Do you have any qualifications already?
Original post by cheesecakelove
Do you have any qualifications already?
To be honest, the only thing that would be relevant was a BTEC First Certificate in IT that was taken during secondary school. Nothing else at all. Please tell me where to get started.
The Open University offers courses in IT ranging from Degrees to Certificate of Higher Education (http://www.open.ac.uk/courses/find/computing-and-it)
FutureLearn offer free online courses in aspects of computing and IT (https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/categories/tech-and-coding-courses) which would give you a basic understanding
Udemy also offer online courses (https://www.udemy.com/courses/it-and-software/it-certification/)
At the same time, you could look for volunteering in a IT-based position, as it will help you with skills and give you experience for when you want to apply for work.
FutureLearn offer free online courses in aspects of computing and IT (https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/categories/tech-and-coding-courses) which would give you a basic understanding
Udemy also offer online courses (https://www.udemy.com/courses/it-and-software/it-certification/)
At the same time, you could look for volunteering in a IT-based position, as it will help you with skills and give you experience for when you want to apply for work.
Original post by cheesecakelove
The Open University offers courses in IT ranging from Degrees to Certificate of Higher Education (http://www.open.ac.uk/courses/find/computing-and-it)
FutureLearn offer free online courses in aspects of computing and IT (https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/categories/tech-and-coding-courses) which would give you a basic understanding
Udemy also offer online courses (https://www.udemy.com/courses/it-and-software/it-certification/)
At the same time, you could look for volunteering in a IT-based position, as it will help you with skills and give you experience for when you want to apply for work.
FutureLearn offer free online courses in aspects of computing and IT (https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/categories/tech-and-coding-courses) which would give you a basic understanding
Udemy also offer online courses (https://www.udemy.com/courses/it-and-software/it-certification/)
At the same time, you could look for volunteering in a IT-based position, as it will help you with skills and give you experience for when you want to apply for work.
Thank you for all the information.
Is there any qualifications that I can take from home? I don't understand CCNA and stuff like that? Does that help get a job these days? They been saying CCNA since 2008, I am surprised it is still as relevant today
Original post by EST1991
Thank you for all the information.
Is there any qualifications that I can take from home? I don't understand CCNA and stuff like that? Does that help get a job these days? They been saying CCNA since 2008, I am surprised it is still as relevant today
Is there any qualifications that I can take from home? I don't understand CCNA and stuff like that? Does that help get a job these days? They been saying CCNA since 2008, I am surprised it is still as relevant today
Maybe you might find this useful?
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/training-events/training-certifications/certifications.html
It depends on what role you are looking for. Qualifications can boost your chances and show that you have knowledge and an interest in the IT sector. You could take a basic course and then apply for junior roles, and use that to train yourself for more qualifications. Have a look at what companies and what vacancies are in your area, look at the job descriptions.
Maybe there are other users who work in IT who could offer advice?
Original post by cheesecakelove
Maybe you might find this useful?
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/training-events/training-certifications/certifications.html
It depends on what role you are looking for. Qualifications can boost your chances and show that you have knowledge and an interest in the IT sector. You could take a basic course and then apply for junior roles, and use that to train yourself for more qualifications. Have a look at what companies and what vacancies are in your area, look at the job descriptions.
Maybe there are other users who work in IT who could offer advice?
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/training-events/training-certifications/certifications.html
It depends on what role you are looking for. Qualifications can boost your chances and show that you have knowledge and an interest in the IT sector. You could take a basic course and then apply for junior roles, and use that to train yourself for more qualifications. Have a look at what companies and what vacancies are in your area, look at the job descriptions.
Maybe there are other users who work in IT who could offer advice?
Thanks for responding! Yes, the cisco site is pretty good and the basic course then junior roles don't sound too bad. I'll definitely go ahead and check some vacancies out and if you or anyone has anymore input, I will definitely look forward to it
Original post by cheesecakelove
Maybe you might find this useful?
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/training-events/training-certifications/certifications.html
It depends on what role you are looking for. Qualifications can boost your chances and show that you have knowledge and an interest in the IT sector. You could take a basic course and then apply for junior roles, and use that to train yourself for more qualifications. Have a look at what companies and what vacancies are in your area, look at the job descriptions.
Maybe there are other users who work in IT who could offer advice?
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/training-events/training-certifications/certifications.html
It depends on what role you are looking for. Qualifications can boost your chances and show that you have knowledge and an interest in the IT sector. You could take a basic course and then apply for junior roles, and use that to train yourself for more qualifications. Have a look at what companies and what vacancies are in your area, look at the job descriptions.
Maybe there are other users who work in IT who could offer advice?
The Difficulty at the moment (in my field anyway) is that the junior jobs are either apprenticeship (very small number and employers are often looking for school leavers - although being 26 wouldn't be immediately disqualifing there apparently can be issues with funding of older apprentices) or offshore. Generally qualifications aren't given anywhere near the same weight as experience.
I don't work in Networks (I work in supporting large Unix servers and some of the applications supported by them - Solaris and Linux mainly) but my understanding is that CCNA certs expire after a certain period of time, while other vendors certify for specific versions of their products (Windows Server 2012r2 etc).
I think CCNA is very well known as Cisco seem to allow almost any training provider to provide CCNA training, where as a number of other vendors such as SUN/Oracle require either in-house training or training through a very restricted pool of providers, often for a fortune. That's not to say it wouldn't help you get your foot in the door which is all qualifications are really for.
The big area of growth appears to be Cyber Security, anti penetration, penetration testing etc etc. I know a number of big employers are running Cyber apprenticeships (BAE, BT, GCHQ etc), but it just depends on what the OP's specific bent is.
CCNA is never going to go away. It is highly required especially as these days network security is the big thing in industry, and there is a requirement for decent engineers/techs that have experience in this domain. Getting a CCNA will boost your profile, since it's not just the CCNA you get - with it you get a practical, holistic view of managing networks. Admittedly you need to demonstrate application and real life demonstration/experience of this.
Firstly, don't worry about being out of work at 26. You're not going to retire for at least another 40+ years anyway, so there's loads of time to get a good career off the ground.
How are your overall IT skills? Are you a newcomer to the whole subject area, or are you already a self-taught hobbyist/enthusiast who has spent years learning about and tinkering with computers in your spare time? The good news is that capable IT people are in-demand, so even as a complete newcomer, it's a safe career choice. The only real difference is the time that it might take before you're able to seriously compete with Comp-sci graduates in interviews.
Without qualifications, your personal background will have a big influence on how soon you'll be able to find employment. IT is all about problem solving, so if you happen to be the kind of person who has been troubleshooting IT problems since you'd been old enough to reach the keyboard (figuratively speaking), then you might be in a better position than you realise - but you will still have a lot of tough interviews because you'll need to put forward a convincing case that you are a capable problem solver - which generally means persuading an interviewer that you are able to pick up any kind of technical, troubleshoot it, and then take the time to really understand all aspects of the problem in enough depth before attempting a solution - interviewers love to ask questions along the lines of "can you explain a problem you had and how you solved it".
Certificates like CCNA will always help because they are excellent for learning a set of really useful and important skills. Cisco keep their CCNA courses up-to-date; they are quite intense, so they also show that you have the ability to learn new things by yourself, and the bar is set fairly high, which means quite a lot of work is needed to understand the material well enough to achieve a pass. (As the other answer mentioned, the certificates expire after 3 years. This isn't a problem - if you have a relevant job where you're working with networks every day for 3 years, then your experience will count for more than any qualification)
If you happen to be a newcomer to the subject, then remember that a certificate like this is only a starting point - even with a CCNA, there's plenty more to learn about IT than anybody might expect you to have picked up in a single course (for example, how to write powershell scripts/SQL/RegEx, how to install/configure/administer a Windows domain, etc.). Without having those other general IT skills to backup the CCNA you may still find the competition is fierce against degree graduates who have been studying for 3+ years.
So, the Cisco certification is a great idea. The Microsoft certificates are also good. Make sure you've got a broader outlook than just a single topic. With the spare time you've got at the moment, it should be possible to pick up a range of skills. The biggest problem with those worthwhile certificates is the money you'll spend on the exams. You don't necessarily need a certificate for everything though - you can pick up many things from online tutorials. Furthermore, these things will be easier to learn in your own time than when you finally enter the world of work and you're trying to learn a brand new tool or scripting language on your own with a deadline in front of you and a problem that your future boss has asked you to fix.
Good luck!
How are your overall IT skills? Are you a newcomer to the whole subject area, or are you already a self-taught hobbyist/enthusiast who has spent years learning about and tinkering with computers in your spare time? The good news is that capable IT people are in-demand, so even as a complete newcomer, it's a safe career choice. The only real difference is the time that it might take before you're able to seriously compete with Comp-sci graduates in interviews.
Without qualifications, your personal background will have a big influence on how soon you'll be able to find employment. IT is all about problem solving, so if you happen to be the kind of person who has been troubleshooting IT problems since you'd been old enough to reach the keyboard (figuratively speaking), then you might be in a better position than you realise - but you will still have a lot of tough interviews because you'll need to put forward a convincing case that you are a capable problem solver - which generally means persuading an interviewer that you are able to pick up any kind of technical, troubleshoot it, and then take the time to really understand all aspects of the problem in enough depth before attempting a solution - interviewers love to ask questions along the lines of "can you explain a problem you had and how you solved it".
Certificates like CCNA will always help because they are excellent for learning a set of really useful and important skills. Cisco keep their CCNA courses up-to-date; they are quite intense, so they also show that you have the ability to learn new things by yourself, and the bar is set fairly high, which means quite a lot of work is needed to understand the material well enough to achieve a pass. (As the other answer mentioned, the certificates expire after 3 years. This isn't a problem - if you have a relevant job where you're working with networks every day for 3 years, then your experience will count for more than any qualification)
If you happen to be a newcomer to the subject, then remember that a certificate like this is only a starting point - even with a CCNA, there's plenty more to learn about IT than anybody might expect you to have picked up in a single course (for example, how to write powershell scripts/SQL/RegEx, how to install/configure/administer a Windows domain, etc.). Without having those other general IT skills to backup the CCNA you may still find the competition is fierce against degree graduates who have been studying for 3+ years.
So, the Cisco certification is a great idea. The Microsoft certificates are also good. Make sure you've got a broader outlook than just a single topic. With the spare time you've got at the moment, it should be possible to pick up a range of skills. The biggest problem with those worthwhile certificates is the money you'll spend on the exams. You don't necessarily need a certificate for everything though - you can pick up many things from online tutorials. Furthermore, these things will be easier to learn in your own time than when you finally enter the world of work and you're trying to learn a brand new tool or scripting language on your own with a deadline in front of you and a problem that your future boss has asked you to fix.
Good luck!
Original post by winterscoming
Firstly, don't worry about being out of work at 26. You're not going to retire for at least another 40+ years anyway, so there's loads of time to get a good career off the ground.
How are your overall IT skills? Are you a newcomer to the whole subject area, or are you already a self-taught hobbyist/enthusiast who has spent years learning about and tinkering with computers in your spare time? The good news is that capable IT people are in-demand, so even as a complete newcomer, it's a safe career choice. The only real difference is the time that it might take before you're able to seriously compete with Comp-sci graduates in interviews.
Without qualifications, your personal background will have a big influence on how soon you'll be able to find employment. IT is all about problem solving, so if you happen to be the kind of person who has been troubleshooting IT problems since you'd been old enough to reach the keyboard (figuratively speaking), then you might be in a better position than you realise - but you will still have a lot of tough interviews because you'll need to put forward a convincing case that you are a capable problem solver - which generally means persuading an interviewer that you are able to pick up any kind of technical, troubleshoot it, and then take the time to really understand all aspects of the problem in enough depth before attempting a solution - interviewers love to ask questions along the lines of "can you explain a problem you had and how you solved it".
Certificates like CCNA will always help because they are excellent for learning a set of really useful and important skills. Cisco keep their CCNA courses up-to-date; they are quite intense, so they also show that you have the ability to learn new things by yourself, and the bar is set fairly high, which means quite a lot of work is needed to understand the material well enough to achieve a pass. (As the other answer mentioned, the certificates expire after 3 years. This isn't a problem - if you have a relevant job where you're working with networks every day for 3 years, then your experience will count for more than any qualification)
If you happen to be a newcomer to the subject, then remember that a certificate like this is only a starting point - even with a CCNA, there's plenty more to learn about IT than anybody might expect you to have picked up in a single course (for example, how to write powershell scripts/SQL/RegEx, how to install/configure/administer a Windows domain, etc.). Without having those other general IT skills to backup the CCNA you may still find the competition is fierce against degree graduates who have been studying for 3+ years.
So, the Cisco certification is a great idea. The Microsoft certificates are also good. Make sure you've got a broader outlook than just a single topic. With the spare time you've got at the moment, it should be possible to pick up a range of skills. The biggest problem with those worthwhile certificates is the money you'll spend on the exams. You don't necessarily need a certificate for everything though - you can pick up many things from online tutorials. Furthermore, these things will be easier to learn in your own time than when you finally enter the world of work and you're trying to learn a brand new tool or scripting language on your own with a deadline in front of you and a problem that your future boss has asked you to fix.
Good luck!
How are your overall IT skills? Are you a newcomer to the whole subject area, or are you already a self-taught hobbyist/enthusiast who has spent years learning about and tinkering with computers in your spare time? The good news is that capable IT people are in-demand, so even as a complete newcomer, it's a safe career choice. The only real difference is the time that it might take before you're able to seriously compete with Comp-sci graduates in interviews.
Without qualifications, your personal background will have a big influence on how soon you'll be able to find employment. IT is all about problem solving, so if you happen to be the kind of person who has been troubleshooting IT problems since you'd been old enough to reach the keyboard (figuratively speaking), then you might be in a better position than you realise - but you will still have a lot of tough interviews because you'll need to put forward a convincing case that you are a capable problem solver - which generally means persuading an interviewer that you are able to pick up any kind of technical, troubleshoot it, and then take the time to really understand all aspects of the problem in enough depth before attempting a solution - interviewers love to ask questions along the lines of "can you explain a problem you had and how you solved it".
Certificates like CCNA will always help because they are excellent for learning a set of really useful and important skills. Cisco keep their CCNA courses up-to-date; they are quite intense, so they also show that you have the ability to learn new things by yourself, and the bar is set fairly high, which means quite a lot of work is needed to understand the material well enough to achieve a pass. (As the other answer mentioned, the certificates expire after 3 years. This isn't a problem - if you have a relevant job where you're working with networks every day for 3 years, then your experience will count for more than any qualification)
If you happen to be a newcomer to the subject, then remember that a certificate like this is only a starting point - even with a CCNA, there's plenty more to learn about IT than anybody might expect you to have picked up in a single course (for example, how to write powershell scripts/SQL/RegEx, how to install/configure/administer a Windows domain, etc.). Without having those other general IT skills to backup the CCNA you may still find the competition is fierce against degree graduates who have been studying for 3+ years.
So, the Cisco certification is a great idea. The Microsoft certificates are also good. Make sure you've got a broader outlook than just a single topic. With the spare time you've got at the moment, it should be possible to pick up a range of skills. The biggest problem with those worthwhile certificates is the money you'll spend on the exams. You don't necessarily need a certificate for everything though - you can pick up many things from online tutorials. Furthermore, these things will be easier to learn in your own time than when you finally enter the world of work and you're trying to learn a brand new tool or scripting language on your own with a deadline in front of you and a problem that your future boss has asked you to fix.
Good luck!
This is valuable advice, the thing is, different people reach success in different ways, I've met folk who are 20 years my senior and have been surpassed by their younger peers, truth it is about finding what pace you want to acheive success with. Everyone keeps looking at the results but not the journey. The journey is what makes you, not the result.
I don't think there is anything else I can add to this, but this is the most sensible plan. In fact I myself will have a look at doing the above as well.
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