I have a degree in computer science and software engineer, after leaving uni... programming is the last thing I wanted to do so I was looking for jobs in IT support.
Looking back you could say that it put my career back 4-6 years, the 4 years at uni and then a couple of years as I was comfortable doing IT support.. but the role I got, I could have got straight from colleague with a BTEC national in computer systems.
L1 are really basic, they are mainly outsourced now to large "IT resources" companys like HLC, computerworld, HP etc. or the non-techie/noobie of the team.
Their main task is to identify the right area that should be supporting the issue and triaging the issue to the correct department/person.
L2 is were the troubleshooting really starts and fixing issues...
L3 is where the specialist knowledge starts...
The issue with L1/2/3 is that depending on which company you work for, you may be doing more or less; there's no hard scoping in the industry that all L1s do the same and all L2 do the same across different companies.
If you work for a small company, you will be expected to do tasks across the board and not get paid much for it, larger companies will have more structure in what you should be supporting and what you shouldn't.
The main thing is to make sure you go somewhere that offers training and the possibility of getting external vendor certifications.
There are large companys that offer postgraduate apprenticeships, something that wasn't round when I left uni. I know at my place we offer this, and post-grads get to work in different IT roles/teams for a bit as a taster, then after a year they can apply for a role in teams (if head count allows it).
But honestly, L1 and L2 roles are likely to get smaller and smaller numbers. All I do all day as L3 is automate stuff that normally L1 and L2 would be doing to fix issues.
Believe me, it's far easiler for me to script something than to try and explain to some people how they should be fixing something; only for the good ones to leave and the poor ones to need explaining again and again - as they forgotten.
There's a whole lists of certs you can get onto your CV, that will give you a better chance of getting an interview. The main thing is to look for roles that you want and see what they are asking for.. I still do it to ensure that I remain relevant within the IT job market.
A lot of the certs are what's in fashion at the moment... not that long ago, most L3 roles as asking for VMware certifications, now a days; most companies will expect you to have the experience and only having the certifications is just a "bonus" as it's no longer a specialist role but part of most people's role. Now they are asking for security certs, to demonstrate you understand security even if your role isn't directly linked to IT security.
The only one that I would highly recommend getting; being that you're a noobie is ITIL... which is none technical but shows that you understand how you should be working.
The ITIL best practices provide a framework for businesses to more effectively manage their IT services. Find out more about ITIL with Axelos.
www.axelos.com
most companies will claim that they follow the ITIL service model (or their understanding of it)... it's important to understand the difference between an incident and a request/demand.. change of management.. knowledge management
PRINCE2 is all about working in projects, as a manager or as a resource. So that's worth looking at later on.
Most people in UK will be following ITIL and PRINCE2, as that's the framework that their company follows even without knowing about it.
Good Luck..
Just remember to get yourself a good mentor and be keen in learning.. they will likely beable to teach you more than a course or a book can. The courses and books will teach you how you should be doing it after.
