How to get into IT

[BrilloPad]

Not exactly a groundbreaking piece of journalism but its the view of the bloke who has a job that gets me. The bloke is a graduate with a Masters in Mathematics yet he's just a helpdesk pfy. Whats the point of spending all that time at Uni when you're just a glorified call center assistant at the end?

I recently saw a guy with a degree in maths from Oxford could only get a job waiting in pizza express. He only get a lower second.

I feel sorry for youngsters setting out now. Hard to get a job, houses expensive.

[VectraMan]

Also I'd imagine Oxbridge graduates, or any computer science grads for that matter, would be looking for jobs in science or games programming or other high-tech niche areas, rather than bog standard business IT (which they may be both inexperienced in and way overqualified for). So even fewer opportunities are open to them.

I work with a lot of Phds, a lot of whom from Oxford and Cambridge (although I think the company's university connections are mainly with Oxford Brooks - i.e. Oxford Poly ). It's definitely hi-tech niche, although fortunately (or unfortunately because I'm getting pissed off with it), they need the odd BSc thicky like me to turn their egg head thinking into real products.

But I wouldn't consider myself as working in IT. I engineer commercial products; they just happen to be software ones.

[MarillionFan]

I didn't choose IT. IT choose me. To be fair I don't even consider it a career. It's just along succession of me chancing it on each contract but having to do 'something with computers '.

[nomadd]

I didn't choose IT. IT choose me. To be fair I don't even consider it a career. It's just along succession of me chancing it on each contract but having to do 'something with computers '.

Anyway, I thought you were a BA? Bugger all to do with Computers...

[wim121]

I recently saw a guy with a degree in maths from Oxford could only get a job waiting in pizza express. He only get a lower second.

The dumbass is lucky to have that job. Most employers want a 2:1 or 1st, else your degree is almost useless.

I cant understand someone fluffing a degree and ending up with a 2:2 in most subjects as some are subjective and dependant upon examiners opinions, except mathematics, you either get the answer and working right or wrong.

I feel sorry for youngsters setting out now. Hard to get a job, houses expensive.

I do as well, especially as I am one

Have you ever thought about your children though? No offence, but with disabilities, life is going to be even harder for them.

[portseven]

open source is a good training ground

get an old PC, install linux and start learning how to code, pick a reasonably visible open source project and help out.

know a few people who have started helping out on unbutu forums and now have jobs with canonical, likewise with samba, people helping out on coding CIFS stuff, jobs with various NAS device vendors (they all use samba)

[Ignis Fatuus]

I recently saw a guy with a degree in maths from Oxford could only get a job waiting in pizza express. He only get a lower second.

I feel sorry for youngsters setting out now. Hard to get a job, houses expensive.

Daughter's boyfriend has a 2:1 in Chemistry, is working in Costa's. And on a variable contract at that (i.e. effectively causal labour, they tell him the hours required for this week, he has to work them, and gets paid for only them).

She's graduating this year in Biology, then going to do a PhD. Smart girl, stay in academic life if poss.

[MarillionFan]

Daughter's boyfriend has a 2:1 in Chemistry, is working in Costa's. And on a variable contract at that (i.e. effectively causal labour, they tell him the hours required for this week, he has to work them, and gets paid for only them).

She's graduating this year in Biology, then going to do a PhD. Smart girl, stay in academic life if poss.

Biology and Chemistry! Plan B springs to mind...

[minestrone]

open source is a good training ground

get an old PC, install linux and start learning how to code, pick a reasonably visible open source project and help out.

know a few people who have started helping out on unbutu forums and now have jobs with canonical, likewise with samba, people helping out on coding CIFS stuff, jobs with various NAS device vendors (they all use samba)

Funny, I was just saying the other day to an out of work IT graduate that getting a few commits on some open source project would be a door opener. They just have to say "You can see since I graduated I have not been able to get a role but I am commited to this industry and have been working on some open source projects, my commits and discussions about what I was asked to do are online for you to read". Much better than "I have just been watching murder she wrote for the last 9 months"

[nomadd]

She's graduating this year in Biology, then going to do a PhD. Smart girl, stay in academic life if poss.

Pretty much the opposite of what I hear from people working in Academia...

After degree, say she has £30k-40k of debt already. Add 5 years on the pittance of a stipend you get for a PHD, and that's probably leaving her with with debts of £60-100k before she even starts work. Bad start to life, IMHO.

I worked with a fair few ex-academics a couple of contracts back. One of them showed me a job in New Scientist. Wanted a Physics degree, a PHD specialising in the design of cutting-end Lasers, and 5 years post-doc experience. And the role was based in Central London, with all the insane expense that brings. Pay? £21-24k, inc. London weighting allowance. And New Scientist is filled with jobs like this every week.

No wonder most Physicists and Mathematicians in this country end up working in Investment Banks.