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I am currently working helpdesk at a school district and I dont mind having the “jack of all trades, master of none” title. I only have my A+ certification officially and would like to learn more as well as have more certifications. I’ve configured routers and switches on occasion, not enough to be very comfortable with though. I’m kind of at a loss as to what direction to go for next. My primary duties consist of troubleshooting issues and fixing them, which I have no problem with, Im just looking for direction basically and was wondering if anyone had any pointers or advice that they would be willing to share. Thanks in advance everyone!

@Microsoft @CompTIA

109 Spice ups
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I’ve been in IT for over 20 years and I still find things that I am a noob to. You can’t know everything about everything. I have a good circle of peers so even if I don’t know the answer there is a good chance someone will know it. And there is my spiceworks family who always have the right answers. You are in very good hands here.

As for what course to follow - what part of IT is your favorite? That’s as good a place to start as any.

100 Spice ups
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Now that’s you’ve had a chance to sample various things, what do you enjoy doing?

I would try and figure out what you consider the most interesting and enjoyable and head in that direction.

9 Spice ups
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SQL and setting up a SAN with isci to work with all the servers is still confusing as hell to me. Pretty sure they’ll always be in the “consultant” category.

Oh and VMware, a simple setup I can handle, but you get into SAN’s and data allocation and what not and my brain hurts.

8 Spice ups
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Look into obtaining a CompTIA Network+ Cert and beginning your journey into getting that Network Administrator position. You got this. Professor Messer and CBT Nuggets have several free videos on youtube you can use to study for the exam. Go for it. Do it now. Good luck.

13 Spice ups
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how many years have you been employed as a helpdesk tech? Not to slight you but many say they have been in IT for X number of years and when they are asked they are only employed for a fraction of those years. So for me i have been in the IT industry for 8 years now but have been doing IT related things for over 20 years,

2 Spice ups
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Any true IT pro is going to say this about something in IT. If they don’t, that means they stopped learning and growing, or don’t have interest to. Technology is interesting as it’s changing ever day. There are things I learn almost every day, don’t let that discourage you.

It sounds like what you’re doing now is help desk. Have you touched any servers yet? If not, start looking to be a System Administrator.

8 Spice ups
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Technology changes so fast now-a-days, that keeping up with it all, even at a high-level, is tough. It sounds like you are happy where you are, so I’m not sure what or why you are asking for direction.

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I have been in IT since 2002 and I still feel like a n00b, if that helps.

15 Spice ups
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A little background from me, for the last 9 years I have worked help desk and co-system admin (if there’s such a title) at a medical facility, ISP and now I work at a school. By far the most different from the three is working at a school, but in a good way. No days are the same and the people are all nice. Only problem for me is the guy who left didn’t leave the setup here in the greatest of shape, but that’s another story. What would you guys and girls say were the most beneficial certifications and/or bits of learning that you have taken? Right now I repair student and staff laptops and every now and then troubleshoot servers, switches and routers. I do love that type of work but Im sure in the future this type of work will get less and less.

1 Spice up
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First thing is… figure out what in IT you are passionate about. That’s the first trick. Love what you do and everything gets easier.

28 Spice ups
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Take a look at this site, there is a basic stepping stone graphics that can help you with which certs you should be looking at next.

4 Spice ups
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I’m 8 years in. I know how you feel!

7 Spice ups
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Hey man. I am in the exact same boat. Been working in I.T. for 7 years and I just started asking myself if I want to commit to this.

From this point I can go in any direction but I have a hard time wondering if I am going to be happy. I get stressed from my job and find some weeks incredibly difficult to get work done and other weeks are easy and overall I love working in I.T. and solving problems.

As I said, I feel ya. :-/

Edit: Grammar and nonsensical nonsense

4 Spice ups
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Got my first professional IT gig in 1997… still not an expert on EVERYTHING. Find what you like, become an expert. Then find something else you like and become an expert in that too. Eventually you’ll be an expert in everything you like or you’ll die trying.

7 Spice ups
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I’m considered a noob, but with the way technology is ever evolving, I don’t think I’ll grow out of noob status.

One thing that helped me transition from a basic sales job into some form of “IT” was checking out Treehouse . It’s fairly inexpensive per month ($25/mo - worth the investment). You learn on your own by following along with simple video tutorials. I learned basic HTML coding and CSS from there. My friend has gone further into app development but I can’t really say anything about that.

Other places to check out would be Code Academy , which may be a step back for you or Lynda.com . This one I haven’t had direct experience with yet but it looks cool. It goes into more subcategories than web development like video editing, animation, etc.

My IT friends all started in help desk and transitioned out of it using sites like these. I made a huge leap out of a sales job because I now had the ability to creatively control web designs. It’s amazing! I still suck, but I am having a blast regardless!!!

4 Spice ups
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Only one thing to do when you’re a noob, learn more.

5 Spice ups
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As SAM said, passion is the first trick. The second trick is to combine that with something you believe you can do at a very high level. The third, assessing the economic viability of that niche. That third one is probably the hardest, technology changes fast and you’ve got to be forward looking. If you can combine all 3 the skies the limit.

3 Spice ups
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I have only done IT for a couple years so, I know exactly how you feel.

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It kind of feels like you’re trying to find your way around a dark cave with a laser pointer! The more you figure out, the larger the cave gets!

Keep good notes / procedures that you can refer back to. Use TechNet often, and most of all, be patient with yourself if you expect to confidently learn something, especially when you only do something “on occasion”.

I’ve been in IT for 14 years, and I am always learning new ways to do something. This profession we all call IT is always changing and evolving, so we all can expect to feel like “noobs” forever - to some degree…

2 Spice ups