Work in ICT

cstillwell

Hello!

This is my first post on MSE so please correct me if I do anything wrong.

I have recently left college after a 2 year course in Media Studies and AVCE ICT. Ideally I would like to get into an apprenticeship or begin as a junior in an ICT company and work my way up the ladder. Prior to taking my college course, I gained 7 GCSE's (5 at C grade or higher) and a GNVQ in ICT as well.

I have just signed on to the jobcentre over the phone and have claimed for job seekers allowance, with my meeting in a weeks time. Ive sent out around 30 cover letters with my CV to companys local to me I can see myself working for (computer system builders, maintenance etc.).

The reason I have posted on here is for tips on what else I can do, and what different areas of work in IT are open to me. Every single time I look for a job it asks for skills in particular areas, but because my courses are ICT in general im unsure what to do.

Any advice is appreciated!

Thanks,
Colin.

mexicanwaver

So are you looking to work more on the hardware/OS side, rather than programming/application side?

Also, if you mention what location you are, people may be able to suggest some companies for you to try.

cstillwell

Programming / application wise ive not got any experience with, so I think it would be wise to avoid.

Ive built my own PC, fixed others and have a lot more knowledge on the hardware side. So I think thats a good place to aim towards.

Making the decision on what area is more common sense than anything, suprised I hadnt realised!

I will add my area onto the cover letter, didnt think about that. Thanks for the tip!

mexicanwaver

So what location are you?

Dead_Eye_Jones

hmmm not sure I can help, I got in by having a degree, didnt have any computer skills, they were just looking for grads. Most of our new starters did English or History. I think the thing about this area is its actually pretty easy, so you can read a book and be bumbling along in no time. Most professionals are self taught in my experince and the professional training ive recieved has gotton me nowhere relative to on the job experience.

Id suggest start to do some independant work. What areas are you interested in, purely the technical side? ie building machines? Or perhaps more networking, security, systems? Could you do some volunteer work? I often notice that councils and schoold have entry level jobs goning, once you start to gain experience your options will grew quickly.

I think living in London helps when looking.

cstillwell

Im based in Shoreham-by-Sea but im interested in working anywhere around in Sussex (happy to commute!).

mexicanwaver

Yes, definitely target a specific role at any company you contact (eg. junior desktop/server support). It's important not to come across as a "jack of all trades".

That said, most companies won't be looking for the finished article. With graduates, they're usually looking for someone who they can mould into the job.

So, it's important to come across as a specialist in a certain field (eg. desktop/server/OS support), but also stress your versatility and willingness to learn new things.

Getting your foot in the door is the main thing....once you get your first job, you can really go as far as you want to.

mexicanwaver

For the type of position you're targetting, I would also recommend brushing up your knowledge on things like these:

Antivirus (knowledge of the latest threats and virus removal)
Disaster recovery/back-ups
TCP/IP and Windows networking


They're all things that play a big part in the day-to-day life of an IT company (or IT department). Knowledge of practical real-life situations will be music to their ears.......rather than just telling them what you learnt on your degree course.