Need help

[FreshSoulL]

I have been working on a support desk for 11 months now heading to a year..

I do not want to be here any longer. I want to get into some Junior networking role or web development role.

I searched on seek and all these places ask for experience/knowledge which wasn't gained during my University Degree.

Should I go to TAFE and receive my Cisco certificates? or just apply with my degree. #Confused (Uni is a waste of time)

What do I do? Please help me my fellow kennel members

 

[Hacky McAxe]

I have been working on a support desk for 11 months now heading to a year..

I do not want to be here any longer. I want to get into some Junior networking role or web development role.

I searched on seek and all these places ask for experience/knowledge which wasn't gained during my University Degree.

Should I go to TAFE and receive my Cisco certificates? or just apply with my degree. #Confused (Uni is a waste of time)

What do I do? Please help me my fellow kennel members

If you've already done a degree through Uni then do the CCNA course. If you hadn't done the degree then I'd suggest you do your TAFE Networking degree first as the CCNA course is hard if you don't have good knowledge but since you do then go straight into the CCNA course. Employers look for 2 things when it comes to IT and Networking:

1) Experience - Fortunately TAFE has a lot of practical study so employers will always take TAFE over Uni for entry level

2) CCNA (Cisco Certification) - You can do your advanced diploma that may get you somewhere but most employers just want you to have your CCNA certification

 

[likeadoggy]

give Seek learning a buzz mate, speak to an IT consultant.

 

[FreshSoulL]

If you've already done a degree through Uni then do the CCNA course. If you hadn't done the degree then I'd suggest you do your TAFE Networking degree first as the CCNA course is hard if you don't have good knowledge but since you do then go straight into the CCNA course. Employers look for 2 things when it comes to IT and Networking:

1) Experience - Fortunately TAFE has a lot of practical study so employers will always take TAFE over Uni for entry level

2) CCNA (Cisco Certification) - You can do your advanced diploma that may get you somewhere but most employers just want you to have your CCNA certification

A lot of my networking knowledge has died. LOL Its been over a year now. I need to freshen up.. hm

 

[Mr Invisible]

How long have you been in the industry for?

If this is your first IT job and 11 months in you want to jump ship, put yourselves in the shoes of a potential employer.
First thing they'll be asking is "how long are we going to get out of this bloke, before he jumps ship elsewhere".

On the job experience is invaluable in the world of IT, and whilst it won't get you straight through the door, it shows you are willing to be a long term employee and that you have practical experience in that industry. Jumping from job to job every 6-12 months in order to try and increase your pay packet, or because you are bored, won't look good on a resume.

To give you an idea, I've been in the industry 17 years, broken down into.
2 years with one business (IT Trainee)
1.5 years with another (Contracts/Support)
12 years with another, (IT Tech)
1.5 years where I am currently (IT Management).

Training Wise - Check out the Microsoft Virtual Academy (lots of good information/training resources for free there).

Cisco and CCNA training is all well and good, but it does have a bit more "wank factor" than relevance these days. Cisco is going more from being "must have" gear, to "trading on its name". With more and more well priced enterprise alternatives hitting the marketplace, Cisco certs kinda lose their relevance a bit. Likewise having to constantly update Microsoft Certification means it loses its gloss these days as well.

Your better bet would be something like Comptia Network+, as that proves you have general wide range of networking knowledge. From there branch out either into Microsoft / Cisco / or even a specialised networking field (HP/Netgear/Dell).

You've also got specific hardware certification you can get (E.G Sonicwall/Checkpoint/Juniper).

First things first though, I'd get Network+ under your belt. Possibly even A+, and then even consider Security+. From there branch out IN ADDITION to on the job experience.

All the certifications in the world mean nothing if you've never worked a day of physical experience behind one in a business!

.....

Hope this helps... and speaking of which ... I really need to get my home lab working

 

[Raysie]

I think what you're doing right now is going to open more doors for you then any certificate will.

Is there any chance you can hang in there for another year or so to gain more experience and show future employers that you can last more than a 11 months in a technical role?

 

[DoggyStylz]

Hmm...... have you tried sleeping with your boss for a promotion? That usually works. ...

 

[chris_e_fresh]

Is this your first job? I'll leave my answer till you answer that lol

 

[Nano]

One of my reasons for quitting uni was for this, a degree isn't enough these days and you waste all that time studying up for what when you have no real world situation while some tafe graduate takes your beginner role and moves quickly while you are sitting there waiting.

Me being at uni didn't even help applying for IT jobs but I got one after quitting so I got lucky lol

 

[FreshSoulL]

Is this your first job? I'll leave my answer till you answer that lol

Yep my first professional job!

 

[FreshSoulL]

How long have you been in the industry for?

If this is your first IT job and 11 months in you want to jump ship, put yourselves in the shoes of a potential employer.
First thing they'll be asking is "how long are we going to get out of this bloke, before he jumps ship elsewhere".

On the job experience is invaluable in the world of IT, and whilst it won't get you straight through the door, it shows you are willing to be a long term employee and that you have practical experience in that industry. Jumping from job to job every 6-12 months in order to try and increase your pay packet, or because you are bored, won't look good on a resume.

To give you an idea, I've been in the industry 17 years, broken down into.
2 years with one business (IT Trainee)
1.5 years with another (Contracts/Support)
12 years with another, (IT Tech)
1.5 years where I am currently (IT Management).

Training Wise - Check out the Microsoft Virtual Academy (lots of good information/training resources for free there).

Cisco and CCNA training is all well and good, but it does have a bit more "wank factor" than relevance these days. Cisco is going more from being "must have" gear, to "trading on its name". With more and more well priced enterprise alternatives hitting the marketplace, Cisco certs kinda lose their relevance a bit. Likewise having to constantly update Microsoft Certification means it loses its gloss these days as well.

Your better bet would be something like Comptia Network+, as that proves you have general wide range of networking knowledge. From there branch out either into Microsoft / Cisco / or even a specialised networking field (HP/Netgear/Dell).

You've also got specific hardware certification you can get (E.G Sonicwall/Checkpoint/Juniper).

First things first though, I'd get Network+ under your belt. Possibly even A+, and then even consider Security+. From there branch out IN ADDITION to on the job experience.

All the certifications in the world mean nothing if you've never worked a day of physical experience behind one in a business!

.....

Hope this helps... and speaking of which ... I really need to get my home lab working

Very true and insightful. Will consider what was said here

Cheers!

 

[Moe]

You haven't even been working for a year. You can't expect to jump into a specialised role straight away. Doesn't work that way in IT. Everyone starts off doing basic support.

Uni is a waste of time tbh. My advice is try to find a role in a smaller company/business where you are looking after all aspects of IT. My first job was on helpdesk for a small company with 2 others, but i did everything from answering the phones, hardware repairs, desktop support and basic server support.

 

[Natboy]

One of my reasons for quitting uni was for this, a degree isn't enough these days and you waste all that time studying up for what when you have no real world situation while some tafe graduate takes your beginner role and moves quickly while you are sitting there waiting.

Me being at uni didn't even help applying for IT jobs but I got one after quitting so I got lucky lol

I didn't know you ended up quitting mate! Thanks for letting me know Sounds like it's worked out well though man! Good luck to you
Merrylands has been crying out for male prostitutes! All of the other ones have been shot hehe

 

[FreshSoulL]

You haven't even been working for a year. You can't expect to jump into a specialised role straight away. Doesn't work that way in IT. Everyone starts off doing basic support.

Uni is a waste of time tbh. My advice is try to find a role in a smaller company/business where you are looking after all aspects of IT. My first job was on helpdesk for a small company with 2 others, but i did everything from answering the phones, hardware repairs, desktop support and basic server support.

What are you doing now?

 

[Mr Beast]

My advice - Hard work and dedication. The rest will find its way to you.

 

[Moe]

What are you doing now?

Level 2 and 3 tech for a media company. I do a bit of everything in my role, so im always learning.

I used to work in a managed services roll, going to out different customer sites doing different jobs. It's a stressfull job, but the money is good and you learn a shitload, and because of the amount of customers and variety of work, you can load up your resume.

 

[Wolfmother]

If you've got a job in IT these days you're pretty lucky.. There are a LOT of overseas people on visa 457's out there taking IT jobs..

 

[Nano]

I didn't know you ended up quitting mate! Thanks for letting me know Sounds like it's worked out well though man! Good luck to you
Merrylands has been crying out for male prostitutes! All of the other ones have been shot hehe

Haha, I want to go back to uni next year doing some fun stuff and the army stuff I'm doing is on hold due to surgery coming up. Also talking about Merrylands I'm working there now lol

 

[Mr Invisible]

If you've got a job in IT these days you're pretty lucky.. There are a LOT of overseas people on visa 457's out there taking IT jobs..

Government need to legislate to crack down on this issue (not just in the IT industry but in others), because it's selling jobs out from Australians at a rapid rate.

They should be stepping in and enforcing that if the company trades in Australia, then a majority of its employees should be employed locally (say 80%), where it is possible.

That would stop companies scraping bottom dollar and selling jobs out from under Australians.

 

[Wolfmother]

Government need to legislate to crack down on this issue (not just in the IT industry but in others), because it's selling jobs out from Australians at a rapid rate.

They should be stepping in and enforcing that if the company trades in Australia, then a majority of its employees should be employed locally (say 80%), where it is possible.

That would stop companies scraping bottom dollar and selling jobs out from under Australians.

Absolutely..however the abbot government is currently in the process of loosening the restrictions !

ICT jobs are close to the highest visa's granted in Australia ,when you consider offshore outsourcing it wont be long before IT is no longer a viable career choice for any Aussie..

My brother lost his job at a Suncorp a few months ago where he was the only person that didnt speak indian or have a visa 457 !

Only through contacts has he been able to find another job in IT recently.