Is there anyway for me to get a computer tech job with only an

Job, no.

Work experience that leads to a job, possibly.

Advertise on local boards/CL etc for cheap, possibly.

File: 1469505812950.jpg (60KB, 720x450px) Image search: [Google]

60KB, 720x450px

>>56368560

Maybe Geek Squad as a Consultation Agent

I have a job as a sysadmin and I was like you a couple months ago.

I interview well and they were retarded. The perfect storm for me to get a job where I have no idea what I'm doing.

Is it worth getting an A+ cert? I figure it'll look good on a resume, but I've had people tell me it's a waste of time.

>>56368963
Going on five months here, and despite three interviews, I still haven't landed a job with it.

>>56368963

It won't do anything by itself, A+ and some some sort of work experience or education like from a local community college would be better. A community college would also potentially be able to get you an internship or some sort of entry-level position, even if just campus help desk.

Real talk.

I got my CompTIA A+ back in 2004. I got it for free as part of a high school program and that was back when it was a lifetime cert. A good deal, for what it was worth.

I spent 2006-2014 as a temp contractor help desk slave. One of those deals where I report to a dozen managers, all with different companies. It was soul-sucking. Seriously burned out three times... crying on the floor of a basement kinda deals. Thought about suicide a lot. Not recommended.

During that, I was supervisor to probably around 200 different A+ certified "technicians", usually brought in as temps for one-off projects. I ended up firing... all but maybe 5 of them within their first few days. I could literally get the projects done faster by myself than trying to babysit their stupid, incompetent asses. And usually it was just manual labor stuff... unboxing desktop computers and assembling them at desks.

In practice, the CompTIA certs are worthless. All it means is you managed to memorize enough answer sheets to pass a test. Doesn't help that companies lie about their own numbers. I was part of a team of around 100 techs across the country. Per the contract with our customer, we were all supposed to have our A+... but only maybe a dozen of us actually did.

BUT

Two years ago I started at my current job. My dream job (Linux/UNIX sysadmin at a small company). Having my A+ got me in the door. Absolutely. Two years in and I still love my job. I'm smiling just thinking about what I'm going to be working on tomorrow. Before I moved closer to the office, I was smiling nonstop both ways on the commute.

Get your A+. It'll help get you past the non-technical HR barrier. To anyone that knows better, A+ isn't worth the paper it's printed on. I've interviewed several would-be sysadmins with A+ certs. Only one was even able to name ANY components in a goddamn computer. You know... RAM? A hard drive? A mother board? A fucking CPU!? Come on.

Disclaimer: Am drunker than I thought I was.

>>56369456
I've got some community college education. Almost finished up my Associate's

>>56369480
So I guess I should just start looking for a help desk job. I just figured I'd try to learn as much as I could now while I've got the time. I'm currently working as a security guard, and my job is pretty much just killing time.

>>56369586

>>56369586

Get a job or some other position on campus if you can, or go to the career center if there is one.

File: frogged.jpg (18KB, 400x386px) Image search: [Google]

18KB, 400x386px

>tfw know just enough to theoretically work basic help desk
>tfw absolutely do not want to work help desk

I hate taking random calls and trying to fix shit while the caller impatiently sits there expecting me to explain whats wrong within a minute.

Is there anything entry level with simple tasks that can be done in your own time?

>>56369586
>So I guess I should just start looking for a help desk job.
Depends what you're looking for.

Unless your passion is really frontline help desk support, try not to waste more than a year in help desk before seriously looking for something else. All you need is to know how to google shit, how a basic ticket system works, the basics of how a computer works (e.g. can you build a PC from newegg parts? can you install an OS? etc) and how to deal with (idiotic, childish) users. That's all you'll ever really learn there.

Even a "junior" sysadmin position will have you doing much more interesting, rewarding, and fulfilling tasks than help desk, IMO.

>>56369676
Yeah, there are all sorts of near-entry level postions. Just figure out what you're interested in specifically and go for it.

So long as you can demonstrate a passion for it and a solid foundation (home lab, personal projects and experimentation, etc), it's just a matter of finding that one hiring manager who is willing to give you a chance. IMO, help desk is an absolute last resort to pay the bills, but I have coworkers who seem to genuinely enjoy it, so to each his own, I guess.

PROTIP: Whatever you do, don't fucking LIE in an interview. It's painfully obvious when you're trying to bullshit your way through something. After a long string of liars, I ended up hiring a barista as a junior sysadmin with zero technical experience who responded with something along the lines of "can I google it?". He's still employed and I trust him more than the DBA who's been here 15 years.

>>56369683
>how to deal with (idiotic, childish) users
That's the reason I never tried to get one of those jobs in the past. I could do it, but I don't know for how long.

Honestly, I really want to go into application development. I just figure anything tech-related will help me.

>>56369759
The lying part is hard to avoid. If I told the honest truth id never get a call back let alone an interview.

Feels like you have to embellish on the resume and at least bluff a little in the interview that what you wrote down is legit.

But yea googling is the obvious goto this day and age, whether it be random solutions or googling the manual on how to fix the problem.

The guys who can do it off the top of their head are in the higher paygrade.

>>56369813
Pt. 1


>The lying part is hard to avoid. If I told the honest truth id never get a call back let alone an interview.
>Feels like you have to embellish on the resume and at least bluff a little in the interview that what you wrote down is legit.
You're falling into the EXACT same trap as I did.

It seems like it, yeah. And yes, most people cheat.

But trust me, the companies you actually WANT to work for? Your future dream coworkers who will be interviewing you? They are SICK AND TIRED of the constant stream of BULLSHIT LIARS who make it through HR that end up wasting entire afternoons.

Don't lie. Not even a fib. Tell the truth. Plain and simple. You'll stick out for it. That's GOOD.

I would genuinely rather hear about how you reinstalled Windows after your aunt got a malware infection than listen to another asshole claiming to have been a sysadmin for six years and a dozen security certifications but can't tell me what services commonly run on TCP ports 22, 80, or 443.

>>56369985
Pt. 2

>But yea googling is the obvious goto this day and age, whether it be random solutions or googling the manual on how to fix the problem.
It seems obvious, right? It isn't. Not at all. You just have the troubleshooting gene. Seriously. That curiosity, that urge to tinker? It's a rare gift. Treasure it.

I've given open book hands-on tests. Not a LOT, but enough. Last round was a simple Apache httpd configuration problem. Attempting to start the service would echo a big fat hint as to the problem, with the EXACT problem appearing in the log. I'll hold your hand through the command line. I'll show you where the configuration files are, how to start the service. It doesn't matter if you haven't ever touched Apache before in your life. There's no real time limit. Wanna break for lunch? No problem. After the first few minutes of fumbling, I always say they can search google if they want. I don't even care if they eventually fix it, I'm just looking at their thought process. So I'll try to get them to talk through it.

Most people don't get that far. They realize they don't know the answer right away and freeze. Even simply fucking googling it doesn't cross their mind. They refuse to even accept it as worthwhile. In a fucking interview. They'd rather just say they can't do it at all. And thus they fail the test.

>The guys who can do it off the top of their head are in the higher paygrade.
There is no such person.

I'm googling shit every goddamn day. If it's lunch time and I don't have two dozen tabs open from random google searches, then the only explanation is that I must've been up all night doing updates and just rolled in to work a few minutes ago.

The world of IT is too vast to even have a vague understanding of most of it. You either specialize to the extreme or become a professional googler. In either case, you need to be willing to learn. Every day for the rest of your career.

>>56370014
>>56370014
Pt 3.

As a last thought before I force myself off to bed:

Check out reddit's /r/sysadmin. Yeah, yeah. Reddit sucks. That's a good subreddit, though. Especially if you're just getting started in an IT field. They regularly have threads about the whole "imposter syndrome" thing and similar phenomena. Basically, if you don't feel like you're qualified to be a sysadmin... you're a good sysadmin, even if you don't have the skills yet, you've got the right mentality.

Also also, if you ever go through a placement/recruiting/whatever agency, always demand to see what they sent your potential employer and confirm what the interviewer actually received. Those scumbag middlemen will completely rewrite your resume without your permission or knowledge, just trying to get you ANY position they can to get the commission.

im unemployed untrained and haven't taken any comp uni courses (bio major)

I have 0 income and negative bank account

>>56370099
The fact that you're even here puts you above most of the shit heap. I'm dead serious. Most people are so retarded, putting on pants is an accomplishment. That's your competition.

Just figure out what you want to do and go for it.

>>56369985
>>56370014
>>56370066
Interesting insight. Its hard to go in with that attitude with the demands on most job applications.
Im also having to bullshit since I dont even like IT work. If only more fun shit existed that im qualified for.