Advice Please Re: New Career

[Pietre]

I am debating starting a course with Computeach to get the MCSE and CCNA qualification at some considerable cost. Is there plenty of work in this environment. I am being told of £500+ per day as potential earnings with Security+ and CCNA. Are these pie in the sky dreams or a reality. The course is going to cost me £5k and I have been credited with the first part IC3 for my current quals. Any help will be really appreciated.

 

[masqueraid]

Are you in IT or something related already?

Expect a salaried job between £20-45k pa if you have the qualifications but crucially you need proven experience. This is the Catch 22 for the newly qualified in IT. If you are looking to freelance without some form of portfolio behind you you are in for a hard time selling yourself in the current marketplace. If you can, find someone willing to give you part-time employment while you are training, you can start building your CV right away.

Also bear in mind that because of central government incentives for IT training the number of qualified candidates for employment in this sector is increasing.

Don't forget that there are multiple versions of MCSE, you are going to need something relevant to the marketplace in the next 12 months so look at something like Windows Server 2003

 

[blassberg]

Pietre - also realise that when a major platform or programming direction change occurs, everyone starts from scratch so you can start to specialise in something where nobody else has an advantage. Previous examples html, xml, java.

 

[Pietre]

I work in development for IBM, but more technical procurement. I have an HNC in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and the MCSE will be Server 2003 or the latest version when released. I am going to offer my services to the test dept at no cost to gain experience whilst doing the course so I can put that on my CV. Thanks for your advice.

 

[glojo]

The course is going to cost me £5k and I have been credited with the first part IC3 for my current quals. Any help will be really appreciated.

I have no knowledge whatsoever about this field of expertise, BUT.... can you afford the £5000?

Have you got any interviews for possible jobs if you successfully complete the course?

Is there anywhere that can take you on part-time whilst you get better qualified.

My son had all sorts of problems getting employment simply because of the Catch 22 situation of needing experience in his field of expertise.

Don't be in too much of a rush to part with your hard earned cash.

Good luck,
John

Edit
Your off to a good start as I see you have answered my post as I was typing it

 

[Rose Chap]

Hi Pietre, I'm an IT contractor who works in the field you're looking to move into, so I have some knowledge of how things are.

Whilst its easily possible to earn £500 per day as a security cleared Cisco contractor, you have to bear in mind that to earn that rate you may not be working close to where you live. The nature of IT means that most of the jobs are in the city and Thames Valley / M4 Corridor, are you prepared to commute to the city each day?

Also, to earn the decent rates, you have to be a contractor, which means setting up your own company, and doing some financial admin. Also, because you're selling yourself as a 'professional service' you will not get sick pay, holiday pay, a pension, gym membership, or any of the other perks permanent staff are entitled to. You can also have your contract terminated fairly easily, compared to a contract of employment. The contracting life isn't for everyone and if I had a family to support other than expensive tastes then I'm not sure I'd be a contractor.

If you look at permanent jobs then the take home pay tumbles. Granted you could probably earn up to £45-50K+ as a highly rated IT infrastructure analyst in the City, but the chances of earning that outside London are far reduced. As a first job you're probably looking at something like £20-30K, and the nature of IT means that your compatriots at that level will be graduates who aren't afraid to work late and hard to get ahead.

I'm not looking to put you off at all, but I think you should definitely be looking at job availability and chatting to a few agencies about the future prospect of work before committing yourself to something.

I wish you every success!

Andy

 

[Pietre]

I am a contractor at present, and have been for the last 20 years, but all as a PAYE employee. If I am earning the money I would stay the week where working and travel home at weekends. And by working for nothing on the development test floor I will be getting experience on the systems for future integration at major companies whilst getting my quals. So I am hoping that will stand me in good stead. Any comments are gratefully received as this all helps in making my decisions.

 

[saorbust]

Will you be able to reference your work for free ? Otherwise its no good. Secondly you'd have to do it for a reasonable amount of time before I'd be happy to see it as experience. Finally your employer might not like you working for free for various legal reasons (health and safety is one). They still have commitments.

I'd attempt to get some of the smaller qualifications first - don't go for the top dollar straight away. Rather like ITIL qualifications, they should all have 'foundation' courses, which usually are significantly cheaper. You should also investigate if you need to do the course to do the exam - sometimes you can get away with a book and a good couple of friends who know the topic to help, plus a home lab !

Sounds odd, but here is a real example. I qualified (long time ago) for a Novell CNA, by just taking the exam at a cost of £80. Used that to get a newer job, then did the series of six exams for the CNE qualification and read a couple of very good books. Passed them all. Total cost approximately £600 including the exams - lead to some seriously good roles. If I'd have done the modules for the CNE individually, it probably would have cost approximately £5k.

The advertised route isn't always the only way - so be careful. I now have a bunch of qualifications in various bits, all valid, but not all via 'accredited training partners'. And in every case, I wanted to see an early return in my investment - preferably part way through the investment.

Keep it up - any badges are usually worthwhile, and I always had a lot of respect for any prospective staff members who self funded their education, and made reference to this in their interview. Showed depth of character and forward thinking as well as determination.

J.

 

[Pietre]

The quals will be CompTia A+, CompTia Security+ Certified, MCSA, MCSE, MCP, MCDBA, and finaly CCNA which will be an extra. I have asked about working on the test floor and that isnt an issue, and to get these quals will take between 16 to 24 months, so I will be gaining experience and helping to understand the coursework at the same time. I paid for my ONC and HNC myself and did this at college after work for 5 years, so 2 years should feel like peanuts (I hope). But nothing ventured, nothing gained, and I am the only commodity that I can sell to a potential employer.