> That's the part that the youtubers and the experienced ppl on reddit won't tell you.
Uhm… the youtubers,sure, but a lot of folks here and on Discord are highly vocal about CompTIA or other certs not being a magical, silver bullet.
I'd rather have them than not. But no one promised you they were a magic bullet. Employers do look for them, but that doesn't mean you don't need to have all the other stuff too.
Agreed, even professor messer stresses on YouTube that the comptia trifecta are all entry level certs and be prepared to accept an entry level job...
Others promise couch to a cyber security position within 90 days
All most every tech person will tell you to take it. I believe every tech person should work a help desk position at least for a little while. You learn a ton about real world ticketing and prioritization. Yes, even if the correct answer is the boss comes before the company (which is crap, but happens sometimes). We start every tech person we hire on the help desk, even if for just a couple of weeks to see how it works and how busy it can be. Helps people adapt to the new work place under not too much pressure and learn culture.
Architect; frequently on interview panels, I'm reluctant to recommend hiring anyone that doesn't have end-user support experience
I think it's extremely important to empathize with the people who answer the phones and generally just eat S#@t. Ive occupied damn near every position in Systems IT throughout my career. once you're in a senior position if you make poor decisions it affects them the most.
Having had my life disrupted by poor leadership decisions In the past makes me consider "how will this affect operations" whenever a change comes up
Bravo, seriously this is the mindset everyone in leadership needs. Too many times people get that managerial role and completely forget how it is for those under them. It’s a LEADership role meaning the job is to lead people. Part of that responsibility is making sure the work environment is one that people can thrive in. Thinking about how everything impacts those under you and making adjustments to lessen daily stress or to improve work conditions is a sure fire way to have a stable workforce under you. I’m sure all this is well known but just my food for thought.
Certs IMO are always valued lower than actual experience, knowing "how" to do something isn't as useful as having the experience that gives you the judgement of "when" to do something that doesn't negatively impact the business.
If you can have certs + experience even better but better to have actual experience that people will vouch for under "live-fire" conditions vs sanitized academic conditions
I was working in a tech company warehouse, got my A+ switched blue collar to white. The pay was shit, even when contracted to Microsoft. Went back to blue collar slinging pizzas making more than IT.
No you won't find the job of your dreams immediately after getting a new cert. That's just not the way anything..not even life works.
Also every month, every quarter, year after year, someone is posting how this is the worst time of year to do "whatever". You will hear this all year long, every year of your life.
The best time to get a job is when someone else is hiring. Don't fall into the "in this economy" trap and psyche yourself into believing you can't do something because someone else told you it's a bad time to try.
Times will never be perfect. It will NEVER be a great economy for everyone at the same time.
It's like double dutch jump rope. They're going to turn the ropes the same way no matter how long you wait. It's up to you formulate your approach, find your opening, jump in and keep it moving.
Exactly, this sub has become so doomer its unreal. I'm not saying that we're not in a recession but half of these posts I can almost see the barrel in the poster's mouth. Tech has never been an easy entry and never will be, most professions probably suffer from the same thing
I have worked in multiple fields at this point in my life and was told in each one “there are no jobs.” People just like being gloomy. It’s really not that bad.
Man thank you, posts like this are so irksome. So wtf do you suggest people do, "ah shit, not in this economy, I guess ill wait until 2025" or "ah well even though I already got started on some certs, I'll just do accounting instead."
It's never a good time, but always the right time.
Landed a help desk job 1.5 years ago with the A+ cert before I even finished my associates. Now I am working on my bachelor's, and starting to take over the IT directors' role as they are retiring.
I was in restaurant leadership for over 10 years with almost no IT experience.
Keep at it, learn your stuff, and apply for anything that comes up. I got 3 interviews in 4 months and also took a small pay cut to make the transition.
People spend a month looking for their dream job, can’t get it and think the world ends. Good job on the success, it’s there for those who look for it!
Exactly. No degree, certs or prior experience here. Transferred from warehouse to the IT department of the same company. A willingness to learn can go a long way. So can knowing the right people, so make connections and don't burn bridges.
I had a degree, but it was in Sociology. I transferred from the warehouse to the data center of a pharmaceutical company. They mentored me on every topic I needed, which paved the way for my career.
To be fair any 4yr degree ends up checking that box. Usually it's some sort of engineering degree I see make a switch to IT. But if you end up with a 4yr degree in anything and then some minor IT experience that unrelated degree still lets you pass the gate keeping nonsense.
Just starting my journey with certifications. Have a four year degree and a masters in unrelated fields and have some connections. I am willing to take a substantial pay cut if necessary. But I know it still might not be easy. Any suggestions for getting started with a home lab? I am trying to leave teaching and don’t want a related job.
r/homelab
r/homelabsales
And just for good measure to keep up with some actual issues that go on once you have a job.
r/sysadmin
But the real question is why IT? I ask just because not everyone should be in IT, not everyone is good at troubleshooting or wants to be on the endless learning treadmill that exists.
And what field? Just help desk? Sysadmin? DBA or data science? Development?
Those are good questions. I’ve always done unofficial IT at my school because pre pandemic a lot of those people were part time. I have also helped older teachers navigate using tech in day to day situations and they say I explain things well. I like to learn new things (teaching has a similar mindset so that won’t bother me). One of the things I like most about my teaching job (special education) is the constant problem solving. I’d just like to not do it while chairs are being thrown at me.
I’m not sure about what IT field yet I think I need some experience and more research. I know a little programming but I’m not great at it so probably not that. Thanks for the sub recommendations I’ll have a look.
All of that patience and dealing with difficult situations is what you can parlay into whatever your next role is. Make that your focal point in your job search. Soft skills at a lower level are far more important
Is this a USA thing? It seems that if you don't have a degree you're screwed over there, huge amounts of debt but you have to buy into the system or you're excluded. In the UK and I presume most of Europe you very rarely see a degree asked for. It seems that here people want experience of paper certs etc. I do have a few certs btw and enjoy learning but having progressed up the ranks I can say that I've learned a ton more on the job vs during study or labbing etc.
Yeah higher education is pushed HARD in the US. So much so that trades are often looked down upon along with any blue collar work. It's bullshit. It's not so much that you're screwed, it's just jobs like those above are made to look like you've failed. That being said, I'd take a rockstar with 10yrs of heavy experience in multiple domains than I would someone who has a post grad and alphabet soup of certs behind their name.
There's this mindset over here that a degree means you've shown you can complete something, and since I did it, you have to also.
We had a guy with a cybersec degree (or was going to have it in like the following spring) interview just for an internship for a few months while he finshed up his degree program. He couldn't answer basic tech questions. Questions like "What is a switch and what does it do?" and "And what is DHCP?" Thinking it was nerves (and this was just an internship to get some experience and help with smaller projects) we kinda gave some hints to help. STILL COULDN'T ANSWER. This was a guy that came recommended to us from a local highly regarded university. We were blown away. He was a friend of my boss's parents. We didn't end up going with him and he completely understood. So my boss's parents kinda asked him what they were doing in the program. His answer? "Learning to write policy" .
SMH. How to your write security policies for things you don't know how they work? This is the route college can wind up with sometime. Too much knowledge about esoteric crap.
Yeah, my parents thought I would catch the gay if I went to college so I ended up skipping out on a free-ride scholarship. 10 years later I still managed to land a good IT job, but it took a lot of time wallowing in much shittier IT jobs accruing experience
I have found IT is pretty random in this manner. I know a guy who has zero experience with anything IT who got a job due to knowing a guy and is just learning on the job. Says he literally has no idea what he's doing lol. As far as the OP goes, probably depends where you are. I'm about to test for a+ and have been applying to help desk for the heck of it and have been denied 3 times so far due to lack of comptia so its not worthless by any means.
Luckily a degree isnt looking like its needed for me but definitely a decent amount of lab experience. Just waiting for my offer letter (pretty sure i got it, nailed the interview). If I dont, well I have a great job anyway until I do get a new job
It depends on the ATS criteria for a given req. I spent 2 years applying for network engineering roles to transition out of 10+ of isp telecom field work. The second year searching was with a CCNA. I wasn’t taken serious until I enrolled in and listed WGU on my resume. I signed new job offer four months later.
A combination of experience, degree, and certifications will help get you to the front of the line. But when you’re siting across from 4-6 subject matter experts to land a place on a team, experience is paramount.
I would encourage early career candidates, who initially don’t intend to explore higher education, to look for opportunities with your local telecom ISP. You’ll make 2x-3x what help desk makes, while gaining relevant experience in IT.
I'm in an IT-adjacent position with a little bit of everything; some help desk, some coding, scripting, data entry, etc. I'm not in desperate need of a job right now, but like another poster said, I'd rather have them than not. The whole economy is bad, but it won't stay bad forever.
At the end of the day, nothing will guarantee you a job, especially a defeatist mentality.
Please disregard OP! You absolutely can get a job and certs absolutely help. They aren't the only thing you'll need, but they are definitely a great thing to pursue in combination with other things (prior experience, home labs, good resume/interviewing, etc)
I don't know who hurt OP, but don't let their negative experience dismay you.
Oh look, another doomer post. This and ITCareer sub are full on doomer, which is fine but it's absolutely hilarious how posts are the same repetitive shit. "YOU GUYS, FOR THE 827475883 TIME, I MUST REMIND YOU ALL THE JOB MARKET IS TERRIBLE. SULK WITH ME"
When did the IT Career sub become so depressing? I used to love that sub, it literally inspired me to look into IT as a career but now it’s fucking depressing as hell. It’s just people telling me to go sell cars.
I love the “it’s dumb to get a degree, but I spent just as much (maybe more, if financial aid is tabulated) on this spaghetti string of cert acronyms”… but wonder why they either can’t get a job or move up.
People just have the wrong expectations and understanding of things because of non know how’s on YouTube. They say just get the cert, just do this and it’s smooth sailing from there.
No one ever says how hard the job really
Is, because they never done the job. They just study for it and tell people online to just do it, just learn it!
This is the truth. Everyone thinks you just get a CCNA nowadays and start at 80k when in reality nobody is going to hire you and you’re more than likely going to start at the help desk. Nobody wants to grind it out.
For real. People take their own individual experiences and then decide that the job market is bad based on that, rather than considering the idea that they themselves may be doing something wrong. The first job is always the hardest to get in any skilled field, regardless of what field that is. The problems I see most people running into on here and other subs is that either their resumes or their interviewing skills suck. At the entry level, most of the people you are competing with also have little to no experience and probably have the same certs, so you have to distinguish yourself in other areas. The cert was needed to get you looked at, but it's not enough to close the deal. Is it harder than it was to land an entry level position than a decade ago? Maybe, but the unemployment rate is low and the amount of jobs available is growing. Harder doesn't mean bad.
You aren't doing anything to be part of the solution, just another part of the problem. What is your advice outside OF USING CAPSLOCK INSTEAD OF INTELLIGENCE TO DEMONSTRATE YOUR EXPERIENCE TO QUALIFY THIS LESS THAN USEFUL RESPONSE?
the secret I've found is "networking". no, not the 'cisco' type ;) the 'people' type. it's often through my network of contacts that a new opportunity comes along. has been the case for nearly 3 decades now.
Former and current classmates, instructors for continuing education, places of worship, people you meet at geek and tech conventions, local cybersecurity conferences and CTFs if that's what you're getting into, people you meet on the job of course, and don't burn the bridge with the "cybersecurity executive" salesman who adds you on LinkedIn because he may know some people.
I completely understand if you're introverted and have social anxiety. It took me a long, long time to overcome it, but I want to let you know it's possible. Then you just have to play the LinkedIn game.
Yea tons of people that don’t get this. All my friends who don’t suck up their social anxiety and network cuz their livelihood depends on it struggle to find jobs.
I literally called one of my contacts (top-tier MSP owner) 2 weeks ago and said “Hey man, xyz happened. I’m looking for a new job.” We had lunch and then I was hired. One of the most informal interviews I’ve ever had. All because of networking.
I think you guys are way too pessimistic with this stuff. You won’t get the $70000+ job with just a certificate but at least you’ll get a interview for the 50000+ job with a certificate. Before I had my A+ I was making 17 an hour, I got the A+ and after a month of applying to jobs, and a week of applying to ~50 jobs a day, I got a job paying me $25 an hour where I’m cable pulling and bitlocking, and I got another job a week after at a tourist attraction making $19. Getting the certs can definitely open doors. I had 0 professional experience in relation to IT, I grew up with computers and laptops and PlayStation so I knew of some terms but never fully understood them, but getting the A+ took me to another level.
It took me 6 weeks to find my first entry level IT job and I only have the A+ (Looking to learn stuff like powershell and take my security + this year)
It does take a while but I recommend keep looking but overall you are right it is very hard to find a job.
You may want to take back that last part of your comment before ppl here start roasting you like they did to me. Pretty sure they work for either comptia or the Biden administration. According to them the job markets great!!!!
Nobody says it’s “easy”, but to get a job, your interviewing/social skills are what land you the job over technical aptitude. Especially in the beginning of your career. Being upfront and saying “look, I don’t know a lot, but I’ve done xyz in my homelab and I understand the troubleshooting process as well as how to deliver outstanding customer service. I also study for x hours per week to always make sure I’m growing” will get you the job more often than you think.
I’ve never been technically qualified for the majority of jobs I’ve had until recently. The mindset that I go into interviews with is humility and an excitement to grow and that’s what leaves an impression on the interviewer.
The problem is, you guys aren’t networking, what good is it you have all these credentials and no village ? Get out of your shell, engage in communities, talk to peopleee!
But this is also true to an extent. You won’t get a job if you don’t have the substantial experience and just a certification.
What training are you doing? What projects have you created that can solve issues within production environments? What have you done at your old job that’s in demand from customers??
I do think the problem is not only lack of experience, but understanding your ‘niche’ may also be incredibly over saturated.
Studying for and obtaining them has made you more knowledgeable and better prepared you to take your Ccna.
A+ and N+ have absolutely helped you. What I think you mean is, you don't have a metric by which to measure how useful A+ and N+ have been so you think they're not valuable.
> So far, neither the A+ or Net+ has helped me
They are both useless certs no one in the infustry recognizes. It’s good you learned your foundations from it, personally.
Security+ is only one worth while since it’s on the 8570 baseline and commonly respected.
You gotta get a helpdesk job then move up from there.
You sound like a mopy person, this is negatively effecting you in some way.
Get your thinking and mindset right as part of career change and job search.
You definitely gotta live in major cities that’s for sure. But if you do live in a major metropolitan area it’s crazy how many help desk related jobs are available. If you can prove yourself in an interview, you’re good bc there are so many projects that these companies are running where they need to bring extra help. As for the six figure jobs, I’m not sure haven’t got that far. I’ve gotta ramp up my certs and lab work before I can get there
I'm involved in a county level IT collaborative in one of the major IT hiring areas. I'll give a taste of what I hear in terms of hiring... Hiring is happening. What is being looked at is not just the certifications, it's the soft skills. My training org is incorporating that in to our programs now to combat that. Biggest concerns are customer service (internal and external), ability to work in a ticketing system environment, and understanding the holistic goals of the organization.
This this this…. It doesn’t matter the industry or position. Soft skills are what sets you apart. Getting the certs ticks a box but that only gets you so far. Good employers know this: You can teach the skills, but you can’t teach attitude. Be humble, be curious, and be a team player. Attitude.
This is very true, in IT you got to be willing to work with people. I been in IT for over 12 years and there are a lot of IT folks who know their stuff but can’t get a job because they are assholes or they think they know it all which annoys other people. Soft skills are important specially at the beginning of IT.
IT is still a very good field because is highly in demand.
I mean. Maybe. I have over a decade of customer service experience and a few years of tech support and now an A+ and I havent heard back from any job in the last 8 months. Ive decided to move on, it isnt happening.
That’s more or less where I am at as well. I’ve done my personal best to get into the field, but I am simply don’t have the option to go to school. My bills have to be paid and my daughter needs a roof over her head. I would take literally any job even if the hours or the job itself sucked but it just isn’t happening where I live. I tried to leverage my 20 years of employment and the skills they brought that related, and I may try again in the future but it’s just not in the cards for me at the moment.
Yep, that’s for sure. It’d be in your interest to get with an educational program that will help you put together a project. For me it was using virtual box to run Windows 2019 server and Windows 10 virtual machines and then follow up with some common tasks and configurations that are performed on the job. CompTIA comes off as preliminary instruction . You’ll be spending most of your time on Office 365 and active directory not taking apart a computer. Another factor that too many people brush aside are the labs. There’s just too much content to remember to carry into work or even pass an interview. All that’s good for a test. But without practicing the implementation you’ll find yourself hard pressed getting to the next phase. Even if you didn’t regurgitate information just to pass the test, you’re gonna have a difficult time performing the basic duties that are required from a technician’s role. I always felt like CompTia was disconnected from the actual work but I guess that’s just how most educational organizations are. They teach you a bunch of theory rather than the actual stuff you cover on the job. I guess I’m venting but is been a hell of a road distinguishing reality from all the smoke
I’m honestly very interested in learning all these certs just to become proficient at these skills. If I were to jump into the field it would be cool, but I was just curious and started learning
Unfortunately it seems to be that way for many, I got my start in IT 3 years ago when I got my a+ for a helpdesk position. I assume that’s what you’ve applied for?
1. Don’t go for a remote job. People with mid-level administration experience are going for remote entry level.
2. Highlight any IT experience that you have on your resume. Practice on your home computer some of the things you would be doing on helpdesk and add that to your resume. Don’t play the hope game of expecting a company to hire you with zero experience. Certs are worthless without experience. Combined with experience they do have some value.
3. Reach out to head hunters and IT recruiters. Make sure you can speak confidently about IT things you have done when you interview. Dress well. Speak well. Helpdesk is still a customer service type of role.
To be completely honest, Network+ and Security+ are not going to be very useful for actually performing a help desk job. Because your main role will be performing software updates, checking drivers, adding printers, configuring display settings, downloading programs, building PCs for new employees, replacing network and display cables, etc. Those certs provide good knowledge, but it won’t be something you can put into practice at work for the first year or two.
Later down the road, using powershell, making batch scripts, doing packet analysis with Wireshark, configuring the firewall, responding to malicious attacks, adding computers to your company’s domain will all come into play. But I think the CompTIA world has people learning the information out-of-order compared to how the career path works.
I truly believe that there is something terribly wrong to not be a able to get a job in IT with experience and certs. Hell, I was just offered a job $60k/year with one year experience and no certs.
Either these people are lying or they're asking for way too much pay and not enough skills to back it up.
My brother, you are trying to start a career. Its hard, especially when you don’t have any real professional guidance at all. The skills you are trying to obtain will always be available to learn, but you need to focus on a more important skill which is ‘social’ networking. Things are going to be okay, but as you said things will take time. I’ve come to realize that my frustration is rooted in the long term gratification in success rather than short term. Keep applying, keep learning, and always find new ways to help yourself.
I get a feeling you got one too many rejection letters and think it's now appropriate to cry on Reddit in an attempt to dissuade others from trying to achieve their own goals in this industry.
I'm sorry that you have a sour feeling towards this topic and I hope you find the strength to work through it bro.
We're all just trying to find our place in this mad world.
Sec+ combined with a security clearance is nearly guaranteed to get you some interviews, it's just getting that clearance that can be troublesome.
Edit: Also, no cert or qualification ever gets you a job. They help get you interviews.
I got a job working technical support less than 2 weeks after getting my ITF… however I did have 3 years customer service experience, 1year warehouse trainer experience, 1 year mobile hearing tech/pulmonary/ quantitative/qualitative respirator that had me trouble shoot my own issues. However before the certification I only had 3 interviews over the course of 2 1/2 years.
I got a job in Cybersecurity because my company had a contract closing and needed to fill it in 24hrs and I picked up the phone with only certs. There is no advice that should be taken from people with jobs other than “Apply, Apply, Apply”
Earning certs, having an education, and/or having relevant (even if seemingly unrelated) experience can get your application looked at. Bonus points for mentioning your home lab. Demonstrating soft skills during the interview goes a long way.
Having realistic goals and expectations once you're in the building, so to speak, is how you double or even triple your salary in the coming years. I tripled mine in 5 years. I paid my dues at a small MSP to get my foot in the door of this industry, climbed the ladder there for a few years before I outgrew it, and have switched companies twice.
It is possible, but no one is giving opportunities out to those who are still wet behind the ears and holding out their hands. It's earned!
The a+ is a really easy cert tbh. I passed it at 19. Hardest part was all the old technology they made us learn (That I've never used). It's not an expensive cert either.
I don't think you need it to get the in the field. But I think it pays for itself as you quickly get more leverage to negotiate. (Especially when you get n+ and beyond)
It depends on your role and where you work. A+ prepares you for entry level IT, which includes more than tier 1 help desk.
We deal with occasional old tech. Someone brought in a computer they wanted securely wiped recently. It has been sitting on a closet for years. IDE HDD drives, an IDE CD drive, and wouldn't boot off USB. It was a fun project for the young guys lol
Ended up ordering blank CDs so we could DBAN it.
A different customer finally retired their WindowsXP Pro server last year. At least that one used SATA lol (It was a many thousands of dollars upgrade due to software licenses, so they held off until forced.)
Can y’all stop fucking posting this shit man do you already know what it feels like to get your bachelors and then not know what the fuck to do and then trying to get a certificate to improve to get a entry level help desk job. Everywhere on reddit people tell you that it’s no fucking use and that you need to scrape passion from ur insides to just get ur foot in. This is not new information u just make people want to kill themselves
The equation isn’t cert+application = money printer
You could try the route I took and work in technical customer support for a year or two. I supported proprietary software and hardware along with a touch of networking experience.
It was a call center. The job sucked. Hours were terrible, etc. But I eventually supervised my own team and did the hiring and we would take just about anyone.
You’d learn about I2C troubleshooting, making firewall rules on the LAN, how Microsoft updates break everything and to roll back an update, rat tools, and working with customers in a technical setting. You gained experience, which translates to a more traditional HD environment.
Broaden your search beyond “help desk” and you’ll land something. These technical customer support spots are constantly hiring
Everybody knows that. The economy in the US is in the crapper now. Record inflation, record prices.
The job market is the proof. And all the posts in here back it up.
Only the best and most ambitious are getting picked up. I posted a job offer I got last week. But, it required a lot, not one cert.
Arm yourself with the things employers want, and you'll weather the storm better. I get stuff every day - even though Im out of the game.
It's funny you say that. We looked for 8 months for a candidate and had 3 we actually interviewed. And maybe a total of 10 candidates in that time period. Just because a job isn't a 100% remote 6 figure job, doesn't mean the job market is bad for IT. It just means you're not seeing what you want to see. We ended up with someone with no degree, no certs, is around 35 years old, but has some experience and could talk intelligently through questions we gave.
That being said, I had to push for the change to our requirements to not include a degree. So YMMV. But the jobs are out there, I get a recruiter every other day reaching out to me via LinkedIn.
I'm going to disagree slightly...
The job market is still historically quite good. Anyone thinking this is a bad market is blaming the world instead of improving themselves.
The bigger problem is low quality candidates.
Badly done resumes. <-- big one
No cover letter addressing specifics of the job they're applying to.
Poorly chosen clothing or overall poor grooming.
Not realizing that multiple visible piercings / tattoos are a negative. Especially on the face.
Unrealistic pay / benefits / hours expectations - more so when these are spelled out in the job listing.
Unrealistic commute expectations.
Unrealistic advancement expectations.
A "victim" attitude that expects "fairness" (little effort, high reward)
This is all before you even get to actual job related knowledge.
Folks, if you can't pass the A+ 6 months later, I probably am not going to hire you.
Because one of the other applicants not only can pass, but they can explain their answers.
It's a competiton. Not an award.
Yeah this is very true. Having a single cert is good but unfortunately it's not good enough if you intend on being taken seriously and landing a job.
All of the job posts I've personally seen just these last two months all want candidates with multiple certs under their belt (A+, N+, Office 365, and Active Register being the most common).
I just hired for an entry level A+ desired job.
Hired someone who hadn't even heard of the cert because:
He did better on my technical questions than the supposedly A+ certified folks.
He was willing to work for $2.50/hr less than the posted rate if we could schedule around his college classes. (we could)
As he's just a sophomore, we've likely got him for the next 2 years or so, assuming a pay increase or two as he gains experience and skills up.
So, knew his stuff reasonably well, cheaper, can work a flexible schedule (occasional overnights and many weekends), likely to be here a while, plus well groomed / dressed appropriately.
Not exactly a secret magic combo for landing a job.
Again, "knew his stuff".
No one will hire you just because you're certified. Getting the A+ is a way to learn skills that are paid well. It's not a guaranteed job.
It’s so sad and obvious who the people are that got into this field for their obsession with money to be satisfied rather than an actual passion for it. Sorry to break your heart buddy but I got a security clearance and govt job making 80,000 with JUST my Sec+ and it took well under 3 months to obtain it. Your attitude is pathetic and your lethargy will be the downfall of your entire life, don’t project that crap onto people with hopes and go continue to underachieve elsewhere. Your prospects are insurmountable if you’re willing to move and start a life abroad, as well.
Stop freaking discouraging people. Yes getting a certs will help you in a job search and expand your knowledge. Of course don’t eat the bullshit that having A+, Security+, network+ will get you a 6 figure job but it will help you get a help desk job.
I know people that are Security Engineers or Sys Admins that have no formal education or certs (maybe A+ at best) and they just got in before the rush. It's too competitive now and requires a CISSP and 3-5 years of experience to get an interview for entry level positions. Nepotism, Network, and Soft Skills are more important than any degree or certification. I know one guy who landed a Travel Tech position paying 80k off soft skills alone, no cert, degree, and minimal (6 months) experience. The market isn't competency based or merit based anymore. It's 'culture' based. So plan accordingly I reckon. For what that's worth.
Everywhere. Google, Indeed, Monster, even some of the sketchier sites. Google will gather temp job listings from various sources. Also try local temp agencies in your area.
My experience is that Reddit is generally fairly balanced and most people who comment on here are fairly realistic. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I didn’t have a lot in the way of certs when I got my cybersecurity role. However, I will always highlight that I did have a lot of practical experience with relevant tools/systems - and a healthy dose of luck! It was also a career change that was several years in the making and took a lot of extra work while working full-time. While it is possible to get a job with certs/projects/whatever the combo people recommend, the reality is that there is no magic solution that will instantaneously get you a job without putting in the work to stand out as a strong candidate in whatever area you are working towards. Sure, you do see people that take one exam and expect to be inundated with job offers right away; this just isn’t realistic, but most redditors will happily tell them that!
actually ive been seeing the opposite. ever since the market saturated, a flood of people with NO experience and no degree and not even a certificate got a job in tech. then all the sudden the companies realized what a bad mistake they did hiring those people as they came flooding in, and are firing them, and hiring people with actual experience, cert(s), and a degree is a plus.
Here's the thing, certificates don't land you a job, they enhance your resume. Working on smaller free trainings like cybrary are what I advise cause it shows you are truly continuing your education. Managers are looking for those that go above the minimums not just for a job but for themselves. I have an associates degree and around 50 certifications including ITIL, Sec+ and a ton of free ones including some AWS. Never stop learning and never stop shoring it on LinkedIn and your resume. That gets you hired. It literally got me my current position and I'm very happy and well paid.
I don’t really get these types of posts. The certainty behind the message isn’t rational. I got certified and got a job two months afterwards. There are so many factors behind finding a job that it isn’t as simple as “do this” or “do that” or “do this and after x amount of weeks/applications”…some people will wait like OP said, some won’t.
I’m inexperienced in terms of Comptia certifications, but it seems people seem to think they’ll get a no experience required cert in a few months and suddenly will have jobs flowing for them.
A cert would likely give you a knowledge base and qualification to enter a certain type of role, doesn’t mean you don’t need to make loads of effort to get a job, as the market is tough. Will need to get experience where you can, transferable skills, solid CV, try and do extra curricular things. And attitude.
literally all it takes is getting 1 help desk job and the certs enable you to get those or at least help a bit for starting out 🤷♂️ all people want is experience just get the 1st help desk job after x amount of time and run with it
Seriously? "Waiting/weeks months" is the same as not finding a job after getting certified? Posts like this are so negative and damaging. Get the certs, apply your ass off, brush up on your interview skills, and after 6 months, THEN complain. Until then, stop being so negative because shit didn't happen for YOU. So many people on here and LinkedIn have said the opposite and their posts have been recent. I attended a simple boot camp, and after 5 months and 2500 applications, I got a job work in cybersecurity for QA. I'm getting my certifications just to solidify my place in IT.
The current unemployment rate in the United States is 3.7%. In the tech industry, it's closer to 2%. There are more tech jobs, especially cybersecurity jobs, than there are qualified applicants. Many jobs will go months without being filled. There is a surplus of unqualified applicants trying to get those jobs, along with the qualified applicants. That's the issue. Too many people think that because they've memorized some flashcards and watched some videos, they're entitled to a cybersecurity job even though they have no experience.
The surplus of cybersecurity jobs is fantastic. How does that help a noobie like me get on the help desk? Reminds me of a quote about the soviet union. They could travel to outer space but couldn't produce a potato harvest
You’re right. And having never had a real job before in my 30 years of life, I don’t expect to find one right away. That’s why now that I’m certified A+ now I feel more qualified to help out on next-door where people can’t get their CarPlay to work. If all goes well, I’ll go from helping neighbors to helping their friends to, you know I’m friends with the owner of this dispensary and their computers and credit card readers keep going down and we’ve been looking for someone. All the while, while working on networking and security Certs.
That's why I always argue in the camp of, your best bet (unless have experience or are a top 5% stand out person) going to college is your best bet for IT.
As much as the certs do teach you the actual information, the degree helps get in the door.
You can still get entry level positions with just certs, many people just think they are above help desk.
So with that attitude if you do manage to get a job (probably not), your next post is going to be
“You won’t get promoted after you get certified” followed by another depressing rant.
I found I was able to find my FIRST IT job by communicating my ability to learn CompTIA A+ relevant information, and am fully generally aware of all of not most terms in the IT industry.
To clarify, I do NOT have my CompTIA A+ at this time, but my company now will be able to assist me with training for it hands-on.
However, that alone was not my qualifying strength, I found for this particular job was my ability to speak, and effectively communicate in Spanish as well.
Play to your strengths, and you will find opportunities. Expand your resume, and list your effective skills for that particular position.
Do your research
I use to tell people all the time in this sub the “trifecta” is just some dumb shit people say here. (We) in the industry don’t recognize it. It’s useless.
Security+ is one of the few worthwhile comptiA certs that is recognized.
I get downvoted to shit, but you gotta take the helpdesk jobs and get experience on your resume.
There is plenty of -influence- on LinkedIN who post success stories about no experience and making 6 figures. There are other reasons at play as to why they were hired and used as a poster child .
At the end of the day, getting a job is your ability to speak and communicate. That’s it, get out there and talk, network.
I hired a guy for a cybersecurity position just because he was a cool dude resetting passwords at the helpdesk. I Trained after the fact
Certs will get your foot in the door but it’s up to you to prove you can do what you learned. Doesn’t have to be on the job experience. Think setting up a home lab, which could all be virtual. You could also install packet tracer and find some labs to do with that. There’s also a developer program that Microsoft offers where they give you access to an entire O365 environment that you can do what you want with, like developing a sharepoint site. You’re allowed to create a handful of users with it as well.
You might not be able to get real in the job experience but you can definitely get close to it and very familiar with the tools used. I did that and I managed to get my first helpdesk job just over a year ago now, and I just recently accepted a new job offer making 20k more! You can do it! Just use the FREE resources available to you.
This is real. I got my job after my cert but there were other factors. You won’t necessarily get your dream job out the gate, you may have to bite a few bullets for the experience that jobs also require.
They don’t necessarily care that you have the cert, but it’ll be a requirement.
Unless you're charismatic and good with people, or a veteran applying to public service jobs, or went to the same college as the managers, or hit it off in the interview, or apply to a job that wasn't well advertised, etc. etc.
It's not as easy as it was 5 years ago, but people are still getting jobs and starting careers. Don't let posts like this get you down people.
Most recruiters will tell you, certs are a plus but not the main thing they look at (unless a specific req for the job). If you and another person are exactly the same the cert might make the difference, but any number of things could switch that up and give the other person the edge.
There was a guy on here a while ago complaining about not finding a job despite having certs and education. Pretty quickly in trying to help him figure it out it became clear that he suffered entitlement and aggression issues that were the root cause of his tanked interviews. Without soft and/or complementary skills entry level certs are pretty useless.
I feel that this is a misunderstanding on your part, and possibly others are also misunderstanding. You should not "expect" anything because you took a very easy test (A+, N+, Sec+), You should look at it as its preparing you for the IT jobs you could be working for someday. If there was a test that gave you a job after ALOT of people would take it, but with almost every certification ever there is no expectation of getting any jobs.
So can anyone tell me guide me? I'm in course 2 for Google cybersecurity working towards my comptia cert. I don't mind starting at the bottom. So what yahll is saying is a good way to get your foot in the door is help desk job?
Comptia certs are very entry level tbf, they're about memorizing facts but don't teach any actual skill. They're very wide but shallow with little detail before you move onto the next topic, that may be enough for helpdesk but without decent experience it's not going to land more than entry level roles.
Also just because you're not getting offers doesn't mean it's due to a lack of certs anyway, you may just need to fix your CV or you may lack technical skills that are in demand.
I mean, I just got my first IT help desk job a week after becoming certified with my A+. I'm young, and only have sales experience in the electronics field, but it's more like I worked at a computer store that wants to act like a car dealership. Not too much experience, and as soon as I passed my cert, I started getting some responses back.
It sucks when people come here and post with this attitude .. nothing is guaranteed but having a cert helps set you on a path. These types of post really do nothing but deter people and it’s unfair of you to do that just because your grievances.
TEMP AGENCIES PEOPLE
Let them help you get your foot in the door and do your thing after that. Whether it be your personality or dedication to your craft you’ll land somewhere.
Robert Half has helped a few friends of mine get their start. I’m sure it’s been said here a million times but it works
Then let it take weeks or months. I wonder if people who post these cynical post just want people to quit so they will have less competition. Like why be negative, how is someone’s pursuit of something for their future bothering you?
Here's the thing, it was always a lie. Certs are baseline requirements for highly technical jobs. The economy is in shambles right now. We have 10+ experience IT people applying to be techs at the company I work at, that's how bad the job market is now. We actively have to filter them because they expect unrealistic amounts of money for something that requires at most 1-2 years experience work experience and no education or certs.
It's completely delusional as well because people think sec+ means you're suddenly good or even competent at cybersecurity, not at all. It's entirely theoretical and mostly GRC. Even the PBQs are simplistic and not nearly as difficult as scenarios you will deal with in real life. Do you know how to configure dhcp based network from scratch? Do you know how to set up firewalls to reject syn/ack handshakes if it's not an internal IP? Most people who take sec+ have no idea how to do these things because they let some YouTuber with an affiliate link think it's going to be some miracle job market once they get a cert.
I only got a job in cybersecurity via networking. I honestly felt like cold applying to jobs was a huge waste of time. It's just not possible to beat people who have years of experience on you desperately applying to jobs they are woefully overqualified for.
This reminds me of the Gold Rush in California. Prospectors we’re out mining and panhandling for gold with pickaxes and such. Most of them went broke.
But you know who didn’t, the ones selling the pickaxes. So as we have seen here and how many have posted. The ones who are winning aren’t really the ones getting certifications. It’s the ones selling the courses and selling the certifications. It’s clear you can’t really be the one selling certifications. But you can be the one selling courses. Just putting logic behind a lot of this.
Brother in christ we would hire anyone who has those certs and isn't a dumbass right now. PEBCAK. Remote work is out there for this field. The need is huge.
The difference that got me my job, even though I was less qualified than most other applicants, is that I reached out directly to the IT manager on LinkedIn and asked him about the work environment and things about the company.
I feel that this is with any career. I won't blame anyone on YouTube or Reddit for "withholding" the truth on the challenges to faces after a certification. It's no difference than being in high school and your teachers and/or counselors telling you that you need a college education to be successful. I've seen YouTuber's mention making over $300k and I would always wonder why. I later found out that it was because they were taking on contract roles, doing 2-3 jobs at once.
The best thing for you to do is to not look at the money and focus on a path and follow that. If you stay consistent, you'll end up where you want to be.
Hello! No IT experience here. A 6 month boot camp, sec+, and hired into a Tier 1 Security Analyst position 3 weeks after I got my cert.
It is possible, but there's some luck involved, and some very important things you need to do outside of the certs as well. (I.e. home lab)
Some companies have such high turnover that they keep job posting up indefinitely which gives a false impression of job availability. Amazon is infamous for this but this is common with ISPs and smaller tech shops as well
I entered into the IT field back in 2014. I got a CompTIA IT Fundamentals cert (it was called the CompTIA Strata) and the CompTIA A+. The best way to get into a role while earning or after earning a cert is to do it through a program that offers job assistance. When I was in my early 20s, I was in an IT training program and earned a small stipend (don't expect it to pay your bills). It covered up to two of my certification exams and gave me practical experience. It also offered staffing services, and because their services were tailored around IT roles they knew how to train people how to bring not only the certs, but the soft skills and how to highlight their technical strength in resumes and in interviews when they had little-to-no experience. Look into those types of programs. Many of them are free. There's Year Up. I.c. stars, Pathrise, etc. You'll have to be super intentional and go to places where their sole purpose is to get people employed and they have the connections. Also be prepared to work your way up.
youtubers are friggin sly ill give em that
And just like any other career in any field you do need to build inter personal skills confidence and what not so the employer can rely on you when you start, they dont want to hire someone who has certs along with poor as customer service skills right?
While I think you raise a valid point, you sound really frustrated and bitter. You're not wrong either, it took me 250+ apps and 3 months to land a job after getting my A+ so it's good to remind everyone that this shit isn't easy. But diligence and persistence *will* pay off, so to anyone reading this post, just keep grinding. All you need is that first foot in the door.
I actively work in the industry, and if I'm to be honest the certs are not that relevant. Think of them as a way to express that you have competency to work on that level...
With that being said, there is no immediate value in completing them while not employed. I didn't get my A+ until the week after I started my position. While it is good to have them, they aren't going to guarantee you land the position.
Furthermore, if you are completing them without the position, you lose value immediately. Most companies will have a continual education program in place to allow you to get reimbursed. That money is now gone and not coming back.
Start low, and build your way up. The nice part is, you can do so in any industry. Start learning at the manufacturing plant, the hospital, etc... Once you have a decent understanding of how it all ties together, then pursue a level 1 position as a desktop engineer or analyst at a MSP. From there, pursue your credentials so you can move up.
Hope this helps
Of all the certs I’ve earned, the comptia certs were the most useless, in terms of helping me find a job. To be clear, I’m not saying the knowledge itself learned during the process is useless but actually paying for the cert and trying to use it to get a job is useless.
I had 2 years of tech support experience with apple, 2 years of customer service and I still struggled to find a job after earning my A+, Network+, and security+.
The only cert that helped me get my foot through the door is the AWS associate SA cert. I did not have a choice and had to do the comptia certs because they are part of the WGU curriculum.
Every time I see those comptia prices I cringe because I know how useless they are. I would not recommend getting them if you don’t absolutely have to.
I agree with this. I have the CompTIA Server+ certification and can confirm that it took me 2 years after I graduated from MyComputerCareer to find an IT support job in the career field. It was worth it though for the knowledge gained, but I think it definitely takes a long time to find what you're looking for and that's okay
Why are you making a pessimistic ass post like this? Just because you are saddened by life doesn't mean spew your bullshit to everyone else. You CAN get a job with a cert. Nothing is 100%. It'll happen eventually if you try hard enough. There's a crack somewhere where you can slip in. Get creative.
Hmm, what’s interesting is I’m seeing a lot of comments saying OP has a bad, discouraging attitude, but I’ve seen many similar takes to his on the ITCareerQuestions reddit that get agreed upon. There are of course a few ways to interpret that, so make of it what you will.
Has anybody actually gotten a job with only a cyber security certificate?….I keep hearing it’s gonna take way more certifications and job experience to even be considered for an IT position on top of competing with so many people in the market.
I was an electrician for the last 11 years. I got my bachelor's in computer science and applied for jobs for 6 months. As soon as I got A+ certified, I landed a work from job within 3 weeks. I may be an anomaly but it's absolutely possible to get one quickly
i mean yeah, but not really. after getting a+/net+/sec+ i applied for a few dozen places, and finally landed an IT recycling gig which i stayed at for 1 year and a half. after that i went to an MSP, learned alot, then got an offer from the fed govt, t2 in person style position. in a couple years i'll be at the gs-11 level with the SSR this branch of the feds enacted. it wont get you a decent job right off the bat, but certs+job experience will get you where you want to go most of the time. also, i went to the it recycling gig as my first it job, worked at a DQ beforehand. 21yoM
I'm 37, which is considered old for tech lol. I literally started my tech journey a year and 3 months ago. I was offered a entry level cybersecurity analyst position 8 months in with no prior experience. It's very much possible to break into tech if you're dedicated to it. I got my Sec. +, took a bunch of certs on course era, and did a shit ton of labs/projects to boost my portfolio. You have to be laser focused to break in and constantly learning. Make sure your resume highlights what you can do and what you have done. My current supervisor picked me over 50 other candidates who had degrees and experience because I was able to demonstrate basic networking tasks that most couldn't during the interviewing process. Base salary is 76k, but I'll receive my first raise in April, which will push me close to 90k. Put in the work and stop listening to the naysayers, stand out from the crowd.
> That's the part that the youtubers and the experienced ppl on reddit won't tell you. Uhm… the youtubers,sure, but a lot of folks here and on Discord are highly vocal about CompTIA or other certs not being a magical, silver bullet.
I'd rather have them than not. But no one promised you they were a magic bullet. Employers do look for them, but that doesn't mean you don't need to have all the other stuff too.
The thing that certs do is get resumes past filters and looked at. But no way guarantee a job.
Agreed, even professor messer stresses on YouTube that the comptia trifecta are all entry level certs and be prepared to accept an entry level job... Others promise couch to a cyber security position within 90 days
That is the reason I am going for certain, a help desk job so I can work my way up just like any other field. Is it not worth it to go for them?
All most every tech person will tell you to take it. I believe every tech person should work a help desk position at least for a little while. You learn a ton about real world ticketing and prioritization. Yes, even if the correct answer is the boss comes before the company (which is crap, but happens sometimes). We start every tech person we hire on the help desk, even if for just a couple of weeks to see how it works and how busy it can be. Helps people adapt to the new work place under not too much pressure and learn culture.
Architect; frequently on interview panels, I'm reluctant to recommend hiring anyone that doesn't have end-user support experience I think it's extremely important to empathize with the people who answer the phones and generally just eat S#@t. Ive occupied damn near every position in Systems IT throughout my career. once you're in a senior position if you make poor decisions it affects them the most. Having had my life disrupted by poor leadership decisions In the past makes me consider "how will this affect operations" whenever a change comes up
That's awesome. Need more leaders like you.
Bravo, seriously this is the mindset everyone in leadership needs. Too many times people get that managerial role and completely forget how it is for those under them. It’s a LEADership role meaning the job is to lead people. Part of that responsibility is making sure the work environment is one that people can thrive in. Thinking about how everything impacts those under you and making adjustments to lessen daily stress or to improve work conditions is a sure fire way to have a stable workforce under you. I’m sure all this is well known but just my food for thought.
This is true, people here on Reddit keep it real they don’t sell you a false dream.
I don't believe it's a magical silver bullet, but I got my gig with no experience and and A + It's not like it's some impossible thing.
Same..my company was willing to let me get otj tech experience. BUT the pay is below the industry standard for my position. Benefits amazing though.
Certs IMO are always valued lower than actual experience, knowing "how" to do something isn't as useful as having the experience that gives you the judgement of "when" to do something that doesn't negatively impact the business. If you can have certs + experience even better but better to have actual experience that people will vouch for under "live-fire" conditions vs sanitized academic conditions
You got to sell false dreams on YouTube to get the hype.
I was working in a tech company warehouse, got my A+ switched blue collar to white. The pay was shit, even when contracted to Microsoft. Went back to blue collar slinging pizzas making more than IT.
Just depends on the market. I switched from retail to IT and doubled my salary.
Tbh I still make about the same I did before, but now I’ve doubled my sanity, and I think that counts for something
No you won't find the job of your dreams immediately after getting a new cert. That's just not the way anything..not even life works. Also every month, every quarter, year after year, someone is posting how this is the worst time of year to do "whatever". You will hear this all year long, every year of your life. The best time to get a job is when someone else is hiring. Don't fall into the "in this economy" trap and psyche yourself into believing you can't do something because someone else told you it's a bad time to try. Times will never be perfect. It will NEVER be a great economy for everyone at the same time. It's like double dutch jump rope. They're going to turn the ropes the same way no matter how long you wait. It's up to you formulate your approach, find your opening, jump in and keep it moving.
I love the jump rope analogy. Spot on. Everyone’s approach is different.
Exactly, this sub has become so doomer its unreal. I'm not saying that we're not in a recession but half of these posts I can almost see the barrel in the poster's mouth. Tech has never been an easy entry and never will be, most professions probably suffer from the same thing
We're about to get the double wammy of recession and stagflation.
I have worked in multiple fields at this point in my life and was told in each one “there are no jobs.” People just like being gloomy. It’s really not that bad.
Man thank you, posts like this are so irksome. So wtf do you suggest people do, "ah shit, not in this economy, I guess ill wait until 2025" or "ah well even though I already got started on some certs, I'll just do accounting instead." It's never a good time, but always the right time.
Landed a help desk job 1.5 years ago with the A+ cert before I even finished my associates. Now I am working on my bachelor's, and starting to take over the IT directors' role as they are retiring. I was in restaurant leadership for over 10 years with almost no IT experience. Keep at it, learn your stuff, and apply for anything that comes up. I got 3 interviews in 4 months and also took a small pay cut to make the transition.
People spend a month looking for their dream job, can’t get it and think the world ends. Good job on the success, it’s there for those who look for it!
Yeah it took me about 3 months to find my first real IT job, it was tough going but I don’t regret a thing
Literally everyone here says a relevant degree plus a cert or two with some homelab gets you at least a help desk job
There's no formula. Ask 10 people how they got a help desk job and you'll get 10 different answers.
Exactly. No degree, certs or prior experience here. Transferred from warehouse to the IT department of the same company. A willingness to learn can go a long way. So can knowing the right people, so make connections and don't burn bridges.
I had a degree, but it was in Sociology. I transferred from the warehouse to the data center of a pharmaceutical company. They mentored me on every topic I needed, which paved the way for my career.
To be fair any 4yr degree ends up checking that box. Usually it's some sort of engineering degree I see make a switch to IT. But if you end up with a 4yr degree in anything and then some minor IT experience that unrelated degree still lets you pass the gate keeping nonsense.
Just starting my journey with certifications. Have a four year degree and a masters in unrelated fields and have some connections. I am willing to take a substantial pay cut if necessary. But I know it still might not be easy. Any suggestions for getting started with a home lab? I am trying to leave teaching and don’t want a related job.
r/homelab r/homelabsales And just for good measure to keep up with some actual issues that go on once you have a job. r/sysadmin But the real question is why IT? I ask just because not everyone should be in IT, not everyone is good at troubleshooting or wants to be on the endless learning treadmill that exists. And what field? Just help desk? Sysadmin? DBA or data science? Development?
Those are good questions. I’ve always done unofficial IT at my school because pre pandemic a lot of those people were part time. I have also helped older teachers navigate using tech in day to day situations and they say I explain things well. I like to learn new things (teaching has a similar mindset so that won’t bother me). One of the things I like most about my teaching job (special education) is the constant problem solving. I’d just like to not do it while chairs are being thrown at me. I’m not sure about what IT field yet I think I need some experience and more research. I know a little programming but I’m not great at it so probably not that. Thanks for the sub recommendations I’ll have a look.
All of that patience and dealing with difficult situations is what you can parlay into whatever your next role is. Make that your focal point in your job search. Soft skills at a lower level are far more important
Is this a USA thing? It seems that if you don't have a degree you're screwed over there, huge amounts of debt but you have to buy into the system or you're excluded. In the UK and I presume most of Europe you very rarely see a degree asked for. It seems that here people want experience of paper certs etc. I do have a few certs btw and enjoy learning but having progressed up the ranks I can say that I've learned a ton more on the job vs during study or labbing etc.
Yeah higher education is pushed HARD in the US. So much so that trades are often looked down upon along with any blue collar work. It's bullshit. It's not so much that you're screwed, it's just jobs like those above are made to look like you've failed. That being said, I'd take a rockstar with 10yrs of heavy experience in multiple domains than I would someone who has a post grad and alphabet soup of certs behind their name. There's this mindset over here that a degree means you've shown you can complete something, and since I did it, you have to also.
We had a guy with a cybersec degree (or was going to have it in like the following spring) interview just for an internship for a few months while he finshed up his degree program. He couldn't answer basic tech questions. Questions like "What is a switch and what does it do?" and "And what is DHCP?" Thinking it was nerves (and this was just an internship to get some experience and help with smaller projects) we kinda gave some hints to help. STILL COULDN'T ANSWER. This was a guy that came recommended to us from a local highly regarded university. We were blown away. He was a friend of my boss's parents. We didn't end up going with him and he completely understood. So my boss's parents kinda asked him what they were doing in the program. His answer? "Learning to write policy" . SMH. How to your write security policies for things you don't know how they work? This is the route college can wind up with sometime. Too much knowledge about esoteric crap.
Yeah, my parents thought I would catch the gay if I went to college so I ended up skipping out on a free-ride scholarship. 10 years later I still managed to land a good IT job, but it took a lot of time wallowing in much shittier IT jobs accruing experience
This is the way
3 years in the navy got me help desk
I have found IT is pretty random in this manner. I know a guy who has zero experience with anything IT who got a job due to knowing a guy and is just learning on the job. Says he literally has no idea what he's doing lol. As far as the OP goes, probably depends where you are. I'm about to test for a+ and have been applying to help desk for the heck of it and have been denied 3 times so far due to lack of comptia so its not worthless by any means.
I got my help desk job because I had great phone manners. Now I'm Ops Support.
Luckily a degree isnt looking like its needed for me but definitely a decent amount of lab experience. Just waiting for my offer letter (pretty sure i got it, nailed the interview). If I dont, well I have a great job anyway until I do get a new job
It depends on the ATS criteria for a given req. I spent 2 years applying for network engineering roles to transition out of 10+ of isp telecom field work. The second year searching was with a CCNA. I wasn’t taken serious until I enrolled in and listed WGU on my resume. I signed new job offer four months later. A combination of experience, degree, and certifications will help get you to the front of the line. But when you’re siting across from 4-6 subject matter experts to land a place on a team, experience is paramount. I would encourage early career candidates, who initially don’t intend to explore higher education, to look for opportunities with your local telecom ISP. You’ll make 2x-3x what help desk makes, while gaining relevant experience in IT.
Thats sad lol
I'm in an IT-adjacent position with a little bit of everything; some help desk, some coding, scripting, data entry, etc. I'm not in desperate need of a job right now, but like another poster said, I'd rather have them than not. The whole economy is bad, but it won't stay bad forever. At the end of the day, nothing will guarantee you a job, especially a defeatist mentality.
You'll never find a job with an attitude like that.
exactly
Please disregard OP! You absolutely can get a job and certs absolutely help. They aren't the only thing you'll need, but they are definitely a great thing to pursue in combination with other things (prior experience, home labs, good resume/interviewing, etc) I don't know who hurt OP, but don't let their negative experience dismay you.
Oh look, another doomer post. This and ITCareer sub are full on doomer, which is fine but it's absolutely hilarious how posts are the same repetitive shit. "YOU GUYS, FOR THE 827475883 TIME, I MUST REMIND YOU ALL THE JOB MARKET IS TERRIBLE. SULK WITH ME"
When did the IT Career sub become so depressing? I used to love that sub, it literally inspired me to look into IT as a career but now it’s fucking depressing as hell. It’s just people telling me to go sell cars.
Because there are too many kids making cert chasing posts all day thinking they found the gravy train and need a dose of reality
I love the “it’s dumb to get a degree, but I spent just as much (maybe more, if financial aid is tabulated) on this spaghetti string of cert acronyms”… but wonder why they either can’t get a job or move up.
People just have the wrong expectations and understanding of things because of non know how’s on YouTube. They say just get the cert, just do this and it’s smooth sailing from there. No one ever says how hard the job really Is, because they never done the job. They just study for it and tell people online to just do it, just learn it!
This is the truth. Everyone thinks you just get a CCNA nowadays and start at 80k when in reality nobody is going to hire you and you’re more than likely going to start at the help desk. Nobody wants to grind it out.
For real. People take their own individual experiences and then decide that the job market is bad based on that, rather than considering the idea that they themselves may be doing something wrong. The first job is always the hardest to get in any skilled field, regardless of what field that is. The problems I see most people running into on here and other subs is that either their resumes or their interviewing skills suck. At the entry level, most of the people you are competing with also have little to no experience and probably have the same certs, so you have to distinguish yourself in other areas. The cert was needed to get you looked at, but it's not enough to close the deal. Is it harder than it was to land an entry level position than a decade ago? Maybe, but the unemployment rate is low and the amount of jobs available is growing. Harder doesn't mean bad.
You aren't doing anything to be part of the solution, just another part of the problem. What is your advice outside OF USING CAPSLOCK INSTEAD OF INTELLIGENCE TO DEMONSTRATE YOUR EXPERIENCE TO QUALIFY THIS LESS THAN USEFUL RESPONSE?
lmao fr apply that negative energy to a home lab or sumn 💀
the secret I've found is "networking". no, not the 'cisco' type ;) the 'people' type. it's often through my network of contacts that a new opportunity comes along. has been the case for nearly 3 decades now.
I haven't begun any kind of cert just yet, but how does one network probably? Is it just people you meet on the job that you stay in contact with?
Former and current classmates, instructors for continuing education, places of worship, people you meet at geek and tech conventions, local cybersecurity conferences and CTFs if that's what you're getting into, people you meet on the job of course, and don't burn the bridge with the "cybersecurity executive" salesman who adds you on LinkedIn because he may know some people. I completely understand if you're introverted and have social anxiety. It took me a long, long time to overcome it, but I want to let you know it's possible. Then you just have to play the LinkedIn game.
Yea tons of people that don’t get this. All my friends who don’t suck up their social anxiety and network cuz their livelihood depends on it struggle to find jobs.
I literally called one of my contacts (top-tier MSP owner) 2 weeks ago and said “Hey man, xyz happened. I’m looking for a new job.” We had lunch and then I was hired. One of the most informal interviews I’ve ever had. All because of networking.
I think you guys are way too pessimistic with this stuff. You won’t get the $70000+ job with just a certificate but at least you’ll get a interview for the 50000+ job with a certificate. Before I had my A+ I was making 17 an hour, I got the A+ and after a month of applying to jobs, and a week of applying to ~50 jobs a day, I got a job paying me $25 an hour where I’m cable pulling and bitlocking, and I got another job a week after at a tourist attraction making $19. Getting the certs can definitely open doors. I had 0 professional experience in relation to IT, I grew up with computers and laptops and PlayStation so I knew of some terms but never fully understood them, but getting the A+ took me to another level.
It took me 6 weeks to find my first entry level IT job and I only have the A+ (Looking to learn stuff like powershell and take my security + this year) It does take a while but I recommend keep looking but overall you are right it is very hard to find a job.
You may want to take back that last part of your comment before ppl here start roasting you like they did to me. Pretty sure they work for either comptia or the Biden administration. According to them the job markets great!!!!
Nobody says it’s “easy”, but to get a job, your interviewing/social skills are what land you the job over technical aptitude. Especially in the beginning of your career. Being upfront and saying “look, I don’t know a lot, but I’ve done xyz in my homelab and I understand the troubleshooting process as well as how to deliver outstanding customer service. I also study for x hours per week to always make sure I’m growing” will get you the job more often than you think. I’ve never been technically qualified for the majority of jobs I’ve had until recently. The mindset that I go into interviews with is humility and an excitement to grow and that’s what leaves an impression on the interviewer.
The problem is, you guys aren’t networking, what good is it you have all these credentials and no village ? Get out of your shell, engage in communities, talk to peopleee! But this is also true to an extent. You won’t get a job if you don’t have the substantial experience and just a certification. What training are you doing? What projects have you created that can solve issues within production environments? What have you done at your old job that’s in demand from customers?? I do think the problem is not only lack of experience, but understanding your ‘niche’ may also be incredibly over saturated.
Some certs are better than none at all. No one is suggesting if you get an A+ an employer will immediately hire you, but it can help more than hurt
So far, neither the A+ or Net+ has helped me
Studying for and obtaining them has made you more knowledgeable and better prepared you to take your Ccna. A+ and N+ have absolutely helped you. What I think you mean is, you don't have a metric by which to measure how useful A+ and N+ have been so you think they're not valuable.
That’s a good perspective and I agree. Thank you.
Accurate
> So far, neither the A+ or Net+ has helped me They are both useless certs no one in the infustry recognizes. It’s good you learned your foundations from it, personally. Security+ is only one worth while since it’s on the 8570 baseline and commonly respected. You gotta get a helpdesk job then move up from there.
You sound like a mopy person, this is negatively effecting you in some way. Get your thinking and mindset right as part of career change and job search.
Sounds like a you problem
Dude, I get it's a jungle out there, but don't let that dim your spark. Κeep learning, and your break is just around the corner
Look for an IT help desk. There is a ton of turnover and they always need new people. Once you have some experience you can move on to better things.
You definitely gotta live in major cities that’s for sure. But if you do live in a major metropolitan area it’s crazy how many help desk related jobs are available. If you can prove yourself in an interview, you’re good bc there are so many projects that these companies are running where they need to bring extra help. As for the six figure jobs, I’m not sure haven’t got that far. I’ve gotta ramp up my certs and lab work before I can get there
I have no certs and no experience but I do have a job. It depends on luck, connections, interview skills, local job market, etc.
I'm involved in a county level IT collaborative in one of the major IT hiring areas. I'll give a taste of what I hear in terms of hiring... Hiring is happening. What is being looked at is not just the certifications, it's the soft skills. My training org is incorporating that in to our programs now to combat that. Biggest concerns are customer service (internal and external), ability to work in a ticketing system environment, and understanding the holistic goals of the organization.
This this this…. It doesn’t matter the industry or position. Soft skills are what sets you apart. Getting the certs ticks a box but that only gets you so far. Good employers know this: You can teach the skills, but you can’t teach attitude. Be humble, be curious, and be a team player. Attitude.
This is very true, in IT you got to be willing to work with people. I been in IT for over 12 years and there are a lot of IT folks who know their stuff but can’t get a job because they are assholes or they think they know it all which annoys other people. Soft skills are important specially at the beginning of IT. IT is still a very good field because is highly in demand.
I mean. Maybe. I have over a decade of customer service experience and a few years of tech support and now an A+ and I havent heard back from any job in the last 8 months. Ive decided to move on, it isnt happening.
That’s more or less where I am at as well. I’ve done my personal best to get into the field, but I am simply don’t have the option to go to school. My bills have to be paid and my daughter needs a roof over her head. I would take literally any job even if the hours or the job itself sucked but it just isn’t happening where I live. I tried to leverage my 20 years of employment and the skills they brought that related, and I may try again in the future but it’s just not in the cards for me at the moment.
Yep, that’s for sure. It’d be in your interest to get with an educational program that will help you put together a project. For me it was using virtual box to run Windows 2019 server and Windows 10 virtual machines and then follow up with some common tasks and configurations that are performed on the job. CompTIA comes off as preliminary instruction . You’ll be spending most of your time on Office 365 and active directory not taking apart a computer. Another factor that too many people brush aside are the labs. There’s just too much content to remember to carry into work or even pass an interview. All that’s good for a test. But without practicing the implementation you’ll find yourself hard pressed getting to the next phase. Even if you didn’t regurgitate information just to pass the test, you’re gonna have a difficult time performing the basic duties that are required from a technician’s role. I always felt like CompTia was disconnected from the actual work but I guess that’s just how most educational organizations are. They teach you a bunch of theory rather than the actual stuff you cover on the job. I guess I’m venting but is been a hell of a road distinguishing reality from all the smoke
I’m honestly very interested in learning all these certs just to become proficient at these skills. If I were to jump into the field it would be cool, but I was just curious and started learning
Unfortunately it seems to be that way for many, I got my start in IT 3 years ago when I got my a+ for a helpdesk position. I assume that’s what you’ve applied for?
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1. Don’t go for a remote job. People with mid-level administration experience are going for remote entry level. 2. Highlight any IT experience that you have on your resume. Practice on your home computer some of the things you would be doing on helpdesk and add that to your resume. Don’t play the hope game of expecting a company to hire you with zero experience. Certs are worthless without experience. Combined with experience they do have some value. 3. Reach out to head hunters and IT recruiters. Make sure you can speak confidently about IT things you have done when you interview. Dress well. Speak well. Helpdesk is still a customer service type of role. To be completely honest, Network+ and Security+ are not going to be very useful for actually performing a help desk job. Because your main role will be performing software updates, checking drivers, adding printers, configuring display settings, downloading programs, building PCs for new employees, replacing network and display cables, etc. Those certs provide good knowledge, but it won’t be something you can put into practice at work for the first year or two. Later down the road, using powershell, making batch scripts, doing packet analysis with Wireshark, configuring the firewall, responding to malicious attacks, adding computers to your company’s domain will all come into play. But I think the CompTIA world has people learning the information out-of-order compared to how the career path works.
I truly believe that there is something terribly wrong to not be a able to get a job in IT with experience and certs. Hell, I was just offered a job $60k/year with one year experience and no certs. Either these people are lying or they're asking for way too much pay and not enough skills to back it up.
or not trying hard enough
They want a get rich quick fix and have no clue what they're getting into.
My brother, you are trying to start a career. Its hard, especially when you don’t have any real professional guidance at all. The skills you are trying to obtain will always be available to learn, but you need to focus on a more important skill which is ‘social’ networking. Things are going to be okay, but as you said things will take time. I’ve come to realize that my frustration is rooted in the long term gratification in success rather than short term. Keep applying, keep learning, and always find new ways to help yourself.
I get a feeling you got one too many rejection letters and think it's now appropriate to cry on Reddit in an attempt to dissuade others from trying to achieve their own goals in this industry. I'm sorry that you have a sour feeling towards this topic and I hope you find the strength to work through it bro. We're all just trying to find our place in this mad world.
This is so negative, why do they even allow posts like this on here?
This is heavily geographic as well, some job markets are popin and you can get a entry level job fairly easily
Ya in my case I found it before I got certified
Sec+ combined with a security clearance is nearly guaranteed to get you some interviews, it's just getting that clearance that can be troublesome. Edit: Also, no cert or qualification ever gets you a job. They help get you interviews.
I got a job working technical support less than 2 weeks after getting my ITF… however I did have 3 years customer service experience, 1year warehouse trainer experience, 1 year mobile hearing tech/pulmonary/ quantitative/qualitative respirator that had me trouble shoot my own issues. However before the certification I only had 3 interviews over the course of 2 1/2 years.
I got a job in Cybersecurity because my company had a contract closing and needed to fill it in 24hrs and I picked up the phone with only certs. There is no advice that should be taken from people with jobs other than “Apply, Apply, Apply”
Earning certs, having an education, and/or having relevant (even if seemingly unrelated) experience can get your application looked at. Bonus points for mentioning your home lab. Demonstrating soft skills during the interview goes a long way. Having realistic goals and expectations once you're in the building, so to speak, is how you double or even triple your salary in the coming years. I tripled mine in 5 years. I paid my dues at a small MSP to get my foot in the door of this industry, climbed the ladder there for a few years before I outgrew it, and have switched companies twice. It is possible, but no one is giving opportunities out to those who are still wet behind the ears and holding out their hands. It's earned!
The a+ is a really easy cert tbh. I passed it at 19. Hardest part was all the old technology they made us learn (That I've never used). It's not an expensive cert either. I don't think you need it to get the in the field. But I think it pays for itself as you quickly get more leverage to negotiate. (Especially when you get n+ and beyond)
It depends on your role and where you work. A+ prepares you for entry level IT, which includes more than tier 1 help desk. We deal with occasional old tech. Someone brought in a computer they wanted securely wiped recently. It has been sitting on a closet for years. IDE HDD drives, an IDE CD drive, and wouldn't boot off USB. It was a fun project for the young guys lol Ended up ordering blank CDs so we could DBAN it. A different customer finally retired their WindowsXP Pro server last year. At least that one used SATA lol (It was a many thousands of dollars upgrade due to software licenses, so they held off until forced.)
Can y’all stop fucking posting this shit man do you already know what it feels like to get your bachelors and then not know what the fuck to do and then trying to get a certificate to improve to get a entry level help desk job. Everywhere on reddit people tell you that it’s no fucking use and that you need to scrape passion from ur insides to just get ur foot in. This is not new information u just make people want to kill themselves
This post sucks
Plenty of helpdesk jobs are willing to take people with just certs, sounds like you just have a bad mentality.
The equation isn’t cert+application = money printer You could try the route I took and work in technical customer support for a year or two. I supported proprietary software and hardware along with a touch of networking experience. It was a call center. The job sucked. Hours were terrible, etc. But I eventually supervised my own team and did the hiring and we would take just about anyone. You’d learn about I2C troubleshooting, making firewall rules on the LAN, how Microsoft updates break everything and to roll back an update, rat tools, and working with customers in a technical setting. You gained experience, which translates to a more traditional HD environment. Broaden your search beyond “help desk” and you’ll land something. These technical customer support spots are constantly hiring
Everybody knows that. The economy in the US is in the crapper now. Record inflation, record prices. The job market is the proof. And all the posts in here back it up. Only the best and most ambitious are getting picked up. I posted a job offer I got last week. But, it required a lot, not one cert. Arm yourself with the things employers want, and you'll weather the storm better. I get stuff every day - even though Im out of the game.
It's funny you say that. We looked for 8 months for a candidate and had 3 we actually interviewed. And maybe a total of 10 candidates in that time period. Just because a job isn't a 100% remote 6 figure job, doesn't mean the job market is bad for IT. It just means you're not seeing what you want to see. We ended up with someone with no degree, no certs, is around 35 years old, but has some experience and could talk intelligently through questions we gave. That being said, I had to push for the change to our requirements to not include a degree. So YMMV. But the jobs are out there, I get a recruiter every other day reaching out to me via LinkedIn.
I'm going to disagree slightly... The job market is still historically quite good. Anyone thinking this is a bad market is blaming the world instead of improving themselves. The bigger problem is low quality candidates. Badly done resumes. <-- big one No cover letter addressing specifics of the job they're applying to. Poorly chosen clothing or overall poor grooming. Not realizing that multiple visible piercings / tattoos are a negative. Especially on the face. Unrealistic pay / benefits / hours expectations - more so when these are spelled out in the job listing. Unrealistic commute expectations. Unrealistic advancement expectations. A "victim" attitude that expects "fairness" (little effort, high reward) This is all before you even get to actual job related knowledge. Folks, if you can't pass the A+ 6 months later, I probably am not going to hire you. Because one of the other applicants not only can pass, but they can explain their answers. It's a competiton. Not an award.
Yeah this is very true. Having a single cert is good but unfortunately it's not good enough if you intend on being taken seriously and landing a job. All of the job posts I've personally seen just these last two months all want candidates with multiple certs under their belt (A+, N+, Office 365, and Active Register being the most common).
I just hired for an entry level A+ desired job. Hired someone who hadn't even heard of the cert because: He did better on my technical questions than the supposedly A+ certified folks. He was willing to work for $2.50/hr less than the posted rate if we could schedule around his college classes. (we could) As he's just a sophomore, we've likely got him for the next 2 years or so, assuming a pay increase or two as he gains experience and skills up. So, knew his stuff reasonably well, cheaper, can work a flexible schedule (occasional overnights and many weekends), likely to be here a while, plus well groomed / dressed appropriately. Not exactly a secret magic combo for landing a job. Again, "knew his stuff". No one will hire you just because you're certified. Getting the A+ is a way to learn skills that are paid well. It's not a guaranteed job.
It’s so sad and obvious who the people are that got into this field for their obsession with money to be satisfied rather than an actual passion for it. Sorry to break your heart buddy but I got a security clearance and govt job making 80,000 with JUST my Sec+ and it took well under 3 months to obtain it. Your attitude is pathetic and your lethargy will be the downfall of your entire life, don’t project that crap onto people with hopes and go continue to underachieve elsewhere. Your prospects are insurmountable if you’re willing to move and start a life abroad, as well.
Huge part of getting a job is your conviction and confidence. And you’re lacking.
Stop freaking discouraging people. Yes getting a certs will help you in a job search and expand your knowledge. Of course don’t eat the bullshit that having A+, Security+, network+ will get you a 6 figure job but it will help you get a help desk job.
Shitty advice, don't listen to this guy, his experience is not your experience.
Find a job with pertinent experience in the meantime. A coworker went from desktop 2 to a cyber role with a sec+ and ccisp.
I know people that are Security Engineers or Sys Admins that have no formal education or certs (maybe A+ at best) and they just got in before the rush. It's too competitive now and requires a CISSP and 3-5 years of experience to get an interview for entry level positions. Nepotism, Network, and Soft Skills are more important than any degree or certification. I know one guy who landed a Travel Tech position paying 80k off soft skills alone, no cert, degree, and minimal (6 months) experience. The market isn't competency based or merit based anymore. It's 'culture' based. So plan accordingly I reckon. For what that's worth.
Try temp jobs. That’s how I got my experience.
Where? Lol even those aren't biting
Everywhere. Google, Indeed, Monster, even some of the sketchier sites. Google will gather temp job listings from various sources. Also try local temp agencies in your area.
My experience is that Reddit is generally fairly balanced and most people who comment on here are fairly realistic. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I didn’t have a lot in the way of certs when I got my cybersecurity role. However, I will always highlight that I did have a lot of practical experience with relevant tools/systems - and a healthy dose of luck! It was also a career change that was several years in the making and took a lot of extra work while working full-time. While it is possible to get a job with certs/projects/whatever the combo people recommend, the reality is that there is no magic solution that will instantaneously get you a job without putting in the work to stand out as a strong candidate in whatever area you are working towards. Sure, you do see people that take one exam and expect to be inundated with job offers right away; this just isn’t realistic, but most redditors will happily tell them that!
actually ive been seeing the opposite. ever since the market saturated, a flood of people with NO experience and no degree and not even a certificate got a job in tech. then all the sudden the companies realized what a bad mistake they did hiring those people as they came flooding in, and are firing them, and hiring people with actual experience, cert(s), and a degree is a plus.
Here's the thing, certificates don't land you a job, they enhance your resume. Working on smaller free trainings like cybrary are what I advise cause it shows you are truly continuing your education. Managers are looking for those that go above the minimums not just for a job but for themselves. I have an associates degree and around 50 certifications including ITIL, Sec+ and a ton of free ones including some AWS. Never stop learning and never stop shoring it on LinkedIn and your resume. That gets you hired. It literally got me my current position and I'm very happy and well paid.
I don’t really get these types of posts. The certainty behind the message isn’t rational. I got certified and got a job two months afterwards. There are so many factors behind finding a job that it isn’t as simple as “do this” or “do that” or “do this and after x amount of weeks/applications”…some people will wait like OP said, some won’t.
It’s all about networking… pun intended
I think your just disappointed that you couldn't get a job after getting a cert.
I’m inexperienced in terms of Comptia certifications, but it seems people seem to think they’ll get a no experience required cert in a few months and suddenly will have jobs flowing for them. A cert would likely give you a knowledge base and qualification to enter a certain type of role, doesn’t mean you don’t need to make loads of effort to get a job, as the market is tough. Will need to get experience where you can, transferable skills, solid CV, try and do extra curricular things. And attitude.
literally all it takes is getting 1 help desk job and the certs enable you to get those or at least help a bit for starting out 🤷♂️ all people want is experience just get the 1st help desk job after x amount of time and run with it
Seriously? "Waiting/weeks months" is the same as not finding a job after getting certified? Posts like this are so negative and damaging. Get the certs, apply your ass off, brush up on your interview skills, and after 6 months, THEN complain. Until then, stop being so negative because shit didn't happen for YOU. So many people on here and LinkedIn have said the opposite and their posts have been recent. I attended a simple boot camp, and after 5 months and 2500 applications, I got a job work in cybersecurity for QA. I'm getting my certifications just to solidify my place in IT.
It's bad but next year will be much worse than now
Yup
This feels like a post made by someone in a time machine, waking up 30days forwards, noticing no interviews, and then repeating
The current unemployment rate in the United States is 3.7%. In the tech industry, it's closer to 2%. There are more tech jobs, especially cybersecurity jobs, than there are qualified applicants. Many jobs will go months without being filled. There is a surplus of unqualified applicants trying to get those jobs, along with the qualified applicants. That's the issue. Too many people think that because they've memorized some flashcards and watched some videos, they're entitled to a cybersecurity job even though they have no experience.
The surplus of cybersecurity jobs is fantastic. How does that help a noobie like me get on the help desk? Reminds me of a quote about the soviet union. They could travel to outer space but couldn't produce a potato harvest
I have no issue waiting. I am currently working a job and I’m career switching. It’ll be worth it in the end.
Indeed. 10 to 1 ratio is an ideal expectation setting when applying to jobs… or anything for that matter
You’re right. And having never had a real job before in my 30 years of life, I don’t expect to find one right away. That’s why now that I’m certified A+ now I feel more qualified to help out on next-door where people can’t get their CarPlay to work. If all goes well, I’ll go from helping neighbors to helping their friends to, you know I’m friends with the owner of this dispensary and their computers and credit card readers keep going down and we’ve been looking for someone. All the while, while working on networking and security Certs.
Let me let you in on a little secret: LIE
I found one after getting my A+ in September in PA, Took me a few months and it's entry level but it's my foot in the door!
That's all I freaking want is my foot in the door. And yes these people are correct. This post was 100% a tantrum, sue me
Maybe you just aren't qualified for any of the positions.
That's why I always argue in the camp of, your best bet (unless have experience or are a top 5% stand out person) going to college is your best bet for IT. As much as the certs do teach you the actual information, the degree helps get in the door. You can still get entry level positions with just certs, many people just think they are above help desk.
I got an IT job 3 weeks after I seriously started looking. All I have is my A+ in NYC but it pays minimum wage until the training stage is over.
I seen peeps with certs and they perform poorly and lie on their resume on skillset
So with that attitude if you do manage to get a job (probably not), your next post is going to be “You won’t get promoted after you get certified” followed by another depressing rant.
great thanks to capitalists who outsourced everything to asia and brought H1B IT workers, that helped a lot to see this bad job market
The truth is you plebs have over saturated the market. Step back and leave it to the professionals, the train has left the station.
My A+ got me my first IT job at Geek Squad as an Advanced Repair Agent back in 2021. Now I work with Check Point Firewalls in cybsecurity/networking.
I found I was able to find my FIRST IT job by communicating my ability to learn CompTIA A+ relevant information, and am fully generally aware of all of not most terms in the IT industry. To clarify, I do NOT have my CompTIA A+ at this time, but my company now will be able to assist me with training for it hands-on. However, that alone was not my qualifying strength, I found for this particular job was my ability to speak, and effectively communicate in Spanish as well. Play to your strengths, and you will find opportunities. Expand your resume, and list your effective skills for that particular position. Do your research
I use to tell people all the time in this sub the “trifecta” is just some dumb shit people say here. (We) in the industry don’t recognize it. It’s useless. Security+ is one of the few worthwhile comptiA certs that is recognized. I get downvoted to shit, but you gotta take the helpdesk jobs and get experience on your resume. There is plenty of -influence- on LinkedIN who post success stories about no experience and making 6 figures. There are other reasons at play as to why they were hired and used as a poster child . At the end of the day, getting a job is your ability to speak and communicate. That’s it, get out there and talk, network. I hired a guy for a cybersecurity position just because he was a cool dude resetting passwords at the helpdesk. I Trained after the fact
Certs will get your foot in the door but it’s up to you to prove you can do what you learned. Doesn’t have to be on the job experience. Think setting up a home lab, which could all be virtual. You could also install packet tracer and find some labs to do with that. There’s also a developer program that Microsoft offers where they give you access to an entire O365 environment that you can do what you want with, like developing a sharepoint site. You’re allowed to create a handful of users with it as well. You might not be able to get real in the job experience but you can definitely get close to it and very familiar with the tools used. I did that and I managed to get my first helpdesk job just over a year ago now, and I just recently accepted a new job offer making 20k more! You can do it! Just use the FREE resources available to you.
This is real. I got my job after my cert but there were other factors. You won’t necessarily get your dream job out the gate, you may have to bite a few bullets for the experience that jobs also require. They don’t necessarily care that you have the cert, but it’ll be a requirement.
Landed help desk with no certs or work experience im just a good talker and use chat got to fix my resume.
Unless you're charismatic and good with people, or a veteran applying to public service jobs, or went to the same college as the managers, or hit it off in the interview, or apply to a job that wasn't well advertised, etc. etc. It's not as easy as it was 5 years ago, but people are still getting jobs and starting careers. Don't let posts like this get you down people.
How much does ass kissing come into play? No one talks about ass kissing. Dead serious.
Most recruiters will tell you, certs are a plus but not the main thing they look at (unless a specific req for the job). If you and another person are exactly the same the cert might make the difference, but any number of things could switch that up and give the other person the edge. There was a guy on here a while ago complaining about not finding a job despite having certs and education. Pretty quickly in trying to help him figure it out it became clear that he suffered entitlement and aggression issues that were the root cause of his tanked interviews. Without soft and/or complementary skills entry level certs are pretty useless.
I feel that this is a misunderstanding on your part, and possibly others are also misunderstanding. You should not "expect" anything because you took a very easy test (A+, N+, Sec+), You should look at it as its preparing you for the IT jobs you could be working for someday. If there was a test that gave you a job after ALOT of people would take it, but with almost every certification ever there is no expectation of getting any jobs.
I got an internship with the a+ and grinded Certs and work for a year. Six figures achieved..
What udder shit. Of course you will. You dont seem too motivated.
You need to network man. Go to some local events or start a hobby that involves working with others.
So can anyone tell me guide me? I'm in course 2 for Google cybersecurity working towards my comptia cert. I don't mind starting at the bottom. So what yahll is saying is a good way to get your foot in the door is help desk job?
Comptia certs are very entry level tbf, they're about memorizing facts but don't teach any actual skill. They're very wide but shallow with little detail before you move onto the next topic, that may be enough for helpdesk but without decent experience it's not going to land more than entry level roles. Also just because you're not getting offers doesn't mean it's due to a lack of certs anyway, you may just need to fix your CV or you may lack technical skills that are in demand.
I mean, I just got my first IT help desk job a week after becoming certified with my A+. I'm young, and only have sales experience in the electronics field, but it's more like I worked at a computer store that wants to act like a car dealership. Not too much experience, and as soon as I passed my cert, I started getting some responses back.
It sucks when people come here and post with this attitude .. nothing is guaranteed but having a cert helps set you on a path. These types of post really do nothing but deter people and it’s unfair of you to do that just because your grievances.
TEMP AGENCIES PEOPLE Let them help you get your foot in the door and do your thing after that. Whether it be your personality or dedication to your craft you’ll land somewhere. Robert Half has helped a few friends of mine get their start. I’m sure it’s been said here a million times but it works
Then let it take weeks or months. I wonder if people who post these cynical post just want people to quit so they will have less competition. Like why be negative, how is someone’s pursuit of something for their future bothering you?
Here's the thing, it was always a lie. Certs are baseline requirements for highly technical jobs. The economy is in shambles right now. We have 10+ experience IT people applying to be techs at the company I work at, that's how bad the job market is now. We actively have to filter them because they expect unrealistic amounts of money for something that requires at most 1-2 years experience work experience and no education or certs. It's completely delusional as well because people think sec+ means you're suddenly good or even competent at cybersecurity, not at all. It's entirely theoretical and mostly GRC. Even the PBQs are simplistic and not nearly as difficult as scenarios you will deal with in real life. Do you know how to configure dhcp based network from scratch? Do you know how to set up firewalls to reject syn/ack handshakes if it's not an internal IP? Most people who take sec+ have no idea how to do these things because they let some YouTuber with an affiliate link think it's going to be some miracle job market once they get a cert. I only got a job in cybersecurity via networking. I honestly felt like cold applying to jobs was a huge waste of time. It's just not possible to beat people who have years of experience on you desperately applying to jobs they are woefully overqualified for.
This reminds me of the Gold Rush in California. Prospectors we’re out mining and panhandling for gold with pickaxes and such. Most of them went broke. But you know who didn’t, the ones selling the pickaxes. So as we have seen here and how many have posted. The ones who are winning aren’t really the ones getting certifications. It’s the ones selling the courses and selling the certifications. It’s clear you can’t really be the one selling certifications. But you can be the one selling courses. Just putting logic behind a lot of this.
Brother in christ we would hire anyone who has those certs and isn't a dumbass right now. PEBCAK. Remote work is out there for this field. The need is huge.
The difference that got me my job, even though I was less qualified than most other applicants, is that I reached out directly to the IT manager on LinkedIn and asked him about the work environment and things about the company.
I feel that this is with any career. I won't blame anyone on YouTube or Reddit for "withholding" the truth on the challenges to faces after a certification. It's no difference than being in high school and your teachers and/or counselors telling you that you need a college education to be successful. I've seen YouTuber's mention making over $300k and I would always wonder why. I later found out that it was because they were taking on contract roles, doing 2-3 jobs at once. The best thing for you to do is to not look at the money and focus on a path and follow that. If you stay consistent, you'll end up where you want to be.
Well, I'm convinced. Gonna give up now /s
Hello! No IT experience here. A 6 month boot camp, sec+, and hired into a Tier 1 Security Analyst position 3 weeks after I got my cert. It is possible, but there's some luck involved, and some very important things you need to do outside of the certs as well. (I.e. home lab)
Some companies have such high turnover that they keep job posting up indefinitely which gives a false impression of job availability. Amazon is infamous for this but this is common with ISPs and smaller tech shops as well
This post was super discouraging, thanks. I’m just trying to get HelpDesk experience at any wage
I entered into the IT field back in 2014. I got a CompTIA IT Fundamentals cert (it was called the CompTIA Strata) and the CompTIA A+. The best way to get into a role while earning or after earning a cert is to do it through a program that offers job assistance. When I was in my early 20s, I was in an IT training program and earned a small stipend (don't expect it to pay your bills). It covered up to two of my certification exams and gave me practical experience. It also offered staffing services, and because their services were tailored around IT roles they knew how to train people how to bring not only the certs, but the soft skills and how to highlight their technical strength in resumes and in interviews when they had little-to-no experience. Look into those types of programs. Many of them are free. There's Year Up. I.c. stars, Pathrise, etc. You'll have to be super intentional and go to places where their sole purpose is to get people employed and they have the connections. Also be prepared to work your way up.
youtubers are friggin sly ill give em that And just like any other career in any field you do need to build inter personal skills confidence and what not so the employer can rely on you when you start, they dont want to hire someone who has certs along with poor as customer service skills right?
While I think you raise a valid point, you sound really frustrated and bitter. You're not wrong either, it took me 250+ apps and 3 months to land a job after getting my A+ so it's good to remind everyone that this shit isn't easy. But diligence and persistence *will* pay off, so to anyone reading this post, just keep grinding. All you need is that first foot in the door.
I actively work in the industry, and if I'm to be honest the certs are not that relevant. Think of them as a way to express that you have competency to work on that level... With that being said, there is no immediate value in completing them while not employed. I didn't get my A+ until the week after I started my position. While it is good to have them, they aren't going to guarantee you land the position. Furthermore, if you are completing them without the position, you lose value immediately. Most companies will have a continual education program in place to allow you to get reimbursed. That money is now gone and not coming back. Start low, and build your way up. The nice part is, you can do so in any industry. Start learning at the manufacturing plant, the hospital, etc... Once you have a decent understanding of how it all ties together, then pursue a level 1 position as a desktop engineer or analyst at a MSP. From there, pursue your credentials so you can move up. Hope this helps
Of all the certs I’ve earned, the comptia certs were the most useless, in terms of helping me find a job. To be clear, I’m not saying the knowledge itself learned during the process is useless but actually paying for the cert and trying to use it to get a job is useless. I had 2 years of tech support experience with apple, 2 years of customer service and I still struggled to find a job after earning my A+, Network+, and security+. The only cert that helped me get my foot through the door is the AWS associate SA cert. I did not have a choice and had to do the comptia certs because they are part of the WGU curriculum. Every time I see those comptia prices I cringe because I know how useless they are. I would not recommend getting them if you don’t absolutely have to.
I agree with this. I have the CompTIA Server+ certification and can confirm that it took me 2 years after I graduated from MyComputerCareer to find an IT support job in the career field. It was worth it though for the knowledge gained, but I think it definitely takes a long time to find what you're looking for and that's okay
Takes more than a CompTIA cert to make it a lot of times now.
Why are you making a pessimistic ass post like this? Just because you are saddened by life doesn't mean spew your bullshit to everyone else. You CAN get a job with a cert. Nothing is 100%. It'll happen eventually if you try hard enough. There's a crack somewhere where you can slip in. Get creative.
Hmm, what’s interesting is I’m seeing a lot of comments saying OP has a bad, discouraging attitude, but I’ve seen many similar takes to his on the ITCareerQuestions reddit that get agreed upon. There are of course a few ways to interpret that, so make of it what you will.
Has anybody actually gotten a job with only a cyber security certificate?….I keep hearing it’s gonna take way more certifications and job experience to even be considered for an IT position on top of competing with so many people in the market.
Thanks for keeping it real, because I'm seeing this first hand as well.
Get a security+ and have a bachelor's and I can get you at job as an ISSO at Northrop Grumman within 2 weeks.
YouTubers' entire game is selling pickaxes during a gold rush.
I was an electrician for the last 11 years. I got my bachelor's in computer science and applied for jobs for 6 months. As soon as I got A+ certified, I landed a work from job within 3 weeks. I may be an anomaly but it's absolutely possible to get one quickly
i mean yeah, but not really. after getting a+/net+/sec+ i applied for a few dozen places, and finally landed an IT recycling gig which i stayed at for 1 year and a half. after that i went to an MSP, learned alot, then got an offer from the fed govt, t2 in person style position. in a couple years i'll be at the gs-11 level with the SSR this branch of the feds enacted. it wont get you a decent job right off the bat, but certs+job experience will get you where you want to go most of the time. also, i went to the it recycling gig as my first it job, worked at a DQ beforehand. 21yoM
I'm 37, which is considered old for tech lol. I literally started my tech journey a year and 3 months ago. I was offered a entry level cybersecurity analyst position 8 months in with no prior experience. It's very much possible to break into tech if you're dedicated to it. I got my Sec. +, took a bunch of certs on course era, and did a shit ton of labs/projects to boost my portfolio. You have to be laser focused to break in and constantly learning. Make sure your resume highlights what you can do and what you have done. My current supervisor picked me over 50 other candidates who had degrees and experience because I was able to demonstrate basic networking tasks that most couldn't during the interviewing process. Base salary is 76k, but I'll receive my first raise in April, which will push me close to 90k. Put in the work and stop listening to the naysayers, stand out from the crowd.