I'd like a job as a System builder, advice!

bAz^uk said:
Not always, I messed up my gcse's but went on to college/uni and then the job I wanted. I also quit college the first time round and started university at 21. Pretty much goes against everything you said. Thinking about it most of my course was older than your 'your 18, should be at Uni' requirement.

To the Op, don't worry if you keep learning and take advantage of opportunities you will get somewhere. I think like a lot of us when you first get introduced to PC's you want to be a system builder. Seems you also lack confidence which should improve as you build skills. Posting on GD probably won't help. Your only 18, just use your time wisely.

Maybe calm down on the wow, all in moderation!

Excuse and spelling/grammar. iPhone
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Im the oldest Person in my Uni group :( It has taken me 3 extra years to get where they to to at 18.... why? because i couldnt be botherd dueing Year 11 at School and failed my GCSE's.
the process after thet is a long and painfull one BUT can get there in the end.
 
Phoenixdancer said:
Im the oldest Person in my Uni group :( It has taken me 3 extra years to get where they to to at 18.... why? because i couldnt be botherd dueing Year 11 at School and failed my GCSE's.
the process after thet is a long and painfull one BUT can get there in the end.
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I was in the same position as you fella, Stupid in school and got wise after. It's a longer journey but it works out. I've worked for sheffield university as a member of the CICS networking department, I've worked for the same university as IT support for the Business management and Economics department, And I worked at a high school in dewsbury as the lead ICT Technician.

All from leaving school with Zero GCSEs.

FYI...I dont want to work in computers anymore and I want to move into the fitness industry. So considering how hard I worked for what I felt i wanted to do for a living, You never know what will happen in later life, and whether all the work you put in will leave you happy.
 
gambitt said:
You're a total beginner with no education and no experience but you think you can jump straight into what ThorpedoUK has described above? You're dreaming.
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I never said that I could. Only that he gave me a better answer than anyone else had.

Phoenixdancer said:
At 18 you should be at uni allready...
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Hmm maybe I should be in uni by now. I'm not, and I have pretty much no qualifications. Myself and my older brother (who's 27 now) have both been 'diagnosed' with Asperger's Syndrome. I've done a little reading up on it, and there is no definite cure, it differs between individuals. I'm determined to overcome it unlike my brother, who is still a "monkey on minimum wage". I've not had a happy time the last five or so years. I lived in a pub with my mother and her boyfriend, who both used to regularly fill themselves up with drugs and perform other inappropriate actions, which severely hurt me and slowed me down in school. To the point where I no longer cared for learning, which is why I only took 4GCSE's, I refused to do any that were not optional.

I've decided to spend the next couple of months getting a few GCSE's under my belt as some others have said, then applying for a course that suits me in college. Which has yet to be chosen. Like some fellow posters in this thread, I refused to do anything in school, which has come round to haunt me now.

I thoroughly enjoy any form of mathematics, and various types of problem solving. So I'm going to do a bit of research until I find a job\jobs that I think I will appreciate, and try my luck at a course in college next year. Aiming for uni after that, which may take a while :D

I guess I could try applying for a mathematics course in a local college, but 5 GCSE's seems to be the min. Plus I'd need to do some catching up if I was to stand a chance of passing. Also I've left it a little late, I might just get flamed for trying:D May as well give it a go, and just hope that I'm lucky enough to be accepted for this years course.
 
Well sincearly, good luck. You seem to have a great attitude and aren't anywhere close to 'thick' as you say you are.

If you like mathamatics and problem solving, then I'd suggest programming if that's something you'd be interested in.
 
Start by getting GCSE maths & english at C+ grade. Then do a college or other course like computing (which will require GCSE maths and english) From this you will know if you are a programmer type, design or other.

Personally I did a 2 year BTEC in computing, then a 4 year sandwich business computing course at uni. I then worked for a year, travelled for a year and worked for a year and a half, which is where im at now -a Support analyst.

I'm constantly busy but learning new things everyday, in a good team and good company, money isnt amazing but still good. I've done some of the things as mentioned by thorpedoUK - XenApp, Xenserver, VMWare, basic Sharepoint, AD,GP, proxy config, Citrix, some roll outs etc.
I am aiming towards more things involving hardware, phone systems and cloud computing, all of which I am able to get stuck into as I am luckily not tied down to just support in my job

- Dont try and be a system builder, anyone can plonk a motherboard in a case with some memory and cpu
 
It has been said already but yeah I would definitely look at getting your GCSE in maths/english up to scratch. Then looking for an apprenticeship or a college course your interested in.

Good luck though and keep at it. :)
 
OP: don't think you're going to get into a job like ThorpedoUK's that soon. You'll need some basic qualifications like GCSEs first, and then you'll have to start fairly low down the ladder and build up your real world experience from there. The list of skills that ThorpedoUK posted will take a long time to master, and will need to be backed up by experience.

Also, forget about being a "system builder". There's no such job (and if there were, it would have the same kind of prospects as working in McDonalds).

Phoenixdancer said:
Yes..
Trying to point out my poor spelling?? You know what I couldn't give a crap as I'm on an Internet forum. Fancy reading my paper on mobile mechatronics??
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If just spelling things properly is too much effort for everyday writing...
 
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tang0 said:
When you say you got 4 GCSE's does that mean 4 GCSE's at A* to C or you took 4 and passed them ie A* to E
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I attempted 4 GCSE's, one maths, double science and welsh. I was only able to get C and below since I was in lower tier. I got a C in maths and science, and a D in welsh :D The other GCSE is just a key skills level two in english, i.e a GCSE equivalent that I earned whilst doing my NVQ level 2 in Food and Hygiene (another very basic qualification, infact it barely even counts as a qualification):D

Just to clarify what I meant when I made my comment on ThorpedoUK's suggestions; yes I know it's out of my reach at the moment. I was merely stating that his suggestions were realistic, in that he was being serious, whilst others were just taking the ****:)
 
kalvindeane said:
Just to clarify what I meant when I made my comment on ThorpedoUK's suggestions; yes I know it's out of my reach at the moment. I was merely stating that his suggestions were realistic, in that he was being serious, whilst others were just taking the ****:)
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Its not out of reach, however it will take you at least 3 years to get to that level (IMO) and thats if you do manage to get into work as IT support with basic qualifications. It will probably take 5 years of education and 3 years experience (if going down the degree route)
 
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