Corey Thomas ⋅ Orlando, FL ⋅ 15 years experience

I have been in IT for 15 years. I started off as a tier 1 desktop analyst and am now a Desktop Engineer. The key to moving your IT career along is to know what field interests you. Servers, network, database, desktop, or even application development. Once you pick a field, get certified. A junior system admin is perfectly fine as long as its in a field you are interested in. Also consider getting a degree. Many companies require that just to even talk to you. They will also use it to determine salary.

Tashira Gibbs ⋅ Mableton, GA IBM ⋅ 7 years experience

Hi Cory - The transition to a junior systems admin role sounds promising if this is an area of interest. There are lots of tech books available that will help you to build your knowledge base should you choose to accept the position. Certifications and degrees are certainly helpful in the tech industry; however self-training is a critical component to keeping up in a dynamic industry. So first, I would encourage you to start with self-training until your financial situation puts you in a position to pursue formal education. Second, begin to network and affiliate with local tech organizations and meetup groups in the field you are interested in. Hope this helps.

Sean Pritchard ⋅ Clayton, NC MilitaryHire ⋅ 19 years experience

I agree with Beth that the term "junior" just means that little or no prior experience is required. You should confirm this with HR, but it is normal to progress from a junior role after 1-3 years.

I confirmed that the use of junior in a job title is pretty common by doing a quick search on https://www.militaryhire.com. We have hundreds of jobs with junior in the title. Interestingly, we have about ten times as many jobs with "Senior" in the title. I think this is because entry level positions are not always called "junior," and "senior" positions are more commonly labeled as "senior."

You mention certifications. I encourage you to study for these on your own. You don't have to take expensive classes. You might even find free or low cost online classes if you prefer to learn via a class. Also, many employers will pay for the certification exam cost. Check to find out whether yours will. Certifications can be very helpful!

Tim Keefe ⋅ Washington, DC U.S. Army, Specialist ⋅ 6 years served

1. Yes, determine where in tech support/sys admin you want to work in. Overall, you can't get way from the Cisco track if you want to move up in sys admin, so you'll sooner or later have to get cracking on CCNA and further up. Ditto with Microsoft and possibly Linux (RedHat) and VMWare (virtualization).

2. You should have the GI Bill, so you can use those funds to pay for certification exams and/or go for a degree if you don't already have one. Go for online programs that won't cost you an arm or a leg and that allow you to do the coursework at times that are more favorable to you.

3. With the contract to hire positions in Nashville, don't be afraid to apply for those. You have to go towards the bigger cities for the better job opportunities. And, if you manage to find one that allows you to work from home, you save yourself the commute time and expenses.

wayne seguin ⋅ Locust Grove, GA Georgia Bureau of Investigation ⋅ 17 years experience

In to which areas are you looking to move? What do you support? Are you looking to be a network engineer, database administrator, developer?

I worked for a dental software company previously. I started in help desk support. Taught myself MS SQL and moved up to higher support levels. Then I taught myself to program and moved in to development.

I have no certs and no formal training.

FRANCIS TEPEDINO, ESQ. ⋅ San Diego, CA THE CONDOR GROUP ⋅ 30 years experience

Whoa! Don't push too fast. If a company senses that you are pushing too much, and too fast, it will not go well for you.

Get as much experience as you can in as wide a variety of positions as you can.

Bulk- up on as much education and training as possible. Show that you are interested in improving yourself. Think about formal education: perhaps night school.

Some folks think that just by staying out of trouble will get them a wonderful position. You have to show that you are excited about job responsibilities, job challenges, Stay alert for job opportunities that will lead in the direction you want to go.

The question is what can your offer an employer - not what might you deserve.
Good luck.

Michelle Muckenthaler ⋅ Castle Rock, CO National CineMedia ⋅ 9 years experience

In the tech division I work in, 'junior' means it's like an apprenticeship. Lots of on-the-job training and after they assess your willingness to learn and loyalty to the company, that's when they start paying for your training. It is very common in my company for people to use the help desk as their foot in the door and move up in the company into higher paying and more technical positions.

Beth Smits ⋅ Washington, DC Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies ⋅ 24 years experience

The helpdesk/support teams are often great sources for tech talent in companies - at least they were in my former company, so you are starting from a good position! Don't worry so much about the title with 'junior' in it, it is probably used to describe the level of experience required for the job. Find out more about how that role progresses within the company -- for example, if you get a promotion to the next level after Junior, what is it called? Is there a position 'below' Junior? Talking to people in HR or those working in that department will help you get a better understanding of what's behind the name of the title. You might find it's a really good fit and one which will also lead to career progression. Best of luck!