Getting a Job in IT.

[MrKJLS]

Hi, im 15 and i'm currently doing my GCSE's. I'm in Year 10 and soon moving into Year 11. I was wondering what type of collage courses I would need to do to work in IT or to become a techie.

I do quite a lot of IT at home and i do it as a GCSE. I am mostly self-tough with the enterprise IT i do at home

 

Kieran

[elsiegee40]

Hi Kieran

 

Welcome to edugeek

 

You have two options to consider when you leave school. The first is going to college either in Year 12 or to a university or college after completing A Levels.

 

The second is to consider an apprenticeship. With this you are doing a job where you will be given time off to do a college course paid for by your employer. There is a huge range of courses available depending on your interests and an apprenticeship can be a good way to get qualifications and work experience simultaneously... and you get paid! Entry for apprenticeships is often after A Level, but some are available after GCSE. Your school careers adviser should be able to tell you more.

 

It would also be worth looking at the websites for local businesses to see which ones offer apprenticeships and what qualifications you would need to get one. You will almost certainly need GCSE Maths and English at at least Grade C as a minimum.

[featured_spectre]

I ask for a proficiency with maths. Only for subnetting and IPs. Also, look at the microsoft virtual academy for a range of subjects IT related.

[Ephelyon]

Many of us start off self-taught - myself for one - so that's fine.

 

You might also consider something like the BTEC National for IT Practitioners (or whatever it's being called these days) instead of A-Levels. If you chose to continue academically after that, Foundation Degrees in Computer Science or Enterprise Computing are available instead of a full-blown Bachelors which take one year less and are often perfectly sufficient. I started working at my current school five years ago through the "work experience" (though I was a "mature student"... hahaha!) sandwich placement on an FdSc course.

[Ephelyon]

Another useful resource:

 

Welcome to BigAmbition - BigAmbition - Your Digital Career Starts Here

[FN-GM]

Hi Kieran

 

Welcome to edugeek

 

You have two options to consider when you leave school. The first is going to college either in Year 12 or to a university or college after completing A Levels.

 

The second is to consider an apprenticeship. With this you are doing a job where you will be given time off to do a college course paid for by your employer. There is a huge range of courses available depending on your interests and an apprenticeship can be a good way to get qualifications and work experience simultaneously... and you get paid! Entry for apprenticeships is often after A Level, but some are available after GCSE. Your school careers adviser should be able to tell you more.

 

It would also be worth looking at the websites for local businesses to see which ones offer apprenticeships and what qualifications you would need to get one. You will almost certainly need GCSE Maths and English at at least Grade C as a minimum.

 

Option 3 is join an IT department and learn as you go. Get work to pay for qualifications etc. This is what i did, dont regret it at all.

[MrKJLS]

Thank you for the reply's

[Ephelyon]

This might be local to you if the location given on your profile is accurate:

 

Foundation Degree in Computing Solutions (Networks) Colchester at Colchester Institute: all Colchester Undergrad courses 54311512

 

If you get a part-time job in an IT department and do that course part-time at Colchester, it's four years with fees much lower than you might find elsewhere as it's an FD course. Covers Cisco CCNA material too.

[MrKJLS]

This might be local to you if the location given on your profile is accurate:

 

Foundation Degree in Computing Solutions (Networks) Colchester at Colchester Institute: all Colchester Undergrad courses 54311512

 

If you get a part-time job in an IT department and do that course part-time at Colchester, it's four years with fees much lower than you might find elsewhere as it's an FD course. Covers Cisco CCNA material too.

 

I live very near to Colchester. The course looks very good.

Edited March 27, 2013 by MrKJLS

[MrKJLS]

Thank you for the reply's.

[Netwacky87]

Option 3 is join an IT department and learn as you go. Get work to pay for qualifications etc. This is what i did, dont regret it at all.

 

Snap, absolutely, I was fortunate to get a job as a Junior IT Tech and stationary co-ordinator (1/2 and 1/2) yup, thats right folks, I was a stationary monitor! This was all when I left school, first of all I sucked at the stationary part, but was excellent at the IT part, and I went to see the bursar and said look, Im rubbish at this stationary lark but I really enjoy the IT side of things, next day...Called into the office and he said right, we're going to appoint someone to do the stationary and you can go into IT full time!

 

I have since moved on but absoluetly great school, and they paid for all of my training, im now an IT Manager took me 5 years to get from Junior Tech to IT Manager, bit of luck and bit of learning! Good luck!

[witch]

thats right folks, I was a stationary monitor!

 

So...you didn't move much?

[Ephelyon]

I like this Kieran fellow... he seems to have some magical power to make 1 Thanks count for 2! =]

[Si2100]

Hi Guys,

 

- Just to say i'm 18, and finishing my BTEC course this year -

 

I'm coming to the end of my 2 year BTEC National - System Support & Networking Level 3 /w Cisco

Kieran, I would suggest, Which do you prefer more, Hands on work, or coursework. Although i now kinda of wish i had taken the apprenticeship as i prefer working hands on,

As to doing lots of units, However at my College, I have been offered the option to do some Cisco Discoveries, Which i have really taken to, and am about to finish Discovery 3 after Easter.

Along with all that, Ive been looking into the MVA [Microsoft Virtual Academy] Mainly at the Server Virtualization, As i enjoy messing with Virtual Applications, and Game servers, and such

 

However, After College - June 2013 - My Plan i to find a network technician job working in a school, As at the moment i'm working with a friend at a Primary School, Which i'm very much enjoying, Funnily enough he recommended this site to me, For Educations Jobs and such =)

 

- Also a general question, My Dad has suggested that i should go to the local Job Center to see what they can offer to me, But as i know which field of ICT i wish to enter, Would you suggest that its a good idea, to take a look. Or just have a look on the internet for local network technician jobs

 

 

Simon

[elsiegee40]

It has occurred to me that, with the school leaving age being raised, Kieran has to stay in education, although that could be employment based such as an apprenticeship, until he is 18. He really does need to talk to his school as things are changing.

[JamesDonkin]

I did the apprentice route. About ten years ago mind so don't know how much has changed. It was great to get into the career in the first place because bosses love staff who'll work for forty quid a week, for this money the mistakes you might make while learning can easily be excused. It gets your face known as well as your capabilities before its time to start asking for a real job - the same one you'd be applying for if you did the pure academic route. The apprentice after a couple of years of experience and a handful of vocational quallies will knock spots off an A-level student straight out of college in an interview.

[Si2100]

It has occurred to me that, with the school leaving age being raised, Kieran has to stay in education, although that could be employment based such as an apprenticeship, until he is 18. He really does need to talk to his school as things are changing.

 

Yeah Elsie, I remember when i was in Year 10/11 there was rumors that there was a change like this coming down the line, But it wouldn't affect us, back then. But Yeah like you suggest Elsie, I would check with your school Kieran, to see what they suggest

[elsiegee40]

School leaving age | Gov.uk

 

In England, if you’re currently in year 11 you must stay in some form of education or training until the end of the academic year when you turn 17.

 

If you’re currently in year 10, then you have to stay in some form of education or training until the end of the academic year when you turn 18.

 

This doesn’t have to mean staying in school, it can be:

 

full-time education, eg at a school or college

an apprenticeship

full-time employment (over 20 hours a week) combined with part-time education or training

[crt404]

When I left school, apprenticeships were looked down upon by my school, but I'm so glad I didn't listen to them. The apprenticeship that I did was the best training/learning that I could have ever have wished for - it outstripped school and college ten times over, and I recommend them for anyone who knows what they want to do. I walked away from it with an HNC in Electronic Engineering, and a full time job. It's a great way to learn whilst getting paid, and (hopefully) you get employment at the end of it.

If you know what you want to do, and are willing to work at it, you will hopefully get a long and fruitful career from it.

[Netwacky87]

So...you didn't move much?

 

I always try to move as little as I can "Wheres my books?"..."Tried the library?"

[crt404]

School leaving age | Gov.uk

Ironically enough, I left working in education to work for Gov.uk!

[Ephelyon]

Simon, I'd say checking out the Job Centre can't hurt.

@crt404, I'd agree on apprenticeships but would also add that you may have to take quite a lot of carp and monkey work sometimes along the way, depending on where you end up!

[dhicks]

Hi, im 15 and i'm currently doing my GCSE's. I'm in Year 10 and soon moving into Year 11. I was wondering what type of collage courses I would need to do to work in IT or to become a techie.

 

At 15, before you've even done your GCSEs, I'd say you want to keep your education as general as possible and to keep as many options open as you can. Vocational qualifications are fine, but you should get as far as possible with academic studies (GCSEs, A-levels) while you have the chance - you can do vendor-specific certifications later. For general science / computing related qualifications, you can't go to far wrong by simply doing as much maths as you can - GCSE, then A-level, and maybe further maths if you can.

 

You might want to aim a little higher by way of career choice, too - "IT Technician" is a perfectly decent job, but at 15 you really might as well be aiming at "rocket scientist" or "nuclear physicist" (both of which would require plenty of computer-related work), and you might end up with a really interesting job.

 

I, of course, am not your teacher, and therefore do not know what your strengths with particular subjects might be, so if you've discussed with your teachers and decided that a more vocational path might be better then that's fine, but do make sure you discuss plenty with teachers who know you first. Again, I don't know your circumstances, but if you're thinking to avoid university because of money issues, then studying abroad might be a good option - parts of the EU do very affordable degrees, with lower living costs than in the UK, some even taught in English, and even if not you have plenty of time to learn a language anyway. The same goes for vendor certifications - a chap I know is moving to Sri Lanka to do a bunch of Microsoft certifications as study/living costs are so much cheaper there (it's also considerably sunnier, as an added bonus).

[Ephelyon]

Many Dutch universities specialise in English-taught courses.

[tomo1095]

Probably going over old ground that's already been covered already but I'm currently on an Apprenticeship as an IT Technician in a high school. Won't bore you with too much details but I think it's the best choice I've ever made to leave college and follow this path, yes the moneys not great and it can be quite demanding at times but for me the idea of actually having the experience of working in an IT support environment outways all of that.

 

However, as plenty of people have already said it's not really a decision that anyone else can make for you, have a word with your teachers and people at school and take the time to choose which path you actually want to take.

 

Quite baffled how a thread about getting a job in IT has resulted in discussions about moving abroad but hey ho.