1

Hello,

I am looking for some advice on what to do with my current situation. I really don’t have any work experience so its very hard for me to get an Entry Level IT position but I do have experience working with computers, what can I do so that companies can hire me? On another note, due to my financial situation its not easy for me to get certifications at this very moment.

7 Spice ups
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Volunteer. Make sure your resume and cover letters indicate that non-professional experience which might help you get in the door.

You’re probably looking at entry level help desk as the first step, so I’d focus on those.

3 Spice ups
3

Ok so I’ve looked at other boards and seen other people say the same about volunteering my time to gain experience but I really don’t understand how or where to go to volunteer. Should I just go to craigslist and search there or is there something better?

4

I would start with schools or libraries. Perhaps some non-profits would be willing to let you volunteer to gain experience. Also have you tried putting in resumes with larger companies for entry level? Entry level is exactly that entry. I know of some companies that hire non-experienced employees (of course to pay them less) but also to give them a start in the field. The one I started with hires every employee “wet behind the ears” in order to keep operating cost down. Typical IT employees spend less than 2 years at any one job just so they can gain experience in many fields. Or at least that was the recommendation by my teacher when I went back to school. Highlighting your experience (professional or personal) can pay off if you find the right company. What area’s of IT are you interested in?

5

It’s an unfortunate situation, to be sure. You need experience to get a job, you need a job to get experience. And if you don’t know somebody who can hook you up, it’s pretty tough. Most folks end up having to go to college and get a degree before a company will hire them. Volunteer work was suggested, and if you can get that to go, more power to you. I wish I could have broken into this field without having to pay back student loans. It would have made my life easier.

Keep plugging away Kenny. Good luck to you. Let us know when you find something!

1 Spice up
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Volunteer at a church. That’s what I did for 7+ years, and eventually took over the entire network of it. Maintained wireless, printers, etc.

7

Well I actually have been looking for entry level positions with big or small companies and for what ever reason it still seems like they all want someone with experience. As of right now I am trying to get into a “Desktop Support” roll within any company at this point. I actually have my Bachelors degree in Web Administration but when I graduated from college it was in the middle of the recession and no one was hiring. So I am looking into a different position to get my foot into the door and to eventually maybe move into a better roll with the company. You mentioned you used to work for a company who hired entry level people to keep cost low, is it possible for you to say who the company is so I can look into them?

@bloodhoundgang

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Thanks for the advice, I am going to look into a few churches near my area to see if they have anything like that. Who knows maybe I find something similar. Thanks again

@sparkrdom

1 Spice up
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Look towards the bigger, but not mega churches. Mega churches will always have about 30+ IT people. Small churches won’t have next to anything in terms of hardware (which, if you want, you can work to improve a small church. Requires donation, time, etc). Medium churches are usually a good place, because there’s enough people/tithing to warrant more capable hardware in terms of A/V, systems, networks, etc, and the IT team may be just a couple people. Just go in during the week, speak to the pastor/secretary, tell them you’re interested in volunteering your time in IT, and they can tell you if they need it :slight_smile:

Good luck out there!

@kennytorres