Hey guys,
I’m completely new to ALL of this. In fact, I’ve only been a SpiceWorks member for about an hour. This is a bit of a regurgitated topic but I wanted some responses a little more tailored for me. I just got my first IT job a few weeks ago as a System Engineer for a large county school system. I was wholly unqualified for the job, but I had an inside source that at least got me the interview and I promised that I would work my butt off to learn the job as quickly as possible. Basically what I do right now, is wait around for tickets to come in having to do with Active Directory security group creation, and then creating printer policies for said group. I know nothing of the inner workings of this field (Do I like the networking side? The server side?). Being that I don’t fully know what I like yet, but I want to use my downtime to study for my certs, are there any good certification paths that you genius’s can provide? Thanks.
9 Spice ups
dancrane
(dancrane)
2
What got you into IT in the first place, other than it’s a job and presumably pretty well paying if they’re throwing around the System Engineer title?
Might be better to get your hands on things to play with in a test environment first, but networking is always going to be useful(DNS is always the problem!), learning server hardware, why different RAID levels are used for which tasks, etc.
Sounds like the best use right now would be to study about AD structure and GPO creation and propagation.
Certs are useful tools to learn the basis. My view is they’re better as a sales incentive(either me to a new company or my company to clients) than a learning tool. Go play with stuff, figure out what you’re supposed to be fixing, and look over all the documentation you can find on your current setup.
Ultimately, your goal is to learn, and maybe move on to a different position. Since this is your first IT job, the best thing you can do is to get your hands on as many different tasks as possible.
Otherwise, shots in the dark are going to be Net+, maybe CCNA for networking and MCSA for learning Windows Server environment.
5 Spice ups
Sounds like you’re going to be doing it all. Microsoft server certs will definitely help:
Then there’s also the CompTIA cert path. This shows a lot of avenues and helps give you perspective.
Glad you are excited and eager to learn. Now get after it.
6 Spice ups
Start off with some of the more introductory certifications like A+ or Microsoft MTA. From there, you could work your way up to Network+, Security+ and Microsoft MCSA or MCSE.
1 Spice up
Generally the A+ Net+ Security+ are the ground level certs, but if you are already doing AD policies you probably have a handle on the first two. I’d still recommend the Security+ as the basics of security will be applicable in everything you choose to do. MCSA/MCSE will be useful for the Windows environment.
Figure out what you like (but don’t be afraid of changing your mind) and take every opportunity as a chance to learn. We live in a golden age of information, with free or low cost resources to learn anything you want!
Oh, and documentation isn’t sexy but it sure is a life saver if you have it. Make maps of the environment (physical, software, data, etc.) The better your documentation, the faster you can solve problems. It’s also handy if/when you get audited. Best of luck!
3 Spice ups
It depends of your environment; what you have Windows, Linux, Brand of Printers?
Start with comptia A+, Network + it will give you the basics
Look for Microsoft Certifications if you have a Windows environment
Use your new job as your new school lab. Good luck
3 Spice ups
First and foremost, I’d like to personally thank each and every one of you. I honestly didn’t expect this many replies this fast, it’s absolutely refreshing knowing that this community is going to be great.
I don’t know how to directly quote you guys, clicking quote post only brings up mine as the OP, so I’m just going to copy and paste some answers to some of your questions.
What got you into IT in the first place, other than it’s a job and presumably pretty well paying if they’re throwing around the System Engineer title?
I started off really interested in game development, learned some C#, and then realized how naive I was for thinking I was going to create the next great AAA title by myself. My wife convinced me to go back to school and nothing really interested me other then computer stuff so I decided to get an Associates in that. Met a great friend there and he told me about this job and here I am. The starting pay is 50k a year, but I live by D.C so my guess is that’s why it’s higher)
Glad you are excited and eager to learn. Now get after it.
Thanks Romo! I’m sure you guys will be seeing more of me!
It depends of your environment; what you have Windows, Linux, Brand of Printers?
It was all Linux but they just migrated to Windows about a year before I got here. So far the only printers I’ve had to work with are all HP.
Once again, thank you very much. I plan to take all of your recommendations and suggestions into consideration as well as following up on the provided links for more information. Hopefully one day, I’ll be able to answer some of your guys’ questions 
3 Spice ups
What you describe is everything that’s wrong with this profession.
It’s no longer what you know, it’s who you know and the consequences be damned!
2 Spice ups
Geez, I got my Associate’s degree, as well as an MCTS certification and all I’ve been getting offered are helpdesk jobs. Ask your friend if he has any more of those System Engineer jobs; I’d be glad to help him out!
It sounds like you’re going to be doing a little bit of everything, so take it one step at a time. Take on a ticket you might not know how to handle, and learn how resolve it. Learning something new in general is great, but learning something about how your current environment operates is even better. Do you have any other IT co-workers? They’ll be a great resource when something has you stumped.
What you don’t want to do is try to learn it all at once. Spend a week learning about one aspect of your environment, maybe Windows Server. Learn all about it. Next week, learn about the switches that your organization has in place. Spend some time learning Windows 10, or whatever version your environment uses.
Lastly: Learning after-hours is great; feel free to watch some Microsoft Virtual Academy videos, or whatever flavor of training you prefer. Be sure to step away from the computer sometimes; I find that I burn myself out when I try to learn/do everything all at once.
Good luck; you’ll do fine.
3 Spice ups
I agree, it’s not fair. The only reason I got the job was because this job had been re-posted for over a year with no qualified candidate applying. Then at the last second I interviewed for it, as well as another individual who was the same age but actually had a Bachelors in IT. The reason they chose me with an Associates over the guy with the Bachelors is that we’re both 26, but I’ve been working since I was 16 and he’s never even had a job before.
Well, we have a position open for a System Engineer level 2. You’d have to move to the D.C area though (not completely recommended for living quality). I’ve been doing exactly that, taking on a ticket I have no idea and trying to work my way through it. I try to limit it though because sometimes I get stumped and I don’t want to be the new guy bothering everyone with MY problems when they have stuff to do.
Could be interesting. I once worked IT at a community college, and I’ve often wondered about getting back in the education sector. Maybe live in Maryland and commute.
And yeah, I don’t understand the comment about it being April either.
Yeah, so far it’s been really great working for a school system. Although, I didn’t expect to see this many typo’s from teachers when they send in Service Tickets. Getting snow days is great too because my wife is a teacher so we both get the day off.
Hey Daniel,
Welcome to the SW community and my apologies for being a little late to the party.
If you were interested in learning CSA+ or Security+ with @CompTIA we really have been ramping up our focus lately in the Cybersecurity realm - check out our Cybersecurity Hub
http://www.mylanderpages.com/CompTIA/cybersecurityhub
Here, you can find some great resources (such as: career paths in security, best study options, jobs in the field and more)
Security was even #1 on our list of Skills IT companies are hiring for in 2017. Anyways, best of luck with your studies as well as your career path and let me know if you have any questions now or in the future!
1 Spice up
Hey Kyle,
No worries about being “late” to the party. Thank you for the links, I will check them all out. I’ve definitely been thinking about going the cybersecurity route. Seems every day you hear about someone hacking someone else and with everything becoming more internet based it’s only going to get worse. I really appreciate you, and everyone else that took the time to answer me.
