have a 2 year diploma in networking, going back to uni for a CS degree
| [Week 13 2021] What would you like to know Wednesday? General Question Thread Posted: 31 Mar 2021 01:12 AM PDT Not every question needs a backstory or long explanation but it is still a question that you would like answered. This is weekly thread is setup to allow a chance for people to ask general questions that they may not feel is worthy of a full post to the sub. Examples:
Please keep things civil and constructive! MOD NOTE: This will be a weekly post on every Wednesday. [link] [comments]  |
| Getting medically discharged from Army and trying to figure out how to get started in IT Posted: 31 Mar 2021 05:07 AM PDT I'm sure this has been asked multiple times but I'm currently getting medically discharged from the Army and been thinking about what to do and with a child coming I was thinking IT just so I had a job that was always in demand and paid decently. Any advice on getting started? Appreciate all the help. [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 30 Mar 2021 04:55 PM PDT So I've been applying like mad to companies that I think would be a good fit for me. But from what I've read so far, their goal is to find a mutual fit - which is why interviews are extensive. I'm thinking what will make or break me is ultimately something I cannot control - who I am. Thankfully, I'm very extroverted, friendly, good sense of humor, curious, motivated, and I've gotten a lot of positive feedback from my customers. Maybe my question is, how do I make sure they get an accurate impression of me? Any suggestions? I am reading about the company and the interviews CXOs have done, learning about their history, the product, etc. But anyone can do this, what the other candidates don't have is my personality. Which is my best asset. Maybe I should focus on me. I've got an interview scheduled at my current company for an interesting role but this other SaaS company looks REALLY great and I think I'd be a good fit - it's also a role that I would like a lot more. [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 31 Mar 2021 10:07 AM PDT I know it's a long shot but I heard stories about an I.T guy that worked at a ski resort and now it's kinda my dream to somehow do IT outdoors in some way. Are there any jobs that are tech related or IT positions that exist that might get me out of the office more? [link] [comments]  |
| Trying to make the career change as a 30 year old to IT, need guidance! Posted: 31 Mar 2021 05:48 AM PDT I'm a journeyman tradesmen looking to make a career change to IT so I have been upgrading my highschool grades through night classes for the past 8 months to attend a computer course at my local Polytech this Fall. Im done my final class next week so I just emailed the program head and there class is full with a 50+ person waitlist for next Fall (2022) too! I dont know what to do now. I'm turning 30 this week with 2 kids and a job that I hate (when I'm not laid off). What can I do for the next 18 months to keep my momentum towards this career change? Every local job requires this 2 year program. I feel defeated. [link] [comments]  |
| Best beginner cert to do? A+ too difficult for a beginner? Posted: 31 Mar 2021 04:04 AM PDT For someone with no prior IT knowledge is the A+ possible to complete within a few months? Should I start with something even more basic? I'm looking to do it between June and September before I start back at uni for my second year. I have no IT experience outside of using my computer for fairly basic stuff. I intend to do a certificate per year during my degree. [link] [comments]  |
| I am unable to redo university and kind of at a loss with where to take my career next Posted: 31 Mar 2021 07:38 AM PDT I am just about to finish a course in IT Security. As it wasn't something I was 100% into, I struggled to complete the work and I essentially feel like I've chosen the wrong course (but didn't feel this way until recently). Unfortunately, this is my third and last year and it seems likely I am going to fail overall. I think Computer Science would have been better, as I have experience in tech support and fixing tech in a small business, plus I would have more options in an IT career. Unfortunately, being part of a small business, the company I worked for doesn't have a huge reputation outside of the local community and positive reviews, so my experience there doesn't really add up to much without qualifications. If I were going into IT and systems support, where would I go next? I can no longer apply for more funding for university, so I'm at a loss with what to do next in my career. I live in the UK by the way (not sure this is necessary to put, but in case someone suggests extra funding or anything for something that may be unavailable for me). Any advice is appreciated. [link] [comments]  |
| Career advice: Burned out, bummed and struggling to advance Posted: 31 Mar 2021 09:14 AM PDT I made a throwaway for the purpose of this post. Looking for career and potentially resume advice...I know, a lot to ask and I appreciate any of you who can help. Background: I live in a large Canadian city and began a change of careers in 2016 when I started school. Fast forward to now, I have 2x 8month co-op terms under my belt as well as a 1 year contract stemming from my second co-op term as well as a 9 month contract which is due to expire in the next couple months. In the meantime, I have continued to work part time hours at the food plant; while I was in school and working in the office, I worked one day a week (Saturdays)...now with WFH I have been working overnights twice a week instead at the food plant. I bring this up because between life and two jobs, I haven't had time to get to certifications and I know that may be holding me back. I want to secure full-time employment before quitting the part-time job...and once that's done I can use that time and direct it towards certifications. Aside: The food plant improves my quality of life and helps provide financial stability...I am guaranteed hours there and should I experience job loss (as a contractor, can happen anytime), I can pick up more hours as someone with relatively high seniority. I am really struggling to move out of front-end support (which I have found to be soul sucking and depressing + I don't want to get pigeon-holed as front-line support for the rest of my career). Don't get me wrong, I am really good at support, my customer service is on point (I have been recognized by several clients for good customer service with my Manager CC'd) and am consistently among if not the top ticket closer on a monthly basis. But my interests and heart rest in back end support, whether it be app support, server admin, etc. I also really enjoy working on PowerShell stuff a fair bit. Again, any advice or critiques are appreciated. [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 31 Mar 2021 06:42 AM PDT I'm a contractor with a company now and I am on a team of 7. I spoke to one of the senior techs here about a conversation I had with the manager where I work each contract with a mind set of I'm on X team and I'm part of that team. So I want to learn all that I can about that role I'm in and how I can help the team with this information. I have this mindset because I know I'm at that company for X amount of time so ideally I want to be able to look for better positions/roles than the one I'm in when it time to look for the next job. So the Senior tech and the manager both told me that titles don't matter in IT it's about the work you do. I explained that for someone that isn't an employee of the company and is there for a limited amount of time I need to be able to learn and improve my skill set. This way I can get a better role, more pay, and possibly a full time position somewhere down the line. I bring this up because after the conversation maybe a week later someone gets promoted on this team to senior. So I'm confused if my thinking of titles is wrong or maybe it's different if you're a contractor compared to an FTE. [link] [comments]  |
| What am I qualified for? I keep applying and am getting nowhere... Posted: 31 Mar 2021 06:09 AM PDT Hi all, Thanks for reading and any advice- My background is 15+ years working (part time to full time, to taking over the business, then putting it out of its misery) at a small computer shop. We dealt mainly with home users (cleaning grandma's viruses, and all custom build PCs) and a few small businesses (should have done more businesses, but that's another story). 6 years ago I got A+ and moved to enterprise IT and got several additional certs. I have a B.A. from a major University that has nothing to do with tech, then got an A.S. in Comp Sci, now I'm 50% done with M.S. in CyberSecurity Management. I've worked at 4 different companies in past 6 years and each time it seems to be a lateral move and just a different version of "Support" or "Help Desk". What am I qualified for? How can I move up? All I can find are "manager" and "senior, super-dooper admin" postings that require 10 years of experience in things I don't have experience in, and will never get where I'm at. Here are my certs as listed on my resume: ISC(2) SSCP Certification ITIL v3 Foundations CompTIA Secure Infrastructure Specialist – CSIS CompTIA Network Infrastructure Professional – CNIP CompTIA IT Operations Specialist – CIOS CompTIA - A+, Network+, Security+, Project+, Server+ VMware Certified Associate - Data Center Virtualization Microsoft Networking MTA 98-366, Security MTA 98-367, System Administration MTA 98-365 Mac Integrations Basics Exam 10.13 Certified Mobilyze Operator – BlackBag Technologies [link] [comments]  |
| Is scheduling at other MSPs this much of an issue? Posted: 31 Mar 2021 11:16 AM PDT I've worked at a smallish-medium sized MSP for several years now. One of the biggest issues that has come up the whole time I've been here, is scheduling our workers for the various clients we serve regularly. Every week, the schedule being posted is a big event that the boss emails everyone about. He usually comments about how hard it was to fulfill all of our contractual obligations with the staff we have, and that it took several iterations of the schedule to get it right. He'll post the weekly schedule for the following week on the preceding Friday afternoon. Sometimes not until Saturday or even Sunday. So it might not be until Sunday morning that I know where I'm going to be the next day. Even then, some of the spaces on the schedule will still be blank until he "figures out who is going to be there that day". Another thing that seems odd is that if we want to take a day off, the boss needs to know a full two weeks in advance. So for example, if I want to take April 19th off, he needs to know absolutely no later than April 5th. So, we might not know where we're going to be Monday until the day before, but days off need to be called out two weeks ahead of time. If someone calls off sick, it can throw the whole company off that day. Instead of Tech 1 going to Client A, Tech 2 needs to go to Client A instead of Client B since Tech 1 is sick, and that means Tech 3 is now going to Client B instead of C and Tech 4 is going to Client C instead of D, which means such-and-such project isn't getting worked on today at Client D, so now that is a day behind, and on and on. Is this common in MSPs? Is this just a symptom of not having enough people? [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 31 Mar 2021 09:48 AM PDT 15 year IT professional. 5 years help desk and desktop support. 5 years network admin. Noc analyst. Now the last 5 I have spent in disaster recovery / business continuity / process improvement. I recently obtained my degree but don't have too many recent certs. (Comptia A+, some random cisco ones, mcse that expired) I accepted a new role to lead a disaster recovery team. I was wondering of making my own consulting company and lending out my services. I would be okay with just working on 1 client at a time for a period of 6 months to whenever. I'm not really sure how I would get the clients. I guess the good thing is I would only maybe need 1 per year. Even with that how the heck would I even go about this ? If I knew companies around me - take stryker for instance. Who ag stryker would I even contact for something like this ? Its sort of like being a recruiter but I'm only selling myself. I have never been a recruiter though so not sure how to package this. I would appreciate any help. [link] [comments]  |
| How can I negotiate floating remote work days as a field technician? Posted: 31 Mar 2021 08:08 AM PDT I work in a hospital system as a field technician/desktop support. There are days where I'm at several different locations picking up equipment and resolving tickets. I understand the job requires me to be present on those days. But, majority of my work is supporting administrative staff who are also working from home. I have a few teammates that work remote either full time (special circumstances) or 1-2 days a week. The option was never even discussed with me. The days I spend in the office all day could easily be done from home. How would you negotiate this? I'm still kind of young and inexperienced so I've been stuck in the "grateful for the opportunity" mindset. I want to learn how to bargain for myself more. My team lead is in his 60's and doesn't work remotely himself even though he could, which is why I find it intimidating to bring it up with him. I don't want to be labeled as the lazy new guy. Thanks [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 31 Mar 2021 08:02 AM PDT Hello everyone, 22M Egyptian here who's goal is to live in Canada one day. I'm currently a senior enrolled in an IT uni degree. I've got around a year to learn something. I'd like to know what skillset is most in demand and provides the best chances of getting hired by a Canadian employer? I was going the webdev route till i realized it's saturated as hell. Now I've narrowed my interests down to cyber security or devops/cloud.
Note: by the time I apply for immigration, I will have hopefully racked up 2-3 years of job experience in said role Looking forward to your replies, thanks [link] [comments]  |
| How prevelant are silo's and major fragmentation among employee's in larger companies? Posted: 31 Mar 2021 07:54 AM PDT I left an easy cushy job in voice on a major government contract due to stagnation and lack of ability to move up in the organization (I was already at the top level) and gain the experience I need to managing enterprise level architectures in networking, voice and whatever else I can get my hands on really. The organization I work for is really silo'd, bad. I mean there's like zero communication among teams and from 1 department to the next they literally have like no knowledge about what the other team even does, to me it's absolutely mind blowing. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the fact that everyone has been working here for 10-30+ years (minus a small handful of junior employee's such as myself and it's a small handful). So I'm just wondering, is this common? What should my expectations be here and how do I navigate this so I can actually gain the experience I need without ruffling to many feathers? It's like everything I do and say here is ruffling feathers and I'm just doing the job that my manager is asking me to do with without any push back or anything. [link] [comments]  |
| (Another) Just landed my first IT related role at 33 years old (UK) Posted: 31 Mar 2021 07:48 AM PDT I know there are a lot of these type posts, but I've personally found them all very useful so I'm hoping someone can benefit from mine TLDR: Worked in retail for 17 years, decided to change to IT. Watched videos on A+, read a book on Network+ (didn't pass either exams) - Watched a video course on CCNA (passed it), watched a few more video courses on active directory and azure. Applied for a job at a hospital and was extremely fortunate that it required a tailored cover letter but not a CV/Resume. Spent a week cramming for the interview (they only asked me one technical question). Got the job. Background: I've always worked in retail, since I was 16. Started working weekends, got promoted a few times, moved company twice and ended up with a decent job as a store manager at a mobile phone retailer. I don't actually mind the job and the pay is decent, but my wife does the same role, in the same company and it will be impossible when my wife finishes maternity leave (as we both have to work every Saturday) I've "always liked working with computers" (yea I know everyone says that) but it has always just been a hobby. I figured that the easiest path to a Monday-Friday 9-5 will be if I look for a career here. Learning: - I watched professor messers A+ video and I was bored out of my mind. I'd never done a video course before so I assumed I just wasn't used to this style of learning - I read the OCG for the Network+ - Found the concepts for networking extremely interesting and at this point I knew I wanted to get into some kind of networking role. - Watched Neil Anderson's CCNA Udemy course and everything clicked. There was a lot of overlap with the Network+ so I was well prepared. I seemed to have an aptitude for the subject so I booked the test a week or so afterwards and passed! - Watched a few videos on Udemy about active directory and Microsoft Azure just to get a feel for the technologies. - Homelab - I have a 2 servers running vmware so I practiced on VMs a lot. The Cisco labbing was all done using packet tracer, Job Searching: - Because I'd be taking a huge pay cut from my current job, I was extremely picky about the jobs I applied for. I only applied for roles that either: had decent compensation, had great hours (i applied for one that was 6am-2pm as this was perfect for me), or were reputable companies. I was extremely lucky and only had to apply for 3 jobs. One was at a hospital a short commute from where I live. The role is "Service Desk Analyst" The NHS is one of the biggest employers in the UK (if not the biggest?), so this was a massive draw for me as I'd always worked in large companies before. When I came to apply, I noticed that it didn't require me to upload my CV, but had a free text box where you explain why you think you're right for the role. I simply looked at the job description, pointed out how my skills related to the role (especially customer service skills), did some research on the company and talked about how I'd be a good fit. Spent a week cramming for the interview (even though you're not supposed to) - Learnt everything I could about the company and wrote down all the questions I thought they'd ask so that the answers were fresh in my mind. The interview was great - They only asked me one technical question (what is active directory), and the rest of it was related to customer service skills. I've been in customer facing roles for 17 years now so I was able to answer all the questions with confidence. They didn't ask me about my homelab, I tried to bring it up (even had a diagram prepared just in case) but they weren't interested at all. Looking forward to starting as it's a foot in the door, but I will be learning as much as I can to enable me to progress (internally or externally) Overall I know I was very lucky to find a job that didn't require a CV, and this was one of the main reasons for my success so far. That being said, I would encourage anyone in the UK that is struggling to get an interview, to apply for the NHS! [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 31 Mar 2021 07:28 AM PDT Hi, I'm 30, and graduated with a non-tech MSc (though I did use some Python while researching my thesis) in 2017. At the time, I was quite passionate about the field (sustainability), and had a good job lined up immediately after graduating. However, a close relative became very sick, and I ended up caring for them full-time rather than following my career ambitions. Fast forward 4 years, and I'm looking to start my career at 30. I don't feel like I can pursue sustainability any more, because there are way too many bad memories associated with the field. Given this, I've been doing some serious soul-searching for the past few months, trying to figure out alternative options, and I've decided that I'd like to forge a career in IT. To be clear, this is not a spur of the moment decision; I've always been the go-to computer guy of my family and circle of friends, and I've taken a few MOOCs to get a broad overview of the field, and to be sure that this is something that I'm genuinely interested in. My issue, however, is that I can't shake the feeling that I'm kidding myself about ever being able to get a decent IT job; that I'm wasting my time, and that no one will want to hire me vs someone younger, with a related educational background. I would be very grateful if anyone more knowledgeable could offer me their opinion, and perhaps point me in the right direction. Thank you. [link] [comments]  |
| Networking vs. Server Certifications? Posted: 30 Mar 2021 10:56 PM PDT Which one would you recommend to someone working help desk? Both seem like good ideas that relate to help desk. However, eventually I'd like to become a network engineer then work my way into cloud engineering, software development, or cyber security after a few years and spend the rest of my career in that specialty. Should I still get a cert on servers just to gain more of a solid foundation for the IT field in general? Right now I'm studying for CCNA but not sure where to go after that whether it be certification or job position. I like the idea of having a general foundation (hardware, security, networking, project management, cloud, coding) before specializing for 10-20 years so I can look at the IT field from a top down perspective, understand how it all fits together, and truly know what I like to do. Some people may not like that but I really want to be able to talk to various technicians and understand what is going on at all levels. Example) Know how code of a network based application relates to the network layer, the database to the server/cloud, and the security to all aspects of the project, in order to eventually be something like a solutions architect or CTO. Am I just being incredibly stupid? Especially if I eventually get into higher level positions like CTO/IT Director/Project Management/Solutions Architect, is this a stupid idea? [link] [comments]  |
| Better to complete more courses or get certificates? Posted: 31 Mar 2021 04:19 AM PDT There are some courses that teach all topics with exams included, others include a few exams but cover a wider range of courses. I'm Looking at this course. Only CompTIA a+ exam included, but covers all of this: I am new to IT. CompTIA IT Fundamentals CompTIA A + CompTIA Network + CompTIA Cloud + Windows 10 Cisco CCNA ITIL Foundation CompTIA Security + CompTIA Linux + CompTIA CySA + (Cyber Security Analyst) CCKK Cloud Computing Security Knowledge Ethical Hacker [link] [comments]  |
| Need help transitioning to career in Software Development. Posted: 31 Mar 2021 04:17 AM PDT Hi all, Long story short, I've been diagnosed with PTSD, my current job/career is no longer suitable, and it appears that Software Development would be a good fit for me. I've got a BA in an unrelated field, zero experience, and the possibility of getting a degree from WGU for free. I know zero people in the field, and I am hoping that maybe someone here with some experience would be willing to advise me on how to get started and the best ways to develop? If after reading this, this sounds like you, then THANK GOD 🙏🏼. Please message me. If this does not sound like you, then thank you for taking the time to read this anyways. [link] [comments]  |
| Degree advice for Cyber Security... CS degree VS CIS degree. Posted: 30 Mar 2021 06:43 PM PDT Currently my university only has two option for a Bachelors Degree, Computer Science or Computer Information Systems. I want to start a career in InfoSec but I am not sure which degree would provide a better "Leg Up" for me in the cyber security field. I am in the Boston area and have to compete with MIT grads for jobs as it is so I need all the help I can get. Any advice on which degree would be better suited for the cyber security field would be much appreciated. [link] [comments]  |
| Is acloudguru worth it? Looking for a platform to start learning sysadmin/cloud/networking Posted: 30 Mar 2021 09:51 PM PDT I'm going to start with a new career path and I just found a sale for ACG for 300 bucks, but I am hesitant to hit the button and purchase it as I've read contradictory things about them from "they are crap", to "now they have LA courses and are great". So, anyone knows if should I hit the trigger and go with them or I would be better by myself with free resources and other external courses? It would be uses for sysadmin and cloud (specifically aws) learning thanks [link] [comments]  |
| wanting to leave a company, but also feeling like no one will hire me if i leave Posted: 30 Mar 2021 03:36 PM PDT I'm currently having issues with my current employer as in I don't feel like I'm a good cultural fit and also having to go into a crowded office in the middle of a pandemic doesn't really seem like the best idea. They also don't believe in training as they think it would cause people to leave. I would basically describe my role as doing L2/L3 support for different applications, none of which have any sort of certification. I would like to do a similar role at a different company, but I don't think anyone would hire me to do the same. I feel if I quit as I'm tempted to do almost every day, I would end up unemployed and eventually homeless as no one would hire me. So my question is this: What can I do to at least make myself appealing to other employers without dropping thousands I don't have on certs that will not get me anywhere, and if that isn't going to work, what sort of career path could I take outside of IT? [link] [comments]  |
| Have a 2 year diploma in networking, going back to uni for a CS degree Posted: 30 Mar 2021 09:18 PM PDT I graduated from a 2 year college diploma program in Computer Networking 5 years ago. I've been working full time as a Network and Systems Administrator at a medium sized health software company for 4 years now. I am 26 years old. And I just decided to go back to a university to get a Computer Science degree. Right now, I'd be lying if I told you I can see myself being a CISO role in 15 years time, and I think it comes from my 2 year diploma. Clearly my diploma and co-op experience were enough to land me a good entry level job where I'm starting to move away from "My app crashed", "My bluetooth headset died" type ticket and more into DevOps & slightly bigger picture initiatives. But what happens at this position after 15 years? I don't realistically see my salary rising above $100K without becoming the IT director, and I don't want to hit a career ceiling at age 45 where I may get overlooked for senior roles in favor of colleagues with a degree. Before anyone comments saying "You do not need a degree to be director, manager, CTO, high salaried, etc", yes, I do know that all those are possible without a degree! I don't even think that an early career ceiling is a guaranteed thing for those without a degree. But I just think that we live in a world where having degrees still is a "checkbox item" in many (especially larger) companies in senior roles, and if I'm thinking long term, sacrificing 4 years in order to have much better 25, 30 years of career is worth it. I am already employable, I have a diploma from a skills-focused college, and once I get a BSc in CS or Software Engineering, I really think I can do anything. I feel like I can be an ML engineer, a CISO, or anything I put my mind to. I do feel like crying when I think about giving up this somewhat comfortable lifestyle at 26 and going back to poor student life, but I must look far ahead, and not just the next 10 years. In 10 years, I'll only be 36 years old, and still with multiple decades to live. And for that, I think an investment in a degree is worth it. Thanks for coming to my TED talk. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the topic, do you have any advice for me? Or data points for me to consider? Do you think that already having a job in IT is enough to not go get a degree? Or do you think career ceilings are real and a bachelor's degrees can help? Edit: I also have a Security+ cert, and the MS 70-740 cert. [link] [comments]  |
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