I'm 35 and have been working various jobs since I was 16. I was pushed into studying IT at college because I was better with computers than my family, but I dropped out after a few weeks to earn money for my car and partying. Now, I regret not sticking with IT, as my knowledge feels minimal. I'm currently pursuing my CCNA because I'm interested in data and networking, but I'm unsure about my next steps. I'm curious, where did you all start in IT, and how did you progress to where you are now? What do you do today?
5 Answers
We recently hired a 48-year-old with only a Security+ certification but no real experience. My advice is to apply for any IT-related jobs, especially at Managed Service Providers (MSPs). They often take on new level 1 techs and train them. It'll give you hands-on experience across various systems really quickly!
That sounds promising! I'm looking for remote work myself after health issues, do you think MSPs would hire for that?
I started at the bottom too, doing the usual helpdesk tasks like password resets. The director I worked under taught me so much, and I really enjoyed learning from him. I stayed there about a year and a half before moving on to bigger things!
My journey began when I was just a kid, taking apart everything to see how it worked. I ended up doing odd jobs until I got serious about IT, and now I'm a system admin. It's been a wild ride, but perseverance and networking brought me where I am today!
I began studying IT part-time at 17, aiming for software engineering but ended up in IT Support. My first job was as a Software IT Technician—juggling helpdesk and field tech roles. I worked and studied, earning numerous certifications while climbing the career ladder.
I kicked off my journey as a helpdesk technician at a construction company—stayed there for four years but grew bored. Now I'm with an MSP, and it’s been a blast! I learn ten times faster handling multiple clients with different infrastructures.
Local MSPs are your best bet for diverse hands-on experience. You'll start with existing setups and eventually build out your own. Networking certs will help, but expect to learn about many different areas too.