[olug] Finally, geek for a living

[Bill Brush]

Sounds like you've got plenty of hands on for the basics.  I don't really
consider the field "locked up" as you call it, but people are definitely
more selective than they were back in the 90's when about all you needed
was a pulse and know how turn the computer on.

I'm not going to BS you though, without a diploma, or a certification it
will be much tougher for you to get a job.  No one hires someone at the
admin/engineer level without them having some sort of a proven track
record, whether that be job experience, school, or combination thereof.
Schooling is not there for the little piece of paper, it's there to give
you a boost when you go looking for a job by demonstrating to people that
this person has at least had the opportunity to develop the basics of the
skills needed for the job they are applying.  Without that boost you have
to set your sights lower.  There are a lot of places that hire people
without training and train them because they can pay them less that way
than they could if they hired someone with the skills.  Automated Systems
here in Lincoln used to be notorious for that.  If you don't want to take
classes you can go for a certification but certifications are kind of a
grey area.  Some are worthwhile, some aren't.  Some are so devalued they
aren't worth the paper they're printed on (MCSE).  However, if you have a
certification that an employer is looking for, they will usually not worry
about a degree as long as the person has some kind of skill to back up the
cert.

As much as they suck, everyone starts at the helpdesk.  That's where you
"earn your spurs" so to speak, and it weeds out the people with the real
aptitude for the job from the people who just think it'd be kind of neat to
work with computers and make a lot of money.

Bill

olug-bounces at olug.org wrote on 08/19/2004 12:55:26 PM:

>
> On 1969-12-31 at 18:00:00 [-0600], you wrote:
>
> > >From a hiring standpoint I'd be more likely to hire a fresh-face
> > know-nothing newbie right out of school who has been actively working
with
> > computers recently than a guy with several years of experience which
all
>
>
> So how would a poor schmuck like me go about trying to impress someone
enough
> to even get an interview?
>
<snip school horrors and practical experience>

> The problem now is that without that piece of paper from a college or
> university no one will even let you get your foot in the door. No other
field
> has ever 'locked up' so fast. It's great to see the cracks forming in the

> Micro$oft wall and Opensource stepping forward into the public view, but
I'm
> still going to work 2 or 3 times as hard or do something to really stand
out
> and be noticed to get anywhere.