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Bit of a strange first post I know - but I'm after doing some research.
My wife is from Stoneham, and we are currently living in the UK. We are looking into moving to MA, and so I am doing some research on my likelihood of being able to get a job.
I have about 8+ years in Telecoms, most recently as a 2nd line support engineer working with call recording and cisco apps (not desktop support). I am willing to do any kind of certifications before moving, to increase my chance of getting a job, but something I can do part time whilst working (so not a college degree) Oh yeah, regarding college degrees - I don't have one, as here they're not really required.
Just wondering if anyone can recommend any - I know Cisco CCNA nets jobs, but I wondered if there were others someone could list. Someone from a different state said he got some "short Microsoft certs" and was able to get a job, but he didn't specify which ones.
In all the companies that I've worked for in MA, even the lowest level IT professionals (people who do first-line desktop support and people who do odd-jobs like filling out check request forms) have a bachelor's degree. In fact the only people I personally know in MA under the age of 50 who don't have a bachelor's degree are skilled tradesmen (plumbers, carpenters, etc.), some receptionists and one person who works as a cashier. MA is one of the hardest states to find a job in without a bachelor's degree. Maybe others in the industry can chime in, but it seems like you have an uphill battle.
Actually I have the opposite experience, I worked in IT for years without a degree and many of my coworkers either didn't have degrees or had them in non-technical majors - we were all admin level or higher, not desktop support. (That being said, my entry-level years were years ago before the current economy). But IT is still more of a meritocracy than some other fields, if you can do something few other people know how to do you'll have good job prospects.
I've been out of the field for about 3 years but I think the Cisco ones are a good bet. The Microsoft and Red Hat Certified Engineer ones work well depending upon which way you're headed but they both take a significant time/$ investment. (My preference is for Linux/Unix - even beyond its own merits you will have less job competition than with Windows) Security and networking are always a plus, process-based certifications like ITIL and project management can also help you stand out no matter what technical specialty you're in.
What kind of jobs are you hoping for? What are your professional interests? That may help us come up with more specific suggestions.
Also check out the Science & Technology Forum, the good folks there will have some helpful suggestions.
Keeping the focus MA based, we do have a lot of IT jobs around here, many tend to be clustered to the west of Boston along Route 128 between Newton and Burlington rather than in Boston proper, which might be good news if you were hoping to move back to Stoneham. But there is the possibility of finding IT jobs all around the Boston area, depending upon specialty.
Thanks for chiming in tribechamy. I used to do odd-jobs in linux systems administration/networking in high school and college and it seemed like everyone else in the field only had a high school degree. I was surprised when I moved to MA and saw almost all my coworkers in every company I worked for hold a bachelor's degree. I'm now in a different field, so I'm curious (and this may help the OP learn how interviews work here in the US), how do prospective employers know you actually know your stuff? Are IT interviews mostly hands-on where they observe you perform tasks on the computer? Can't anyone with a high school degree pose as an IT specialist if they have all the right certifications (i.e. they are book-smart but lack the working knowledge or experience).
In all the companies that I've worked for in MA, even the lowest level IT professionals (people who do first-line desktop support and people who do odd-jobs like filling out check request forms) have a bachelor's degree. In fact the only people I personally know in MA under the age of 50 who don't have a bachelor's degree are skilled tradesmen (plumbers, carpenters, etc.), some receptionists and one person who works as a cashier. MA is one of the hardest states to find a job in without a bachelor's degree. Maybe others in the industry can chime in, but it seems like you have an uphill battle.
Sadly, in this job market I know quite a few people with Master's Degrees and not frivolous ones, working in food service and hourly retail. Not by choice.
The IT interviews I've had have usually had some element of, for lack of a better word, quizzing: I'm asked what I would do if xyz happened or what command I use for this and such, etc. Or I'm asked to provide specific examples of projects I did, problems I solved, etc. Also the interviews have usually been with multiple people - HR, hiring manager, and almost always the peer level coworkers who have the best spidey-senses for whether someone knows their stuff. I've never had to do things on the computer with an audience but know colleagues who did at later jobs. Larger companies with techie prestige and government/military related jobs tend to have the most technical hurdles to cross.
You do bring up a good point about whether any Tom, Dick, or Harry can get a bunch of certs and pose as a specialist - often there has been a lot of chatter about this sort of thing in the IT community or sometimes disdain for certs for this very reason. But on the other hand certs are measurable - I could fudge my way through an interview and fake a resume & experience too, after all. Also the higher level ones take a huge time & experience commitment and are often difficult to pass, it's not a matter of getting a cert after plunking down the $. Different certs get more respect, which I think is part of what the OP is asking about. I think most employers recognize that a combination of credentials plus experience, with experience getting a lot of weight.
Don't forget one of the most important filters, references. I've provided lots of recs for former coworkers and those actually have a bit of a technical component to them, in which I have to give specific examples of the coworker's technical problem solving and the like. So even if someone did con their way through an interview, they'd have to be sure their references knew what they were talking about and were willing to convincingly lie for them.
Sounds like we have similar backgrounds, would be nice to have a virtual coffee chat about linux.
The IT interviews I've had have usually had some element of, for lack of a better word, quizzing: I'm asked what I would do if xyz happened or what command I use for this and such, etc. Or I'm asked to provide specific examples of projects I did, problems I solved, etc. Also the interviews have usually been with multiple people - HR, hiring manager, and almost always the peer level coworkers who have the best spidey-senses for whether someone knows their stuff. I've never had to do things on the computer with an audience but know colleagues who did at later jobs. Larger companies with techie prestige and government/military related jobs tend to have the most technical hurdles to cross.
I forgot to mention for the OP and anyone else looking for IT jobs in MA: this isn't a technical thing per se but there are a great number of companies in the Boston area with government/military associations which require security clearance. This is not something you would get ahead of time - although people who already have a clearance have an edge - the hiring company would go through the process with you. But it's something to be aware of and it would help to learn more about the process and get one's ducks in a row.
In all the companies that I've worked for in MA, even the lowest level IT professionals (people who do first-line desktop support and people who do odd-jobs like filling out check request forms) have a bachelor's degree.
But I do know of a couple of individuals who HAVE made it without a degree, but I feel they're the minority.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tribechamy
Different certs get more respect, which I think is part of what the OP is asking about. I think most employers recognize that a combination of credentials plus experience, with experience getting a lot of weight.
This is the sort of information I'm after really. What kind of things can I look into studying to give me some hope. The only issue being, it's one thing to get a cert in networking for example, but if I haven't had any experience doing the job that's probably not enough.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tribechamy
What kind of jobs are you hoping for? What are your professional interests? That may help us come up with more specific suggestions.
To be honest - Anything really. I "fell" into my previous jobs, and just worked my way up the company from hard work - I'm not afraid of hard work, and I'm used to starting in a low level admin role and working my way up from that. But obviously having some kind of certification could help me get that first role.
Hell, I'd gladly switch industries to do anything really, as long as there was some kind of money in it. Just want to avoid the degree route really.
This is the sort of information I'm after really. What kind of things can I look into studying to give me some hope. The only issue being, it's one thing to get a cert in networking for example, but if I haven't had any experience doing the job that's probably not enough.
To be honest - Anything really. I "fell" into my previous jobs, and just worked my way up the company from hard work - I'm not afraid of hard work, and I'm used to starting in a low level admin role and working my way up from that. But obviously having some kind of certification could help me get that first role.
Hell, I'd gladly switch industries to do anything really, as long as there was some kind of money in it. Just want to avoid the degree route really.
The advice is much appreciated.
If the sky is the limit, I'd personally recommend focusing on Linux, networking, and security, also with ITIL and maybe even some project management. The first three are good prospects because specialists are always needed, the last two help you stand out as someone who can follow best practices and basically will be able to work well with both techies and non-techies in the company.
Also, these are all things you can pretty much study and gain experience in at your own house - set up some Linux servers, maybe with some virtual machines, set up a home network, secure it, etc. There are some other technologies that are hot now but it's much harder to pull off, say, massive storage management or financials software unless you're working at a company with technology at that scale.
With "home" experience it obviously won't show up under employment history on your resume (unless you start your own home business, which honestly isn't a bad idea and is a totally legitimate route if you pursue it seriously) But I hope your resume has a section highlighting what your technical experience is, you can list these things there. Also in combination with certs you will still be able to demonstrate the knowledge, will still be able to give examples of problems solved in interviews, etc. You may even put a section on your resume highlighting projects completed, with some of the home things you've set up.
I would recommend cross posting this with either the work & employment and/or science & tech boards, there are a lot of other IT folks who can chime in with more experience.
I've done a lot of work with contracting jobs that you can do in a few hours in the POS, telecom and networking fields. It's kind of like E-bay for techs. They list the jobs and what it pays and usually you can counter offer if you feel It's not worth what It's listed at.
There are quite a few of these companys out there but I like Field Nation the best. I have a paypal account setup and they deposit twice a week on Tuesday and Friday. If I do a job on Wednesday I'll get a notification via E-mail on Friday night that the money is in the account with no Paypal fees. Field Nation gets 10% I made a lot of money checking dial tone and repairing At&T residential service. Something to do until you find your true calling.
The best part is you work when you want! Many,many times I've left my house and was back home in an hour and a half and made $100 I've done work for them the last four years now.
I believe Field Nation is international now as well- check it out.
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