Getting started in the IT industry.

[dowie]

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.

Might as well chuck yourself in at the deep end and try to learn as much as possible ASAP - if you're a grad then you're not going to find basic IT support/help desk stuff very stimulating - aim for something a bit higher and if you find yourself struggling then just work very hard at it and absorb as much info advice as you can from your colleagues.

I work as an analyst on a service desk(not an IT help desk but I guess there are some similarities) and get a whole load of different issues - tbh.. I wasn't qualified/experienced for everything my job entails and very few people are - I just had enough relevant skills to make myself useful and nearly a year on I'm reaching a level where I'd say I was competent - I still get issues reported where I realy don't know what is going on and have to spend a few hours looking at various docs or recreating stuff in a test environment.

I'd say swott up on anything that makes you uncomfortable now and go for a web design type job you'll learn things a lot quicker and progress much faster if you go for a job that might be slightly beyond your skill set and work your ass off to get good rather than becoming an impressive help desk bod or printer monkey.

 

[Una]

My words of wisdom are don't do a crap degree at Uni your better off just working.

 

[richyfingers]

My words of wisdom are don't do a crap degree at Uni your better off just working.

Yea, that’s really helpful If you don’t have anything constructive or intelligent to say then don’t bother posting.

Course was done at Glasgow Caledonian, and I don't really intend to use my IT skills if i get into the police, I want an active field job.

 

[Jon Frost]

My words of wisdom are don't do a crap degree at Uni your better off just working.

I'd agree with that.

Though it doesnt help the thread starter.

 

[Chiz]

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

Maybe not but we have a hell of a lot of big business connected with the Oil & Gas Industry and with these business brings the need for I.T support.....

There's ALWAYS Helpdesk/Desktop/Comms/Server/Infrastructure jobs on the go. You don't have to look far what so ever.

 

[Mr^B]

My words of wisdom are don't do a crap degree at Uni your better off just working.

Knowledge is knowing what to say, wisdom is knowing when to say it.

 

[stevenazari1]

Knowledge is knowing what to say, wisdom is knowing when to say it.

well tbh he is right, why bother going to university at all if you have no intention of using your degree. its like doing a degree in quantum mechanics and wanting to be a bin man afterwards. waste imo and if the course was full they could well have turned away a student that actually wanted to use their degree.

 

[richyfingers]

well tbh he is right, why bother going to university at all if you have no intention of using your degree. its like doing a degree in quantum mechanics and wanting to be a bin man afterwards. waste imo and if the course was full they could well have turned away a student that actually wanted to use their degree.

My god are people actually BLIND? Read the OP, I clearly state my reasons. Having a degree also gives me the oppertunity to apply for fast track promotion. And away with your damn txt s p k.

Well said Mr^B, far to many people on this forum don't read posts properly and spout utter crud.

Read the OP next time.

 

[stevenazari1]

My god are people actually BLIND? Read the OP, I clearly state my reasons. Having a degree also gives me the oppertunity to apply for fast track promotion. And away with your damn txt s p k.

Well said Mr^B, far to many people on this forum don't read posts properly and spout utter crud.

Read the OP next time.

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?

if your looking for hardware/technical you done the wrong degree 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.

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.

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I dunno Im sure out of all those threads I indicated I had read the original post.

using your degree to fast track yourself is not "using your degree" your just waving a certificate in the air saying "look what I got!" but you have no idea what it is.

you may as well have got a degree in *** kissing. in the 5 years I have been in education my friend who done 1 year in college went to london police, got into met and is now a detective, no degree, just some AS Level (1 year of A-Level). your riding on a degree to fast track you and tbh it has nothing to do with what you want to do - if you wanted to "use" your degree, you would have done psychology, criminology, phorensic science, but instead you chose to fart about on photoshop, premier pro and macromedia flash.

and then you call me blind?

 

[richyfingers]

I'm not riding on anything. I went to uni to get a degree incase things did not work out with the police. Uni matured me and made me more confident, if I had applied for the police 4-5 years ago I know I would have been rejected for lacking 'life experience' as the police put it.

I never said I was using my degree to fast track, it doesn’t appeal to me at the moment at all, it’s just an option I have as a result of having a degree. I don’t fart about on anything either you nonce. I stated in my OP that I was also starting up PC repairs and support in my local area. I made a site designed the graphics and it no way at all was it farting about. You are talking complete tosh and you seem to be bitter about something, the skills I learned at uni have enabled me to do this and have also provided me with more knowledge in the field I am most interested in which is the hardware support side of things.

I want to join the police because it is an active, challenging, rewarding and varied job, not because I’m interested in the psychology of crime or forensics or whatever so why on earth would I do a course that does not interest me in the slightest. I had an interest in computers and went to study it at uni as a result as many people do.

 

[stevenazari1]

I cant be *****

 

[Mr^B]

As far as I know, the police need websites and IT literate people as well as they need ethnic minorities willing to be stabbed for tuppence a day.

What people fail to realise is that the subject of a degree is really rather redundant unless you are planning to take your studying further than a degree. What use is a classics from Oxbridge in and of itself? Nothing, nada, zip-doodly-squat. UNLESS you are going to be a classics lecturer or do some sort of classics orientated post-graduate studying.

I have a BA, without Maths at A-Level, and now I work in Quantitative analysis. A degree is a statement about you and your personality, rather than your acquired knowledge. It's saying "I picked something and stuck at it for 3 years and was reasonably competent." That's it, nothing more, nothing less.

Most of the time I end up de-programming/re-programming IT/Maths/stats graduates to get them to a degree (if you'll pardon the pun) where they are of any use.

Erm...anyway...back on topic.

1. Avoid the "I'll fix your PC at home" type jobs - they're awful - once you've seen your first fragged spyware/virus riddled PC from hell, you won't want to try and clean up any more.

2. Keep applying for 1st line helpdesk type jobs, there's bound to be someone hiring at some point for someone with a little experience, mainly because they can pay peanuts.

3. If money/living is the objective rather than experience/the job in and of itself, then I recommend sticking at the Sainsbury's type night-stacker. You'll probably make more money and have more of a laugh at the same time.