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Usually desktop support/helpdesk is where you'll break into the field. Bust your ass for a year or two doing that while studying for something else (CCNA, MSCE, VMWare, Linux, etc.) and move on to Sys Admin, Network Engineering, Telecom, IT Management, etc. That's the path I took anyways.
It's a good field if you're self-motivated and have a real interest in tech. Technologies are always changing so it's easy to burn out and get stagnant working at the same place or position for years while not really learning anything. You also prove your worth more in IT by actually getting experience so the fact that you don't really need a degree is also a plus. You can pretty much get as far in the field as your drive, skills and motivation will take you.
That's really hard to accurately answer without more information about you.
ie, What is your educational background? Do you have any IT experience at all? Are you a logical type of person and can pick up new things fast? Are you good dealing with people?
If you have a decent educational background and/or some experience, you might be able to skip the help desk/desktop support step. It's rare, but it's possible.
If you don't have an associates or bachelor's and lack experience, it might still be difficult to break into a help desk/desktop support type role. This would be your next step though.
29 is not too young. Within 2-3 years, you'll probably jump 50%+ in salary by hopping jobs. Your salary will continue to grow from there with the right decisions. Your first priority, regardless of crappy pay, should be getting that first IT job. Next, be aware of where the field is going and position yourself for where the demand is (virtualization, security, etc).
I just turned 30 and about 5.5 years into my IT career out of college. I had a bachelor's degree (not in IT) when I got my first job as a junior-level UNIX admin. Starting salary was approximately $68K converted to NYC cost of living. 2.5 years, I hopped to a new company for the equivalent of ~$113K. 1.5 years after that, I moved to my current company for the equivalent of $139K.
If IT is what you're in to, go for it. Best of luck.
NYC is not the place to look for entry level work.
The cost of living is just too expensive.
If you want to do it right....
1. find an IT job in a low cost of living area
2. work a couple of years to gain the experience you need
3. stack your money while you are learning
4. use linkedin and other avenues to build your network in nyc
5. then make the move when you have some money saved up and a higher paying gig lined up
Lots of threads on NYC forum about salary and cost of living. Lots of desktop support jobs at the universities there. NYU, Columbia, etc.
I would not even attempt to live in that place on anything less than $60K.
unfortunately i already live here and moving isn't really in the cards.
Quote:
Originally Posted by unixfed
That's really hard to accurately answer without more information about you.
ie, What is your educational background? Do you have any IT experience at all? Are you a logical type of person and can pick up new things fast? Are you good dealing with people?
If you have a decent educational background and/or some experience, you might be able to skip the help desk/desktop support step. It's rare, but it's possible.
If you don't have an associates or bachelor's and lack experience, it might still be difficult to break into a help desk/desktop support type role. This would be your next step though.
29 is not too young. Within 2-3 years, you'll probably jump 50%+ in salary by hopping jobs. Your salary will continue to grow from there with the right decisions. Your first priority, regardless of crappy pay, should be getting that first IT job. Next, be aware of where the field is going and position yourself for where the demand is (virtualization, security, etc).
I just turned 30 and about 5.5 years into my IT career out of college. I had a bachelor's degree (not in IT) when I got my first job as a junior-level UNIX admin. Starting salary was approximately $68K converted to NYC cost of living. 2.5 years, I hopped to a new company for the equivalent of ~$113K. 1.5 years after that, I moved to my current company for the equivalent of $139K.
If IT is what you're in to, go for it. Best of luck.
thanks so much for the awesome response. my problem is that i am not "into" anything. i do love computers and technology but have no professional experience with them and i've read/heard some horror stories from IT professionals.
the one thing i DO know is that i hate my current job (it's boring, not challenging and there isn't much upside potential) in middle office broker/dealer operations.
as for my background, i have a B.S. Business degree from a good, but small private university, 2 years experience in Public Relations and over 2 years currently in this operational role. i do some QA testing and things of that nature and have become an expert on our proprietary systems - if that makes any difference.
basically - a total career change is NEEDED. i need to decide which route to take. i want to take the one that will set me up decently for the future without taking TOO huge a hit salary wise now and that doesn't require insane hours (i work around 50 now and that is fine).
the only other realistic option i am considering is a corporate finance track.
unfortunately i already live here and moving isn't really in the cards.
thanks so much for the awesome response. my problem is that i am not "into" anything. i do love computers and technology but have no professional experience with them and i've read/heard some horror stories from IT professionals.
the one thing i DO know is that i hate my current job (it's boring, not challenging and there isn't much upside potential) in middle office broker/dealer operations.
as for my background, i have a B.S. Business degree from a good, but small private university, 2 years experience in Public Relations and over 2 years currently in this operational role. i do some QA testing and things of that nature and have become an expert on our proprietary systems - if that makes any difference.
basically - a total career change is NEEDED. i need to decide which route to take. i want to take the one that will set me up decently for the future without taking TOO huge a hit salary wise now and that doesn't require insane hours (i work around 50 now and that is fine).
the only other realistic option i am considering is a corporate finance track.
looking forward to additional insight.
First - IT is a broad field. But based on your initial post, I'm guessing we're talking IT operations (systems/network administration, network engineering, etc.).
The bolded line above is something you need to put your thoughts into. For the most part, IT is extremely dynamic. While a lot of the foundation stuff will stay with you for a long time, what you learn/do today maybe obsolete in as little as five years. Or at the very least, it requires you to continuously learn new skills. If you're "not into anything" it may make it hard to have to continuously learn (albeit you may find motivation through new challenges and accomplishments). So what do you want to do? What is your career plan/goal? A technical expert on something? Go into a leadership role? Just make enough money to live a comfortable life?
As for the field itself, it's not going anywhere. But people will need to be flexible and re-invent themselves in order to stay afloat (as mentioned above).
Outsourcing is certainly a threat to you. And I'm not talking offshoring, I'm talking the ability to turn just about any IT function into a "service" (aka XaaS). But one option is to actually work for said outsourcing providers. However, they tend to be very competitive as they require the necessary skills to support paying clients (as opposed to just being overhead for other internal departments). NYC is actually one of the hotbeds for tech start-ups. So there should be good opportunities. The question is how you stack up relative to the other applicants since you have zero experience.
i'm 31 and tthinking about get the A+. i have a degree in accounting with no accounting work experience after years of trying. im working a mba since im unemployed just to be productive.
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