How to break in to IT industry?

rasgav

I'm in my early-mid 30s, and after a period of unemployment I decided to do one of the much-hyped springboard/bluebrick IT courses. It was all new to me, but I worked hard and came out with a first class honours. It's a level 8 qualification, the same as a degree, but because it was only one year, I got a good introduction to a lot of areas - programming, web, databases, networking - but became a master of none.

I'm trying to land my first job but am finding it extremely difficult. There are loads of jobs for experienced candidates but very few for graduates. What there are lots of is jobbridge/internships, which I am not in a position to take up because I have a young family (and will need income to pay for childcare if I get a job).

So what should I do? I am more than willing to start at the bottom in any number of fields. Should I be applying for something really basic like a support/helpdesk role? Could that lead to something better? Somehow I can't see an obvious transition from helpdesk to programmer.

Despite all the media hype, I think it is harder than ever as an IT graduate.

RealistSpy

The market isn't really booming for graduates. The best way I believe to get noticed is to write codes and put them up on github, google code, sourceforge etc. That is how I managed to break through.

Nate--IRL--

After much fruitless searching I had to go the way of jobbridge to secure a job. I didn't want to do it but it was the only way forward for me. There is nothing there for entry level I found.

Nate

Neon_Lights

You can try searching indeed.ie or gradireland.com, or put your CV on monster, they did the most for me tbh.

I'm a grad got a job quite readily in IT after about 2 weeks of searching. My advice would be to find an area in which you are interested in and seek to pursue a technical certification in it. Mention this to an employer in an interview, because if you have passion for an area the employer will definitely put you ahead.

http://education.oracle.com/
http://www.microsoft.com/learning
http://www.sap.com/training-education/certification.html

Its okay to be liberal with how much you want to pursue further qualification in the area. Just know what they are and what a potential career path may be. Maybe if lucky you can get an employer to pay for one down the line.

Also, i'm sure that you have some experience in other fields before you had pursued this. Try and apply a subject matter knowledge to some of the roles you apply for, or in your search. IT is becoming more and more ever present in different parts of the business, and having people who can relate both to IT technically and "Business" are more valuable than purely technical skill.

scamalert

rasgav wrote: »

It was all new to me, but I worked hard and came out with a first class honours. It's a level 8 qualification, the same as a degree, but because it was only one year, I got a good introduction to a lot of areas - programming, web, databases, networking - but became a master of none.

that's the biggest problem with IT industry i found myself.Altough for your age it might seem achievement and it is,but as you said you got basic of all the IT industry possibilities.
As for finding a job as starting position its almost impossible.
as most jobs have in IT specific requirements-graphics,web require a lot of knowledge of PS,indesign,3d software,CAD etc.
Programming-is mostly based on one language although many are looking for someone with knowledge of at least few-c++,java, and other gazzilion programming languages that sprung over the last years.
Unless you decide to invest more years into specific field-one programming language,Advanced server admin,cisco or whatever field.
Best you could hope is to find job as phone support,or small IT company for printing stuff etc,or currys pcworld stuff.

reality is IT industry is booming,but you have to write apps half asleep,with the speed of expressing your thoughts straight onto screen,or be master in some advanced software then yes most companies pay top $$$,otherwise its low end jobs at best.

Gone West

I don't want to sound harsh, but 1 year in Springboard is not the equivalent of an undergraduate degree.
That said, most grads need training on the job to actually get the skills they need to do the job.

OP: I would be looking not at job sites, but at the likes of IBM, HP, Oracle's graduate program.

Moonbeam

IT is a big area,what are are you interested in breaking in to?

moneymad

rasgav wrote: »

I'm in my early-mid 30s, and after a period of unemployment I decided to do one of the much-hyped springboard/bluebrick IT courses. It was all new to me, but I worked hard and came out with a first class honours. It's a level 8 qualification, the same as a degree, but because it was only one year, I got a good introduction to a lot of areas - programming, web, databases, networking - but became a master of none.

I'm trying to land my first job but am finding it extremely difficult. There are loads of jobs for experienced candidates but very few for graduates. What there are lots of is jobbridge/internships, which I am not in a position to take up because I have a young family (and will need income to pay for childcare if I get a job).

So what should I do? I am more than willing to start at the bottom in any number of fields. Should I be applying for something really basic like a support/helpdesk role? Could that lead to something better? Somehow I can't see an obvious transition from helpdesk to programmer.

Despite all the media hype, I think it is harder than ever as an IT graduate.

Email companies asking would they be interested in taking on an intern.
I was searching for 8 months on job sites and my lucky break came when i emailed a company that does IT support. They jumped at the opportunity.
Goodluck

ryanfm

rasgav wrote: »

So what should I do? I am more than willing to start at the bottom in any number of fields. Should I be applying for something really basic like a support/helpdesk role? Could that lead to something better? Somehow I can't see an obvious transition from helpdesk to programmer.

Get into Programming
- Create a github/Bitbucket account if you don't have one. https://github.com/
- Learn git if you don't know it(or some other version control software if you like) basics. http://net.tutsplus.com/tutorials/other/easy-version-control-with-git/
- Create a blog if you don't have one.
- Code some simple application, blog the stages of research and coding of said app, put the code on github/bitbucket.
- Learn/play with new stuff. If you are familiar with Python, play around with Ruby, if you know Java, try some Scala. Blog this.
- Put said experience, blog link, github link onto resume.
- Repeat.

Highly recommended:
- Get familiar with a Unix-like OS such as OSx or a Linux/BSD distro (http://fedoraproject.org/). Everyone in IT should know how to use a Unix system regardless of their specific area.

MouseTail

Don't be too quick to dismiss jobbridge. Be choosy at which one you select, make sure it's one that will give you real experience and training. Treat it like an apprenticeship or another year of your education in terms of investment. See can you get subvented childcare.

rasgav

Thanks for all the replies.

Fuzzy wrote: »

I don't want to sound harsh, but 1 year in Springboard is not the equivalent of an undergraduate degree.

A Higher Diploma is HETAC level 8, the same as an honours bachelor degree - http://www.nfq.ie/nfq/en/FanDiagram/nqai_nfq_08.html

Again as regards jobbridge/internship - financially, I am just not able to work for free. The only advantage to unemployment is that I can take care of my kid. If I'm not there, I need to pay someone else to do it, and I need a wage to do that.

Were there more entry level jobs before jobbridge came along? Was it easier to get a graduate IT job before the recession? Is this situation the same in other industries?

rasgav

ryanfm wrote: »

Get into Programming
- Create a github/Bitbucket account if you don't have one. https://github.com/
- Learn git if you don't know it(or some other version control software if you like) basics. http://net.tutsplus.com/tutorials/other/easy-version-control-with-git/
- Create a blog if you don't have one.
- Code some simple application, blog the stages of research and coding of said app, put the code on github/bitbucket.
- Learn/play with new stuff. If you are familiar with Python, play around with Ruby, if you know Java, try some Scala. Blog this.
- Put said experience, blog link, github link onto resume.
- Repeat.

Highly recommended:
- Get familiar with a Unix-like OS such as OSx or a Linux/BSD distro (http://fedoraproject.org/). Everyone in IT should know how to use a Unix system regardless of their specific area.

This seems like good practical advice - although others have told me to stick to one language instead of trying to learn lots of different ones. I studied java, html, css in college. Do you have any suggestions for ideas for simple applications, or any online learning resources that could help me with this project?

Phoebas

Although you don't have IT experience, you're in your thirties, so you have other experience, so don't market yourself as a blank slate graduate if you can market yourself as an experienced person pivoting (to use the new terminology) into a different role.

Consider contacting companies directly; often when they're recruiting they set out minimum requirements to set a sensible filter on the applications they have to wade through, so if you can bypass the filter then you might be successful - a really good cover letter can help with this.

One bit of your OP is concerning - you say you've learned something about a range of areas but aren't a master of any. You probably need to decide what you want to do in IT and start upskilling in one direction. For example do you want to do software development of sys admin? If you want to do software development, is it more on the front end / web dev side or more on back end ...?
One if the reasons why companies are reluctant to take on graduates is because the don't want to take the risk of hiring an unknown quantity, so if the candidate themselves don't have a clear picture of what they want to do, the employer isn't going to be able to place them.

Phoebas

rasgav wrote: »

This seems like good practical advice - although others have told me to stick to one language instead of trying to learn lots of different ones. I studied java, html, css in college. Do you have any suggestions for ideas for simple applications, or any online learning resources that could help me with this project?

In terms of multiple languages, imo you should put the effort into learning complementary languages, but not competing ones.

So since you know one general purpose language, Java, I wouldn't spend time right now learning a competing language like c#.
But, as you know some html and css, you should learn complementary languages like javascript (and stuff like jquery).


On learning resources, very few people say bad thinks about these:

http://pluralsight.com/training/
http://www.codecademy.com/

ryanfm

rasgav wrote: »

This seems like good practical advice - although others have told me to stick to one language instead of trying to learn lots of different ones.

I would be of the opposite opinion. Looking into other languages, other tools, other ways of doing things only improves how you look at problems and how you implement solutions.

I studied java, html, css in college. Do you have any suggestions for ideas for simple applications, or any online learning resources that could help me with this project?

Since you studied Java you could start looking into Android development. Make some simple app, blog about the work/research done. Even put the app onto google play if you want to.

Find some tutorials, like here; http://mobile.tutsplus.com/category/tutorials/android/

Build on top of the knowledge you gain from following a tutorial.

Since you studied html and css you could look into making some web applications.

I highly recommend learning Python + a Python framework (https://www.djangoproject.com/), although the money seems to be in Ruby on Rails these days.

Both Ruby and Python are very easy languages to learn.

Ruby tutorials here; http://rubymonk.com/

Good tutorial for starting out Ruby and web app development here; http://net.tutsplus.com/sessions/singing-with-sinatra/?search_index=1

Phoebas

ryanfm wrote: »

I would be of the opposite opinion. Looking into other languages, other tools, other ways of doing things only improves how you look at problems and how you implement solutions.

I don't think anyone would argue that it isn't good to learn lots of different languages, but there is an opportunity cost of doing that - time spend on a range of different languages, skimming the surface, might be better spent getting a deeper understanding of a core set.

Its hard to get a job if you're a jack of all trades but master of none.

rasgav

Phoebas wrote: »

One bit of your OP is concerning - you say you've learned something about a range of areas but aren't a master of any. You probably need to decide what you want to do in IT and start upskilling in one direction. For example do you want to do software development of sys admin? If you want to do software development, is it more on the front end / web dev side or more on back end ...?

True, but how to decide? There isn't one area that jumps out at me. I enjoyed bits of front and back end programming, and I liked a lot of networking. Everyone talks about software development so I have kind of gravitated towards that area by default. Should I flip a coin? Really I just want to be able to earn a living doing something that won't end up boring the ****e out of me.

Again thanks for the responses, I appreciate the advice.

Phoebas

rasgav wrote: »

True, but how to decide? [...] Should I flip a coin?

It unusual to find someone that has exposure to IT for any length of time that hasn't a fairly strong preference (or at least a strong dislike of some areas) so maybe flipping a coin isn't such a bad idea - it doesn't have to stay flipped forever.
I'd have difficulty recruiting someone who didn't have some fairly definite preferences, as it can come across as not really having any interest at all. [But that's just one opinion - e.g. the big consulting firms tend to prefer hiring blank slates].

fret_wimp2

Pretty much all the posts have been about getting into Programming, which from my experience, is only one area of a massive IT Industry, and Programming, although great for some does not suit everyone.

OP, what area are you interested in?

Theres system administration if you have an interest in security, admin, operating systems, networks and a general overall interest. Can include things like administering active directory, sharepoint, general security etc.

Databases if you interested in data, its use, how its accessed, performance, optimization, and you can get into performance tuning that takes you from the database layer, through the application code layer, right down to the bare metal your system is built on.

Business Intelligence, kind of a database skill, but you need to be good at piecing data together to make meaningfull observations quickly. generally includes writing reports, prototyping reporting systems to give a quick demo before getting go ahead for a full project, getting into advanced areas like Multidiensional databases and again performance .

Hardware, if your into pulling machines apart, repairing them, setting up networks, and generally working with your hands. Can be anything from replacing a component in a server to helping build and design a performant Disk IO System.

Programming, which has been discussed at length already on the thread.

Business Analyst - helping your customers, usually business users articulate their needs, a translator if you will between Business and IT. very challenging and interesting work at times.


Thats only a tiny subset of areas and of course, they are not so nicely divided up, they all overlap quite a lot depending on the role and project you are working on.

But my point is, your going to have to work very hard to come any where near the skill level of a developer with 10 years experience, but if you have a broader set of skills you may be able to get your foot in the door somewhere a little quicker and work your way up.

Dont think programming is the only place to work in IT, its a massive industry, play to your strengths.

drumswan

rasgav wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies.



A Higher Diploma is HETAC level 8, the same as an honours bachelor degree - http://www.nfq.ie/nfq/en/FanDiagram/nqai_nfq_08.html

Will one of these courses qualify you for an industry grad programme at the likes of IBM? If not, it's not the same qualification as a proper BSc.

If so, that's the direction you should look to take. Although I don't know why we have people going to college if they could just do a one year springboard course.

jjpep

Hi OP,

I was in pretty much the same boat as you and went along the same path. I didn't fancy the idea of doing a jobBridge ( same reasons, child care costs ) but did in the end. Was on it for three months and then got offered a full time permanent contract. The company is a large multi national and it seems that the way there using the jobBridge scheme is essentially as a elongated interview. Two other people in my section were offered full time jobs as well. One other wasn't. If you choose carefully a jobBridge is worth doing as long as there is something at the end for you. Best of luck!!

rasgav

drumswan wrote: »

Although I don't know why we have people going to college if they could just do a one year springboard course.

One needs to have a primary honours degree already in order to gain admission to a Higher Diploma course. I have a BA from ten years ago.

scamalert

you said you have java experience,that's very wide and could open many possibilities.best bet to get some e-tutorials on making java/android apps etc-torrents although not the best legal advise have huge amounts of tutorials put together 30-50 gbs of info stuck into one file to set you up from almost any point to start developing apps or get familiar-just do some searching if you want to study on your own time,without forking money for useless classes.
Or good alternative as suggested above find jobbridge even if you dont like it,at least youll see what you need to lean to advance further,if gotten into big company,experience alone would pay off,to add to your resume.

moc moc a moc

rasgav wrote: »

One needs to have a primary honours degree already in order to gain admission to a Higher Diploma course. I have a BA from ten years ago.

Unless your BA is in a directly IT-related field, you are not on the same footing as someone who has just spent four solid years in IT education. As mentioned above, the likes of IBM will not offer you a job based on the technicality that a HETAC L8 cert is 'equivalent' to a BA.

Have you decided what area of IT you want to get into? E.g. software development, system administration, networking, etc?

Gone West

rasgav wrote: »

A Higher Diploma is HETAC level 8, the same as an honours bachelor degree - http://www.nfq.ie/nfq/en/FanDiagram/nqai_nfq_08.html

I know you have a link to back up your point, but I'd have to disagree.
HETAC is making a huge mistake affording the 1 year course a level 8 designation.
It's not the same as a university undergrad, and employers know this. It is cheapening.
There is no comparison really.

rasgav

I agree that I can't possibly have learned as much in 12 months as an undergrad would in four years. Just pointing out that it is the same level of qualification. It's not just this course, every Higher Diploma is a level 8.

Thomas D

Some good advice here and I think you need to forget about your qualification as it is close to worthless to most employers. You are not a jack of all trades as far as IT, you have had a very slight introduction to the field. A person hiring you will probably have a 4 year IT degree under their belt and they won't appreciate a person on a one year hdip thinking they have an equivalent education. The good thing about IT is that your skills alone will count and your name. Get coding, get visible and come up with your own projects that will interest others.

rasgav

rasgav wrote: »

I agree that I can't possibly have learned as much in 12 months as an undergrad would in four years.

Thomas D wrote: »

A person hiring you will probably have a 4 year IT degree under their belt and they won't appreciate a person on a one year hdip thinking they have an equivalent education. .

...

We're moving heavily off topic here... there's some level of fixation on the whole H. Dip / Level 8 business. I have nothing to do with HETAC or third level education in this country. I'm just one of the many people looking to re-train in IT and have gone down the recommended, government sponsored road thus far.

Some more helpful questions on my part may be:

How did you get started in IT? Tell me your story.

If you were an employer looking to hire a junior/grad, what would you expect them to reasonably be able to achieve? Ie, what kind of app/program/website should they be able to code, on their own, to some decent level of proficiency?

beauf

A lot of places won't even interview without a degree. If you get past that, then places that don't require a degree will be more interested in the work you have done, and skills you have demonstrated through projects you've done recently, (within last 2 or 3 yrs) than any certificates.

pakb1ue

My old company had a great way of breaking into IT. They put you on a 3 month training course (Java, C#, SQL, Unix and other stuff) inside the company and pay you during it.

They are hiring again by the looks of it.
http://www.nijobs.com/2013-Tech-Academy-Analyst-Belfast-Job-1001670.aspx

Downside is they pay is only £22k + £2k signing on bonus and you have to relocate to Belfast.

But after two years there you can jump ship and move onto a decent salary like I have.

Thomas D

pakb1ue wrote: »

My old company had a great way of breaking into IT. They put you on a 3 month training course (Java, C#, SQL, Unix and other stuff) inside the company and pay you during it.

They are hiring again by the looks of it.
http://www.nijobs.com/2013-Tech-Academy-Analyst-Belfast-Job-1001670.aspx

Downside is they pay is only £22k + £2k signing on bonus and you have to relocate to Belfast.

But after two years there you can jump ship and move onto a decent salary like I have.

Citigroup require a degree for that job.

pakb1ue

Thomas D wrote: »

Citigroup require a degree for that job.

Misread the OP but he still has a Level 8 Qualification so they could still apply and see what happens.

As some of the people who were successful in their application didn't have an IT degree and were in the late 40s but they did have a degree.

rasgav

Thomas D wrote: »

Citigroup require a degree for that job.

Thanks for the link, I appreciate it. I would be more than happy to take a position like this, however low the salary. However relocation to Belfast is an impossibility with partner's job in Dublin, mortgage, etc.

BurnsCarpenter

Thomas D wrote: »

Citigroup require a degree for that job.

Well, as has been made clear, the qualification is technically equivalent to that, being a level 8 even if, as has also been made very clear by everybody, these hdips are not actually equivalent to 4 year IT degrees. I mean, of course they're not. But they aren't worthless either.

professore

I think getting code out there is the best way to get recognised. Being a good programmer has nothing to do with the qualifications you have - it's all about experience, being able to think in an abstract way, and being able to simplify a problem down to it's basics.

Why not think up a utility or program you think people would want and try to code it? Worst case you will have a demo to put up on your blog / website - you DO have one ? Best case it will become a massive hit and you will have created your own job !

Dathai

What exactly do you want to work at in the field of IT? Being helpdesk and being a programmer are very different things. If you're aiming to get into helpdesk, I would suggest looking at job specs of current helpdesk / desktop support engineer jobs that interest you and looking at what they require knowledge and certification wise. I would suggest starting the CCNA + Windows Cert + Linux Cert if you intend to go down the Helpdesk route and on to Systems Administration. If I'm honest, Linux / Unix jobs are much more interesting than Windows jobs if you've got a real interest in IT. You'll get your foot in the door with the CCNA + Windows Cert + Linux Cert combo for sure.

For a development job I would suggest trying some of the Code Academy, Udacity and MIT OCW courses and from there learn more of the language you like by through another challenging course / book ("learn python the hard way" for example). Programming challenges like some of the initial CodeJam contests are also worth doing. Programming is a craft that cannot just be "got" through reading a book or doing some online tutorials, you have to code in order to really understand it.

Like several others have pointed out, a github/bitbucket account is your portfolio of work when trying to get a job. Upload all your attempts at programming challenges and projects.

Thomas D

If we're talking entry level IT jobs this is the pecking order.

- Grads with a few years of experience
- New IT grads with internship
- New IT grad with no experience but a portfolio of projects
- New IT grad with average results
- Poor IT grad
- Person who quit IT degree after 1st or 2nd year.
- The OP.


Whilst IT is doing pretty well in this country that doesn't hold true for the low level jobs. As things are I would say the OP is wasting his time applying for jobs in this sector. A family man will be competing with young people willing to work for free. His only hope is getting into a company for some other role and working himself into IT eventually. He's looking at a lot of unpaid hobby coding to get anywhere. This would be no problem for a person who is genuinely into computers but for a person chasing a cheque?

BurnsCarpenter

Thomas D wrote: »

If we're talking entry level IT jobs this is the pecking order.

- Grads with a few years of experience
- New IT grads with internship
- New IT grad with no experience but a portfolio of projects
- New IT grad with average results
- Poor IT grad
- Person who quit IT degree after 1st or 2nd year.
- The OP.


Whilst IT is doing pretty well in this country that doesn't hold true for the low level jobs. As things are I would say the OP is wasting his time applying for jobs in this sector. A family man will be competing with young people willing to work for free. His only hope is getting into a company for some other role and working himself into IT eventually. He's looking at a lot of unpaid hobby coding to get anywhere. This would be no problem for a person who is genuinely into computers but for a person chasing a cheque?

Have you ever considered a role as a motivational speaker?

Cuddlesworth

BurnsCarpenter wrote: »

Have you ever considered a role as a motivational speaker?

He is just being honest. In the current job market you need something that makes you special on the CV.

BurnsCarpenter

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

He is just being honest. In the current job market you need something that makes you special on the CV.

He's being needlessly harsh if you ask me. He says that the OP, who has a 2:1 primary degree in a different field and first class honours in his H dip, is lower down the pecking order than someone who has dropped out of college after one or two years of an IT degree.

Thomas D

BurnsCarpenter wrote: »

He's being needlessly harsh if you ask me. He says that the OP, who has a 2:1 primary degree in a different field and first class honours in his H dip, is lower down the pecking order than someone who has dropped out of college after one or two years of an IT degree.

I don't mean failure drop outs, I mean the type that is into computers but doesn't want to bother with a formal course.They usually sort themselves out with a job before chucking the course.

ITstudent1213

Thomas D wrote: »

I don't mean failure drop outs, I mean the type that is into computers but doesn't want to bother with a formal course.They usually sort themselves out with a job before chucking the course.

Or someone like the NEWBOSTON (If the OP doesn`t know - Newboston has great video tutorials on youtube and his website - he dropped out of college early on and taught himself from books - and became addicted).

rasgav

Thomas D wrote: »

If we're talking entry level IT jobs this is the pecking order.

- Grads with a few years of experience
- New IT grads with internship
- New IT grad with no experience but a portfolio of projects
- New IT grad with average results
- Poor IT grad
- Person who quit IT degree after 1st or 2nd year.
- The OP.


Whilst IT is doing pretty well in this country that doesn't hold true for the low level jobs. As things are I would say the OP is wasting his time applying for jobs in this sector. A family man will be competing with young people willing to work for free. His only hope is getting into a company for some other role and working himself into IT eventually. He's looking at a lot of unpaid hobby coding to get anywhere. This would be no problem for a person who is genuinely into computers but for a person chasing a cheque?

Do you have self-esteem issues?

Mrs OBumble

OP, you need to work on relationships with people who work in companies who might hire you. Work thru who you know, and ask them to help you with introductions to hiring mangers.

Thomas D

rasgav wrote: »

Do you have self-esteem issues?

Not at all. I get 5.5K a month into my hand for a 40 hour week. I know how the world works and how to get ahead. You have a lot of hard, unpaid work ahead of you but that is the price you pay when you change career.

ryanfm

rasgav wrote: »

...
How did you get started in IT? Tell me your story.

I walked into a job because of the knowledge I gained outside of my degree more so than the degree itself.

Pick an area, learn, code, blog about the learning and the coding. Repeat.

If you were an employer looking to hire a junior/grad, what would you expect them to reasonably be able to achieve?

Programmer: Demonstrate an ability to learn new technologies. Be able to look at some code and explain what they think its doing. Show prior work/code (anything, small or big).

Most importantly, do not be tied to tools/technologies. Don't tell me you studied databases and then say you can only use SQL server. Don't tell me you studied C++ and then say you can't write a "hello world" program without Visual Studio.

If you look at technologies that are actually used worldwide then most Irish degrees look pretty disappointing.

What I would suggest learning is;

Servers: Linux or BSD. Seriously, learn linux regardless of what area of IT you are going into.
Web Servers: Apache, nginx.
Databases: PostgreSQL, MySQL, Mongo (no-sql)
Languages: Java And/Or C#, Python Or Ruby, C/C++ (just because), Javascript.

Kinet1c

I can't put enough emphasis on how important networking is in IT... as in people networking. A lot of jobs may not even see the light of day on job websites because a friend (or a friend of a friend) has been given the job already. Or even if it's been posted it may already be spoken for.

Go to the free/cheap conferences/events, you'll meet people there and showing your interest will put you on their radar so if something does come within their company you can be ready to send them an email (or message on linkedin).

On the last point, get your linkedin setup. Recruiters use keywords to search such as java/python/ccna/mcsa etc to find people on there so get building your profile.

One last thing, you can't afford to stop learning when working in IT so keep reading books and watching tutorials...you never know what sort of questions you may get asked in an interview.

rasgav

Thanks again to everyone who gave a constructive reply. Time to knuckle down to some coding!

dees99

Make sure you polish off your interpersonal skills. The chances are if you even get a job that you will start with guys who are almost old enough to be your kids. You will have to show you can get on these guys. Putting up the blog with your coding is a fantastic idea, be sure to update it twice a week. Highlight it in your cover letter and CV.

Stay away from helpdesk, without a 4 year degree you only ever earn crap money and not even be to apply for most jobs.

The vast vast majority of places require a 4 year degree, this is possibly the reason you don't really know what area of IT you want to work in. I knew in second year and did my third and fourth year projects in that area to give me a boost. Your course sounds like a one year PLC course in introduction to computing. You basically know nothing. After 4 years you won't even be a jack of all trades. You should consider a masters ideally but work at the same time. Stick to one coding language until you get a job. If you go contracting you will be able to claim back any future fees, but get good on one first.

Other than that just get coding and get it up online. Use free webpage for your blog if you need. The blog will get you a job. Don't be asking people if they have a low self esteem. My boss in a bank HQ once told me they like to get their staff young, so they can be moulded the way they want to, before they have been hardened by lives experiences. Don't give off that vide. Your found your new love (IT) and your ready to put in whatever work it takes to get yourself off the ground! Be eager and willing to learn in any interview. Stress your love for coding.

rasgav

dees99 wrote: »

The chances are if you even get a job that you will start with guys who are almost old enough to be your kids.

I'm only 33.. are they hiring under-10s straight out of Coder Dojo now?

dees99 wrote: »

Don't be asking people if they have a low self esteem.

The other poster was consistently putting down myself, my efforts and my education. IMO this is normally a front to cover one's own feelings of inadequacy.

All of this begs one question. If a H.Dip from an Institute of Technology is seen to be as prestigious as a PLC course by the industry, why is the government wasting taxpayers money and the time of participants by promoting these courses as a viable way of upskilling into the IT industry?

ImDave

dees99 wrote: »

Make sure you polish off your interpersonal skills.

dees99 wrote: »

Your course sounds like a one year PLC course in introduction to computing. You basically know nothing.

:pac: