Re: [BLUG] considering a job in computers

Enthusiasm and attitude count for a lot.

I once worked with a dentist. He had moved to the state (California) and
missed the licensing test that year. He needed a job, and we needed a
hardware monkey for our QA lab. He'd periodically whip out one of the
mouth mirrors when he needed to check a chipset or something. He was
enthusiastic about the work, and wanted to learn. He liked it enough
that he stayed on after he was licensed in the state.

With regards to where to find jobs, the jobs at IU UITS are located at:

http://www.indiana.edu/~uitshr/uitshrjobs.html

Check out the "Hourly Opportunities".

Cheers,
Steven Black

On Tue, Apr 08, 2008 at 11:31:09AM -0400, dcooley@kiva.net wrote:
> 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
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Re: [BLUG] considering a job in computers

I can tell you that D. Cooley is right on the money with what he said.
In Feb, I interviewed - and narrowly missed - getting an IT job at IU.
When the guy called back to let me know they hired someone else, I
suspected that they hired someone with an A+ Certification and/or more
experience. His response was that those sorts of things aren't as
important - he said "I can teach you the skill set". He was impressed
with my willingness to solicit input from the people I serve. He said
he'd call me if another job came open.

Plug alert: I'm still looking for computer and/or teaching jobs (I have
a high school teaching license) in Bloomington. If you have any hot
tips - email me.

I'll be missing this month's BLUG meeting at Yogi's, but am going to try
like heck to make the next one. I've never been to one and they sound
pretty awesome.
Matt
_______________________________________________
BLUG mailing list
BLUG@linuxfan.com
http://mailman.cs.indiana.edu/mailman/listinfo/blug

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

Re: [BLUG] considering a job in computers

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

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