Re: Getting Hands-On Experience for Cert Exams

"jpersona" <anonymous@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:12ef01c53c5f$19ae9a40$a401280a@xxxxxxxxxx
> So my ultimate question is, how did some of you get your
> first IT jobs (and what did you do in those jobs) to have
> exposure to networks and equipment such that you received
> hands-on experience?

I got my degree in Computing Science in 2001 and started working for an IT
helpdesk company getting paid pretty poorly.

After a few months I was pretty firmly placed as 'the guy who knew stuff'.
This was call-centre work and the actual IT qualifications needed were
virtually zero, so it wasn't hard to stand out of the crowd if you actually
knew what you were talking about. Due to this, I got to run my own helpdesk
contract, and got sent around the country a little. Didn't get paid any more
than anyone else though.

Anyway, never turning down extra responsibility is a great way to get your
CV (or resume, whichever you prefer) beefed up a little. I landed an
interview in August 2002 with a University (where I still work today) and
thank God, they had some technical people on the interview panel. There was
also a hands-on test run by one of the techs, which I sailed through - it
was just to weed out the people who really didn't have a clue.

They offered me the job, and I accepted. In terms of actual 'real world'
hands on tech support, I was still wet behind the ears - I could set up a
2000 box with my eyes closed, but I had no experience with an NT 4 or 2000
domain before.

At first I felt a little overwhelmed, but I began to realise that my job was
actually quite easy, and actually *much* less stressful than my old job at
the call centre. No targets, I didn't get penalised for being at my desk ONE
GODDAMN MINUTE late. It was weird to have a job where I was treated like an
adult.

I also realised quite quickly that the other guys in the office (apart from
one) had been doing the same job for many years with no aspirations to
progress. I also realised that I and this other guy (who was also new) were
technically much more knowledgeable than them.

Anyway, 7 months after starting (May 2003), an internal vacancy comes up. At
this point I was still doing desktop support and I had never touched a
'real' server before. The vacancy was for a Systems Administrator. The other
guy and I both applied for the job, and we both got interviews.

Long story short, they liked us both, so they created another new role so we
could both be promoted. The other guy got the systems admin post, and I got
a post in the Computing Science department, dubbed 'Systems Developer'.
Yeah, it sounds like programming, but it's actually more like a systems
engineer, if you want to draw a MS parallel.

So that's where I am now. I get to play with servers, and I'm no longer a
'technician' although I do love to 'do the rounds' just to say hi to people
and to help the techs out with their workload. The money still isn't great.
I earn about £6K per year more than I did when I worked at the call centre.
However, my employability has skyrocketed. I'm being called by recruitment
agencies, instead of me calling them.

At the moment, I'm staying put until the middle of this year. Working at a
Uni has its perks. They pay for my Microsoft exams for me, and are very
unlikely to ask for the money back if I leave (they have money to burn,
basically. If they're looking at cutting costs, they need to look elsewhere
first). I'm doing a part-time Master's degree in Computing Science (free of
charge, because it increases the student numbers), for which I get one
afternoon per week off (paid) as study leave. Unfortunately the full
Master's is three years part-time (one year full-time), and I'd like to be
moving on soon, so I'm going to cash in my credits this year and get a
Postgraduate Certificate instead. Once again, I seem to be nearly the only
one in my team interested in progressing. Nobody else is bothering to study
for any MS certs, even though the money is there to pay for the exams.

Wow. Having typed all that out, I now realise that I have a really cushy
job, even though I don't earn much.

Anyway, the moral of the story is this: don't shirk extra responsibility,
even if it doesn't seem relevant to your career, and don't expect to be paid
or praised for every little bit of extra work you do. Your rewards will
come.

Apologies for the essay,

--
Chris M.


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Just how dead are SACD and DVD-A?
    ... Time was you had to pay cash up front to ... > others may then wish to use, why should they not expect to be paid for the ... just for the money and that the scads of money that might result from an ... History is littered with stories of people whose lives have been fucked up ...
    (uk.rec.audio)
  • Re: Death of OTA Broadcasting
    ... I'don't guive a shit where they get MY money from. ... someone working - that's the definition of living off the tax payer. ... I paid for over 40 ... When you pay 30 years for a house and get it ...
    (alt.tv.tech.hdtv)
  • Re: Open Document amidst opposition
    ... It is more like a motorcycle. ... Come on, Pierce, you're talking to a federally certified electronics ... technician that has been to more schools than I care to list ... I don't care about paying money for tools that I use. ...
    (rec.motorcycles)
  • Re: Preacha
    ... and who am I sponging off of ?? ... AND, for the past 3 years I have lived in my own apartment, ... I save money, they ... "WE" paid for our food.... ...
    (alt.gathering.rainbow)
  • Re: God bless the coal miners!
    ... >coal, shale, whatever), they still get paid. ... They are necessary for the mine to make any money but on any given ... Most employees of a corporation are not involved in the ... why in a 1900 Welsh slate mine and a current corporate structure. ...
    (rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic)