Please some help... 4

[Stud1905]

I am 14 years old, I want to be in the tech industry when i grow up more. Is it possible for me to start getting certifid. If so what would you recomend on me first getting certifid in? And where? thanks

 

[jtb]

Don't forget that Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Ross Perot, and everyone else who ever made "real money" in IT are not degreed or certified... they're all sales and marketing types with a bit of technical knowledge... just enough to know how to get the rest of us to perform for their amusement...

Seriously, certification is a "vocational degree", an "appenticeship diploma", or something along those lines...

Now, having said all of that, I am very proud of my certs and I plan to continue acquiring those my employer pays me to acquire... but it's expensive and time-consuming and at 14 you've got to have better things to do!!!

If you don't develop personal networking skills, your certification won't be enough to get you a $800/month tech support/inside sales job at the local whitebox PC shop--even if your folks own it...

Figure out where you want to be when you're 50, then see where you need to be at 25, 20, 18, 16, and 15 in order to reach your goal... study hard at school and try to get a scholarship to a nice university... try and be my boss... ;-)

Remember to find balance between home, school, work, church, friends, and yourself... If you do, you're better than most of us... don't forget that IT jobs often mean 70+ hour work weeks with no overtime... you might well be better off with two more relaxing jobs if you like working that many hours...

I wish you luck and success!!! JTB
Senior Infrastructure Consultant
MCSE-NT4, MCP+I, CCNA, CCDA,
CTE, MCIWD, i-Net+, Network+
(MCSE-W2K, MCIWA, SCSA, SCNA in progress)

 

[DaveStL]

Stud1905, IMHO, the best thing you can do now is to just roll up your sleeves and dig into whatever aspect of the tech industry you're interested in. By this I mean the following: 1) READ whatever you can about the industry (magazines, on-line, whatever you can get your eyes on), especially the cutting edge stuff. That's what will be commonplace in a few years when you are looking for a job. 2) If you or your parents can afford it, get as powerful a system as you can to try all the "hot" stuff. Play with it and get to know how it works. Have fun with it. 3) If you have access to computer labs at school, do what you can leagally and push the envelope. 4) Join a group at school or even a community computer user group (or start one up yourself). Get to know people in the industry. Network. 5) Offer your services for free to schools or non-profit groups doing whatever you can to help them. This is a very inexpensive way to get a good education. 6) Think about starting your own part-time business doing whatever it is that you are the most proficient in. Your customers could be some of your fellow students, extended family members, friends, then ask them to recommend your services to others they know. This will teach you about customers and their needs/expectations, and what the business end is like. 7) Frequent boards like this. Offer what advice you can. No one here needs to know you are 14 vs. 54. Your advice will be taken for what it is worth. It will build your self-confidence, knowledge, and reputation.

Whatever you do, find what you ENJOY and HAVE FUN with what you are doing! Good Luck!
email me at cyber-one@cybernet-2000.com

 

[AvayaHelp]

Also Checkout local volunteer organizations in your area. Some cities have a PC refurb plan run by volunteers who take used unwanted PCs and rebuild them for charitable organizations. The work is volunteer but usually you get to mingle with certified Technicians who want to give back to the community hence you gain reall hands on experience. Your knowledge will grow as you deal with all types of reall issuesfrom Hardware to Software. you would learn quickly how to issues with compatibility of drivers, hardware, crossing different hardware environments etc. Good Luck and always Google your way through a problem, the news groups and web forums are the onlyt place you'll find 90% of your answers.

Avaya, Octel, AUDIX, CMS and other fun stuff.

"There is always a way, it may not be pretty but there is always a way."

&quot;I don't have a technical solution to your management problem.&quot; <PeaveyPhones>

P:-D