vidster Posted August 27, 2008 Share Posted August 27, 2008 Okay.... As some of the longer term posters will know i am a self employed Joiner. As everyone knows the construction industry is now on it's backside and it seems harder and harder to find work. Therefore i am thinking of changing jobs. I have been thinking for ages and computers are the only thing that keeps popping up in my head. I am good at anything security related. I am quite good with hardware. I am decent with anything XP and below. I have made a few websites in the past which i enjoyed loads. I have set up and maintained several forums in the past. I have 0 qualifications in anything computing. I have hardly any spare time due to work at the minute (can work from home in the evening). I can not afford to be out of work. Not even for a week or two. Sooo... What are my options (if any)?. Do jobs exist for basic website design? Maybe something on the repair/servicing side of things? I'm not ruling anything out as i have enjoyed virtually everything i have ever done on a computer. Ideas please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itosan Posted August 27, 2008 Share Posted August 27, 2008 Okay.... As some of the longer term posters will know i am a self employed Joiner. As everyone knows the construction industry is now on it's backside and it seems harder and harder to find work. Ideas please Forget I.T it's dead in the water! We have lost far more many jobs in the last 5 years to outsourcing and cheaper asian and eastern european countries. You think the building industry or tradesman are in a bad way try I.T. Just have a look at the jobs and pay for the technical knowledge required, experience and the hours you have to put in. I should say you mentioned Webdesign, how many out of work designers do i know? From a positive point of view if you do have excellent visual and design qualities and are willing to put the time in then maybe it's your ticket. Just my 1p worth, expecting the flames of the forum to burn brightly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaFoot Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Agree with itosan. The world is full of people who are 'good with hardware' and 'have built a few websites' who want to move into full-time IT. If you are serious about making a career out of it, get some formal training + certification in a specific area before looking for jobs. Think about exactly what you want to go into rather than 'IT'. Do you want to be sat at a desk all day as a programmer? If so - start looking into the market for different languages, pick one and work on on it. Do you want to be travelling about to client sites? Maybe support of some description is for you, or installing systems (servers, PCs, networks etc) is the way forward. etc etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cynic Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Unfortunately you seem to need a qualification or experience to get any IT job. Even IT Helpdesk operatives seem to need a qualification of some sort. If you could get an interview for a 1st line support role and then really impress the interviewer that would be the best way in. I did a degree that had a years placement included, this helped me to get a job at a reasonable level. It turned into a job from hell over time but that is another story! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shakermaker Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 well i don't think things are nearly as bleak as isotan makes out! basic website creation jobs don't really exist i've never known a company that would take on web or software developers without qualifications have you thought about testing? it can be a good way to get your foot on the ladder and it's one way of getting started without any qualifications Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedwayDan Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 i've got a mate who's thinking about doing the same thing, he's been looking at the ICT courses on here http://www.homelearningcollege.com (not the web design ones), are the qualifications on offer any good ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newvanandman Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Okay.... As some of the longer term posters will know i am a self employed Joiner. As everyone knows the construction industry is now on it's backside and it seems harder and harder to find work. Therefore i am thinking of changing jobs. I have been thinking for ages and computers are the only thing that keeps popping up in my head. I am good at anything security related. I am quite good with hardware. I am decent with anything XP and below. I have made a few websites in the past which i enjoyed loads. I have set up and maintained several forums in the past. I have 0 qualifications in anything computing. I have hardly any spare time due to work at the minute (can work from home in the evening). I can not afford to be out of work. Not even for a week or two. Sooo... What are my options (if any)?. Do jobs exist for basic website design? Maybe something on the repair/servicing side of things? I'm not ruling anything out as i have enjoyed virtually everything i have ever done on a computer. Ideas please Dont want to pi55 on your bonfire but most trades are having it hard. The only one i can think of that is thriving is drug dealing,and theres little stigma or tax to pay.You may even get a full board holiday now and again but thats unlikley as We need people on the outside to sell our afghan own grown and our police forces have got real criminals to target.speeders. I have vast computer knowledge,and did it myself for years.I think its unlikley you will make a sustainable income with little knowledge,but with determination who knows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vidster Posted August 28, 2008 Author Share Posted August 28, 2008 Thanks for all the replies folks. I cant see myself being happy for long if i am stuck behind a desk for 40 hours a week. Not that i have ever tried it though. The thought of being mobile (even if it's only on one building), fixing, installing etc sounds just up my street though. Which qualifications would i need as a bare minimum? Once i know i can start looking for courses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaFoot Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 In general terms I couldn't say for sure what the best qualifications are for support type work, though I think you'd want to look at the MSCE from Microsoft for PC/exchange/MS Server support and the Cisco qualifications for general networking. You might be able to get a junior support position with a local IT shop/support company to start with while working on the certs. Don't go near any of the 'promise you 30k a year after qualifying' adverts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cynic Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Although there may be more relevant courses the only ones that really carry any weight are the MCSE/MCSA or Cisco ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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