working in IT

Forums › Off topic › working in IT

webstereo

58 posts

Master Geek

#18367 8-Jan-2008 11:10

I'm considering taking a part time course - while working full time - to learn an IT skill/s.

What are the most common IT jobs and what kind of qualifications should I be looking at to head towards that sort of work?

zocster

1994 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 105

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#103537 8-Jan-2008 11:27

What a hard one to answer, there is two parts I guess, one is hardware and one is software, what are you passionate about? spending hours writing codes like my brother, or putting things together and making it work?

gehenna

8667 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3883

Moderator

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#103551 8-Jan-2008 12:12

get yourself into a course that does a bit of everything in the first year. if you don't have a solid idea of what area you want to get into then you'll need to dip your toes in lots of different things. if something doesn't grab you in the first year of studying, you probably won't know what you want to do until you've been working in the market for a few years.

i did 2 years at polytech when i was 17. went into helpdesk for a few years, then ended up doing system engineer work. now i'm at a point where i actually know what I want to specialise in, and am doing things to move into those areas.

my advice is don't rush into anything. people with specialist skills are well sought after, but people with general skills across all areas are also highly regarded.

barf

643 posts

Ultimate Geek

#103562 8-Jan-2008 13:03

when looking at a course look for one with a balance between theory and practice.. I've had to help CompSci honour students plug mice in but they can code in ADA95 so go figure.

Sniffing the glue holding the Internet together

webstereo

58 posts

Master Geek

#103652 8-Jan-2008 19:48

Thanks for the responses. I suspect I'm more the hardware type than software. Any recommendations for courses in AKL?

gehenna

8667 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3883

Moderator

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#103735 9-Jan-2008 08:39

if hardware is your thing you might want to look at something basic to start with, like A+ certification, then move on to something more industry specific like a CCNA certification. It's a pricey endeavour, some are lucky enough to get into a job using their A+ or industry experience, and the employer would then pay for the further certifications. That's been my experience, once you find a good employer latch on to them, they're few and far between imo!