Looking to be an IT Technician

i left school last year and moved on to get the first job i could as i didnt get the required grades for the only college course i was interested in. I came out with 5 GCSE's A-C including english Lit, Media Studies, Art & Science double award. So im stuck in this accounts job i dont really enjoy and im looking for something based on IT Technics. My mate has just been taken on with Tritech and is on an IT Technician placement, earning money and learning more. This is exactly what i want to do but dont know where else to look as i think Tritech took him on as the last recruit. could sum1 point me in the direction of an IT Technician job! or even better would be something in the games market cos i dont know anything about it in sheffield. something like working for a games mag or anything like that would be fine.

thanks so much for any help

Try to decide what you want to do within IT. If it's games, then do you want to be a tester, programmer, artist or what?

Most entry level jobs are on helpdesks or building kit, but I don't think that would help you get into games.

Give us more of an idea.

B

Well i kinda given up on the games area. But if theres anything i can do within the games market it'd be cool. Mainly i just want an IT Technician job or placement. Fixing and Building PC's.

Well if you want to try something in tech support look for the broadest opportunity you can find. That way you will get some idea of which areas you will enjoy most.

Certification is a good start, look at the Microsft MCP, MCSA, etc most colleges are offering these now.

Also try to get Math and English language at GCSE, any chance you can do a re-sit later in the year?

Ring round the local PC shops, maybe Plusnet as well, they seem to be always looking?

Tricky Dickies (Dixons), PC World as well.

Aside from technical skills you need to show people skills and an ability to learn new stuff really quick.

Put together a good CV and really sell yourself, demand is starting to increase for these kind of skills, if you enjoy problem solving and dealing with people's problems it's not a bad old living!

B

Yeah i have a lot of problems in my life so ive kinda grown to like sorting them out. I get a lot of pc problems and when i didnt know much about pc's i helped my mate build the pc im using now!

I really have no idea right now which area i looking for. I just want to be a genuine IT Technician like the guy at my work. He just walks round sorting problem after problem with our comps.

Thanks for your help and you'l see me a lot in the 'ask an expert' section of this forum!

There's always the Dixons call centre on the Parkway, it's not exactly the best job in the world but pays over £12k iirc and if you can hack 6 months it's a bit of experience at least.

The PC World / Dixons PC helpline has moved from the Parkway call centre to the one in Nottingham, so the only thing you would get at the Parkway centre of a technical nature is working in Freeserve.

have a look at the capgemini.co.uk website. We have it technicians based in the Rotherham office and on customer sites around the area. Demonstrate on your cv some reasonable background and skill in that sort of area and you might get in.

*cries* ... It was so much easier for my mate. Im only 16 and dont want to work outside sheffield. All he did was apply for a placement with Triteck and hes working all over sheffield with a group of people fixing computers at the University and alsorts.

Originally posted by _Fate_

[bI came out with 5 GCSE's A-C including english Lit, Media Studies, Art & Science double award. [/b]

I can't believe you couldn't get on a college course with those grades. When I left school, my sixth form only required 4 GCSES at Grade C or above. Have standards risen that much nowadays?

Originally posted by Skatiechik

I can't believe you couldn't get on a college course with those grades. When I left school, my sixth form only required 4 GCSES at Grade C or above. Have standards risen that much nowadays?

Dependant on the course isn't it. Notice the lack of Maths in the list of GCSE's.

Maybe resitting the ones you need for the course you want would be the better option.

Rotherham is hardly "outside" Sheffield. If you want to get into the job market (and personally i'd recommend another 8 years of schooling) then Rotherham isn't that far.

Don't hold out looking for an IT job at your age, it's hard enough finding one at my age

To stand any chance of getting a decent job you need a Drivers license and at least MCSE/CISCO equivellent.

Tritech are placing students in Schools mostly, and they are on very little wages compareable to the dole.

When I went to College I didn't have good enough grades to make the Advanced GNVQ in IT course. I ended up being placed on a course to re-take my GCSE's but after a few weeks of work I got moved into the Intermediate GNVQ IT class. I spent about 30 minutes in there and was then moved into the Advanced class.

Maybe it's worth just going to College as often they will move you into another class once they see your skills.

When I was in school I wanted to be a Games programmer as my Uncle also works as one. When I realised how boring programming was I soon changed my mind.

The Sheffield University run a project called SYFIT for unemployed people living in Sheffield. I think you have to have been unemployed for over 6 months or have spent a year on the Dole to be eligable. They pay about 11k and train you and eventually place you out in a school. With you still being young unfortunately I don't think you'd be eligable. But it's worth looking out for other projects similar for people your age.

Pop into the Sheffield Futures building in Town and have a chat with someone in there. They are well informed of all similar projects for people your age.

But if you want my advice stay well clear of becoming an IT Technician. There is very little money left in that side of IT and soon any old office mug will be playing the Technicians role.

If you want some sound advice go into either: Networking, Security, Programming or Graphic Design.