Getting into IT where to start

[edscdk]

OK its not for me,

My son has basic IT skills, he can install windows, add drivers... put a computer on a desk and plug it in... but he needs to know a lot more... enough to get a 1st line support role...

I'm after books or videos to bring a person that can install a CPU, RAM... install windows.. put a computer together.. into a level he can apply for a 1st line support role...

he is not starting from that bottom... i can say "open a command prompt, do an IP config... ping the Default gateway"...

I feel when I tell him stuff I just nuke him with information and he really needs a "structured course" or "approach" to getting up to standard

Any suggestions much appreciated...

 

[explicit4u]

CompTIA A+ certification is a common route people take to get into support roles, it gives you a solid foundation for all things IT.

It's what I did to get into my current support role. professor messer''s videos are what I used for studying, they're all free and easy to work through in your spare time. There's tonnes of other sources online for help with the A+, most of them are free so I wouldn't bother looking into paid courses or books unless your son learns better that way.

Also keep an eye out for apprenticeships if he doesn't have any Level 5+ qualifications (anything above A Levels), they're a great way to get into a support role without any IT specific qualifications and they usually pay for all your exams and teaching while you work. Plus you get the added bonus of real world experience (much more valuable than qualifications imo), and a salary.

 

[TallPaul_S]

How old is your son? I ask as a normal 1st line role will (should) value customer skills, phone skills etc over hardware knowledge.

A+ is a great starter course, always handy to have to show some knowledge. Getting into a basic 1st line role is the hard bit, I did it at age 32, 4 and a half years ago, I had only basic IT knowledge (gaming, building PC's, troubleshooting my own PC's etc) but crucially I had many, many years of customer service skills, I knew how to answer the phone, how to listen and ask the correct questions, how to make it sound like I know what I'm talking about, verbal nodding, and so-on.

Most 1st line jobs for someone new to the industry will start out as call answering, logging tickets, password resets, account unlocks, email triage. Once he's in, then the real learning starts.

If I were you, I'd get him to look at the Comptia A+ stuff, I personally wouldn't pay for a course as they can be expensive. The exams aren't that much however. Then also get a load of old pc bits and get him to build a workstation from scratch, install windows, set up hyper-V with a few VM's, create a couple of servers, domain controller, file server, and basically have a play.

However - none of this is really needed for a 1st line job. If he isn't confident on the phones then that's what he should be improving as for the first few months that's what he'll be doing primarily. Nothing will sap a person new to IT's confidence like being talked at by a financial director because their SQL database cluster needs to be drainstopped and failed over NOW as they're losing £1m per hour when the system is down... Been there, done that, was dropped in at the deep end and I survived

 

[Sparky__H]

@TallPaul_S has got it summed up pretty much perfectly.

Proven ability to listen and communicate is very valuable in a first line role. Customer facing shop work experience is very good for that.

I guess one bit of advise would be that not all 1st line roles are created equal, not even in the same company. Some are happy to let people stagnate.
A company that's forward thinking will have upward mobility via sponsored certifications and vendor training. A bad one will not.