I’ve never had a (good) permanent job, and it’s getting rather tiresome. The video game industry is lots of fun, but the low pay, intense competition, and lack of job security is a big drag. Lately I’ve been looking at IT jobs, but I don’t know what sort of extra training or certifications I should have. Here’s a brief rundown of my experience:
Bachelor’s in Computer Science, granted 2002
1 1/2 years tech support
9 months onsite PC installation/upgrading
1 year game testing
3 months electronics assembly and managing of production manuals
I also have built and upgraded several PCs on my own time for gaming. I know C++, Java, and basic HTML, although I haven’t used them since college and I’m pretty rusty.
Based on a short practice test I took in an A+ book, I think I could pass that certification fairly easily. But I don’t really know which certs beyond that are in demand or that I would be good at. Any help would be appreciated.
If I were you, I’d look into a tech support and/or testing job at a non-game hi-tech company. IE, something a little more stable.
Whether I went for Tech Support or Testing would depend on whether I’d like to go into IT or Programming. I think a couple more years experience in either of these fields would look better on a resume than any certification.
Certifications aren’t worth much in the IT world these days. Everybody has them, and certification does not necessarily translate to knowledge. Experience is what companies are looking for. That being said, you probably want to get a cert anyway, otherwise you lose out to the other guy with the same experience **and **the cert.
Based on your “IT” experience, are probably looking at an entry-level position in desktop support or help desk. The A+ would help in either of those areas. The pay isn’t going to be very good, but you should have quite a bit of upward mobility.
I work in IT, and my spin is this, if you are looking for money go for the private sector, and programmers make more than hardware/support techs. If job security is your goal, aim for the academic sector. I chose the academic route. (actually it fell into my lap and I didn’t stand up). Good benefits, acceptable pay, lots of job stability until just lately, the fear of being out sourced is growing. I am not getting rich, but I don’t worry about the next month’s mortgage payment either. I am not sure IT is a good career choice right now. Ten years ago if I had been fired on Friday the only way I would have still been unemployed the following Friday is if I had decided to take a vacation. If I got fired this Friday I could be unemployed a very long time, and not by choice. IT is not the golden spot it used to be. Choice is yours, rattle them bones… Good luck at whatever you choose.
FWIW I heard on NPR just late last week that the professional job market was picking up, and unemployed people were starting to get re-employed more quickly, and at salaries and benefit packages that were as good or better than what they had before. IT was mentioned as one of the hot areas, actually.
Don’t bother with the A+, unless you want to be doing desktop support.
Believe me, you don’t want to be doing desktop support.
Your best bet is some kind of jack-of-all-trades IT/Operations job at a small company for a few years, where you’ll likely get a taste of everything - networking, systems, security, messaging, phones, and yes, desktop support. You’re also more likely to gain experience on the architecture and project management side pretty quickly out of the gate.
While you’re doing that, get a CCNA (or equivalent) or pursue some sort of degree. You should be able to talk your employer into paying for it, either way.
Then, start putting in resumes it bigger corporations for positions relating to their mission critical infrastructure. You’ve got to choose the companies very carefully if you’re not applying directly to IBM or Accenture or something - make sure their IT operations are integrated tightly with the rest of their organization. Here in the midwest, companies that are already vertically integrated - who do everything from manufacturing to retail - are a good bet in terms of keeping most things in house.
Where you’re at, look for .com survivors. Neither Google nor Amazon is going to be outsourcing any of their core operations any time soon.
Whatever you do, stay away from jobs that don’t require a lot of analytical and problem-solving skills. In other words, if all that a job requires is expertise on a particular topic, whether it be C++ or Windows troubleshooting, it’s a job that they can probably get somebody to do cheaper.