Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post

billege · 09-15-2004, 09:58 PM

I'm lucky, I think, to work as a tech. for a Fortune 100 retailer with over 58 billion in annual revenue. (and luckier me, our site is the only VOIP pilot in the corp--the man above me is right, VOIP is going to save companies a TON of cash. Being able to admin multiple sites with one "phone datacenter" is going to be sweet.)

Computer Techs are like car mechanics now. For every good one, there are 13 bad ones, 4 self proclaimed experts, 5 know it alls, and 21 "self-taught" techs who don't feel a need to take some silly test.

The best you can do is get all the paper you can saying you know what you're doing. If you have a degree and certifications galore, I'd think you'd find something. Companies are looking for someone who someone else (reputable school, etc.) has "signed off" on. They want to know that you REALLY can do what you say, and have passed the tests to prove it.

For corporate work, I'd find a specialty. You need to be really useful in one or two specific ways, with good overall IT knowledge. There are too many "computer people" when companies are looking for network people, or hardware people, or network architects. The whole field is oversaturated, and I swear I meet a person a day who's trying to get in the field. Unlike the medical area, IT is not overflowing with jobs, and they are not likely to get in. Studying how to fix a home computer is not something that's going to get you real far. Learn to install fiber instead. Sweaty work sometimes, but the contracters we paid to run our building's backbone make a pretty good living.

Pick one catagory of comp. work. Be really good at it. Be able to prove you are.

Like any other job, do whatever you can to meet someone on the inside. If someone is going to trust you with even a menial position, you'll still have the capacity to cause thousands of dollars of lost work if you screw up, or don't follow procedure. Do what you can to network, like said above.

BE WILLING TO MOVE! If you are bound and determined to stay in your local area, you will make your job hunt much more difficult. I moved, with my wonderful supportive wife, to another state to take my job. Had I been unwilling to go where the work was, I'd still be sending out resumes, and getting no offers.
I can't stress this enough. If you live in a medium sized city with a very finite number of tech jobs for the given industry/commercial developments, you must be willing to move. In larger area, there are more competitors, but at least there is job growth to fight over.

09-15-2004, 09:58 PM	#8 (permalink)
billege Watcher Location: Ohio	I'm lucky, I think, to work as a tech. for a Fortune 100 retailer with over 58 billion in annual revenue. (and luckier me, our site is the only VOIP pilot in the corp--the man above me is right, VOIP is going to save companies a TON of cash. Being able to admin multiple sites with one "phone datacenter" is going to be sweet.) Computer Techs are like car mechanics now. For every good one, there are 13 bad ones, 4 self proclaimed experts, 5 know it alls, and 21 "self-taught" techs who don't feel a need to take some silly test. The best you can do is get all the paper you can saying you know what you're doing. If you have a degree and certifications galore, I'd think you'd find something. Companies are looking for someone who someone else (reputable school, etc.) has "signed off" on. They want to know that you REALLY can do what you say, and have passed the tests to prove it. For corporate work, I'd find a specialty. You need to be really useful in one or two specific ways, with good overall IT knowledge. There are too many "computer people" when companies are looking for network people, or hardware people, or network architects. The whole field is oversaturated, and I swear I meet a person a day who's trying to get in the field. Unlike the medical area, IT is not overflowing with jobs, and they are not likely to get in. Studying how to fix a home computer is not something that's going to get you real far. Learn to install fiber instead. Sweaty work sometimes, but the contracters we paid to run our building's backbone make a pretty good living. Pick one catagory of comp. work. Be really good at it. Be able to prove you are. Like any other job, do whatever you can to meet someone on the inside. If someone is going to trust you with even a menial position, you'll still have the capacity to cause thousands of dollars of lost work if you screw up, or don't follow procedure. Do what you can to network, like said above. BE WILLING TO MOVE! If you are bound and determined to stay in your local area, you will make your job hunt much more difficult. I moved, with my wonderful supportive wife, to another state to take my job. Had I been unwilling to go where the work was, I'd still be sending out resumes, and getting no offers. I can't stress this enough. If you live in a medium sized city with a very finite number of tech jobs for the given industry/commercial developments, you must be willing to move. In larger area, there are more competitors, but at least there is job growth to fight over. __________________ I can sum up the clash of religion in one sentence: "My Invisible Friend is better than your Invisible Friend." Last edited by billege; 09-15-2004 at 10:00 PM..