I ain't 6 feet tall but I'm trying to make 6 Figures

[JAY?]

I work full time and still come up short like 600 a month
I work in telecom cabling
Installing cat6, access points and fiber
I have no experience in anything IT
I wouldn't even know where to begin
Or exactly what I would like to do
Or what I'm even capable of
I don't really have time to go to school full time

What's a good starting point?
Are there any apps that can help?
I don't even have a computer
Any of ya in NY know of any free classes or tutoring?

 

[Black Panther]

I work full time and still come up short like 600 a month
I work in telecom cabling
Installing cat6, access points and fiber
I have no experience in anything IT
I wouldn't even know where to begin
Or exactly what I would like to do
Or what I'm even capable of
I don't really have time to go to school full time

What's a good starting point?
Are there any apps that can help?
I don't even have a computer
Any of ya in NY know of any free classes or tutoring?

If you're interested in getting into IT, here are a few tips:

1. Figure out what part of IT interests you. You may find different things that interest you over the course of your career, but having a focus from the start helps. Look into server administration, computer repair, network installation (there are a lot of net installation jobs), network administration, Exchange administration (email/messaging), network security, Voice-over IP (VoIP), and others to see what those jobs entail and whether you'd like to do something like that.

2. Get a cert. Once you find something you're interested in, try to find a cert that will help you get that job and study for it. If you want the basic, lowest level IT cert, you would want to study for the CompTIA A+ (two exams), which can get you a computer repair job easily (which is where I started). If you want a cert for server administration, go for the Microsoft MCSA - Server 2012 cert; this is one of the most respected certs for entry-level techs. If you're interested in networking, look into Cisco certs (guaranteed $50k/year or better) like the CCT or CCENT. (Be advised that Cisco certs aren't for beginners, but these are their lowest-level certs.) Invest in a study guide for the cert(s) you want; look up the cert on Amazon and find the study guide for it. Cert exams get updated generally every two to three years, so make sure you're getting the study guide for the most recent exam edition.

3. Use some free resources. EdX.org has free self-paced courses you can take so you can learn IT stuff on your own time. The courses are usually copies of the courses from accredited universities like Harvard, Yale, MIT, and others, so they're definitely legit. Other sites like this are Coursera.com (also mostly free) and Udemy (have to pay for good courses, but they're usually cheap). If you have friends or family working in IT, pick their brain and get some advice on where you can find study materials and practice methods (most IT guys know of a few).

4. Get yourself a computer. Seriously, dawg? Get you a laptop! I work for a company that refurbishes laptops and desktops and sells them on ebay; go here and search for a decent laptop (at least 4GB ram, at least 250GB HDD, Intel i-series processor [i5, i7]). The most stuff is in our St. Charles, MO office. Make an investment in yourself and your future. I recommend this laptop all day; has everything you need for $145. It's used/refurbished, but it's better than no laptop at all.

 

[Obreh Winfrey]

Hate to break it to you but if you ain't 6 feet, you won't make 6 figures. That's it, no iff's, and's, or but's.

But truthfully Reign is right. I'd say the first thing to do is get a laptop or find a way to get regular access to a computer. It'll be very difficult to gain IT knowledge without one. Next ask yourself what you like about computer technology. If you can't come up with a few things, then don't go the IT route because you'll just hate your career. Once you have a list of what you like, look for jobs that involve those things. Pay attention to the job descriptions and note what they're looking for; don't pay too much attention to experience, but focus on the technologies and skills. Once you have that list then you can start searching for resources to pick up skills. If you want to be a coder, for example, then you can do Udemy courses, you can watch YouTube videos, you can find very well written tutorials out there. Work dilligently and build a portfolio. I'd argue (and this is debateable) that by not having a degree you're on the back foot in comparison to other applicants, so you need to really find ways to separate yourself from them.

I would hazard that you have some useful skills already, you just need to think about how you'd be able to apply them to the IT field.

That laptop deal . As much as I don't need a laptop... it's really tempting.

 

[JAY?]

Hate to break it to you but if you ain't 6 feet, you won't make 6 figures. That's it, no iff's, and's, or but's.

But truthfully Reign is right. I'd say the first thing to do is get a laptop or find a way to get regular access to a computer. It'll be very difficult to gain IT knowledge without one. Next ask yourself what you like about computer technology. If you can't come up with a few things, then don't go the IT route because you'll just hate your career. Once you have a list of what you like, look for jobs that involve those things. Pay attention to the job descriptions and note what they're looking for; don't pay too much attention to experience, but focus on the technologies and skills. Once you have that list then you can start searching for resources to pick up skills. If you want to be a coder, for example, then you can do Udemy courses, you can watch YouTube videos, you can find very well written tutorials out there. Work dilligently and build a portfolio. I'd argue (and this is debateable) that by not having a degree you're on the back foot in comparison to other applicants, so you need to really find ways to separate yourself from them.

I would hazard that you have some useful skills already, you just need to think about how you'd be able to apply them to the IT field.

That laptop deal . As much as I don't need a laptop... it's really tempting.

I guess I'd like to fix computers
Set them up to networks
Maintain them
I feel like that would compliment what I already do

 

[Cynic]

I guess I'd like to fix computers
Set them up to networks
Maintain them
I feel like that would compliment what I already do

Learn how to write copy and close cold calls.... you'll hit 6 figures with no certs needed.

 

[Mowgli]

Until you get 6 certs don't say shyt about 6 figures