Working in IT

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semigeek

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#101866 10-May-2012 17:38

I am looking for a new job, current one is not IT related, but enjoy working with computers immensely.

I have worked with computers before, both in a school environment and also for general public. Unfortunately I have no quals, but have used most software from Win95 to Win7, Citrix, Linux (basics), I have also built computers, repaired, troubleshoot, Help Desk type work in the school environment among other things. This was awhile ago now, but I use computers on a daily basis, my PC being built by myself, I have also fixed a laptop which I was told a technician said was beyond fixing. I was given it after the person was told that. It now runs Linux Mint when all I did was diagnose it and found that the hard drive was faulty.

Anyway, what are my chances of a job in IT, it doesn't happen to be a system admin etc, just something along the lines of Help desk or troubleshooting, building, repairing computers on a daily basis.

I would even do a couple of hours a morning voluntary if it mean't working back with computers as a full time job.

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BDFL - Memuneh
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#623047 10-May-2012 17:40

Please folks, use the appropriate forums.

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stevenz

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#623049 10-May-2012 17:44

Sounds like you are more qualified than a number of helpdesk people I've worked/dealt with.

Give Candle a call, they mainly do IT recruitment and I found them good to deal with. (I'm assuming you're in Auckland as 90% of the population seems to be) - Have a poke around on their website and see what you reckon.

Most IT support is just using logic. And when that fails, Google, or hope the last guy documented things properly.

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semigeek

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#623050 10-May-2012 17:45

stevenz: Sounds like you are more qualified than a number of helpdesk people I've worked/dealt with.

Give Candle a call, they mainly do IT recruitment and I found them good to deal with. (I'm assuming you're in Auckland as 90% of the population seems to be) - Have a poke around on their website and see what you reckon.

Most IT support is just using logic. And when that fails, Google, or hope the last guy documented things properly.

No in Dunedin, but so hard to get work in IT down here

Oh and Android is also another interest, as is Technology as a whole.

stevenz

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#623060 10-May-2012 17:59

Hmm, Dunedin huh, I know a small IT consulting outfit down there, I'll see if any of them have any ideas for helpdesk-type roles.

@KnightNZ

semigeek

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#623061 10-May-2012 18:00

stevenz: Hmm, Dunedin huh, I know a small IT consulting outfit down there, I'll see if any of them have any ideas for helpdesk-type roles.

Cheers, much appreciated

jbard

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#623071 10-May-2012 18:07

semigeek:
stevenz: Sounds like you are more qualified than a number of helpdesk people I've worked/dealt with.

Give Candle a call, they mainly do IT recruitment and I found them good to deal with. (I'm assuming you're in Auckland as 90% of the population seems to be) - Have a poke around on their website and see what you reckon.

Most IT support is just using logic. And when that fails, Google, or hope the last guy documented things properly.

No in Dunedin, but so hard to get work in IT down here

Oh and Android is also another interest, as is Technology as a whole.

Yeah Dunedin is hard for IT, quite a few places about but they are small and don't have openings very often.

When their are openings they get huge number of applicants.

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lxsw20

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#623853 12-May-2012 00:26

^ True about the huge amount of applicants, in helpdesk/sys admin rolls not a huge amount of them were quality applicants from what I saw with a few jobs that came up at work!

OP if I was you I would try and do something like CITSS at Poly, even if just part time. Shows you're committed and have something over the other applications simply with a passion for IT looking for an junior position.

Ragnor

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#623868 12-May-2012 04:40

Helpdesk or building/repairing computers is generally quite low paid, because it's not difficult and anyone can do it.

lonney

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#623877 12-May-2012 07:54

Ragnor: Helpdesk or building/repairing computers is generally quite low paid, because it's not difficult and anyone can do it.

Depends. But not so much anymore. Company I work for at the moment in Auckland CBD is very picky about finding helpdesk staff with the right experience and skills, the day shift pays around $30/hr. Those on a mix of day and night shift somewhere closer $40/hr.

I would argue that not everyone can do corporate helpdesk, you have to be very professional, know what you're doing and be efficient as your next call could be anyone from a senior management team to someone with an issue that impacts revenue.

OP: I'd suggest looking at getting some certifications, Microsoft desktop/server ones are probably the most relevant/useful to get started with.

wsnz

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#624001 12-May-2012 14:12

lonney:
Ragnor: Helpdesk or building/repairing computers is generally quite low paid, because it's not difficult and anyone can do it.

Depends. But not so much anymore. Company I work for at the moment in Auckland CBD is very picky about finding helpdesk staff with the right experience and skills, the day shift pays around $30/hr. Those on a mix of day and night shift somewhere closer $40/hr.

A company I've recently worked for paid the helpdesk staff around $50K PA, but for that they did expect a decent amount of technical knowledge as they were also required to provide remote support.

gzt

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#624123 12-May-2012 20:33

Semigeek: Anyway, what are my chances of a job in IT, it doesn't happen to be a system admin etc, just something along the lines of Help desk or troubleshooting, building, repairing computers on a daily basis.

Your chances are excellent for consumer helpdesk for large ISP's or PC makers or telco mobile support. All involve troubleshooting and diagnosis. But it can be a grind at that end. Also they tend to be NI based.

Hands on hardware repair sounds like the thing you are interested in, my guess is you'll need A+ and some PC help desk experience and a little bit of luck and expanding your own experience at home to get in. There will be large local PC service agents for the brands down there. Maybe call a few and find out how often they hire fresh and what they look for.

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raytaylor

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#625178 14-May-2012 23:41

I have no qualifications whatsoever.
Everything is self taught, and what i find is people in the big cities were only interested in the qualifications. Probably because they all seemed to use human resources agencies to find staff.

Here in Napier, i found a nice day job where i was hired because i knew how to get a terminal server to know which branch the user was located at, and set their default printer accordingly without using ts remote printing.
What i am saying is skills were more important in the provinces, where as the qualifications or pieces of paper were more important in the cities like wellington and auckland.

Anyhow staying in napier has worked out better for me - the pay isnt very good, but i have a very nice easy job with great bosses who allow me to do things that i am interested in - including building my own business as i can wholesale services to them and their customers.

So my recomendation is
- Look for a job locally, and if you cant get one, go and study
- Once you have finished your course, reapply locally and in the big cities
- If you still cant find something, go and do another year of study.
- Repeat until you find a job

BTW: Often a technician will say the computer cannot be repaired because it has a faulty hard drive and it is cheaper to buy a second hand laptop off trademe, or its not worth the $300 worth of parts and labour to buy a new hard drive and reinstall the OS

Ray Taylor

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zxd123

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#628016 20-May-2012 18:57

how much do people in network/system administration/engineer level get paid? These days in
big cities? Like in Christchurch, Auckland, Wellington,

ChevronX

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#628044 20-May-2012 20:08

zxd123: how much do people in network/system administration/engineer level get paid? These days in
big cities? Like in Christchurch, Auckland, Wellington,

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Jeeves

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#629886 24-May-2012 13:59

zxd123: how much do people in network/system administration/engineer level get paid? These days in
big cities? Like in Christchurch, Auckland, Wellington,

There are a huge amount of variables which dictate how much you get paid - but experience is generally the key factor.

So for a low level junior/monkey role you're probably looking at anything from $45-$55k.
The medium would be around $65-85k, and senior levels start at $80k and keep going up (It's not unusual for a senior to be on $120k).

Experience, Quals and Responsabilities all determine where someone might sit. Also how many times you change jobs (Big pay rises typically only come when you change jobs).

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