21 year old entering IT industry seeking advice!

Leonie · Joined: 07 Jun 2007 Posts: 2

Hey guys,

I’ve read a lot of the posts on this forum and I’m seeking more advice about being successful in the IT industry. Let me tell you a little about myself.

I'm a 21 year old in Toronto and just graduated with an engineering degree. I'm starting my career in the IT industry as a help/support desk type person at a small (around 20 people at HQ) and growing IT consulting firm. Anyway, I chose to do IT because I always loved computers and helping people with their computer problems, but now I get to do it for businesses as well. I’m going to try and get a lot of certifications for personal growth, such as the MCP, MCSE, etc. as well.I know I chose an industry that’s not doing the greatest, but I am really passionate about it and will do everything it takes to strive in it.
So, if anyone is in a similar situation or if anyone has any interesting stories and advice to share, that would be great!

Miyu · Joined: 30 May 2007 Posts: 2

I'm 26 and I've been in the same field. My problem is the fact that I sat on opportunities to improve my repetoire by overlooking the non-credit certs from Microsoft and Cisco. I am playing catchup. Recently I have had more exposure to SMS, Server 2003, AD and other backoffice technologies. In addition desktop deployment. Unfortunately most of the jobs are looking for programmers or developers an area I have some but not enough experience in. I am trying my hand at SQL Server 2005 now for the past year but have not made as much time as I'd like.

Since you're just starting I would become familiar with as many people and aspects of IT as possible. Don't limit yourself but don't overwhelm yourself at the same time. Apply something to which you already are familiar and build upon that and go from there.

Good Luck!