4 answers
Collin
Student
Bremerton, Washington
1
Question
Asked
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What are some things I should know about working in the I.T. industry?
I'm currently looking into a career in Information Technology, more specifically being a Computer Repair Technician. What does working in I.T. look like on a day-to-day basis? Are there any opportunities in the I.T. industry for someone that prefers to work alone? And what are some important values that your company looks for in a person they are hiring?
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4 answers
Gina Chiodo
Technical Content Analyst
5
Answers
San Marcos, Texas
Updated
Gina’s Answer
One thing that's wonderful about the IT industry is that it's possible to make a good career out of it without having to get any sort of college degree. An associate's degree from a community college may help you obtain desired certs and general overview of what's out there, but taking a single class for the A+ cert or just studying for it on your own can still land you a helpdesk position pretty easily. If you don't think college is a good fit or may be too expensive, I honestly wouldn't recommend it unless you want to jump in straight to something like sys admin work. You can make a pretty good salary based just on certifications, and if you decide to take on classes later, the place you work may very well pay for continuing education.
The day-to-day will again vary based on where you work. Technical support will be entirely phone-, chat-, email-, or social media-based and possibly remote/work-from-home. You'll be speaking/with chatting customers throughout the entire day; however, you won't have to actually be with these people in person. If you're in an office, you'll likely receive tickets through the company's ticketing system and either visit the ticket submitter in person or have them visit you. Ultimately though, whether you interact with anyone as a computer repair technician will depend on where you work, how they handle tickets, and how they divvy up work. It would be hard to work entirely alone; however, basic helpdesk or technical support is a fantastic starting place in IT and will help familiarize you with computers and setups used by businesses, which is necessary to have before obtaining more lucrative positions.
If I were you, I would take a look at the different certs offered by CompTIA and what jobs those can get you. Once you've figured out what kind of job you want, you can job search and see what requirements different companies expect for that role and plan accordingly. Some may require a degree (most likely associate's if any), some just a cert and/or relevant experience. You can also go to reddit.com/r/ITCareerQuestions and ask more specific questions.
The day-to-day will again vary based on where you work. Technical support will be entirely phone-, chat-, email-, or social media-based and possibly remote/work-from-home. You'll be speaking/with chatting customers throughout the entire day; however, you won't have to actually be with these people in person. If you're in an office, you'll likely receive tickets through the company's ticketing system and either visit the ticket submitter in person or have them visit you. Ultimately though, whether you interact with anyone as a computer repair technician will depend on where you work, how they handle tickets, and how they divvy up work. It would be hard to work entirely alone; however, basic helpdesk or technical support is a fantastic starting place in IT and will help familiarize you with computers and setups used by businesses, which is necessary to have before obtaining more lucrative positions.
If I were you, I would take a look at the different certs offered by CompTIA and what jobs those can get you. Once you've figured out what kind of job you want, you can job search and see what requirements different companies expect for that role and plan accordingly. Some may require a degree (most likely associate's if any), some just a cert and/or relevant experience. You can also go to reddit.com/r/ITCareerQuestions and ask more specific questions.
Rebecca Tang
Banking
1860
Answers
Hong Kong
Updated
Rebecca’s Answer
I am glad to hear that you are interested to working in Technology. I think you are interested to be a computer repair technician. In fact, there are different types of computers, e.g. notebooks, desktops, tablets, mainframe, servers, storage servers, etc. Each of these may require different skills and knowledge.
If you are really interested to work on computer hardware, I would suggest you could take a computer engineering as your major in the college. It would give you the understanding on the fundamental on computers and exposure to different types of computer. You can then decide which types of technical support aspect you would like to pursue.
In fact, working in the technical industry, you may not require to have ample amount of people interaction. But, it is still have to interacting with people, e.g. you may interact with your supervisor, colleagues, clients, etc. If you really find you have challenges on communication, would you consider to take some communication course or seek advice from your school counselor who may give you some guidance.
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
If you are really interested to work on computer hardware, I would suggest you could take a computer engineering as your major in the college. It would give you the understanding on the fundamental on computers and exposure to different types of computer. You can then decide which types of technical support aspect you would like to pursue.
In fact, working in the technical industry, you may not require to have ample amount of people interaction. But, it is still have to interacting with people, e.g. you may interact with your supervisor, colleagues, clients, etc. If you really find you have challenges on communication, would you consider to take some communication course or seek advice from your school counselor who may give you some guidance.
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
Akiva Marks
Software Architect
3
Answers
Jerusalem, Jerusalem District, Israel
Updated
Akiva’s Answer
A computer repair technician may have a range of roles. You've got people who are sitting down taking apart equipment and replacing parts (example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyII5aXpR8o ), people who enter data centers and install or service equipment, and guys sitting behind the counter at a store taking in equipment for repairs and diagnosing problems.
For the most part the role involves sitting at a desk full of electronics and testing equipment, replacing parts. And therefore the human interaction is, in most circumstances, minimized. (Maybe the Geek Squad at Best Buy also requires going back and forth to the desk to interact with the customer - I don't know.). But because of the equipment and parts inventory needed, these are usually "work in the (repair) office" types of roles.
Higher end work and certified repair people, meaning working on more speciality equipment such as data center routers, server racks, etc, as well as certified Mac repair people, command a higher salary.
You also have IT support type roles, which is usually a couple of workers who are responsible for keeping an office full of IT equipment going. They diagnose both software and hardware problems, replace equipment and cables, and make sure the office full of equipment is updated and upgraded and so forth. This can be stressful, as people who are having problems with their equipment are sometimes upset and pressured (since they can't get their work done) and are sharing their discomfort. (The smarter ones have learned "don't upset the IT people", since when you need that thing, IT people who you have been friendly with can usually get it for you, ones you've yelled at always have to order it and it will take a week or two.).
For the most part the role involves sitting at a desk full of electronics and testing equipment, replacing parts. And therefore the human interaction is, in most circumstances, minimized. (Maybe the Geek Squad at Best Buy also requires going back and forth to the desk to interact with the customer - I don't know.). But because of the equipment and parts inventory needed, these are usually "work in the (repair) office" types of roles.
Higher end work and certified repair people, meaning working on more speciality equipment such as data center routers, server racks, etc, as well as certified Mac repair people, command a higher salary.
You also have IT support type roles, which is usually a couple of workers who are responsible for keeping an office full of IT equipment going. They diagnose both software and hardware problems, replace equipment and cables, and make sure the office full of equipment is updated and upgraded and so forth. This can be stressful, as people who are having problems with their equipment are sometimes upset and pressured (since they can't get their work done) and are sharing their discomfort. (The smarter ones have learned "don't upset the IT people", since when you need that thing, IT people who you have been friendly with can usually get it for you, ones you've yelled at always have to order it and it will take a week or two.).
Dexter Arver
Senior Manager, Web Applications
232
Answers
San Jose, California
Updated
Dexter’s Answer
Hi Collin,
Hmm, I would say that working in the IT industry is one where although the work can be technical, you always are aware of the customer that you're helping. Someone working in desktop support, will need to solve the needs of the customer having an issue with their computer, while a server administrator will be provisioning VMs or containers for the people that requested it. Because of this, a good service-oriented mindset is essential to someone enjoying their time in IT, IMHO.
There are, however, a few roles that I can think of which are perfect for someone that likes to work alone. If you work the night shift at the datacenter, you will be pretty alone and your work will consist of doing tasks that require very little human interaction. If you work as someone who images corporate equipment, your job will be very monotonus, but you'll also be working pretty much alone.
As for day-to-day work in IT, I think it really differs based on your role. A program manager is going to have a ton of meetings, while someone working the help desk won't have much meetings, but will be redirecting and answering questions all day long. Someone like a program manager will be working on long term projects with tight deadlines that they're going to be pressured by, while a technician will be pressured to solve the problem that they're faced with as fast as possible. So yeah, it's going to be very difference based on what your job will be in IT.
Lastly, for my company, the five values that we look for are people who excel in terms of Execution, Passion, Integrity, Customer, and Community. You can read about them here: https://news.vmware.com/company/vmwares-culture-built-epic2-values
I hope this was helpful and I wish you the best in your career journey!
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Dexter
Hmm, I would say that working in the IT industry is one where although the work can be technical, you always are aware of the customer that you're helping. Someone working in desktop support, will need to solve the needs of the customer having an issue with their computer, while a server administrator will be provisioning VMs or containers for the people that requested it. Because of this, a good service-oriented mindset is essential to someone enjoying their time in IT, IMHO.
There are, however, a few roles that I can think of which are perfect for someone that likes to work alone. If you work the night shift at the datacenter, you will be pretty alone and your work will consist of doing tasks that require very little human interaction. If you work as someone who images corporate equipment, your job will be very monotonus, but you'll also be working pretty much alone.
As for day-to-day work in IT, I think it really differs based on your role. A program manager is going to have a ton of meetings, while someone working the help desk won't have much meetings, but will be redirecting and answering questions all day long. Someone like a program manager will be working on long term projects with tight deadlines that they're going to be pressured by, while a technician will be pressured to solve the problem that they're faced with as fast as possible. So yeah, it's going to be very difference based on what your job will be in IT.
Lastly, for my company, the five values that we look for are people who excel in terms of Execution, Passion, Integrity, Customer, and Community. You can read about them here: https://news.vmware.com/company/vmwares-culture-built-epic2-values
I hope this was helpful and I wish you the best in your career journey!
--
Dexter