OT IT Career advice please

[se97mlm]

Hey guys! I know from previous threads that lots of you work in IT... I am considering a career change to IT from engineering and wondered how to best go about it. I already have an engineering masters degree, so don't want to go back to full time education.

Am particularly interested in networking. Do companies do graduate training schemes for non-IT graduates?

 

[scotth_uk]

When you say IT to engineering - could you be more specific?

Would you like to know what is involved in being a network engineer? If so I can definately help.

 

[se97mlm]

Well i am currently a Mechanical design and development engineer, designing common rail fuel injection systems. Thing is, i have always enjoyed dabbling with computers as a hobby and would like to work in this field.

Would very much appreciate any information Scotth about being a network engineer.

 

[Tigger]

Networking is easy!

Stick all the wires in the back of a Cisco Catalyst... Job done!

 

[Sp!ke]

I agree with GDC200 to some extent, the IT industry has been and is still a bit in the doldrums in the UK.

Salaries have dropped considerably in common areas like networking and contracting is not a good place to be unless you have a niche or specialist area that is particularly in demand. Best bet, do what Maff as done and set up your own business.

OK OK engineering in this country is shot to hell also so IT isnt any worse.

Basically, all I can say is look closely in the recruitment sections and see what is in demand and try to figure out where the money is. Cisco engineer...nope. MCSE.....nope. Lotus...nope. Novell.....nope. Oracle programmer...mebbe, but do you want to sit in front of a console all day punching code?

Personally, I think the money is in technical sales - certainly is in my company at least. If you can see yourself selling then perhaps a 2003 MCSE or something may be enough to get you on the first rung. Whatever you do though, dont spend the silly money asked for these courses, buy the books use the web, set up a home domain and self learn. That way you'll learn how to do the job rather than how to pass an exam as is the case wth most of these extortionate courses.

 

[Big Ed]

Reckon that Spike has summed it up quite nicely - wages in IT have gone down rather a lot in the last few years, and competition for jobs is far more fierce now as well. Traditionally there is a technical gravy train that will bring in lots of cash (like Spike listed - MCSE / CCIE / Oracle / JAVA / etc) - not sure what the current one (if any) actually is! Could look at www.jobstats.co.uk to get an idea, or simply go through the job ads like Spike suggested. Lots of talk in the industry of Linux actually starting to be taken seriously, and I know for several large bids we are working on we are having to consider it as an option at least, especially in the public sector.......might be of use a couple of years down the road?

Most of the large IT players (e.g. IBM / EDS + co) do have graduate programs which do not require an IT degree, however I know that these are generally very oversubscribed these days, and on the whole they can pick and choose candidates with relevant IT experience (not that you'd always know from some of the ones I've worked with!!)

Also completely agree that courses are a waste of money as well as time - I've done over 20 IT exams by now and have only been on 2 courses (and that was in the first couple of months of being in IT, before I knew better, as well as before all the Sybex, etc books!) - my preference these days is not actually do courses, since I can learn what I need to know to pass an exam in far less time on my own. Probably a decent start would be to try and get yourself a qualification or 2 in your chosen field (for example, if comms is your thing, then try to get at least the CCNA or CCNP completed) - I think the exams are only about a 100 quid a shot and should be possible from a book / web without any real experience. Obviously, qualifications without experience mean very little, however to be honest I think in the current market you'll struggle to get on an interview shortlist without something like that on your cv, since plenty of other candidates will have...

If it is any consolation, after running the company stupidly low on resource, my place is eventually getting round to employing more people, albeit through a painfully slow critical hire process!!

Good luck!

 

[se97mlm]

Sorry for the delay in replying, been away!

Thank you very much for your responses and the time taken to write them. I shall definately be doing some in-depth reseach now to see if this really is a wise move.

Eventually I wish to have my own business, it's just a matter of finding out doing what and how...