You also need to remember that in IT learning never ends.

MikeB4:

 

You also need to remember that in IT learning never ends.

 

Haha, yes it's very expansive.

Is there somewhere I can get the CompTIA A+ courseware to start studying?

Kol12:

 

MikeB4:

 

You also need to remember that in IT learning never ends.

 

 

 

 

Haha, yes it's very expansive.

 

Is there somewhere I can get the CompTIA A+ courseware to start studying?

 

Check out Professor Messer's videos. They can sometimes be tiring to listen to (bit of a monotone) but the content is good and it's free. He's also got videos for the Network+ and Security+.

Auckland Library has a range of A+ related books - just make sure whatever you use is fairly recent as they do update the content occasionally as technology changes. ie: Mine didnt mention VM's at all - today, theres a whole section on them.

uglyb0b:

 

Kol12:

 

MikeB4:

 

You also need to remember that in IT learning never ends.

 

 

 

 

Haha, yes it's very expansive.

 

Is there somewhere I can get the CompTIA A+ courseware to start studying?

 

 

Check out Professor Messer's videos. They can sometimes be tiring to listen to (bit of a monotone) but the content is good and it's free. He's also got videos for the Network+ and Security+.

 

Thanks. Who is Professor Messer? 

I guess I would looking for some sort of official courseware that I can follow and reference...

uglyb0b:

 

Check out Professor Messer's videos. They can sometimes be tiring to listen to (bit of a monotone) but the content is good and it's free. He's also got videos for the Network+ and Security+.

 

Thanks for sharing this, it looks like I can probably study CompTIA A+ with just his videos alone.

Can you guy's tell me a bit more about working in IT support? I would like to get a better idea and feel for what it's like to work in and to see if it's going to be right for me.

The small businesses and larger organizations, what are they exactly?

I've heard something about managed IT service company's, what are they and what do they do?

You need to decide what kind of support you want to be involved in. Some helpdesks are oriented to internet service providers, while others do more of corporate user support or software support. Its all pretty entry level, so think about what direction you want to go after 5 years or so on helpdesk. You do need some logical problem solving skills like eliminating possible causes and isolation tests, as well as trying to imagine what the user is going through to help identify things you cant see over the phone.

webwat:

 

You need to decide what kind of support you want to be involved in. Some helpdesks are oriented to internet service providers, while others do more of corporate user support or software support. Its all pretty entry level, so think about what direction you want to go after 5 years or so on helpdesk. You do need some logical problem solving skills like eliminating possible causes and isolation tests, as well as trying to imagine what the user is going through to help identify things you cant see over the phone.

 

Hi webwat,

Part of the point of my thread was to try and get more information about the "different" kinds of helpdesk and what they entail. Ok so you've got ISP's that need help desk but what are the other places that require it? I suppose it could be any kind of business couldn't it? I've heard a little bit about managed IT services, do these company's manage multiple businesses IT needs?

Generally, Helpdesk = phone/email support - what you cant solve over the phone will be escalated to lvl2/3 support teams to sort out. Level 2/3 is usually the guys who are hands on, "end user computing"/desktop support.

Service desk, can be a mix of phone/email support and hands on - you might get sent someones laptop to replace HDD etc, rebuild and so on.

Desktop support - you're the one fixing the issues, "in the field",  users report having on their desktop/laptop/printer etc.  Can be simple things from replacing a keyboard, all the way through to replacing motherboards etc.

Ive worked on all three, currently desktop support but with a mix of systems admin and networking thrown in as Im the sole IT guy in NZ for the company - primary sys admins etc are based in AU. So I become their hands and eyes when the crap hits the fan.

I made the decision at 32 to restart my career. I had nothing IT related at all other than an aptitude for it. I got in by accepting a job that was paying peanuts doing internal IT (and one of my own conditions was that pay was not an issue as it would sort itself) and did all the crap stuff that everyone else hates doing. I struggled through the 1st 6 month but I got there and now work for a firm that I absolutely love working for. My bosses are amazing, my colleagues are great and I look forward to going to work. Every day is interest and being a field tech, every day is different and exciting as well. I've been in my current role a year and is the best job I have ever had (Optimus Systems for the record)

There are three key skills outside of IT you are going to need if you want to work on helpdesk/support

1: If you are charging a customer, the longer you work on a job, the more it costs them. Great for your employer for income but your customer will go batsh*t crazy at high costs and will probably go elsewhere so you need to be able to take care of things in a timely manner that you can justify. Its not a case of working on a job for 6 hours to find that answer that most would do in 3. That cannot be justified. You have to justify your time because it is chargeable.

2: Google google and keep googling. If you don't know the answer, keep looking yourself for it cause when you go to colleague and say I need help you can say 'I've tried this and this and looked on the internet and its recommended this and this and thats not worked'. It means you've done as much as you can and he does not have to cover old ground, it shows you are not lazy and it chances are high you'll get shown something you did not know. There is nothing worse than asking for help before you have attempted to look for answers yourself.

3: Ownership. If you get given a task, own it. Even if that means you need to get other resources involved, keep an eye over it so when you get asked the question by either your boss or your customer as to whats going on, you can say 'I've done this and this, Bill is doing this and we are at point C here'. Bosses hate it when you give them the 'I don't know answer' and chances are they are asking you because someone else paying the bill has gone over your head to ask him.


In terms of my place of work, I am probably the dumbest tech here, but I am still employed because of the 3 points above and simply trying to do my best by the business and the customer.

Thanks for sharing that drquack32 and it's encouraging to hear that career changes can be made. I'm currently going through Professor Messer's CompTIA videos as recommended by members here. Even if you think your reasonably proficient with computers CompTIA covers many things you might still not know which is the case for me.

I'm hoping that a CompTIA qual will be enough to get a foot in the door, members here recommend to look out for the entry level jobs at the big companies that offer a step in with no IT background but they don't seem to come up too often...

Hi again everyone,

I'm not sure I asked earlier, but where would be the best place be to sit the comptia a+ exam? Is it possible to sit it online?

Kol12:

 

Hi again everyone,

 

I'm not sure I asked earlier, but where would be the best place be to sit the comptia a+ exam? Is it possible to sit it online?

 

Use your google-fu to find anywhere near by.  It will be the same no matter where you sit it.  Unless things have changed, you cannot sit it online.

A quick tip - IT Support and sysadmin is about 20% how much you can retain information and 80% how well you can Google search - so your training starts now!