IT Professionals Please Help

Definitely. I'm not going to get into detailed salary crap, but I'm in a small town in Virginia and make well over 40+ at 25 just doing normal desktop support.

Just in my opinion, desktop support (especially if you get in with a higher ed type place) lets you walk around a lot during the day and you get SCADS of free time (hence the reason I have all the posts I do).

how do you get into desktop support?

1. You have to have passion for computers and software. If you just want to make a buck this is not the field for you.
2. You have to dedicate countless of hours outside of work or school to keep your mind in shape and evolve your knowledge (this is where passion helps).
3. You're going to start at entry level (tech support, support engineer, basically the guy people come to when they have issues they need resolved) and then move up.
4. If you want to get into the software development side a 4 year degree in a related field is a must if you don't have experiance.
5. Linux/UNIX administrators are in demand right now but times change very quickly. What I'm saying is you have to be versatile.
6. Get an internship of some sort while going to school. I would say this is an absolute must if you want to give yourself an edge.

This is how I did it when I got out of the Navy 3 1/2 years ago:

(I already had some BASIC knowledge from being the guy in my family that always had to "fix" the computer)

LEVEL I tech support full time for an ISP, ITT Tech full time simultaneously for 2 years(not the best school but super flexible and most of the instructors were still active in the field). The level I tech support you'll learn basically everything you need for that job(basic fixes) within 2 - 3 months. It'll also help you grasp some more advanced concepts later.

Desktop Support/Network Technician for 1 year at a smaller company where I was able to do basically whatever I wanted.

Currently I'm in a position where my title is Network Admin but it's more like Admin's assistant. I work for an international company (M&M Mars) and I absolutely love my job. I learn every day, I get to play with all of the coolest toys and have a career I am more than happy to devote "off hours" to.

Like Saden said, be flexible. I am trying to get more open source experience as we are currently using Netware and will be heading that way within a few (2?) years. But the whole world speaks M$ so you really can't go wrong there, plus it's easy to break in.

Overall, just make sure it's what you really want and not just something to do for money...

Just about everything IT related is expensive when it comes to formal education. Usually in the 20K + range for a full complement of classes.

If you're going the Microsoft certification route, you can save yourself a ton of money by just buying the books and studying your ass off. I have an uncle that did it with no prior IT knowledge, so it is possible, but you have to be willing to put in a LOT of study time. And you can also take practice tests so that you don't go into the official test, not knowing what to expect.

Yeah, you're definitely going to have to put a ton of time in if you don't want to take the class. Also, I would recommend starting with an "easier" certification if you're unfamiliar with the IT field. I recommend A+. It doesn't mean much to have, but it can get you an entry level job as an IT guy while you work toward learning more and getting more experience and certifications. I would say that A+ is a good way to go early. It will definitely help you get a desktop support type job.

Yeah, you're definitely going to have to put a ton of time in if you don't want to take the class. Also, I would recommend starting with an "easier" certification if you're unfamiliar with the IT field. I recommend A+. It doesn't mean much to have, but it can get you an entry level job as an IT guy while you work toward learning more and getting more experience and certifications. I would say that A+ is a good way to go early. It will definitely help you get a desktop support type job.

Most definitely. If you know just a basic amount about computers, a little studying will make this certification almost automatic.

This is how I did it when I got out of the Navy 3 1/2 years ago:

(I already had some BASIC knowledge from being the guy in my family that always had to "fix" the computer)

LEVEL I tech support full time for an ISP, ITT Tech full time simultaneously for 2 years(not the best school but super flexible and most of the instructors were still active in the field). The level I tech support you'll learn basically everything you need for that job(basic fixes) within 2 - 3 months. It'll also help you grasp some more advanced concepts later.

Desktop Support/Network Technician for 1 year at a smaller company where I was able to do basically whatever I wanted.

Currently I'm in a position where my title is Network Admin but it's more like Admin's assistant. I work for an international company (M&M Mars) and I absolutely love my job. I learn every day, I get to play with all of the coolest toys and have a career I am more than happy to devote "off hours" to.

Like Saden said, be flexible. I am trying to get more open source experience as we are currently using Netware and will be heading that way within a few (2?) years. But the whole world speaks M$ so you really can't go wrong there, plus it's easy to break in.

Overall, just make sure it's what you really want and not just something to do for money...

You're not going to go with AD?

You're not going to go with AD?

Apparently not. Obviously that would be far too easy. The next version of "Netware" is based on Suse so that's going to be the eventual progression. I'm relatively new to netware and, while I am learning it, I also hate it.

Oh man, we're in the process of moving over to AD. Netware was the biggest pain in the ass EVER.