Ask Lemmy

It took me 10 years to finish my BSc in Ecology because my ADHD hadn't been diagnosed and I procrastinated by fucking around with Linux.
So I didn't get hired in my field, and a friend of mine got me a support job at a software startup that didn't find qualified people cause they paid like shit.
When it predictably went under, I had 4 years of experience and got a job as IT sysadmin in an MSP. 3 more years later I switched to the internal IT department of a newspaper, where I work now.
At the last switch, I had the choice between 6 employers who offered me a job and chose the one with a union, a workers council, a regular 35 hour work week, and 42 days of PTO per year.

I'm trying to get out. It's a fucking miserable grind through bullshit and office politics. It can pay well, but there's a cost to that paycheck I am no longer willing to pay.

Depends what sector of IT you want in. Tech support on the phone, just apply. Tech support deskside, maybe get can A+ to stand out but otherwise just apply.

Systems administration, if you don't have experience, a cert can fill that gap. Microsoft server or azure/365 certs will be helpful if you want to go into windows. Any of the Linux server certs if you want to go that route. Some of the Linux ones are more affordable too.

Networking likes certs a lot more, especially Cisco shops. If you have advanced certs in Cisco you can get in easy a lot of places. Fortinet has a lot stronger presence these days than it used to though and the NSE4 is a great way to get into it. Huge companies tend towards Cisco, Aruba, and sometimes Dell. Medium and small tend towards other more affordable brands but Fortinet is a solid option.

The downside to certs is that many are expensive to get. Companies often will help maintain them. Good companies will help you get one if they think you are able and they think you will stay. But you need to be in the door for that.

If you want a place that will take in low experience and build you up fast, an MSP might be an option. You will usually touch a lot of things and get a lot of experience in a short amount of time. Downsides are pay and workload. You will not be paid fairly for the output expected. At least I've never seen it. So one approach is to get some exp from an MSP, then move on to a proper company after a year.

I'm leaving IT after a very long time for Software Engineering at the moment. IT burnt me tf out, ran me over and then backed up to make sure the job was done right. So I have a pretty sober view of the field and try not to bias it. It was great till it wasn't. Feel free to ask me anything you want and I'll do my best to give you a fair and honest response.

Aside from all the current advice here. The golden rule is usually find friends in the field. Research where IT people go in your area and start to make friends. The job market is vicious right now, the more people you know, the better.

As far as I can tell from my agency’s IT department it takes no qualifications or knowledge of anything. Just apply to jobs. Someone will be stupid enough to hire you and you can just google search basic trouble shooting and quickly become the CTO!