Re: [BLUG] considering a job in computers

Don't be too worried, "entry-level" is just that. I'd go for a tech support
position somewhere, personally.

For instance, in my first job at the IU UITS (then UCS) support center, I had
only two qualifications:
- amateur geek
- pizza delivery (and other restaurants) experience (read: customer service)

Their thought was "we can train you on the technical matters much more quickly
than we can train you to give good customer service".

Sure, I had an aptitude, I'd been using computers for many years (since the
eighties), and I just look like a big nerd, but I think what they really wanted
was somebody who would smile and nod at people.

If you have customer service experience (restaurant, retail, etc), play that up
on your resume. If you have teaching experience, some organizations will find
that far more appealing.

Don't be afraid to say (in your interview) "I just really dig working on
computers". The HR droid might think that sounds dumb, but an IT person
interviewing you might see that the two of you have some things in common.

Don't be afraid of what you don't know. Nobody expects the entry-level support
guy to know how to expertly manage a clustered database server; they want you to
reset people's passwords, reinstall their OS, replace a dead video card, stuff
like that. Probably, all stuff you do at your own house.

After you show that you can do that (read: get an entry-level job on your resume)
then you'll be taken as an "IT person" and your next job will be easier to come
by (and pay better).

On Tue Apr 8 10:18 , Ben Shewmaker <benshewmaker@yahoo.com> sent:

>Thanks to everyone for your information to my question, it was really helpful!
>
>It seems from most of the replies, that I might try to find some sort of entry
level job to gain some experience, knowledge, and exposure to the field. So now
I am curious how I would go about finding these types of positions. I have no
experience working with computers, so what sorts of jobs would I be considered
for and where can I go to find them?
>
>Thanks again,
>
>Ben
>

_______________________________________________
BLUG mailing list
BLUG@linuxfan.com
http://mailman.cs.indiana.edu/mailman/listinfo/blug