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[Jswerve]

I have a degree in Computer Networking Technology. It's a 2 year Associate in Applied Science and the classes I took were in 2007 and 2008. Here is a list of the courses completed:



CIS604   Visual Basic   
CIS612   Advanced Visual Basic   
ENG105   Composition I
MAT111   Math for Liberal Arts   
NET110   Microcomputer Fundamentals   
NET152   Advanced Networking Technology   
NET161   Network Design & Documentation   
NET191      Network Cabling
NET211   CISCO Networking
NET222   CISCO Routers
NET232   CISCO Switches
NET242   CISCO WAN
NET314   Windows Server
NET343   Windows Directory Server
NET413   Linux System Administration
NET455   Advanced Linux System Administration   
NET483   Network+ Certification
NET612   Network Security
NET750   Telecommunications Services   
NET790    PC Support I
NET791   PC Support II
 

I used my G.I. bill to pay for the degree and I have always loved to fix ppl's pc's and build my own custom pc's as well.

The issue is I have never had a job in the field and I work in a high speed manufacturing plant in maintenance so a totally unrelated field. I have 3 kids and 1 is already out of the house and in college. The other 2 (twins) are finishing up their sophomore years in high school. If I am going to make a move I should start prepping now due to the fact that we should have an empty nest soon and what has kept me at this job for 11 years is the $$$.

Wondering if any fellow forum members are in the IT field and can offer any advice on how to get some hands on training/experience and what certificates or continuing education to add.

[BigLew55]

What part of Iowa are you in?

[Jswerve]

Fort Dodge

Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk

[mjb765]

It depends on what you are interested in...you have taken Cisco courses so you could go for your CCNA but with no hands on experience it won't be easy. You would need some sort of simulation software or a used CCNA study lab which would include a few switches and some routers. Lots of them on EBAY. That would be the first step if you want to get into networking. 

You could study for some of the new Microsoft certs if you want to get into the server side of things.

Personally I think the hot ticket right now is in virtualization. I hear of may opportunities for people who know or have VMware experience. I get calls all the time from recruiters who are trolling LinkedIn wondering if I want to change jobs. If you invest in a used server you could build a small VMware environment and use that for practice. Unfortunately you need to take a VMware recognized course in order to be eligible to take the test for the VCP certification. Microsoft does virtualization also but I don't know the name of the cert or the track to get it.

The big problem I see here is getting hired with no experience with any of this in the real world. There are many, many people coming out of school with these certs looking for jobs in the field but they lack experience. Depending on the job market in the IT field in your area, you will most likely be taking a substantial hit in salary since you have been at your current job so long. I changed careers at 33 and I lost almost 1/2 my check to start with. The good news is that I was back making the same money within 2 years.  That was almost 16 years ago and I am much happier and making more than I ever could have at my old career and always said I should have done it sooner.

Now you may find someone who does not care about certifications and hire you anyway...but that usually means you proved yourself by showing experience with these technologies for a few years.

Hope this helps......just my $.02

[naitram]

knowing someone in the biz as a foot in the door will get you far more then a bunch of certs in my opinion.

ive been doing unix and application support for almost 18 yrs with very little paper work.

i personaaly see a list of certificates as proof you studied for an exam and in my experiences it usually doesnt translate into real world skills.

like mjb said get some cheap gear and get comfortable working on it that will help you with the confidence to walk into an interview and sell yourself.

once in a job you can solve most anything with your 2 best friends ( wiki and google )

[BMQ]

As MJB stated - virtualization is hot.  At this point I virtualize even in a single server environment.  You can download VMWare's ESXi for free, and you can contact the school you graduated from about a student license of Windows 2012.  Used servers are relatively inexpensive on ebay - check craigslist too.
As for getting experience, I always advise new graduates to look to large organizations.  Manufacturing plants, hospitals, law firms, school districts - places like that.  Companies that have a fairly well staffed IT department typically need entry level techs, and are willing to put in some training for the right person.  You may not like the shifts you will start out working, but do what you have to.  The IT field will never get smaller!
If you do get a job in this field, show initiative!  Learn why we do things the way we do.  I've know many techs that do things a certain way and have no idea why, and when even one thing is different, he/she gets lost and can't adapt.  Don't be afraid to offer opinions - but accept graciously if your boss doesn't agree.  I want my techs to think think think!  Always be respectful to the idiots who screw up the equipment (even the repeat offenders) - they are the reason you have a job.  Around here we call them GOOD CUSTOMERS!

[erniezap]

As someone who runs IT organizations, I see that you have gotten some really good advice already.  As Neal stated, knowing someone in the business or at a company that is hiring is key to getting you in the door for that first interview.  VMWare is hot, but since you seem to be network focused the next hot thing in networking is SDN (software defined networks).  If you want to stay on the infrastructure side you might want to look at some of the open source technologies like Linux, Openstack, KVM Virtualization, etc.  Sign up on GITHub and check out the open source world:  https://github.com/

Just out of curiosity, did you look into transferring at your present company?  That is where I would start since they already know you, etc.

[Jswerve]

First let me just say thank you to all of you for taking the time to offer your advice.

I am not limiting myself to the networking field by any means. The truth is, I did the entire 2 year degree in a 19 month span on the college's then new distance learning program over the internet. Never had any actual classroom time because my work schedule rotates. In reality, I have zero experience doing anything network related other then the stuff I did to graduate. That was 6 years ago so none of it is fresh on my mind and we all know how that goes.

I got my start in about 98 when I decided my computer was too slow and upgraded the processor. Since then I have always built my own computers, I have 3 of them in the house as we speak, and I have repaired many for local residents through word of mouth. However, I really only have experience with Microsoft operating systems. I did play with Linux quite a bit for my degree, but again, that was over 6 years ago.

I'm really just trying to avoid wasting any time on classes or certs that won't necessarily get me anywhere. I like the idea of the VMWARE and kinda remember maybe learning a thing or two about it in school. Anything I can get a grip on at the house while working my current full time job would be perfect.


Ernie, as far as my current employer, they have nothing to offer here in my hometown so that kind of rules them out. My wife and I really want to move to one of the Carolinas in about 3-5 years and they don't have any businesses in that area at all.


Thanks,
Jesse

[mjb765]

As Neal said, knowing someone is a good way to get your foot in the door....Just so my point was understood......certs are not the end all and I am not saying you MUST have them....but lacking any experience AND not having any type of certifications is a tough place to be.......since I didn't see you getting experience right away I suggested some cert to prove you at least have some type of exposure to whatever product or technology path you choose to go down.

Good luck on the search!

Mike

[Jswerve]

As Neal said, knowing someone is a good way to get your foot in the door....Just so my point was understood......certs are not the end all and I am not saying you MUST have them....but lacking any experience AND not having any type of certifications is a tough place to be.......since I didn't see you getting experience right away I suggested some cert to prove you at least have some type of exposure to whatever product or technology path you choose to go down.

Good luck on the search!

Mike

Thanks Mike! I just got into contact that is a friend of my wife's from high school. He works in the IT department at the local hospital. The wheels are in motion!

Jesse

[mjb765]

Thanks Mike! I just got into contact that is a friend of my wife's from high school. He works in the IT department at the local hospital. The wheels are in motion!

Jesse

That would be the easiest way to get started!

[naitram]

That would be the easiest way to get started!

x2

good luck

[erniezap]

Good luck!

[King Glide]

What I did was look through the want adds and showed up telling them I would work for FREE for 3 months for the opportunity to learn and get experience. No strings attached afterword.
 The fourth company accepted and hired me at the end of the three months, worked three more months for money, left and have worked for HP, IBM ever since.

[Jswerve]

What I did was look through the want adds and showed up telling them I would work for FREE for 3 months for the opportunity to learn and get experience. No strings attached afterword.
 The fourth company accepted and hired me at the end of the three months, worked three more months for money, left and have worked for HP, IBM ever since.

Wow that's interesting lol.