I need some advice...

[dowie]

Yeah OP can get a student loan (for either part time or full time study) he's mentioned debt though it seems.

Part time study is probably a good option and the apprenticeship scheme someone mentioned earlier (they seem to pay a rate quite similar if not slightly more in some cases than what some entry level Helpdesk person might earn anyway.)

Seems like a no brainer to me - if you're otherwise going to be faced with some printer monkey role for the next 3 years before you can progress then the apprenticeship will likely pay as much and be far more interesting + you'll get a degree you can then use to specialise, study for an MSc etc..

 

[TallPaul_S]

I had previously contacted them, they quoted me an absurd ammount for a CompTIA A+ Cert... Somewhere around £1700...

Jesus, talk about a rip off!!!

The A+ cert isn't even that valued in the industry and it really only needs a basic level of computing knowledge to pass.

Anyway OP - I personally wouldn't bother getting a degree in IT, if you can find yourself an entry level 1st line desktop support role paying between 16-20k, in 3 years time you should easily be on mid-20's, progression (if you get in at the right company) can be very quick in desktop support, and most entry level IT support roles require just basic IT knowledge and good customer service skills.

I changed careers 4 years ago, I spent 8 years in financial services earning a max of £20k, then did a year or so as a delivery driver on crappy wages (I needed to get out the office for a break) and then found an entry level IT role paying £20k (which is the upper limit for that role, I got lucky with the company, basically London wages in Kent) and then 5 months ago I moved companies (which I should have done a year earlier) and I'm now on mid-20's pa. My aim in the next 18 months is to hit £30k pa then go from there. I'm now 37, I switched careers at age 32 and I was out of work and relocated from Bristol to Kent just prior to that.

Basically, find yourself an entry level IT job (preferably at an MSP, maximum exposure to loads of different clients and environments), work hard and in a few years you'll probably be on mid-£20'sk and looking to move up from there.

 

[malachi]

I agree with the above.

 

[lookitsjonno]

I was in the same boat as the OP, left school with C's, fell out of collage and was working at McDonalds. Luckily I was passionate about IT and someone gave me a job doing first line support in a call centre. Loved it and got my A+ on the job, but from there I taught myself PHP and got a junior dev job. 15 years and 4 job rungs later I'm a software dev manager running a dev team and several very large projects, earning 4* the salary of my first support role.

Recruiting and interviewing many potential employees I can tell you that your experience and passion to learn on the job comes before education any day of the week. Dropping out of collage/uni was quite possibly the best thing I ever did. My colleagues are still paying for their education now!

 

[Fubsy]

I was in the same situation as yourself at 28. Only GCSE (but doing some OU courses), and working in retail.

I moved south with my GF from the NW and just started spamming places with my CV (heavily focusing on my interests in technology and mentions of home projects I'd completed). Managed to get an interview with a guy that liked what I was saying and he gave me a chance. Haven't looked back and doing OK in second line support. No means earning mega bucks, but average wage without having to splash out on further uni costs means I'm doing much better than what I was. I just HOPE that if/when my job comes to an end that the experience I pick up will be worth something due to lack of degree.

 

[dowie]

The other advantage of say part time university study is that you could perhaps apply for roles while you're part way through the thing. I guess those degree apprenticeships combine work and study anyway though if you don't pursue one of those then starting a part time course while doing whatever you're doing now could be a good move. You might then apply for a junior developer position etc.. when you're part way through, you don't necessarily need to wait until you've finished. Likewise I think the OU course you're looking at contains a networking module covering CCNA (or at least one of their courses does) - so if you're going down that route it could be useful too, you'll get 60 credits towards your degree for studying something you'd perhaps have studied for anyway had you not done a degree. I think you can do the CCNP as part of an MSc with them too.

And that is the other benefit of getting a degree, you can then study for an MSc or an MBA later down the line.. you could specialise in say some area of security via an MSc for example, there are also post grad level project/programme management courses too. If you go down the non grad/certificate route then you've got a high chance of having a bit of a grind for a few years and a much lower chance of a well paid premium role, you're probably going to have to go contracting to earn anything decent and you'll hit your glass ceiling early unless you're very lucky or you set up your own company etc.. the degree route can increase your chances, especially if you add to it further with a post grad qualification.