How to get the first job in IT?

mattoxx

mattoxx

mattoxx

Associate
Joined
22 Jun 2015
Posts
118
Hi guys,

Do you have any advice what would help me to get the first job in IT? I am interested mainly in developing, maybe .net. I got university degree (Computer modeling from another country) and zero experience within IT sector. Also I am out of uni for good 3-4 yrs, so my it knowledge of subjects went down quite a lot, and so far only warehouse experience.

Thanks
 
Turned up, dressed alpha, told them I have no IT experience in the public domain but could build a system.

The rest is history. Been doing it for 2 years now. Literally have learnt on the job, do all sorts now, networks, servers and the general 1st line & 2nd line roles.

Also Project Managing a new OS roll out in Sept. Amazing when I failed GCSE IT.
 
Developing is probably one of the harder ones to get your foot in.

Anything else (General helpdesk, Voice, Server, Virtualisation, Networking) you usually end up taking a lower paid 1st/2nd line support desk role.
 
DJMK4 said:
Developing is probably one of the harder ones to get your foot in.

Anything else (General helpdesk, Voice, Server, Virtualisation, Networking) you usually end up taking a lower paid 1st/2nd line support desk role.
Click to expand...

I have applied for helpdesk as well...no much luck either.

Maybe I need some course from UK?
 
I worked for free for a week. Fixed a few problems their old-timer consultants couldn't. Got offered a job, and back pay for the week. YMMV.
 
mattoxx said:
I have applied for helpdesk as well...no much luck either.

Maybe I need some course from UK?
Click to expand...


It doesn't generally help if you haven't studied anything, a lot of people who study in college, uni, come out and get their foot in the 1st line / helpdesk role way

If you have absolutely nothing including no education in IT, then its going to be harder.

Best you could do is try and study in your own time and get a cert (although like I say to everyone, certs are not always going to get you a job!) , try and breeze through an interview and try and get in on a basic 1st line/ticket logger sort of role and work your way up.


Development though, not really my area so I wouldnt know, I would think you would have to demonstrate good practice in development, show any work you have done in portfolio style. Try and go for some junior role (although a lot of these will be dished out already to fresh grads)
 
Last edited:
If you can demonstrate a good understanding of Object Orientation in .Net then you should be able to get yourself a Junior .Net developer position.

A firm grasp of Test Driven Development is becoming increasingly important too.
 
The issue is that generally speaking, University graduates are over-qualified for start-up IT jobs. Employers know that the person isn't going to be around long enough to justify training them up, as once they've got experience they will jump to something more suited to their qualifications.
 
ci_newman said:
The issue is that generally speaking, University graduates are over-qualified for start-up IT jobs. Employers know that the person isn't going to be around long enough to justify training them up, as once they've got experience they will jump to something more suited to their qualifications.
Click to expand...


Generally not always the case

I have found that grads generally have no where near enough experience than people with work experience, and also they make a lot of mistakes

Work experience trumps university in many ways, and thats the problem, a lot of grads come out thinking they are more superior and know more than the people with both.

You will find that even if you are out of uni, companies wont pay you as much as people with lots of working experience, just because you have been to uni, you will have to work your way up the financial ladder just like everyone else.

And it will also look bad if grads are switching jobs quickly, without getting a decent stint in a company.
 
Don't rule out any source for job adverts. I got my original job in a junior third-line position with no experience through a small ad in a local paper (and this was with a big international IT company). In a lot more senior role now but it was a start.
 
DJMK4 said:
Generally not always the case

I have found that grads generally have no where near enough experience than people with work experience, and also they make a lot of mistakes

Work experience trumps university in many ways, and thats the problem, a lot of grads come out thinking they are more superior and know more than the people with both.

You will find that even if you are out of uni, companies wont pay you as much as people with lots of working experience, just because you have been to uni, you will have to work your way up the financial ladder just like everyone else.

And it will also look bad if grads are switching jobs quickly, without getting a decent stint in a company.
Click to expand...

Oh absolutely, work experience is king however to pick between two people both with no experience but one has a degree and the other doesn't, the uneducated person is more likely to get a look in IME as the non-grad doesn't have any misconceptions about their own worth in the workplace. I am talking about absolute bottom of the rung jobs though, 1st line support etc.
 
DJMK4 said:
It doesn't generally help if you haven't studied anything, a lot of people who study in college, uni, come out and get their foot in the 1st line / helpdesk role way

If you have absolutely nothing including no education in IT, then its going to be harder.

Best you could do is try and study in your own time and get a cert (although like I say to everyone, certs are not always going to get you a job!) , try and breeze through an interview and try and get in on a basic 1st line/ticket logger sort of role and work your way up.


Development though, not really my area so I wouldnt know, I would think you would have to demonstrate good practice in development, show any work you have done in portfolio style. Try and go for some junior role (although a lot of these will be dished out already to fresh grads)
Click to expand...

I do have university degree (IT)
 
If you want to go for development, try junior development roles, but go thoroughly prepared for an interview, if you have some work you can show them in a portfolio or something you may have developed, anything would help.

If your after most other IT roles, try and get a 1st line helpdesk role if you have zero experience and work your way up to the specific area you want to be in (Servers, Infrastructure, Voice, Networking) etc to name just a few

Problem is they may start asking why you didn't start jumping at opportunities 3-4 years ago when you came out of uni, you need to be clever with an answer here as they might pick you apart on this and could easily make other candidates look stronger if they are fresh out of uni and eager to get in a role asap.

What did you do in uni? what course specifically and modules? how long have you wanted to be in the IT field, where do you want to see yourself in 2-5 years?

Degrees I have found have been overrated, if you can demonstrate that you understand, can do the job, quick learner, super eager and want to make this a career, and not just a job you should be good, but you will have strong competition
 
Last edited:
To be fair, you don't really need a degree in IT but rather the experience is important.

Either:

1) Look for an apprenticeship scheme.

2) Start watching YouTube tutorials, reading forums and websites and just start learning how to code simple web applications.

Make sure you build a portfolio and try to diversify the types of apps you build.

Good luck!
 
Help/service desk roles are about changing passwords for users, dealing with getting the information down so that second and third line can resolve the issue and some other issues such as VPN connectivity from home and general troubleshooting.

Development is much more involved and if your saying .NET than make sure you know hot to program in VB.net or c# (c# more likely these days). .NET is either MVC (web) or WPF or older .NET straight so know your stuff.
 
cosmogenesis said:
Help/service desk roles are about changing passwords for users, dealing with getting the information down so that second and third line can resolve the issue and some other issues such as VPN connectivity from home and general troubleshooting.

Development is much more involved and if your saying .NET than make sure you know hot to program in VB.net or c# (c# more likely these days). .NET is either MVC (web) or WPF or older .NET straight so know your stuff.
Click to expand...


Helpdesk is a stepping stone to 2nd line, to 3rd line, to projects

A fresh face with 0 experience is not going to go from zero to 3rd line and project dealing

Development though as you said is more you have limited stepping stones other than being a junior developer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom