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    If not A+, then where should someone start?

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    • KellyK
      Kelly @IRJ
      last edited by

      @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

      @kelly said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

      @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

      @kelly said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

      @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

      @scottalanmiller said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

      The problem with any cert is that it takes time and money. Time and money that could be used to get experience, job hunt, get a different cert, etc. There is a cost of lost opportunity with any cert process. The A+ is quite expensive and lengthy to get, making it extra problematic for people who shouldn't need it. It is also entry level, so if it does affect you, it tends to affect you only right at the beginning of your career and less and less after that until, quite quickly, it drops to zero.

      This exactly!

      My buddy is a restaurant manager and works 60 hour weeks. He wants to get out of that field. His customer service skills are already decent. I am not sure he needs to know all the stuff in A+ that is specific to hardware, desktop booting, etc. I feel like Windows 10 training would help him troubleshot on the software side which is the majority of support jobs these days.

      If he is a restaurant manager he should see if he can meet people that would give him a start because they've seen his customer service and existing soft skills. Knowing someone is better than knowing things.

      I think part of the issue is that A+ is sort of a requirement... I have generally seen a few different scenarios where the filter is used quite often:

      SMBs IT people that dont have time to sift through resumes
      Recruiters that generally hire for enterprises.

      Those two actually cover the majority of job postings for entry level positions. Our company doesnt hire direct anymore unless you are a high paygrade (top 5%). Every other person is required to be a contractor for 3 months before receiving official offer. I know alot of other large companies and enterprises are doing this as well. Recruiters dont want to represent someone that they feel could endanger a corporate relationship. Plus they are in competition with other recruiters. So certs tend to become a big deal. You have no choice, but to go through a recruiter for many companies. Hence why people say it tends to be a requirement.

      The best place to get started in IT is in SMB imo. You get to experience a broad swath of the IT experience, and you have more opportunities for access to the business decision makers to understand that side of things. If he can meet a business owner and begin a professional relationship (or may already have one), then he can skip to the head of the line when they look for IT help. The job will probably not be amazing, and it may have all kinds of dysfunction. However, if he can get a few years of experience he will bypass the need for the A+.

      Maybe if he can get an internship or something. He knows customer service and the windows desktop side. I am afraid that he may be overwhelmed in SMB. I really think he would be a great helpdesk or perhaps low level desktop tech that can PXE boot to image machines and troubleshoot some OS issues.

      This is a strange picture you're painting. A guy capable enough to run a restaurant that would get overwhelmed by SMB IT. He is looking to change careers from running a restaurant and move to very basic IT tasks, and that is perhaps all he could ever do. Not sure if I'm misunderstanding something, but that is what I'm getting.

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
      • scottalanmillerS
        scottalanmiller @Kelly
        last edited by

        @kelly said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

        @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

        @scottalanmiller said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

        The problem with any cert is that it takes time and money. Time and money that could be used to get experience, job hunt, get a different cert, etc. There is a cost of lost opportunity with any cert process. The A+ is quite expensive and lengthy to get, making it extra problematic for people who shouldn't need it. It is also entry level, so if it does affect you, it tends to affect you only right at the beginning of your career and less and less after that until, quite quickly, it drops to zero.

        This exactly!

        My buddy is a restaurant manager and works 60 hour weeks. He wants to get out of that field. His customer service skills are already decent. I am not sure he needs to know all the stuff in A+ that is specific to hardware, desktop booting, etc. I feel like Windows 10 training would help him troubleshot on the software side which is the majority of support jobs these days.

        If he is a restaurant manager he should see if he can meet people that would give him a start because they've seen his customer service and existing soft skills. Knowing someone is better than knowing things.

        I did that as a hotel manager. Same thing. Knew the right people.

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • scottalanmillerS
          scottalanmiller @IRJ
          last edited by

          @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

          @kelly said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

          @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

          @kelly said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

          @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

          @scottalanmiller said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

          The problem with any cert is that it takes time and money. Time and money that could be used to get experience, job hunt, get a different cert, etc. There is a cost of lost opportunity with any cert process. The A+ is quite expensive and lengthy to get, making it extra problematic for people who shouldn't need it. It is also entry level, so if it does affect you, it tends to affect you only right at the beginning of your career and less and less after that until, quite quickly, it drops to zero.

          This exactly!

          My buddy is a restaurant manager and works 60 hour weeks. He wants to get out of that field. His customer service skills are already decent. I am not sure he needs to know all the stuff in A+ that is specific to hardware, desktop booting, etc. I feel like Windows 10 training would help him troubleshot on the software side which is the majority of support jobs these days.

          If he is a restaurant manager he should see if he can meet people that would give him a start because they've seen his customer service and existing soft skills. Knowing someone is better than knowing things.

          I think part of the issue is that A+ is sort of a requirement... I have generally seen a few different scenarios where the filter is used quite often:

          SMBs IT people that dont have time to sift through resumes
          Recruiters that generally hire for enterprises.

          Those two actually cover the majority of job postings for entry level positions. Our company doesnt hire direct anymore unless you are a high paygrade (top 5%). Every other person is required to be a contractor for 3 months before receiving official offer. I know alot of other large companies and enterprises are doing this as well. Recruiters dont want to represent someone that they feel could endanger a corporate relationship. Plus they are in competition with other recruiters. So certs tend to become a big deal. You have no choice, but to go through a recruiter for many companies. Hence why people say it tends to be a requirement.

          The best place to get started in IT is in SMB imo. You get to experience a broad swath of the IT experience, and you have more opportunities for access to the business decision makers to understand that side of things. If he can meet a business owner and begin a professional relationship (or may already have one), then he can skip to the head of the line when they look for IT help. The job will probably not be amazing, and it may have all kinds of dysfunction. However, if he can get a few years of experience he will bypass the need for the A+.

          Maybe if he can get an internship or something. He knows customer service and the windows desktop side. I am afraid that he may be overwhelmed in SMB. I really think he would be a great helpdesk or perhaps low level desktop tech that can PXE boot to image machines and troubleshoot some OS issues.

          Why does he want to move from a position like that down to one like this? It's a major career change, I get, and some people just dislike where they are. But it's a big step down.

          IRJI 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • IRJI
            IRJ @scottalanmiller
            last edited by

            @scottalanmiller said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

            @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

            @kelly said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

            @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

            @kelly said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

            @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

            @scottalanmiller said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

            The problem with any cert is that it takes time and money. Time and money that could be used to get experience, job hunt, get a different cert, etc. There is a cost of lost opportunity with any cert process. The A+ is quite expensive and lengthy to get, making it extra problematic for people who shouldn't need it. It is also entry level, so if it does affect you, it tends to affect you only right at the beginning of your career and less and less after that until, quite quickly, it drops to zero.

            This exactly!

            My buddy is a restaurant manager and works 60 hour weeks. He wants to get out of that field. His customer service skills are already decent. I am not sure he needs to know all the stuff in A+ that is specific to hardware, desktop booting, etc. I feel like Windows 10 training would help him troubleshot on the software side which is the majority of support jobs these days.

            If he is a restaurant manager he should see if he can meet people that would give him a start because they've seen his customer service and existing soft skills. Knowing someone is better than knowing things.

            I think part of the issue is that A+ is sort of a requirement... I have generally seen a few different scenarios where the filter is used quite often:

            SMBs IT people that dont have time to sift through resumes
            Recruiters that generally hire for enterprises.

            Those two actually cover the majority of job postings for entry level positions. Our company doesnt hire direct anymore unless you are a high paygrade (top 5%). Every other person is required to be a contractor for 3 months before receiving official offer. I know alot of other large companies and enterprises are doing this as well. Recruiters dont want to represent someone that they feel could endanger a corporate relationship. Plus they are in competition with other recruiters. So certs tend to become a big deal. You have no choice, but to go through a recruiter for many companies. Hence why people say it tends to be a requirement.

            The best place to get started in IT is in SMB imo. You get to experience a broad swath of the IT experience, and you have more opportunities for access to the business decision makers to understand that side of things. If he can meet a business owner and begin a professional relationship (or may already have one), then he can skip to the head of the line when they look for IT help. The job will probably not be amazing, and it may have all kinds of dysfunction. However, if he can get a few years of experience he will bypass the need for the A+.

            Maybe if he can get an internship or something. He knows customer service and the windows desktop side. I am afraid that he may be overwhelmed in SMB. I really think he would be a great helpdesk or perhaps low level desktop tech that can PXE boot to image machines and troubleshoot some OS issues.

            Why does he want to move from a position like that down to one like this? It's a major career change, I get, and some people just dislike where they are. But it's a big step down.

            You mean from restaurant manager which is salary like $40k and you work like a dog?

            ObsolesceO 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • ObsolesceO
              Obsolesce @IRJ
              last edited by Obsolesce

              @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

              @scottalanmiller said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

              @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

              @kelly said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

              @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

              @kelly said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

              @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

              @scottalanmiller said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

              The problem with any cert is that it takes time and money. Time and money that could be used to get experience, job hunt, get a different cert, etc. There is a cost of lost opportunity with any cert process. The A+ is quite expensive and lengthy to get, making it extra problematic for people who shouldn't need it. It is also entry level, so if it does affect you, it tends to affect you only right at the beginning of your career and less and less after that until, quite quickly, it drops to zero.

              This exactly!

              My buddy is a restaurant manager and works 60 hour weeks. He wants to get out of that field. His customer service skills are already decent. I am not sure he needs to know all the stuff in A+ that is specific to hardware, desktop booting, etc. I feel like Windows 10 training would help him troubleshot on the software side which is the majority of support jobs these days.

              If he is a restaurant manager he should see if he can meet people that would give him a start because they've seen his customer service and existing soft skills. Knowing someone is better than knowing things.

              I think part of the issue is that A+ is sort of a requirement... I have generally seen a few different scenarios where the filter is used quite often:

              SMBs IT people that dont have time to sift through resumes
              Recruiters that generally hire for enterprises.

              Those two actually cover the majority of job postings for entry level positions. Our company doesnt hire direct anymore unless you are a high paygrade (top 5%). Every other person is required to be a contractor for 3 months before receiving official offer. I know alot of other large companies and enterprises are doing this as well. Recruiters dont want to represent someone that they feel could endanger a corporate relationship. Plus they are in competition with other recruiters. So certs tend to become a big deal. You have no choice, but to go through a recruiter for many companies. Hence why people say it tends to be a requirement.

              The best place to get started in IT is in SMB imo. You get to experience a broad swath of the IT experience, and you have more opportunities for access to the business decision makers to understand that side of things. If he can meet a business owner and begin a professional relationship (or may already have one), then he can skip to the head of the line when they look for IT help. The job will probably not be amazing, and it may have all kinds of dysfunction. However, if he can get a few years of experience he will bypass the need for the A+.

              Maybe if he can get an internship or something. He knows customer service and the windows desktop side. I am afraid that he may be overwhelmed in SMB. I really think he would be a great helpdesk or perhaps low level desktop tech that can PXE boot to image machines and troubleshoot some OS issues.

              Why does he want to move from a position like that down to one like this? It's a major career change, I get, and some people just dislike where they are. But it's a big step down.

              You mean from restaurant manager which is salary like $40k and you work like a dog?

              Entry level help desk and bench tech is usually lower than that.

              If he's in management already, it may be more wise to stay in management, but move on from restaurant management... rather than starting over in entry level help desk or bench tech work.

              IRJI 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • IRJI
                IRJ @Obsolesce
                last edited by

                @tim_g said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                @scottalanmiller said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                @kelly said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                @kelly said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                @scottalanmiller said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                The problem with any cert is that it takes time and money. Time and money that could be used to get experience, job hunt, get a different cert, etc. There is a cost of lost opportunity with any cert process. The A+ is quite expensive and lengthy to get, making it extra problematic for people who shouldn't need it. It is also entry level, so if it does affect you, it tends to affect you only right at the beginning of your career and less and less after that until, quite quickly, it drops to zero.

                This exactly!

                My buddy is a restaurant manager and works 60 hour weeks. He wants to get out of that field. His customer service skills are already decent. I am not sure he needs to know all the stuff in A+ that is specific to hardware, desktop booting, etc. I feel like Windows 10 training would help him troubleshot on the software side which is the majority of support jobs these days.

                If he is a restaurant manager he should see if he can meet people that would give him a start because they've seen his customer service and existing soft skills. Knowing someone is better than knowing things.

                I think part of the issue is that A+ is sort of a requirement... I have generally seen a few different scenarios where the filter is used quite often:

                SMBs IT people that dont have time to sift through resumes
                Recruiters that generally hire for enterprises.

                Those two actually cover the majority of job postings for entry level positions. Our company doesnt hire direct anymore unless you are a high paygrade (top 5%). Every other person is required to be a contractor for 3 months before receiving official offer. I know alot of other large companies and enterprises are doing this as well. Recruiters dont want to represent someone that they feel could endanger a corporate relationship. Plus they are in competition with other recruiters. So certs tend to become a big deal. You have no choice, but to go through a recruiter for many companies. Hence why people say it tends to be a requirement.

                The best place to get started in IT is in SMB imo. You get to experience a broad swath of the IT experience, and you have more opportunities for access to the business decision makers to understand that side of things. If he can meet a business owner and begin a professional relationship (or may already have one), then he can skip to the head of the line when they look for IT help. The job will probably not be amazing, and it may have all kinds of dysfunction. However, if he can get a few years of experience he will bypass the need for the A+.

                Maybe if he can get an internship or something. He knows customer service and the windows desktop side. I am afraid that he may be overwhelmed in SMB. I really think he would be a great helpdesk or perhaps low level desktop tech that can PXE boot to image machines and troubleshoot some OS issues.

                Why does he want to move from a position like that down to one like this? It's a major career change, I get, and some people just dislike where they are. But it's a big step down.

                You mean from restaurant manager which is salary like $40k and you work like a dog?

                Entry level help desk and bench tech is usually lower than that.

                If he's in management already, it may be more wise to stay in management, but move on from restaurant management... rather than starting over in entry level help desk or bench tech work.

                $40k may be around starting pay, but that is just the bottom for help desk. Plus he could always move out of helpdesk in 1-2 years as he learns more. Also 40 hours a week vs 60-80 hours is huge. Entry level positions are rarely on call if ever.

                ObsolesceO 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • IRJI
                  IRJ
                  last edited by

                  Also Restaurant Manager = Everything falls on your shoulders

                  Entry level tech = Bare minimum expected

                  That can be really huge when you are missing out on time with the family and can be available 50% more.

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                  • ObsolesceO
                    Obsolesce @IRJ
                    last edited by

                    @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                    @tim_g said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                    @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                    @scottalanmiller said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                    @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                    @kelly said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                    @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                    @kelly said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                    @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                    @scottalanmiller said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                    The problem with any cert is that it takes time and money. Time and money that could be used to get experience, job hunt, get a different cert, etc. There is a cost of lost opportunity with any cert process. The A+ is quite expensive and lengthy to get, making it extra problematic for people who shouldn't need it. It is also entry level, so if it does affect you, it tends to affect you only right at the beginning of your career and less and less after that until, quite quickly, it drops to zero.

                    This exactly!

                    My buddy is a restaurant manager and works 60 hour weeks. He wants to get out of that field. His customer service skills are already decent. I am not sure he needs to know all the stuff in A+ that is specific to hardware, desktop booting, etc. I feel like Windows 10 training would help him troubleshot on the software side which is the majority of support jobs these days.

                    If he is a restaurant manager he should see if he can meet people that would give him a start because they've seen his customer service and existing soft skills. Knowing someone is better than knowing things.

                    I think part of the issue is that A+ is sort of a requirement... I have generally seen a few different scenarios where the filter is used quite often:

                    SMBs IT people that dont have time to sift through resumes
                    Recruiters that generally hire for enterprises.

                    Those two actually cover the majority of job postings for entry level positions. Our company doesnt hire direct anymore unless you are a high paygrade (top 5%). Every other person is required to be a contractor for 3 months before receiving official offer. I know alot of other large companies and enterprises are doing this as well. Recruiters dont want to represent someone that they feel could endanger a corporate relationship. Plus they are in competition with other recruiters. So certs tend to become a big deal. You have no choice, but to go through a recruiter for many companies. Hence why people say it tends to be a requirement.

                    The best place to get started in IT is in SMB imo. You get to experience a broad swath of the IT experience, and you have more opportunities for access to the business decision makers to understand that side of things. If he can meet a business owner and begin a professional relationship (or may already have one), then he can skip to the head of the line when they look for IT help. The job will probably not be amazing, and it may have all kinds of dysfunction. However, if he can get a few years of experience he will bypass the need for the A+.

                    Maybe if he can get an internship or something. He knows customer service and the windows desktop side. I am afraid that he may be overwhelmed in SMB. I really think he would be a great helpdesk or perhaps low level desktop tech that can PXE boot to image machines and troubleshoot some OS issues.

                    Why does he want to move from a position like that down to one like this? It's a major career change, I get, and some people just dislike where they are. But it's a big step down.

                    You mean from restaurant manager which is salary like $40k and you work like a dog?

                    Entry level help desk and bench tech is usually lower than that.

                    If he's in management already, it may be more wise to stay in management, but move on from restaurant management... rather than starting over in entry level help desk or bench tech work.

                    $40k may be around starting pay, but that is just the bottom for help desk. Plus he could always move out of helpdesk in 1-2 years as he learns more. Also 40 hours a week vs 60-80 hours is huge. Entry level positions are rarely on call if ever.

                    True.

                    But going from $40k restaurant manager (also the lowest starting point of management) to management somewhere else (not a restaurant), goes higher than help desk, and a lot faster. Maybe he can find a management position somewhere else for $60k?

                    scottalanmillerS 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • scottalanmillerS
                      scottalanmiller @Obsolesce
                      last edited by

                      @tim_g said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                      @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                      @tim_g said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                      @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                      @scottalanmiller said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                      @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                      @kelly said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                      @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                      @kelly said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                      @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                      @scottalanmiller said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                      The problem with any cert is that it takes time and money. Time and money that could be used to get experience, job hunt, get a different cert, etc. There is a cost of lost opportunity with any cert process. The A+ is quite expensive and lengthy to get, making it extra problematic for people who shouldn't need it. It is also entry level, so if it does affect you, it tends to affect you only right at the beginning of your career and less and less after that until, quite quickly, it drops to zero.

                      This exactly!

                      My buddy is a restaurant manager and works 60 hour weeks. He wants to get out of that field. His customer service skills are already decent. I am not sure he needs to know all the stuff in A+ that is specific to hardware, desktop booting, etc. I feel like Windows 10 training would help him troubleshot on the software side which is the majority of support jobs these days.

                      If he is a restaurant manager he should see if he can meet people that would give him a start because they've seen his customer service and existing soft skills. Knowing someone is better than knowing things.

                      I think part of the issue is that A+ is sort of a requirement... I have generally seen a few different scenarios where the filter is used quite often:

                      SMBs IT people that dont have time to sift through resumes
                      Recruiters that generally hire for enterprises.

                      Those two actually cover the majority of job postings for entry level positions. Our company doesnt hire direct anymore unless you are a high paygrade (top 5%). Every other person is required to be a contractor for 3 months before receiving official offer. I know alot of other large companies and enterprises are doing this as well. Recruiters dont want to represent someone that they feel could endanger a corporate relationship. Plus they are in competition with other recruiters. So certs tend to become a big deal. You have no choice, but to go through a recruiter for many companies. Hence why people say it tends to be a requirement.

                      The best place to get started in IT is in SMB imo. You get to experience a broad swath of the IT experience, and you have more opportunities for access to the business decision makers to understand that side of things. If he can meet a business owner and begin a professional relationship (or may already have one), then he can skip to the head of the line when they look for IT help. The job will probably not be amazing, and it may have all kinds of dysfunction. However, if he can get a few years of experience he will bypass the need for the A+.

                      Maybe if he can get an internship or something. He knows customer service and the windows desktop side. I am afraid that he may be overwhelmed in SMB. I really think he would be a great helpdesk or perhaps low level desktop tech that can PXE boot to image machines and troubleshoot some OS issues.

                      Why does he want to move from a position like that down to one like this? It's a major career change, I get, and some people just dislike where they are. But it's a big step down.

                      You mean from restaurant manager which is salary like $40k and you work like a dog?

                      Entry level help desk and bench tech is usually lower than that.

                      If he's in management already, it may be more wise to stay in management, but move on from restaurant management... rather than starting over in entry level help desk or bench tech work.

                      $40k may be around starting pay, but that is just the bottom for help desk. Plus he could always move out of helpdesk in 1-2 years as he learns more. Also 40 hours a week vs 60-80 hours is huge. Entry level positions are rarely on call if ever.

                      True.

                      But going from $40k restaurant manager (also the lowest starting point of management) to management somewhere else (not a restaurant), goes higher than help desk, and a lot faster. Maybe he can find a management position somewhere else for $60k?

                      Taco Bell started at $55K like 15 years ago. Seems like that could pay well quickly.

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • F
                        flaxking
                        last edited by

                        A+ helped me get a $12/hour job 7 years ago. $40K entry helpdesk jobs are out there, but I've mostly just heard about them in unionized jobs, and someone applying internally can cross departments and will automatically get the job instead of you because of seniority.

                        IRJI 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • IRJI
                          IRJ @flaxking
                          last edited by

                          @flaxking said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                          A+ helped me get a $12/hour job 7 years ago. $40K entry helpdesk jobs are out there, but I've mostly just heard about them in unionized jobs, and someone applying internally can cross departments and will automatically get the job instead of you because of seniority.

                          Most of the stuff in my area starts around $20/hr which is over $38k. I live in an area where cost of living and salary is lower than national average.

                          scottalanmillerS 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • scottalanmillerS
                            scottalanmiller @IRJ
                            last edited by

                            @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                            @flaxking said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                            A+ helped me get a $12/hour job 7 years ago. $40K entry helpdesk jobs are out there, but I've mostly just heard about them in unionized jobs, and someone applying internally can cross departments and will automatically get the job instead of you because of seniority.

                            Most of the stuff in my area starts around $20/hr which is over $38k. I live in an area where cost of living and salary is lower than national average.

                            $20/hr is way over that, even just at 40hr weeks. Do 50+ hours and you are making some serious money. $57,200

                            JaredBuschJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • JaredBuschJ
                              JaredBusch @scottalanmiller
                              last edited by

                              @scottalanmiller said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                              @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                              @flaxking said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                              A+ helped me get a $12/hour job 7 years ago. $40K entry helpdesk jobs are out there, but I've mostly just heard about them in unionized jobs, and someone applying internally can cross departments and will automatically get the job instead of you because of seniority.

                              Most of the stuff in my area starts around $20/hr which is over $38k. I live in an area where cost of living and salary is lower than national average.

                              $20/hr is way over that, even just at 40hr weeks. Do 50+ hours and you are making some serious money. $57,200

                              The official number used by most government agencies is 2087 work hours in a year.

                              So math is your friend.

                              • 2087 * $20 = $41,740
                              • 2087 * $25 = $52,175
                              scottalanmillerS 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • JaredBuschJ
                                JaredBusch
                                last edited by

                                Most people paid hourly don't make $100,000 but for reference.

                                • $100,000 / 2087 = $47.915668424
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                                • scottalanmillerS
                                  scottalanmiller @JaredBusch
                                  last edited by

                                  @jaredbusch said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                                  @scottalanmiller said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                                  @irj said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                                  @flaxking said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                                  A+ helped me get a $12/hour job 7 years ago. $40K entry helpdesk jobs are out there, but I've mostly just heard about them in unionized jobs, and someone applying internally can cross departments and will automatically get the job instead of you because of seniority.

                                  Most of the stuff in my area starts around $20/hr which is over $38k. I live in an area where cost of living and salary is lower than national average.

                                  $20/hr is way over that, even just at 40hr weeks. Do 50+ hours and you are making some serious money. $57,200

                                  The official number used by most government agencies is 2087 work hours in a year.

                                  So math is your friend.

                                  • 2087 * $20 = $41,740
                                  • 2087 * $25 = $52,175

                                  Right. I did it on 50 hours plus overtime rate for ten hours, so 55 * 52 * 20

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                                  • IRJI
                                    IRJ
                                    last edited by

                                    Does the answer to this question change in 2020?

                                    Where would you recommend an entry level person start in IT?

                                    DashrenderD 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • scottalanmillerS
                                      scottalanmiller @IRJ
                                      last edited by

                                      @IRJ said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                                      My friend wants to work computer support job. I dont ever see him being the type of guy to work on networking or servers.

                                      How has his career progressed in the last two years? What did he do, and how did it turn out?

                                      IRJI 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • IRJI
                                        IRJ @scottalanmiller
                                        last edited by

                                        @scottalanmiller said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                                        @IRJ said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                                        My friend wants to work computer support job. I dont ever see him being the type of guy to work on networking or servers.

                                        How has his career progressed in the last two years? What did he do, and how did it turn out?

                                        He never made the move to IT. I thought about this and was going to post about it and saw this old thread.

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                                        • DashrenderD
                                          Dashrender @IRJ
                                          last edited by

                                          @IRJ said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                                          Does the answer to this question change in 2020?

                                          Where would you recommend an entry level person start in IT?

                                          That's an entirely different question from the OP.

                                          DashrenderD IRJI 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • DashrenderD
                                            Dashrender @Dashrender
                                            last edited by

                                            @Dashrender said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                                            @IRJ said in If not A+, then where should someone start?:

                                            Does the answer to this question change in 2020?

                                            Where would you recommend an entry level person start in IT?

                                            That's an entirely different question from the OP.

                                            I got the impression from the original thread that the person in question only wanted bench level support, not actual IT.

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