Getting started in the IT industry.

richyfingers

richyfingers

richyfingers

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Joined
6 Feb 2006
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1,768
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Troon
I graduated last year with a degree in multimedia technology and with the plan of joining the police straight after finishing. So I finished and sent off my application and just my luck at the time my application was received the recruitment process has slowed so a crawl, over a year later and I’m still waiting for my home visit which is the 3rd stage of a 6 stage process, so if things continue the way they are it could be another year before I get in (providing I pass everything first time)

While I had been at uni I was working nightshift in Salisbury’s, just one or two nights a week and after graduating started doing 3-4 nights a week for some extra cash. I was hoping the recruitment process wouldn’t take so long and I could just work in Sainsbury’s until I got a start date but due to the delays I’d really like to find a ‘decent’ job earning a bit more money and getting some experience in the IT industry in case things don’t work out with the police. Here’s the problem though, I’m finding it nigh on impossible to find anything, I’ve had 3 interviews recently which went really well and I had very positive feedback from but due to a lack of experience and a large commuting distance for another I have been rejected each time. 99% of the jobs I see advertised require commercial experience even for the lower paid jobs. After graduating from uni I had a look around for some jobs too and got a few interviews but same problem – no commercial experience.

So my question is how the **** do I get experience, I’ve been applying for the lower down positions like 1st line support kinda things as I am more interested in troubleshooting jobs but I just seem to be hitting a brick wall. Any advice or suggestions of other positions I could apply for? I’m more interested in the technical and hardware side of things but I would pretty much consider anything at the moment as long as it was in my field.

I have also just started to make a website and advertise locally doing pc repairs, upgrades, virus removals, outcalls and stuff like that. Just putting the finishing touches to the site and I will start advertising locally and see how it goes. Anyone else had experience doing this and has any words of wisdom to part with?

Cheers

Richy.
 
Tbh you'd probably earn more money working in Sainsbury’s than as a junior helpdesk technician. Unless you're sure you want a career in IT I wouldn't bother. Have you thought about trying something else? Office temping for instance?

A good friend of mine started out running a home repair service when he finished uni about 3 years ago. It's going quite well and he now has a few support contracts for local business. It's not a bad option IMO. Certainly a lot better than working on a helpdesk
 
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Money is quite similar but i really am sick of nightshift and if things dont work out in the police i'd like to have some experience to fall back on. Not really looked into office temping what would it involve? admin stuff?

Cheers.
 
richyfingers said:
Not really looked into office temping what would it involve? admin stuff?
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Most of the time, yes. It will depend on your skills but if you can type to a reasonable standard and use basic office packages then you should be able to find a job. The pay isn't always fantastic but you can change jobs relatively easily and meeting new people/learning new methods of working can be interesting.
 
richyfingers said:
Not really looked into office temping what would it involve? admin stuff?
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Yeah basically admin stuff. I was in a similar position to you when I finished uni, and I decided to join a temping agency because I was sick of doing nothing all day. I started by doing a few admin roles and then they found me an IT helpdesk job that lasted about 6 months. It was all quite dull, and not really what I wanted to do. But it was something to put on my CV and shortly after I finished I found a job in software development which is what I always wanted.

If I were you I'd find a job temping and hold out for the police force, or continue with home support/web site thing you've started. You could also consider an alternative career, have you looked into graduate trainee schemes?
 
as a graduate in multimedia I really dont think a job in helpdesk is what he is talking about.

a multimedia course = web based programming, some software programming, audio/video/graphics design etc.

look into designing websites for online firms, a lot of games companies require web designers and a LOT of companies require these skills. London has over 2257 jobs last time I checked on monster (last week) and 1 job I could do now regardless of experience and that pay was £35k basic. Im going to assume you know php/ajax/latest web languages, databasing etc. as a multimedia designer these should be second nature to you.

Get some work on the cheap, multiple freelancing and then go look at possible contract work once you have a few names under your portfolio. you have a portfolio dont you?
 
Stretch said:
Tbh you'd probably earn more money working in Sainsbury’s than as a junior helpdesk technician. Unless you're sure you want a career in IT I wouldn't bother. Have you thought about trying something else? Office temping for instance?
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How will continuing working at Sainsburys, or even office temping get him a good career? What will it give him experience in other than filing? If you want a career in IT (or many other fields) then you have to do your time in the trenches, and if that means doing a low-paid helpdesk job for a year then so be it.

You have to look at the bigger picture... and that doesn't involve saying silly things like "omg u may as well work at Sainsburys, same money". Helpdesking will get him expeirence to put towards this career, Sainsubrys will give him nothing.
 
stevenazari1 said:
Im going to assume you know php/ajax/latest web languages, databasing etc. as a multimedia designer these should be second nature to you.
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That’s the thing, with my course I found we learn a little of everything, not enough of one area to allow me to feel confident working in that field. To be honest I was very disappointed with the course and I can’t stand programming and scripting, my interest lies mostly on the hardware/technical side.

I enjoy doing design work but again I don’t feel I posses the required amount of skill to work in a commercial environment and no I don’t have a portfolio.
 
Richdog said:
If you want a career in IT (or many other fields) then you have to do your time in the trenches, and if that means doing a low-paid helpdesk job for a year then so be it.
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That’s exactly what I’m trying to do mate, I’m just having serious trouble getting a job in the ‘trenches’ seems everyone wants a piece of the action and even the low paid jobs require experience.
 
Well I don't know what it's like in Glasgow at the moment i'm afraid but my sincere advice is this: send an online application + CV to any job you can via the good I.T. job sites like Reed.co.uk, Monster.co.uk, CWJobs.co.uk etc etc and follow each and every job application with a phonecall to the agency in charge of the job ad asking for information about the job, and basically getting your voice heard.

The logic behind this is that they get a bazillion CV's sent for every online job ad, and only about 5% of those will ever ring them to enquire in more depth. Without forcing them to achknowledge you, you will never be anything more than a faceless, voiceless spod sending in a CV like hundreds of others, and they will disregard you outright. Call them often.
 
if your looking for hardware/technical you done the wrong degree :p thats more networking. but even then there is no course for hardware.

you need to know what you want to do - if its networking your going to need to get a grasp on how networking works, if you want to use your degree thats another story, the university is only there to provide you with basic knowledge, its up to you to hone your skills. Im on my last year of my multimedia degree but know pretty much everything I have learned enough to class myself as confident but I have been doing odd jobs for companies in freelance work.

the problem with web design/multimedia you cant afford to sit around and do nothing, software progresses at a good rate and more and more people are coming into the industry so you need to get yourself out there and make yourself seen. You NEED a portfolio. its easy to say "I can do ajax" but if they can see your work then thats something else.
 
Cheers, I’ll try that. I have already registered with those sites but I haven’t been phoning much at all, I’ll give it a bash and see how I get on. Thanks.
 
I graduated just over a year ago with a degree in Internet and Multimedia for Computing, and couldn't really find anything up here in Aberdeen.

Since i was dying to start a career a helpdesk job came up, which i accepted, then 5 months down the line i got promoted into Desktop, and now, a 7 months later, i'm wanting to continue my progression into a new Desktop / Server type role.

Helpdesk isn't that bad. If you've got a good group of people with you, and there's an opportunity for progression then i say you go for it. A year ago i never seen myself working in Support, but i enjoy it, and don't think i'll change what so ever..

As for agencies; I emailed, called went in, did everything i could to let them see how keen i was and that i would be suited for certain jobs.
 
if you want to get into the IT industry you really need to ask yourself the question:....

"does my area have a market to provide?"

I really dont think aberdeen is a hub for computer technology.....

I mean like swansea - there is no business here to utilise my skills, so I must move. your job wont come to you - you gotta get out there otherwise you'll just be waiting and by then you would have forgotten what you've learned/new technology will be wanted.
 
Richdog said:
How will continuing working at Sainsburys, or even office temping get him a good career? What will it give him experience in other than filing? If you want a career in IT (or many other fields) then you have to do your time in the trenches, and if that means doing a low-paid helpdesk job for a year then so be it.
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If you read what I've said closely then I really can't see your point. He ideally wants to join the police force, not work IT. But he needs something to keep him occupied in the mean time. There's no point in starting a career in IT support unless he absolutely sure he wants a long term career in IT. I'm only sugesting he do something more casual and less sole destroying than working on a helpdesk for the short term while he looks for the job he really wants.
 
Stretch said:
If you read what I've said closely then I really can't see your point. He ideally wants to join the police force, not work IT. But he needs something to keep him occupied in the mean time. There's no point in starting a career in IT support unless he absolutely sure he wants a long term career in IT. I'm only sugesting he do something more casual and less sole destroying than working on a helpdesk for the short term while he looks for the job he really wants.
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he said if he doesnt get the job in the police then he will look into IT as a serious job.

what part of the police is he interested in and could he use his IT skills for a possible police department?
 
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