Advice on getting back into IT

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HelpAli

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#189396 28-Dec-2015 08:50

Hi

Before having children I was a mainframe programmer in the South Africa and the UK, using a fourth generation procedural language called Adabas Natural for about 15 years. After moving to NZ I worked for a while doing a variety of languages, including SQL and a little Delphi.

After being at home with children for 10 years I was unemployable and a single mum. I cleaned houses for a year as that fitted in with my children's school hours. Then I found an admin job in a school. A year ago a better position became available and I got a huge promotion. I provide a helpdesk for the staff, train the staff, and communicate with the programmers who write our software (they are in Australia). I am getting closer to IT but can't get any closer in my current job, which is still an admin/helpdesk type of job.

I live in Tauranga which is a smaller market place. Agencies have told me I have great IT experience and would probably be employable in Auckland or Wellington, but Tauranga is too small to find a company that would retrain me.

I will do some work but am mostly on holiday for January so can stuck into quite a bit of studying but am not sure where to start.

I would appreciate any advice you can give me - what languages should I looking at learning? and can you recommend any particular course? preferably online courses?

I am happy to pay to do courses, I have looked at the SAP courses on com2learn but I know nothing about SAP so am unsure whether to pursue it and it's not cheap so I need to be sure.

Any comments?

Thanks
Ali

timmmay

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#1458046 28-Dec-2015 09:35

Tricky situation. Most people get jobs based on experience or knowledge, so I guess you need to gain one of those in an area that's in demand. Working in Tauranga will really limit you, I'd guess most higher end IT work is done in Auckland or Wellington. You might look for a job where you can work remotely, but you probably won't get that as someone new.

What do you want to do? Mainframe work? They're still around, in banks and such. SQL is generally part of other IT jobs, you don't get many people specializing in that, you tend to get database administrators or database who do it.

I know basically nothing about SAP and similar systems, but there is a demand for it. Is there a demand in Tauranga? Not sure.

gzt

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#1458064 28-Dec-2015 11:18

Zespri would be the way to go in Tauranga. I know zero about the technology mix but they do a lot there.

Agencies can be really misleading for someone in your position because they are looking for candidates to fit particular positions. HR as well may not have the perspective always.

Employers/managers on the other hand are often looking at candidates with a longer term view and may have a clearer view where you fit into the present and future of their requirements. So I think you need to find some people at Zespri to talk to.

Dynamic

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#1458066 28-Dec-2015 11:27

You could perhaps track down several key companies in your area that might be an suitable employer and start keeping in contact with them, perhaps asking what skills they value the most so you can work on developing them for when a position comes up.

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#1458071 28-Dec-2015 11:46

I know a LOT of companies are looking for SQL Report Writers and SQL DBA's right now. Seems to be a really popular but under represented field.

HelpAli

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#1458304 29-Dec-2015 00:16

Thank for your replies. I really appreciate your advice.

I will see if I can find out more about SQL. I used to enjoy figuring it out.

I was told that Datacom are big in Tauranga but they never even acknowledge cv's or job applications. I will contact Zespri and see what advice they can offer.

I don't mind if I work on mainframes or not, my main objective is to be more marketable in Tauranga. I will do whatever it takes. Admin work is not well paid and is often brain dead. I have 2 daughters and would like to earn more or at least have the potential to earn more in the future.

I am currently at the top of my pay grade. My job was regraded to pay me more, so I don't have much prospect of earning more where I am.

Thank you for taking the time to reply.

Ali.

timmmay

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#1458342 29-Dec-2015 07:31

Have you tried talking to a recruiter in Tauranga? They tend to know the market.

gzt

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#1458486 29-Dec-2015 14:10

Zespri probably does a lot of technology training. Often this kind of thing is handled on short term contract by third parties (no specific knowledge on Zespri) but that is clearly an area where you could contribute while building for the big break.