I am currently using the Army e-Learning Program to study for obtaining a COMTIA A+ Certification as a start.
Answers
Hi Branden:
I agree with Steve and Andres completely. And, here are some of my suggestions to help you out.
- Make a list of IT skills in demand today. There are many articles on web or industry magazines to help you figure this out. Once you do that, find a skill that closely align with your military or previous experience. If you don't have any experience, choose a skill that you believe you can be good at. e.g. Information Security skills are currently in high-demand. So, getting a security related certification will help you.
- Many companies such as JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, IBM have dedicated recruitment programs for veterans. Look up these programs on their website and register / signup for daily updates. You could create a separate "gmail" address just for getting this sort of e-mails to keep useful e-mails away from all the junk that we get.
- There is a job search aggregation website/tool called www.linkup.com ; once you establish your profile there and search in a given zipcode, this engine finds the positions posted on company job boards and report back to you. Another good website to research companies, pay-scales etc. is www.glassdoor.com.
- Networking is most important part. Make a linkedIn / monster.com profile as Steve suggested, if you don't have any. Establish contact with your friends and people who you worked with or worked for. Ask them to recommend your skills / expertise etc.
Good Luck with your search and let me know if you have any further questions.
Nilesh.
Hi Branden - you have received a lot of really good feedback, and I agree with Nilish that looking at IT "trends" is a good idea. As an example there is a currently a push toward Software as a Service in the Problem Management side of things, companies like Service Now base their processes on ITIL. You can become ITIL certified by attending courses, and that gives you less of a nuts & bolts IT angle, but more in quality, change control, asset management, problem management, and incident resolution that spans all of the business areas. There are several companies out there that provide training, you can Google it and find something close to you, Certification Services are provided by companies such as Loyalist Exams.
Andres was also correct with the comment on networking - LinkedIn may be a good start (feel free to invite me!)
be willing to start at the bottom, I started here at HP 16 years ago as the receptionist, and worked my way up, every 1.5-2 years opportunities found me!
Try to get a job doing IT desktop support. You will learn a lot, and if you are good, promotions come easy. Frank Conroy has a posting for an IT support job on this very site!!! Search on his name, and go for it :-)!
The A+ certification is a great place to start. That will help you get entry level work; support desk/call center positions. Other skills you may have from your military experience such as working on multiple projects with tight deadlines will help you in the entry level tech positions
Brandon, in addition to what other posters stated, I do want to point out that companies may hire you not because of job experience but because you have but skills you posess. I've seen college graduates being hired despite not having the job experience or necessarily degree but for example, their hobby was tinkering with databases and they had awesome material to present in interviews or built powerful PCs and sold them to friends.
A+ is good but if you can show things you have done in your previous job and in your free time (which shows that you enjoy it and are self-driven) and list those as invaluable skills on your resume, you'll get more keyword hits on the career websites.
Also, the IT field is huge, so find a niche that you like and take more specific continuing education to gain more experience that way.
Branden,
I would consider what training you have with Army Reserves and see what matches up now early in your career. The closer you can align your current skillset and Army training with commercial interests is your best bet now. Once in the IT field commercially you will find your niche. Be sure in your Reserve capacity you get your training completed as in Air Force 5 Skill Level to work independently. This will help in your holistic live approach and stress level as well.
V/R
Parker
Brandon, If you can narrow down what your interests are there are specific training certifications for these areas that you can concentrate on. Also, once you refine your desired area of expertise you can join an organization/club involved in your area. These people will be able to point you in a well defined path for success.
Don't overlook Sales or Sales Engineering positions. If you have a technology related certification look to IT resellers that sell that type of technology offering. They are often willing to hire for entry level sales positions, or sales engineers to help sell the client on the benefits of the technology and help solve problems.
You must find a way to gain some hands on experience so you can at least add "Knowledge of .." to your resume. The way I got started was to find an IT guy in the Air Force and convience him to mentor me. That was before the internet but now there's a world of great information and tools available to gain experience. What employers want to know is can you do the job, not have you read about it in a book. A great resource to look at if you're interested in IT Networking (as in routers and switches) is at the following URL:
Check out the "Other Links" before trying to tackle the tutorial. Of particular interest is "Blindhog and Hacki's Forum".
I completely agree with Andres, you must network (with people). If you don't already have a LinkedIn account, I strongly recommend it and build an online resume. I got invitations to interview with various companies on almost a weekly basis.
Hi Branden,
What helped me the most was networking. Knowing people in the industry helped me find job openings and get recommendations. People like to work with people they know and like...so going to IT related networking groups and getting envolved is a great way to get your foot in the door.
Another good way to break into the IT field is to stay in touch with your fellow students and veterans. Even the veterans that got out before you. Veterans tend to move up quickly in companies and turn into decision makers. They'll remember you and if you did good work, they'll be more inclined to bring you on board.
Bottom line...network network network!
Branden,
Do you know your approximate separation date from the military?
Have you begun to craft a personal career development plan for your military career or your civilian career?
What interests you about IT?
Are there any specific areas of IT or specific certifications that interest you more than others?
Continue to learn about and earn IT certifications.
Consider IT related coursework, including software programming.
Join industry and professional organizations related to your career goals. Many have local chapters - join a local chapter and attend meetings.
Consider volunteering for non-profits and others on IT related projects.
Consider developing a personal web-site that showcases your IT skills.
Hi Branden
Thank you for your service! I would suggest that another avenue to consider is talking to AVID Technical Resources or a company like us, if we're not in your area. AVID has a lot of recruiters who work hard to make sure you wind up in a job that you fit well both in terms of your skills and your personality. There are certainly some dud IT recruiting firms out there, but I honestly believe that AVID has the right interests and is worth talking to. You can check us out at www.avidtr.com. Note that we also have about 100 positive reviews on google and more praise on our site. Good luck with your job search and feel free to reach out if you're interested in talking. Samantha.keefe@avidtr.com, 617-963-1925. Have a great day!
-Sam
Hi Branden,
I was working for a small advertising agency before I came to Hewlett Packard almost 4 years ago. I had absolutely no IT experience and have no technical background - in fact I received a degree in Marketing. What has helped me with all my job opportunities has been networking - friends, family, old co-workers, etc. It's always beneficial to maintain those relationships because you never know what opportunities can come up. Often times people forget, if given the opportunity, that they can tap into their network as well. Make the time to invest in yourself by building those relationships on a consistent basis.
Within IT, from my experience, I would try to go after an entry level sales position. I've seen many of my peers, with IT backgrounds, come into sales to get their foot in the door and later were able to pursue IT careers within the company. If you have an IT background or do not, sales helps you to build an understanding of the portfolio and products.
Good luck!!
Since you are still young, I highly recommend that you try several different facets of the IT field and then decide what you like best. Build a (secure) home network. Build a small website. Fix a friend's computer. Build an iStore app. Or, anything else you are inspired to try.
Once you have decided what you like to do it becomes much easier to build a plan for success.
You can search for computer operation/help desk jobs to see what qualifies these position. Then get some training to match the qualification. After you get a job as a help desk or operation staff, you can find out what kind of computer systems this company uses and how to get training to advance your career in IT. There are many different areas in IT. When you get a job in the field, you will have opportunities to work with different departments and talk to people. You will have a feeling what fits your stength and which area of IT you want to pursue. Good Luck!
I agree with Robert. Certifications are key in the IT field, however, you have to be able to put your knowledge into practice. Set a goal - "I want to be a '?" " and begin working towards that goal. The suggestion of working in a position of helpdesk/desktop support would be a good introduction into the IT world. It provides you with experience dealing with people, understanding the technologies and working towards a solution.
As you know not everyone starts their career with the 'ideal' job. However remember that every job you have is a building block that can be referenced when you do get your dream job.
Hands on... Hands on... Hands on...
Certifications like CompTIa are a great way to get started but they are no substitute for having to do it yourself. As an IT instructor, I always tell my students that you should view a class as an organized introduction to the material... it's not until you put that information into practice that it becomes knowledge.
You'll have to find out what you like... hardware, software, working with employees, being stuck in a refrigerated room...
So find something that give you exposure to all of those. As was mentioned, Desktop Support is a good start. I've seen people get into IT merely by being willing to unbox computers at someone's desk and get them hooked up.
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