How did you get started in IT?
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@Nara said:
I pretty much fell into it. In high school, I was determined to become a Geneticist.
Genetics is very interesting stuff!
I came from a biology background - I studied Marine science, conservation, and ecology in college. -
@scottalanmiller is the Borg, so I assimilated. Once upon a time I was a forensic chemist.
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@Dominica said:
@scottalanmiller is the Borg, so I assimilated. Once upon a time I was a forensic chemist.
I am excited to hear How did you get started in IT.
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I have an older cousin by about 8 years. He was into linux and building computers and such. I use to always go over to his house when I was 4-5 years old and be mesmerized at what I saw. I started tinkering myself with a computer my parents had. Took at the components out and replaced them. Started to install windows and and configure it. Been hooked ever since.
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It all started while I was working as an automotive technician. My wife and I bought a used Packard Bell (http://www.qvc.com/Packard-Bell-Multimedia-C110-120MHz-Pentium.product.E45731.html). We "upgraded" it to 32MB RAM, 8GB HD and 56k US Robitics modem. I tossed out the PB Windows media disk with BLOAT ware (only 250MB was left) for a bootleg W95b disk. Built my next PC with Cyrix processor and W98.
Became friends with an IT tech who used to call me Captain Clicky. He would hand out OSes and programs like they were candy. I was running W2k instead of W98 or WME and had Office with Viso! By the time I started my first IT job, I was already using XP which was the "new kid" on the block. That IT job was actually supposed to be a sales and pick up pc's for the tech. Slowly I became the tech who was in sales and also started selling website design for the company. That is how my wife started doing web design for a living. Been doing it ever since.
First there was Google, then there was Expert Exchange (till they wanted money), LinkedIn groups, SW and now ML!!
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Started working at the age of 19. I wanted to get a job very soon, and upon checking found that if you do a basic hardware and networking course, you might get a job soon! Finished that and joined my first job as hardware engineer- to install and setup home computers, installing Windows XP and ME (Yeah, some wanted to use that!) Was there for about 8 months and then moved to a different city in India, working as junior system admin. Mostly worked as a one man IT so it had its own perks and pitfalls!
Mostly relied on google search, got later into server administration, then into MAC and Linux administration as well. Still lot to learn but I like what I chose as my career path.
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I was first introduced to electronics - my father being a manager for a huge oscilloscope manufacturer he showed me how "Everything was put together".
As for IT, I didn't get into the Criminal Justice program, so I opted for the next best thing - Networking & Programming. Seeing the change in majors, my parents surprised me on my 13th birthday...I was given a computer...in parts! From then on my family never bought an OEM computer again. I got a job when I was 16 as a cable technician, my boss would come pick me up from school and I would then run cable like there was no tomorrow. Whilst running cables I made a lot of contacts for IT work (Since my boss was a "Phones only" guy). Worked as a sub-contractor for two government entities and my cable tech job until I graduated HS, became full time on one of the government positions, and picked up a second job refurbishing computers (About 200 a day!). Second job moved to a far location & now I'm still at my government position working for 3 different municipality buildings and running my own IT business.
And the search for growth continues!
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Criminal justice was a program that you had to pick at age thirteen?
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@scottalanmiller said:
Criminal justice was a program that you had to pick at age thirteen?
Wow, I had no idea what I wanted to do thirteen.
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@scottalanmiller said:
Criminal justice was a program that you had to pick at age thirteen?
Well I didn't have to pick it, that's just the major that I had applied for (Vocational school) if you don't qualify for one program they ask that you list a secondary program. If both were full (And/or preceding applicants have better grades) you didn't get into the school. Needless to say it Networking/Program was a pilot program for them, so my Freshman year included 1 semester of each: Electronics Repair, Networking Basics, Programming Basics, and Digital Media. Apparently now it's MUCH harder to get in to the same school since there is such a high demand for a "Pre-Engineering" styled vocational high school.
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@lance said:
@scottalanmiller said:
Criminal justice was a program that you had to pick at age thirteen?
Wow, I had no idea what I wanted to do thirteen.
Me either, the criminal justice program seemed interesting so that was my first choice...funny thing is now I'm in IT...and running a PD's network.
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I signed up for the wrong class. The program was called "Wireless Technology" I thought it had to do with cell phone towers not 802.11a and b..... and here I am
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I played a ton of PC Games since I was a kid and I learned to install and troubleshoot things such as mods for half-life and build website for clans. Then I went to college for "Computers" because if I didn't like what I learned at least it would be valuable and relate for years to come.
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@IRJ said:
I signed up for the wrong class. The program was called "Wireless Technology" I thought it had to do with cell phone towers not 802.11a and b..... and here I am
Lol. What career were you envisioning?
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@scottalanmiller said:
@IRJ said:
I signed up for the wrong class. The program was called "Wireless Technology" I thought it had to do with cell phone towers not 802.11a and b..... and here I am
Lol. What career were you envisioning?
I was in highschool and had an opportunity to pick a vocational course. I was heavily leaning towards the automotive industry before getting in to IT. The only reason I didnt take the automotive course was the fact that I could not get certified until I was 18.
I am glad I went towards IT, though.
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Much better career options here.
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@scottalanmiller said:
Much better career options here.
Very true. Mechanics have great troubleshooting skills. To this day, I credit alot my troubleshooting abilities to all those days of a turning a wrench. Its very costly to diagnose the wrong part on most vehicles.
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Good crossover there. Too many IT people lack those same skills.
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I got curious on my father's work on a telco (fixing things and stuff..) and he exposed me on how a telephone line works on a city and many more. He also exposed me in fixing some electronic stuffs and makes me read popular mechanics.
I decided that i need to be in a field where i can fix a lot of stuffs and that's where computers came in my mind.
When i got in college i took the I.T. Career path.
Out of topic: my first choice is to be in the airforce just because of the game "Ace Combat" but i know i will not be accepted for 2 reasons:
- I'm not a tall guy
- there's no fighter planes to fly here in the Philippines.
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I'll give you guys the long story.
When I was a kid I had a bunch of surgeries to "correct" a medical problem that will... never go away. And when I was young I was huge into soccer. So I was a jock, I did sports, I loved soccer, but then I would have surgery and be taken out of the sport for a year with almost no physical activities I could do leaving me stuck inside either playing nintendo or PC. Which generally meant I was sitting in front of a computer for a year or two as a kid and a teen because I couldn't do what I wanted too.
After quitting a job for surgery, I needed to find a new job afterwards, I was 16 and needed to do something. I ended up landing a job as a Lab Technician at Ritz Camera, because the manager said I wasn't mature enough to sell (oh god if you can only imagine what I saw when I was 16 on a roll of film.... I think I wasn't mature enough for developing film :-P). Not really "IT" per say, but I fixed our giant printer, messed with the circuitry, installed new parts, took out parts, helped people from district fix our registers when they'd call in. Surprisingly all of our registers were command line even up into the companies final days. I found all of this kind of fun.
Ritz began to flounder as many of you know, having financial struggle after financial struggle and I came to the realization I like computers, I find them interesting and this company isn't going to give me a future, I need a way out. Due to lack of training I made a leap to Best Buy. Wanted to do Geek Squad, ended up doing sales despite my attempts to not do sales. But this did afford me one real new challenge that Geek Squad didn't. I had to know my product.... believe it or not I said "I need to know what I'm talking about, I don't want to lie to people" (I did once, and oh lord that guy tore me a new one). Best Buy offered training classes on a website you could do during work hours assuming you were slow, or up to two hours a week at home they'd pay for stuff.... that two hours of home time I went past... I went past far... and didn't care. Windows 7 was brand new, had tons of cool features, i series processors were coming out doing hyper threading and crazy new tricks, IT WAS FUN!!! So in a sea of salesmen saying "what the RAM does is it rams into the CPU to speed it up" and you had me.... a guy who to management took an initiative to learn new things. I legitimately did, it wasn't to excel as a Best Buy employee, it was because it was cool... and I'm apparently a great salesmen so... I shot up the ranks quickly, senior in the computer sales department in roughly a year or two. But I didn't feel complete...
A girl came to work there part time because she was a full time government employee, and just wanted the discount. After working for Best Buy for a couple months, they kept telling her she had to work more hours, or work during hours she wasn't available, and made it an effort to quit. But... she wasn't going alone... She knew I was the most tech savvy person in the whole store (tootin' my own horn, a thank you, a thank you) and asked me if I was interested in getting a job working for her mom. I was confused, I mean... I know I didn't want to be in retail my whole life, but could I put down my salesmen skills and focus only one what I wanted? Was I ready?
You never fail if you never try right? So here I am, two years in.
