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Hi, everyone, if anyone is willing to help provide advice or anything, I am very grateful. I’ve had my BA in English since 2012 and I got my A+ certification this past July; after studying Lynda courses and a few other online sources while also taking apart donated PCs and working with a few laptops.

But I havent been able to find anyone even through my current employer in customer service to answer any questions I have or offer IT advice. I feel/know that I am missing so much integral info to land an entry level role. I had my only interview so far in Sept w a 5-person panel and they asked several questions about Active Directory, ticketing system and building a website that I could not answer. I havent learned any of those skills yet and the sources I learned from didn’t even touch on those topics.

I have great soft skills reflected in my interaction with practically everybody but my tech skills are lacking. I had no idea what a driver was or that RAM was primary memory prior to studying for A+. I am very much a novice and I try to spend a lot of time learning but Im not sure what skills I should learn.

Essentially Im asking, what should I know/learn/do to land an entry level IT role such as Help Desk and any recommendations for my improvement? Any and all suggestions are absolutely more than appreciated. Thank you so much in advance.

8 Spice ups
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Hi, and welcome to Spiceworks

firstly, where in the world are you based, always helps to know that :o)

from your post, you appear to have only the CompTIA A+ cert and no actual experience as yet, so realistically you should be looking for 1st line / help desk work, as that is basically easy enough to do and simple enough to get to grips with within a week or so from scratch

as an additional cert, MS has to be your first base, specifically MCDST - http://www.microsoft-certification.co.uk/mcdst_training.html

as this will be your step to a 2nd line role, which is a more technical post, the roles themselves will alter depending on the size of the Co that you work with, but generally steps are from 1st to 2nd the step to a 3rd line role is the biggest, as it will be the one that takes you away from the phone, and talking to the end user, and keeps you working on back end work only, it is a far more desirable role to have, due entirely to the more tech aspect IMHO :o)

in reality, to land a 1st line role you just need luck, as it doesn’t really need any in depth IT tech knowledge, as you can be trained to fill in the tickets and alter passwords within a day or so anyway, so best options are to keep looking and applying for those roles, even if you did have the MCDST, without real world actual, physical experience, it is unlikely you would get a 2nd line role, but once you get your foot in the door, you can expand your knowledge and convert that into a 2nd line role should the Co you are now working for start to look for such people, or you can then try and leverage your experience and certs into a new role without too much trouble, again, it will come down to luck and perseverance.

as to why I recommend the MCDST, it is because it is fairly easy to get, just a couple of exams, and it is to do with the basic OS, so today that will be W10, the odds are you will be working with that at home anyway, so the cost of that is already covered, once that is attained, then you can look to the MCSA / MCSE which will require several exams to pass, and are based around a server / NOS - server 2016 - and as not everyone has this up and running, is an additional expense, but once you are in IT, the value of having your own server is easy to justify :o)

so in a nutshell or in the modern vernacular TL/DR it’s going to take you keeping up the practice with your own IT education, and keep on applying for a 1st line role, it will happen, and from there on in, it will be down to yourself how far you go.

2 Spice ups
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just realised the link to the MCDST is old and for XP :o(

looking now for the latest version of the cert, will post it once found

looks like I posted something similar a few days back :o)

link in there is also for the XP variant so please excuse this old hack :o)

looking like they went for the MCSA for W10 and that has also been retired now, and there appears to be a whole new game in town in regards to MS and their exams

decent looking explanation here - - * https://www.nigelfrank.com/blog/microsoft-certifications-a-comprehensive-guide/ *

and possibly go the MTA route

Microsoft MTA certifications

Windows Operating System Fundamentals

Covering a wide range of functions within the Windows 10 operating system environment, this cert verifies your understanding of operating system configurations, your ability to install, upgrade, maintain, and manage systems, and that you have a good grasp on how to manage files, folders, and devices.

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Thanks for welcoming me Rambler, your reply is exactly what I’ve been missing. I’m based in Delaware(1st state in the union) and the only cert I have is the CompTIA A+. I need perseverance in the field…okay I won’t quit. Thanks for the additional recommended certs, I will absolutely get them after getting my foot in the door w an employer. Thanks a lot!!!

2 Spice ups
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Also start messing with trouble shooting windows 7&10, as well as Microsoft office. Splash in some messing around with assembling random hardware and network sharing/ file sharing. I decided to mess around with some virtualization on top of it. If you see something that interests you, learn about it as much as you can. O, and basic networking as well

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It may be a bit early to say this, but I like being first once in a while.

Start building a home lab. It can be as simple as an old machine that can run Windows Server. Something you’re not using for email and Web browsing. Something you can install on, wipe clean and install on again.

A desktop is probably better than a laptop, but a laptop can do in a pinch. Something with 4GB RAM, though 8GB would be much better.

3 Spice ups
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Hi, thanks for the reply! Didn’t know about setting up my own lab. I’ll have to buy more RAM 1st. Any particular version of Windows server u recommend?
Thank you

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Thanks for the information and suggestions. I’ll start working on virtualization today. I love disassembling computers and looking for ways to get them operating properly

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You could also try and volunteer somewhere where you can build up experience, maybe on time where you are not working elsewhere, but limit it to only for a few months to avoid getting taken advantage of - if a business gets a worker they can mold without paying for it, it quickly creates a benefit to them.

2 Spice ups
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Thanks CarlPower, I’ve reached out to several people even through my career coach and haven’t been able to find anyplace for volunteering. Even reached out to a church, just haven’t had luck w volunteering. Unfortunately, only know a few people in IT.

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Help Desk is NOT an entry level position. I do wish people would stop associating it as such!

You probably need to know more about ‘IT’ working on Helpdesk than you ever will in other positions!

1 Spice up
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Thanks, any suggestions on what else I should learn or do?

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If you are wanting to get into the “IT” field, you’re are going to need to learn something first…

  1. Go to school just to get and Associates in IT, does not matter what field of study long as it is IT. IT is such a tremendous field you need to find your niche before you just dive in because you can get burned out real quickly.
  2. Once enrolled either full time or part time, start applying for an IT internship. Most companies are looking for interns now a days and will barely pay you what you should be getting paid. It is called “paying your dues” in the long haul the money will come years after with the experience.
  3. Reach out to others that know how to get the start in “IT”, spice works is a great start here. But also their is so much more ways of trying to connect with IT professionals. You have to “network” with people. LinkedIN is a great way to network as well. Always, remember it is not what you know it is who you know that gets you the job you are really trying to get.
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Windows Server 2016 is gaining popularity (finally). The installed base of Server 2012 R2 is and will remain huge for a long time to come.

Either or both of those are good places to start.

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Thanks for the advice. Going to pic up sticks of RAM later this week and set up the lab. Really appreciate your advice.

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My entrance into IT was at a university library’s computer lab. Looking outside of IT-specific companies is a great way to get your foot in the door for IT employment. Libraries, universities, and other public institutions need IT people of all skill levels.

Help Desk isn’t always an entry-level job, but computer labs (which are usually a step or two below help desk) are good entry-level jobs.

I never got any CompTIA certs, but when I started off I got Microsoft Office Specialist (since deprecated) certifications which really helped keep my foot in the door for advanced positions. Ultimately those certs led me to where I am now in user support & systems administration. A lot of knowledge is learned on the job, so don’t shy away from absolute beginner jobs. You’ll get to where you want to be with perseverance.

Good luck!

1 Spice up
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Thank u for the advice. I actually stopped applying but I’m going to send out my resume again very soon. Won’t limit employment opportunities w any employer but I hope something will come through. I’ll never lose my perseverance

1 Spice up
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Update your resume for each job application, make the cover letters unique to the position. Take a personal interest in the company you are applying, get a feel for what kind of services/products etc they provide to the market, hiring managers love to see that you were interested/invested enough to look at the company you want to join.

Articulate your experience and knowledge, its not that difficult to get into an entry level help desk position.

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Thank you, I’m also working on active directory and other business software on my own and hopefully I’ll get something in a few weeks.