Chasing an entry level role in IT. No degree, no certifications, no experience.

[Pherlopolus]

I did a short college course straight from "A" levels a started right at the bottom as a mainframe operator, went contracting after 3 years, swapped over to 1st line support thanks to being in the right place, and then just moved up/over every few years to a new skill set.

All my career progressions have been down to opportunities presenting themselves rather than a planned career progression. I am only working in IT until I decide what I want to do when I grow up. now 43 with 24 years in IT.

[Hardgrafter]

What is it in IT that interests you? Developer, DBA, networking, security, PM? the list goes on & all are separate careers in their own right.

I was a professional athlete, I retired at 30 & decided to learn C# with no prior programming experience whatsoever, I like you had a degree that was irrelevant to IT. This was my journey:

• Go to night school for evening course in .NET (VB). 3 hours per week for 10 weeks: £200
• Blag a 4 month contract job on £150 per day building an ASP.net intranet page. Didn't know was the f**k I was doing. Learnt a lot in 4 months
• Blag a week's trial at a start up doing .NET. Instantly exposed for being tulip & out of my depth
• Return to night school to do C# course 4 hours per week for 10 weeks (£200)
• Study like mad whilst unemployed learning from YouTube tutorials, making console apps etc.
• Blag a Junior Dev job at small company based on my potential & enthusiasm rather than current skill set.
• Work alongside a contractor doing simple refactoring, picking up as I go along.
• Take over contractor's work on his departure, find PluralSight & really start to push on.
• After 2 years + really starting to become reasonable in my chosen technologies (WPF, EF ,WCF)
• Plans to keep learning & become a contractor. Be financially rewarded for all the hard work...

So in a nutshell, it's hard work. I didn't have the CS background or the experience. I was mostly self taught & self motivated. You need to have a few lucky breaks & keep at it. I'm finally over the beginner hump but It took me two years of hard work & is probably the hardest thing I've ever done.

So think carefully!

[AMH]

could always start by looking for some short term/weekend IT work - like rollouts, office moves, etc.
Just to get some small pockets of experience & exposure. You want to look at Jobserve who specialise more in IT roles, rather than Reed, Monster, etc.

Otherwise, saying you want to switch to IT, is a bit vague, as it covers a variety of things.

If your going to self study, you could look at niche exams. With Business management, maybe could lead inroads into Project Management - so maybe look at ITIL, Agile or Prince courses. ITIL is becoming more popular & is based around service & change management. You may already have skills that cross over.

I once had an IT Manager who didn't know a thing about IT (internal appointment) - but was a six sigma black belt, but he was there to manage to people & oversee the projects & he done a really good job.

[SueEllen]

You need to be applying to companies directly including going to events where companies are present. Agents only look for people who fit a mold so will ignore you.

[sal]

I'm not sure what certs you're looking at, but you could knock some decent entry level certs for a few hundred quid in a few months (If you self study) and they'll show direct relevance to whatever it is you want to do. A degree takes years and serious cash.

What are of IT are you looking at getting in to? There's a world of difference between getting into programming vs support/infrastructure.

+1 especially the last part. It's like saying i want to work in the Automobile industry, but do you want to be a garage mechanic, or car wash guy, or rally pilot, or working on an assembly line in a factory?

I have a friend who made the switch from insurance broker to junior MS SQL DBA, costed him about £200 for Microsoft exams that are dirt cheap and 3-4 month of intense self study. Note that i say exams, not courses, the former are about £80 the later £1k+ last time i checked. with Microsoft (and some others) you don't need to attend a course to take the exam.

I can't comment on the programming/software development side, but for the support/infrastructure your best bet is Apprenticeship or 1st service desk / desktop support perm role for like 18-20k, horrible pay and horrible work, but i believe it's similar to all other entry level jobs.

[northernladuk]

Are you applying for short contracts or permanent positions?

[vwdan]

I'm not sure what certs you're looking at, but you could knock some decent entry level certs for a few hundred quid in a few months (If you self study) and they'll show direct relevance to whatever it is you want to do. A degree takes years and serious cash.

What are of IT are you looking at getting in to? There's a world of difference between getting into programming vs support/infrastructure.

[northernladuk]

Apprenticeship

[Scratch It]

Hello friends.
I just wanted to ask your advice/opinion on my situation.
I'm in my late 20s, based in London, with a BA in Foreign Languages and MSc in Business Management. I've been mainly working in Sales and I'm really sick of it. Agencies mainly call me for that type of role and I hate it.
I've always been an IT enthusiast and I'm trying my best to move into that area. Unfortunately I do not have a degree in IT and no experience. Obviously I have my personal knowledge but unfortunately it's not certified with any piece of paper.
I've been applying to entry level roles (obviously with time I would be keen to reach higher positions) but so far nobody called me (I've been applying on CV-Library, Reed, Monster). Well I received calls from a couple of companies that pretend to hire you, but only if you buy and pass a course that they sell to you.
What should I do? I thought about going back to uni and get a Computer Science degree, but it's really expensive and I'm not sure I still have the mindset to start studying again.
I've been told of certifications, but they're really expensive too, and for the price I would rather consider a degree that will last forever than a certificate that easily becomes obsolete.
I'm really confused. Your ideas and advices are very welcome.
Thanks

most of those I know in the industry without a degree in cs etc exploited a situation unique to their personal circumstances so blanket advice will be tough.

what area of IT are you interested in? A sideways move in your current co possible?

[RebelRebel]

Hello friends.
I just wanted to ask your advice/opinion on my situation.
I'm in my late 20s, based in London, with a BA in Foreign Languages and MSc in Business Management. I've been mainly working in Sales and I'm really sick of it. Agencies mainly call me for that type of role and I hate it.
I've always been an IT enthusiast and I'm trying my best to move into that area. Unfortunately I do not have a degree in IT and no experience. Obviously I have my personal knowledge but unfortunately it's not certified with any piece of paper.
I've been applying to entry level roles (obviously with time I would be keen to reach higher positions) but so far nobody called me (I've been applying on CV-Library, Reed, Monster). Well I received calls from a couple of companies that pretend to hire you, but only if you buy and pass a course that they sell to you.
What should I do? I thought about going back to uni and get a Computer Science degree, but it's really expensive and I'm not sure I still have the mindset to start studying again.
I've been told of certifications, but they're really expensive too, and for the price I would rather consider a degree that will last forever than a certificate that easily becomes obsolete.
I'm really confused. Your ideas and advices are very welcome.
Thanks