1st Line IT Support -

Do NOT go into first line support. It is the armpit of the IT industry.

Seriously, anything else is better.

You'll get paid nothing to explain to plebs how to plug in a mouse, and precisely no-one will appreciate you for it, even the plebs. And in 15 years time you'll be in second line support, getting paid virtually nothing explaining to a pleb how to install a rare printer driver or change his screen resolution, and think 'I really wish someone had told me to go into anything else 15 years ago -- all my mates are on double my salary, I hate my life'


teach yourself C++ or .net then get on a graduate program with one of the bigboys like IBM. That'd be a hell of a good start.
 
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for people who assume that all 1st line support roles are just call logging here is an example of a non- numptycall logging role that is 1st line support:

http://www.purelybanking.co.uk/jobs/1st-Line-Application-Support---Fixed-Rates-4004.htm

£450-£550 a day....

That's much more than the £30-£40k basic we pay for our 1st line guys though the skill set is somewhat similar.

Not everyone who does 1st line support is some generic IT bod - some application support roles do require a higher skill set/more knowledge - its still 1st line support....
 
While it has "1st line" in the job title it has no relevance to your run of the mill 1st line IT role though. Most of these type of roles I see pop up are simply called "application support analyst". It's like comparing Lewis Hamilton to a haulier and saying "well they both have driver in their job title so they technically do the same thing".
 
exactly - that's my point - not all support roles are the same, there are 1st line roles out there that are very different. I've pointed out earlier in the thread that at my firm we have support teams for the applications we sell and that their role, whilst still picking up the phone and dealing with support issues, is somewhat different to a generic 1st line role. Its still IT, its still support, its still the 1st line of support, they still work on tickets and they still log calls... it doesn't mean it necessarily has to be a job for a numpty.
 
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When I finished Uni in 2006 I had to get a job on 1st line support. Everyone wanted real world experience for the better jobs. Anyway 4 years later i'm 3rd line support. Just have to work your way up unless you specialise in a particular area and are very good at it.
 
Why don't you go into development? Its not hard to get into, I don't why anyone said that.

The kicker is though, you should be qualified by being self taught + degree. They don't teach nearly enough even in cs degrees.

I'm mindful of software "apprentices", anyone who should be applying even graduates should already know the majority skills and tools. They should already know good practices, source control, bug tracking, design patterns, methodologies etc There not that hard to be self taught. For most cs graduates turning up and having to go through that would be heavily patronising. Seniority just allows you to get around the tricker brainteaser problems in software design. Imo it should just say junior, or graduate since they should already have the skills just not the experience of applying them. People use "apprentice" because its a trend now because of youth unemployment.

Also development is also one of the few roads which can make serious money by being self-employed with relatively little experience. When I was studying I did a few iphone application projects for around 2 - 5k(Depending on complexity) each for local companies. You have to put yourself out there though, and income is not guaranteed.
 
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Sorry for beating this old fish of a topic 5 years after the last post but first support nowadays is absolutely nothing like you guys have said ,i have tried to find a job for almost a year in this line of work , but they have extraordinarily high requirements like ex :

* To create and setup domain and exchange users
* Using PRTG Network monitoring
* Setup and fix any user device, such as workstations, laptops, tablets or smartphones
* Networking administration
* IP Telephony support
* Windows servers' and desktops' administration
* Support other software required by the business
* First line support for any problems reported by users

Skills Required:

* Network administration - Windows (servers and workstations) administration and Microsoft Exchange administration
* Ability to plan ahead and organise the day, as well as an eye for detail
* Passion and motivation to learn and investigate i.e. being proactive and a willingness to undertake training both internal and external including leading to a recognised qualification
* Proven time management skills
* Experience in user support using a service desk platform
* Possess integrity and good ethical conduct including confidentiality and data protection awareness
* A team player - evidence of working in a team environment
* Ability to document and share it with the rest of the team
* Willingness to work outside of normal working hours including weekends when required
* Ability to work in a fast pace environment under pressure

This is not a "How to turn on and off computer?" type of work , or at least it's not anymore. :))

And I have decent knowledge in the repairing and maintaining department , but i can't find a job where they would get some one with no degree or similar stuff.The only degree that might make it through this kind of jobs are IT HND's which i do no like , as i hate development and programming.I'm the kind of guy that likes to get his hands dirty and build computers from scratch and stuff like that.
 
YMMV, as they say. 1st line in the council was a job they hired completely non-technical people to do. Everything was scripted, and you just followed the steps in the script.

I wasn't 1st line, but I spoke to some of the new starters, and they flat out told me they had no IT experience before getting the job.

YMMV (x100)

This doesn't help you, but I was hired (by said council) without any IT quals or corporate IT experience, at all. And put on 2nd line support (field and remote).

If you can: read log file (mostly event viewer and MSI install logs) and use Google, you're good to go :p
 
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DexteruL said:
Sorry for beating this old fish of a topic 5 years after the last post but first support nowadays is absolutely nothing like you guys have said ,i have tried to find a job for almost a year in this line of work , but they have extraordinarily high requirements like ex :
Click to expand...

I would say this was second line support not first line.

1st line = Service Desk (First Call Support)
2nd line = Network Technician (Desktops)
3rd line = Network Engineer (Servers)

Just escalate when required.
 
Besides, you have to take into account how utterly crap most HR departments are :p

We've all seen entry level positions that ostensibly required a degree and 5 years experience :p For a 15k job...

Just apply anyhow.
 
I suspect that at the moment my weak spot is my CV , which is a mess using Europass CV layout , i have started typing by hand another CV using what i could gather from a few CV Reviews.I sent my CV for review so i could get some pointers on how a cv should look.However for some reason I'm apparently incapable of being narcissistic enough to be able to write about myself in the 3rd person :))),call it "writers block" or whatever but i can't seem to be able to write more than 10 lines :))
 
mrbell1984 said:
I would say this was second line support not first line.
Click to expand...

it is 1st line if they're, well, the 1st line... they take the initial call. It isn't necessarily defined across the entire industry by the tasks they're able to perform.

In some situations it might be helpful to have a team of, essentially, call logging monkeys. In other situations it is helpful for the person making the call to speak directly to someone who will be able to resolve a lot of issues themselves.
 
DexteruL said:
but they have extraordinarily high requirements like ex :

* To create and setup domain and exchange users
* Using PRTG Network monitoring
* Setup and fix any user device, such as workstations, laptops, tablets or smartphones
* Networking administration
* IP Telephony support
* Windows servers' and desktops' administration
* Support other software required by the business
* First line support for any problems reported by users
Click to expand...

Those are not extraordinarily high requirements :/

* To create and setup domain and exchange users
Click to expand...
Use 3rd party software, if not direct access to Domain native GUIS. Follow onscreen prompts or, more likely, copy from template.

* Using PRTG Network monitoring
Click to expand...
Look at big screen on wall showing PRTG. If something goes red or makes noise - Escalate to 2nd/3rd line.

* Setup and fix any user device, such as workstations, laptops, tablets or smartphones
Click to expand...
Plug device in. Join to Domain. Fixing - Whatever troubleshooting steps required. 1st line will, at most, extend to a system re-image/reinstall, RAM/HDD swap out etc. Anything else, escalate to 2nd/3rd line.

* Networking administration
Click to expand...
Set IPs/DHCP. Plug cat5 cables in. Anything else, escalate to 2nd/3rd line.

* IP Telephony support
Click to expand...
Desktop software, plugging of IP phone in to network. Anything else, escalate to 2nd/3rd line.

* Windows servers' and desktops' administration
Click to expand...
Lol, no. Get told off by 2nd/3rd line for even trying.

* Support other software required by the business
Click to expand...
Troubleshoot, RTFM.

* First line support for any problems reported by users
Click to expand...
Catchall term for the above.
 
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