Getting back into IT after a year of being out of it 2

[CarsonsGirl]

I have about 8 years of experience in the IT field (mainly WAN experience). I had a baby last year and due to scheduling conflicts, I had to leave my job after my daughter was born and was able to collect unemployment until late last year.

Since Decemeber, I have been trying to get back into the IT world and I've had interviews but I haven't had enough experince in switches to get the job itself.

Short of getting my CCNA (which I am working on getting at the moment), what other helpful hints can anyone give me in getting that "1st job" after a year of being out of work? I was hoping a 3-4 month temp job was going to get my foot in the door but it didn't pan out. Will my CCNA open a door or 2 or will people still look at the fact that I haven't worked in a year and that will still hurt me??

Caryn

 

[CiscoGuy33]

CarsonsGirl,

Since you said you are working on your CCNA - get yourself 3 routers and 2 switches on Ebay and then get the experience that they say you lack.

Not only will it help you on the CCNA but it will help get real world hands-on practice. You can also get specific books on switching as well as many different CBTs on the subject.

Being off for a year for a birth should not be a big deal - especially if you quickly fill that void with your CCNA and some hands on practice. That will show them that you enhanced your skill set while being off with your child.

Cert magazine had an article a few years back on a guy in the same boat - he was MCSE but had no experience - he got a few older PCs on Ebay and then installed and reinstalled 2000 Server and XP hundreds of times - he applied patches and made registry tweeks and did anything and everything he could find that could be done until he knew both OSs like the back of his hand. He said that then in the interviews when they asked about experience not only could he talk the talk but he could walk the walk also!!

Just my thoughts!


E.A. Broda
CCNA, CCDA, CCAI, Network +

 

[irigoyena]

Definetly get the equipment and start creating some networks and things like that. CCNA is a the right choice and I would also go for an A+ and Network + since those are fairly easy to get and just make your resume look that much better. Where are you located that you're trying to find a job? I would also suggest posting a resume on Monster.com and other websites as well. You might not thing that works but that's how I got my job. A recruiter found my resume off of Monster.com. Good Luck!


-Iggy, MCSE, MCSA:Messaging

 

[langleymass]

I don't know of any employer who counts doing stuff at home as experience.

 

[CiscoGuy33]

langleymass,

It all depends on what they are doing at home - I not saying to setup a Linksys router and a Netgear switch as in I'm going to extend the network to the kids room!

She has been told she has no experience with switches - I would much rather counter that with the fact I have a rack of routers and switches at home that I can configure backwards and forwards - so much so that I passed the CCNA etc.

In this day - if they interviewed you they liked something about you enough to have you come in - once you are in front of them you have to sell them with what you have. If you have racks of equipment and can work with that equipment with total confidence - that is going to come accross in the interview - especially if you get a technical interview with part of the IT staff and you can hold your own.

I have taught Cisco classes in a community college for 7 years and have seen many students counter the experience question with tons of hands-on experience.

Remember she does have 8 years experience in IT already - she just needs a little push to get back in the game !!

Good luck Caryn!





E.A. Broda
CCNA, CCDA, CCAI, Network +

 

[CarsonsGirl]

Thanks for the responses and information!!!

I have signed up with the

http://www.Cisco-Engineer.com

site and I'll work on the free rack site this guy has set up to get more experience on switches and to keep my router knowledge up. I hope that will work out enough so for me to get the experince that I need over the next 2 weeks (I have an interview on May 12th) and over the next 4-6 weeks to help out w/the CCNA.

Having the physical equipment on front of you is nice but w/today's technology, having someone out there who is generous enough to set up a site that allows you free rack access to various routers and switches is even better. My old company is closing down right before Memorial Day and I e-mailed my old boss, asking him about the equipment so I could maybe grab and old 1900 switch or 1600 or 1700 router and he said everything goes with company and they're keeping track of everything, which stinks cause I was hoping to grab a few pieces to practice on.

Iggy - my resume is on monster, careerbuilder, dice, jobcircle and a few others that are pretty popular. If you can name any other sites, please send them my way. I was thinking of looking into the A+ or Network+ cert as well, once I'm thru w/the CCNA. It seems that alot more companies are looking for the LAN/WAN experince together these days.

 

[IT4EVR]

More good advice Cisco...

The homeplace can be the breeding ground for your best work. A lot of stuff a person does there in their own spare time can come to fruition in the workplace. To me it's like planting seeds.

The wisest people are those who are smart enough to realize they don't know it all.

 

[IT4EVR]

You have a great attitude Carsons...

The wisest people are those who are smart enough to realize they don't know it all.

 

[kHz]

I would also agree that home experience can teach a lot. What about the FreeBSD, NetBSD, and OpenBSD developers who commit code and it isn't their regular job?

I am sure if they told a potential employer they had written the TCP/IP stack for FreeBSD an employer isn't going to say "sorry, but you did that at home and weren't paid? We have to keep looking.

 

[chiph]

CarsonsGirl -
You might want to check with your local UnitedWay. The one here gets a lot of equipment donated to them that they can't use, and about twice a year has a sale. I almost bought a dual-processor Compaq ProLiant 3000 for $150 once...

(it would have drawn more power than the outlets in my spare room could supply, so I had to pass)

Chip H.


____________________________________________________________________
If you want to get the best response to a question, please read FAQ222-2244 first

 

[irigoyena]

usajobs.com is a good one for federal employment. I would make sure to look over your resume and check for any errors and that's its updated before posting it. Many resumes are not even looked at completely if they have grammar or spelling errors.

Anything you can do at home to gain experience is defintely worth the time. You may not get away by putting it in your resume but when you've got that interview going and you tell them you can do this or that... and then being able to prove it...then that's when you know it was well worth it.

I hope you find this post helpful.

Regards,

Iggy
MCSE, MCSA:Messaging, A+, Network +