I am current a taxi driver in London, and I'm sure a few of you have heard that the trade is in decline. I don't wish to hold on to a slim hope that it may get better, end up watching it go down the pan and finding myself with no work and no prospects.
With this in mind, I am strongly considering a career switch.
I've always been good with computers, not in any specialised or professional experience way, but I always solve my own problems, pick new things up relatively quickly, play around with things and tend to be "that guy who is good with computers" and fixing stuff for people.
Bearing that in mind, I am strongly looking into a career in IT. What I tend to enjoy most is setting stuff up and getting things working, with a combination of hardware and software, which has pulled me to the idea of network infrastructure.
I admit I currently know little about the field, but it's certainly sparked my interest. I've spoken to a few friends who work in the IT field and it seems to be a solid career path, decent pay and prospects, opportunities to branch out and I guess organisations are always going to need someone to look after their network/servers right?
I've done some preliminary reading up and general research and have been recommended CompTIA Network+ for a foundation and moving on to a CCNA. My current situation is beneficial for this. I'm 28, have no real financial or personal dependencies and with a flexible job I can learn and qualify in my own time. I'm certainly no stranger to independent learning. I can even take on short-term voluntary roles to gain some real world experience.
My aim/goal is to qualify in the above certifications and then apply for a role where I shadow a more experienced professional and learn the role on the job with qualifications as a foundation. What I'd like is just a bit of guidance, advice and a picture of the job both overall and day to day ,it's career paths and how realistic, if at all, the above scenario is. I don't have a university degree and would rather avoid that path, which after speaking to a few people, does sound possible.
With this in mind, I am strongly considering a career switch.
I've always been good with computers, not in any specialised or professional experience way, but I always solve my own problems, pick new things up relatively quickly, play around with things and tend to be "that guy who is good with computers" and fixing stuff for people.
Bearing that in mind, I am strongly looking into a career in IT. What I tend to enjoy most is setting stuff up and getting things working, with a combination of hardware and software, which has pulled me to the idea of network infrastructure.
I admit I currently know little about the field, but it's certainly sparked my interest. I've spoken to a few friends who work in the IT field and it seems to be a solid career path, decent pay and prospects, opportunities to branch out and I guess organisations are always going to need someone to look after their network/servers right?
I've done some preliminary reading up and general research and have been recommended CompTIA Network+ for a foundation and moving on to a CCNA. My current situation is beneficial for this. I'm 28, have no real financial or personal dependencies and with a flexible job I can learn and qualify in my own time. I'm certainly no stranger to independent learning. I can even take on short-term voluntary roles to gain some real world experience.
My aim/goal is to qualify in the above certifications and then apply for a role where I shadow a more experienced professional and learn the role on the job with qualifications as a foundation. What I'd like is just a bit of guidance, advice and a picture of the job both overall and day to day ,it's career paths and how realistic, if at all, the above scenario is. I don't have a university degree and would rather avoid that path, which after speaking to a few people, does sound possible.
