I work in IT as "technical services manager" ... I currently do a wide range of stuff from coding, server hardware, OSs, systems integration, SQL databases, database interfaces, project management, customer relations and support 1st/2nd line. I've been in the industry for 11.5 years and have been to Uni in Australia with a Bachelors degree.
A degree is good and its not bad to have as a graduate but it is not necessary. Your first job will depend on what you "know" ... ie. what you put on your CV (whether it be certifications or an honours degree) and how well you do your interviews. You'd be surprised at the number of IT managers who are not techies so a bunch of qualifications will impress someone.
Anyone telling you that to get a foot into IT is to do a 1st line support role is the worse advice. 1st line support involves taking a phone call and reading a bunch of options on the computer screen in 75% of 1st line support roles .... for IT support it is not that technical and it basically what you can do now at home playing with your machines/software. Most people on 1st line support desks aren't there for IT experience ... they are there to earn money. It is also one of the most depressing jobs, taking ******** from customers who aren't IT literate and dealing with muppets.
To get a career in IT, first as a graduate or someone who is starting up is certainly try some of the Cisco or Microsoft Certifications .... most of the MS stuff isn't worth toilet paper to experienced people but they are good for that first interview. I've seen many CVs with qualifications a mile long but that don't count for anything unless you're good in your interview and you've got good problem solving skills. A career in IT is like being a detective, you have to look for things, research and accumulate knowledge.
After a few years on the job, you'll pick up things ... and hopefully retain some other skills in the process. After your first job, it all counts on experience whether you have a degree or not.
Another word of advice, you do not need a degree to learn a programming language. You can pick up many books that teach you quite easily and the web has lots of code samples. A degree is good for learning a lot of theoretical stuff and to also ehance your understanding of the concepts of specialist areas such as databases, networking technologies, distributed computing, AI, etc. In end the it all comes down to the person and the willingness to learn, absorb knowledge, adapt to situations and to not give up when you hit a dead end (most times there are more than 1 solution to an IT problem!)
A degree is good and its not bad to have as a graduate but it is not necessary. Your first job will depend on what you "know" ... ie. what you put on your CV (whether it be certifications or an honours degree) and how well you do your interviews. You'd be surprised at the number of IT managers who are not techies so a bunch of qualifications will impress someone.
Anyone telling you that to get a foot into IT is to do a 1st line support role is the worse advice. 1st line support involves taking a phone call and reading a bunch of options on the computer screen in 75% of 1st line support roles .... for IT support it is not that technical and it basically what you can do now at home playing with your machines/software. Most people on 1st line support desks aren't there for IT experience ... they are there to earn money. It is also one of the most depressing jobs, taking ******** from customers who aren't IT literate and dealing with muppets.
To get a career in IT, first as a graduate or someone who is starting up is certainly try some of the Cisco or Microsoft Certifications .... most of the MS stuff isn't worth toilet paper to experienced people but they are good for that first interview. I've seen many CVs with qualifications a mile long but that don't count for anything unless you're good in your interview and you've got good problem solving skills. A career in IT is like being a detective, you have to look for things, research and accumulate knowledge.
After a few years on the job, you'll pick up things ... and hopefully retain some other skills in the process. After your first job, it all counts on experience whether you have a degree or not.
Another word of advice, you do not need a degree to learn a programming language. You can pick up many books that teach you quite easily and the web has lots of code samples. A degree is good for learning a lot of theoretical stuff and to also ehance your understanding of the concepts of specialist areas such as databases, networking technologies, distributed computing, AI, etc. In end the it all comes down to the person and the willingness to learn, absorb knowledge, adapt to situations and to not give up when you hit a dead end (most times there are more than 1 solution to an IT problem!)
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