changing career please help

hi guys,

basically let me explain my currrent situation. I am currently a waiter for a well known british restaurant
with benefits i earn roughly 25k a year after tax (vast proportion of this is due to tips), i have 3 kids all under 5 and have been married for 7 years.

My issue is i am 28 and really cant progress any further in my current job, I love computers games/hardware setting them up and fixing them although my knowledge is limited at best (i mainly use forums for guides on fixing stuff) but i love the idea of having a job involving computing. I work 3 days a week thurs/fri and sat all day night and have 4 days off.

My question is does anyone no the best way to get into the industry without giving up the money i.e. i could do a course in my spare time. All my money is acccounted for so to take a cut in money would be quite damaging. I do not no what field in computing would suit me best or even at my age wether it is possible but seen as the vast proportion of people on these forums must have some computer knowledge i thought i would ask here.

Thanks in advance for any ideas/suggestions

 

you need to go back to school and learn. unless you con convince your boss that you can draw people into the restrant using online means and he pays you for it, or doing sketchy stuff under the table. go back to school, get some certifications, and get your feet wet in the world that is IT (Information Technology) try and take a A+ Certification class. and see how you like it. ether way you need to go back to school no one is going to hire anyone with out degrees and certifications.

 

yeah i no i need a qualification but i would not no what to go for i mean can i do curses while i still work such as on my days off from home or would i have to become a full time student because i could not afford that

 

you can go down to your local place of learning and see if they have a nite course for an A+ Certification Class. the A+ Certification is broken up into 2 different sections, Software and Hardware. chances are they will have 2 classes going on 1 for each.

 

thanks for your help mate will have a look on the net and see were i could go local to me cheers.

 

I am also looking to do something similar although im still only 17, my advice would be to try and find either a night class for IT Technician/Software Developing << Thats what i am doing, so obviously base it around what your looking for and sign up for the course, if there is none that suit you then maybe having a look at local Collages or if your really dedicated look for a university course.

 

I like this option.

But to be honest, you would be much better off getting a legitimate degree. Certifications are nice but you will have A LOT more job opportunities if you get a bachelor's degree in computer science or something similar. If you take the time to get a degree, chances are you will land an internship or job at a place that will pay for you to get certified.

I have a degree in Management Information Systems, and was required to take 2 years of COBOL programming which nobody uses any more. Of course that was 10 years ago ... but anyway.

If you can find a way to support yourself (being a waiter) then take a full course load and take some loans out to pay for school. It might suck for the next 4 years but you will reap the rewards in the end.

 

thats the problem, it sounds like he dosnt really know what he wants. and lets face it when i started i loved computers and technology, and would try and fix things only to end up breaking them, but after i took the A+ cert classes i knew a lot more and what i was doing, and was able to give me the confidence to go "Fuck yea i can replace your processor!" so while its not for everyone at least taking the class even if he never takes the actual test will help him know if he wants to go that direction or not.

 

yeah i think code hit it on the head i love computers and working them out all be it limited but i do not no what field i would like to do so maybe a starter course would be best

 

They key to doing anything is initiative and motivation. First it's initiative. If you don't want to do it, it's not going to happen. You can't just buy the book and say "I'm going to do it".

Walk the talk if you want the paycheck.

A+ is easy, either take the class and waste a lot of hours and book cost... or snag the .pdf and do it at home ... then take the test. Tests are $200-250 each or so, regardless if you pass / fail. Hardware is generally a lot easier than the software... as there isn't too much to a hardware degree (most of it is seeing if its a hard problem -- which is to simply replace the item, or a software problem such as drivers / os / etc)

It only took me a week to brush up my A+ skills and take the tests

It's not installing hard/soft ware that's the problem... it's diagnosing it correctly and fixing it from there. Any kid can put a computer together

 

the point is him figuring out if he wants to do it, kick, not "im going to do it whats the cheapest way" at least if i takes a class he can ask questions get his hands on some real (example) hardware. once he has a motherboard in his hands he'll know if he wants to do it or not. and having a teacher there will help a lot more to a first timer who doesn't know. after he gets his A+ theres nothing stopping him from using that method on Network + (or whatever its called) or Microsoft Office User Specialist. or any of those. but for the first time i defiantly recommended the classroom experience.

 

Well I'm going through a similar situation at the moment, though I am not moving into the IT field I'm moving out of the IT field. I've been working in the IT industry for 22+ years and I've decided I'm well overdue for a change. In about 3 weeks time I start a four-year medical degree.

To the original poster the best advice I can give you is go and study. Though, I do understand exactly how difficult that is going to be when you have a family to support.

 

yeah just wisk i had done it when i was younger but there was always something in the way basically i think i need to go colledge but i need to mantain my current hours and job so will go and have a word with a career companies and see what they bring thanks for the advice guys will keep you all posted

 

I'm also in the same situation as FPS, worked myself in to the ground in IT for 18 years and now I'm back at Uni being a student again. It's not easy to adjust to student life again, but as Kick and others have said the 'grind' is worth it in the end.

 

Get an trainee-ship / apprenticeship.

Tbh you dont learn anything in IT Courses, i found the "teachers" know very very little, One time i even had to tell the teacher how to setup samba.
Unfortunately it is necessary to do them.

 

Hey Laurence. I think I can help you.

I am a hardware engineer and I basically had to take a lot of certifications, which now in my experience were worth a lot more than going to university. At least in the area of expertise I am in.

Anyways, if you are going for the hardware/servers maintenance and repair with also administration, I suggest you take these qualifications in this order:

Comptia A+ - CompTIA A+

Comptia Network+ - CompTIA Network+

- At this point in time, you can expect to find a Helpdesk Job randing from 19k to 22k. Of course this might be a step down in your current salary, but dont forget this is the stepping stone to get into IT... And sometimes we need to take a step back in order to climb the right stair.
You can proceed to update your skills with more certifications, but dont forget that experience is much more valuable than the certifications. You can proceed taking the:

Cisco Certifications: CCNA (Discovery, Exploration and Security) - Courses & Certifications - Cisco Systems

Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) Windows 7 Configuration - TS: Windows 7, Configuring

Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) - Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE)

And from this point you will know your way into our IT world.

Finally, but most importantly, please visit: Certification forums UK computer A+ Network+ MCSE MCSA MCP CCNA discussions exams study guides
This is the best certification forums around, and people there are extremely knowledgeable and helpful. I am there too but obviously with my tinfoil hat because dont want people to associate me as botter lol.

Hope it helps mate!

EDIT PS: I forgot to mention that all those certifications up to the MCSE level, you can safely learn at home with various books and materials from teh internetz.
To further help you, get these books:

A+
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0071701338

Network+
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0071614877

 

As CodenameG said, getting into a class on your off days or working towards a certification is your best bet. I got my A+ Certification in high school, I was able to get my school to pay for the test. For my age I was actually quite young to get this, but I managed to get a part time job after school working at a local computer repair shop. Which gave me a tremendous boost in experience and all around learning more and more. I also focused on my Network+ Certification and was able to get that in high school as well. I continued working part time doing computer repair, and after graduating I moved to a company as a Help Desk/Computer Tech. Basically I got the experience I needed and some connections while working at the computer repair store, and then the certifications was the icing on the cake to seal a job fresh out of high school, with plenty of room for advancement in the company, eventually moving up to Network Administrator, all the while working there, I continued studying for the next best certification, and getting the company to pay for some courses/tests. Start with he basics and try and move on from there. Get a book and start learning and reading where you can. See if you can find a local place to either do an 'internship' or a part time job as a basic technician doing simple stuff and working your way up.

 

+repping you for this, as it is great info.

 

You didn't go to a very good school then.

 

I vote apprenticeship. In the uk we have a fairly large success rate with that sort of thing and you can get help with it from colleges, university's, the job centre. Everywhere.
If not that, then, start somewhere small, learn on the job, work your way up.