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I have been studying computers and networking for a very long time, i have tons of experience and can pretty much do almost anything with computers hardware, software, or networking related. Yet i cannot find a job due to the fact that i lack a degree and certifications.
My brother who was never into computer, got a degree in business but left his job as an accountant and found an IT job where he does stuff that i could do literally in my sleep. He is getting paid 80 grand and i have way more experience and could do a way better job than he is + i dont even need 80 heck i will take 50. He pretty much told me, if you get a degree you can end up working for the same company but without it they dont consider you.
I know if i can get hired, i can prove i dont need the degree or certificates but am willing to get them. Just cannot afford that at the moment. Since they do not hire me i cannot show them how valuable i am.
Recently though, i have started taking classes at the local community college, but i am ways away from even getting my associates.
I have a small home based computer and electronic repair business at the moment to keep some cash flow. The worst part is i am forgetting things, since i dont get to use my skills.
Any suggestions for somebody in my boat?
Oh worst part is i live in VA near DC where all the jobs supposedly are
Businesses today just do NOT have the luxury of taking a chance on an unproven worker. The competition is too great, and the cost of ineptitude is even greater. There's just too much to lose if you are not as great as you think you are, and nobody knows what they do not know.
Take a lesson here. Get your degree, and when someone tells you they do not really need a degree, license, or certificate, tell them how mistaken they are on that point.
You're in the perfect position in this economy. Do you want to work for someone else, or for yourself? If I were you, I would focus, focus, focus on your home business. Getting an associates can't hurt, but many successful business people never went to college. Do you like the work you're doing for your home business? Are your customers happy? Is your small business growing, or can you see it growing with a little more work on your part?
My advice, as someone with a BS in Comp Sci and graduate degree in non-CS field... Don't bother getting a degree in CS unless you want to be a programmer or DBA the rest of your life. Consider doing a degree in Business instead. I still see people without CS degrees who are getting ahead in IT while folks with CS degrees sit by the sidelines.
I won't make you any guarantees, but you will probably be happier working for yourself. I see a few people in my current area who started an IT business with a college degree or less, who grew their business into 2-3 locations. Another possibility is finding some temp jobs with contract agencies (Kelly, etc). I assume that you list your home business on your resume, because you should.
I have a small home based computer and electronic repair business at the moment to keep some cash flow. The worst part is i am forgetting things, since i dont get to use my skills.
I ran a computer repair business for 7 years.
You need to market and advertise. Most people want someone they can trust to come on-site for their computer service needs so referrals are also important. Get a few recommendation letters from current clients that are satisfied with your work.
Charge a fee just to show up and diagnose the problem. Then charge an hourly rate to do whatever is needed. Offer to apply the diagnostic fee to the repair charges.
Always ask when on-site if they have old computers they don't use and would like you to haul away for free. Tell them you'll wipe the harddrive at no charge. You can then refurbish and sell those used units. Be sure to actually wipe the harddrives in them.
Contact larger service firms and offer to pull cable for network installations. No one at big firms likes to do that.
yeah I agree with hnsq. The degree validates your skills and etc.But in your particular case, why don't you try to work home-based? There are lots of computer works out there if you really want to and that is, if you really do have the skills. You can visit odesk.com, one of the reliable online job source I could best recommend. They are offerring jobs by different categories, and most online employers won't require you a degree, you just have to let them show what you've got and you're in. Hope that helps.
yeah I agree with hnsq. The degree validates your skills and etc.But in your particular case, why don't you try to work home-based? There are lots of computer works out there if you really want to and that is, if you really do have the skills. You can visit odesk.com, one of the reliable online job source I could best recommend. They are offerring jobs by different categories, and most online employers won't require you a degree, you just have to let them show what you've got and you're in. Hope that helps.
I appreciate the responses. I will continue to work on getting my degree as it can only help me in the future + i have financial aid so may as well use it. As you all mentioned it proves i have the skills upfront. The thing that bothers me is that for the most part these college graduates dont have real life experience they are just book smart and end up getting trained as did my brother. I wouldnt need training. However though i have accepted it and will purse the degree none the less.
The issue that i have with my home based biz is that there are now so many people on craigslist which is where i advertise my computer repair services who will do most repairs for about $20. I cannot compete with that. Then there are the other people who as you said dont initially trust home based business over say a big retail chain such as best buy even if they get ripped off.
In order to compete with the rest of the world, i have been offering free diagnostics but of course they would have to get the repair done by me. Otherwise i would charge them a fee but they always get it done by me .
Apart from the afore mentioned issues, i am happy with my home business it has moreso been a means of extra cash rather than a main income type job. All of my customers are satisfied with my work and i am sure i would have no issues getting letters from them. Every now and then i would get a referral from them, but its not often.
Zitsky, do you mean do i think my business can continue to grow as a home business or do mean do i think i can end up owning a store? Also i dont mind working for other people, i actually enjoy having co workers. But at the same time i would keep my private business for some additional cash flow. You mentioned those temp agencies, i have contacted a few of them and sent them my resume but they seem to be backed up with the resumes they already have.
Rich CD, these larger service firms for the cabling how do i get in contact with them or even located them because to start and get myself in the door i have no problem doing the tedious cabling work.
I appreciate the responses. I will continue to work on getting my degree as it can only help me in the future + i have financial aid so may as well use it. As you all mentioned it proves i have the skills upfront. The thing that bothers me is that for the most part these college graduates dont have real life experience they are just book smart and end up getting trained as did my brother. I wouldnt need training. However though i have accepted it and will purse the degree none the less.
The issue that i have with my home based biz is that there are now so many people on craigslist which is where i advertise my computer repair services who will do most repairs for about $20. I cannot compete with that. Then there are the other people who as you said dont initially trust home based business over say a big retail chain such as best buy even if they get ripped off.
In order to compete with the rest of the world, i have been offering free diagnostics but of course they would have to get the repair done by me. Otherwise i would charge them a fee but they always get it done by me .
Apart from the afore mentioned issues, i am happy with my home business it has moreso been a means of extra cash rather than a main income type job. All of my customers are satisfied with my work and i am sure i would have no issues getting letters from them. Every now and then i would get a referral from them, but its not often.
Zitsky, do you mean do i think my business can continue to grow as a home business or do mean do i think i can end up owning a store? Also i dont mind working for other people, i actually enjoy having co workers. But at the same time i would keep my private business for some additional cash flow. You mentioned those temp agencies, i have contacted a few of them and sent them my resume but they seem to be backed up with the resumes they already have.
Rich CD, these larger service firms for the cabling how do i get in contact with them or even located them because to start and get myself in the door i have no problem doing the tedious cabling work.
I understand the competition can be difficult. You mention you're on Craigslist, and that you have customers who are willing to give references. Have you considered getting your business listed on Yelp and convincing some customers to post some reviews there? There may be other local review sites. I moved to a new area 1 year ago. I googled the local computer repair places. One stood out because he had no reviews from any customers, even after being in business for 7 years. Other businesses, even small ones had at least a few reviews.
Are there any neighborhood or town newsletters, brochures, newspapers that have cheap advertising? I live in an area where there is a newsletter that goes around. It looks like it was home made, but is actually produced by a company that does a version of it for every neighborhood in my area. Some of these ideas may not work for you. I think if you can move away from Craigslist, it will help you in getting the kind of customer that would pay more than $20 for a repair.
My comment was about whether you would ever consider opening a shop, which is very expensive or if you wanted to just keep going along and building things at home. I think many businesses expand too fast and buy a store front before they are ready. A business like yours can be run out of a car.
You have a pretty good resume. I would make your Objective statement more specific and list "Seeking position as Network Administrator" unless you really want something else. Do you have any Cisco certs? One thing I notice is that in 2006 you worked for a cell phone company. In 2007-08 you worked in retail. You'll need to have a good story about why you did this. It looks like you got away from IT, why was this? I can imagine a few good reasons, but maybe you could list the older IT stuff first. I would move the Technical Skills to the top, and list the most complex first, e.g. HTML, Javascript, etc. I would recommend even taking off the Gap job. If someone asks you can explain that there was a job that you thought wasn't relevant to the IT work you are looking for.
Is Game System & PC Technician your company? It's not at all obvious to me. I would list this at the top to make it more prominent. I wouldn't take out the game related stuff but I'd list it last under more relevant IT work. An IT recruiter won't care how well you can work on gaming systems. It's a good thing to highlight if you want to work with a company that does embedded systems.
For you home business, can you say anything like "Started a business offering IT repair services to home users (& small business)" "Grew business by 50% year over year (or month over month) from 2003-2005." If you had 10 customers in all of 2003, then 15 customers in 2004, you've grown the business 50%. Congratulations! It's completely legitimate to use these kind of numbers, assuming they are correct. Have you received any kind of awards, any kind of recognition online, anywhere? It might be something you put on your resume.
If I were you, I would put your Air Force experience right at the top, even if it isn't the typical way to do that. There's no guarantee, but I think some recruiters and employers will notice that and give you more consideration.
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