How did you get into IT?

[timbo343]

My journey was a 2nd part time job whilst doing A levels and working else where which then turned into a full time 2 year apprenticeship as a mobile computer consultant supporting both domestic and comerical users then moving into the industrial world of IT for a while before being in education.

[psydii]

I wanted to play games, but the network kept running out of space.

[simonw]

I did really badly at school, left with a few O Levels and CSE's after sixth form. I've had various jobs, photographers assistant, retail assistant, a costing assistant in a manufacturing company. I then tried to train as an accountant - failed that too! Got a job as an inventory and distribution clerk in pharmaceutical company. Then worked in a chain of snooker clubs, promoted to Manager and then Regional Manager. Moved on to work in Cable TV and Telecoms company in inventory and distribution, this was when the CATV networks were first being built. Stayed with this company for 14 years in various roles; inventory analyst, buyer, performance analyst, business analyst.

 

When I was made redundant my wife suggested I do a degree course. I did a Foundation Degree in IT for 2 years and topped it up in the 3rd year to a BSc in IT.

 

I didn't really know what I wanted to do with my new qualification, so I went to work with my brother in law in the US at his online business, he has several all running from one manufacturing/distribution hub. I worked on his website, amazon stores, magento migration and led the PCI compliance audit. (I was only there for three months, I went on a BUNAC program).

 

When I returned home started applying for any and all IT jobs, and was offered my first school IT tech position P/T, adding a second part-time position soon after. This was 2012.

[mikeprice]

Long story but anyway

went to Uni in 1978 having never even seen a computer - doign Chemistry - spent 3 years doing that and proving I had had enough of Chemistry

Best part of the course was 2 weeks after exams in 2nd Year when we did 'Computing for Chemists' - basically lectures and tutorials in computers and Fortan in the mornings and exercises on the ICL mainframe using Fast Fortran in the afternoons - or in my case spend about 1 hour doing the 3-4 hours of exercises - go for coffee and spend the rest of the afternoon helping people finish the exercises

Then a 1 week project that I completed in 2 days, having misunderstood and done more than I should - then spent the rest of the week hemping people finish their projects

 

so it turned out I was OK with computers

 

A Careers adviser suggested I tried to get a job in 'Management Services' - which apparently involved computers - but in those days companies also trained new staff so any degree would do - but they preferred Science mostly

SO I ended up working for a large retail company that used Honeywell computers - ended up working for them for nearly 20 years (2 months off - which was annoying - I would have liked to make the 20!) - mostly as a programmer but basically doing everything from system design, analysis, system management, tuning, project management, contract negotiation - kinda like working in a school but on a far larger scale - and with more money (FAR more money!!!)

 

got made redundant because the systems I was working on were being phased out (NOT for purly political reasons or because I had a disagreemnt with the department head - no no - not at all - and the fact that I was snowed under with work at the time was also not relevant) - in 2001

 

After quite a while I hadn't had a single interview due to the rather unusual systems I had been working on - could have got a job in London or Birmingham but partner refused to move (amongst other problems - ancient history which still stings!)

It was suggested that I ask in FE colleges to see if I could get a few hours lecturing in college to bring in some money - which worked

the next year I was offered a load more teaching - but the money was rubbish and I would get paid more by doing a PGCE to qualify to teach in ICT in Secondary schools

 

so ended up teaching ICT in secondary schools in North Wales

always in schools with either no Tech (and county support was aweful due to lack of staff and no training!!) or a single IT tech for a whole secondary school - hence the ICT teachers had to help out - or do it all in the case of one school - I got a reputation for introducing new useful stuff and fixing complicated stuff

 

After a over 10 years teaching got to be too much - partly due to personal stuff and mess ups by the school - and I decided to returnfrom the dark to the light side and do what I am good at - started applying for jobs as IT Tech - got several contracts in schools with little trouble as I speak teacher - and understand them (OK most of the time - there are limits!) - and understand computers so I can fix them

ended up in Primary school where I had a verbal agreement with the Head to teach small classes for 2 afternoons - and to help the other teachers get up to speed with Computing

Plus getting several IT things working - including WOW room using immersive technology

 

after a few years the Head changed and the new one didn't really want me around - was quite rude at times - and I discovered that I would get more money by retiring, than I was getting for working

which was kinda the point where I left - as you can understand

 

will probably start looking for a new short term contract in a school in a month or so - so if anyone needs someone extra for a while after Easter - in the North West let me know

[superatticman]

Good reading this thread.

 

I also did poorly at school. Very poorly. Just wasn't interested or motivated. So a few years of menial jobs with little prospects followed. This was during the early 90s where the job/training market was in transition. Apprenticeships were rapidly dying out and the focus seemed to be more geared towards academic or vocational training at college. Appalling to think that I turned my nose up at a FREE BTEC course in computing because I just didn't like the learning environment! My cousin of similar age did this a few years earlier and within 5 years had a HND in computing and was earning a lot of money in his first job. That should have been the inspiration I needed but I just wasn't interested.

 

However in about 1997 I found a computer and monitor in a skip and decided to take it home. It was in an affluent area where I was working as a delivery driver so there was every chance it was still working. Fired it up and amazingly it all burst into life. Was a 486 based machine with about 4mb RAM and little else. However my desire to turn it into a games machine was the driving force behind my first steps to learning the ropes. Up until now I had had little interest in IT! I bought a book and went on a 2 week A+ course. Ended up upgrading it to 16mb, DX2 overdrive, sound card, 2Mb VGA card and was able to play DOOM, Duke Nukem and the like!!! All of a sudden it all clicked into place and was soon upgrading, repairing friends PC's etc. Got my first job in IT when I approached the local (extremely busy) repair shop and asked them whether they wanted a spare pair of hands. I was told politely that yes they could offer me something but that it would be £100 a week for the first 3 months and they'd then review it. I thought long and hard as in my driver role was earning about £250 take home p/w. My dad more or less had me in a Darth Vader like grip and said "Son this is your best opportunity to finally learn a profession, so go straight back to that shop and bite their hands off". I did and within 3 years was back up to that level of income but now far more skilled and finally had a brighter future ahead. Manage to blag my way into contracting with a friend of mine and for 4 years earned some decent money looking after a fairly large site. Taught me a hell of a lot about life in general and never to take getting paid for granted! Things went pair shaped when the company went into administration and we basically got our contracts terminated as they sought to cut costs. By the way they did actually beg me to come back two years later but the damage was done. They wouldn't pay me the large (but fair given the context) 'signing on fee' that I wanted nor would they give me a more robust contract.

 

I'd already managed to secure a less well reimbursed but far more secure role at an independent school in West London. Have managed to skill myself up there and become more involved in managing projects and helping across the site in general. I like variety so it still keeps me interested.

[FragglePete]

Trained as a Graphic Designer.... worked within a small company doing a very large project for Lockheed Martin and the RAF for the new C130-J Hercules. So, I was doing graphics while doing ad-hoc IT stuff that I learnt on the job. Company got bought out by large IT company that encourage moving around within the company and an opening to move into IT came up and I took it. Steep learning curve but then got made redundant 15 months later.. thankfully ended up working with the MoD looking after various systems and just built my knowledge and experience. Saw the job for the school I work at now and thought I'd give it ago.... 12 years later, still there.

 

To be honest, still feel like I'm winging it every day and sometimes feel like a fraud - but, must be doing something right

 

Pete

Edited February 28, 2020 by FragglePete

[caffrey]

 

To be honest, still feel like I'm winging it every day and sometimes feel like a fraud - but, must be doing something right

 

Pete

 

Don't worry, I think we all do to some extent - I've no idea why or how I ended up a NM, I certainly don't feel worthy in the slightest

[chaplic]

Was always interested in computers from the age of ZX Spectrum. Assumed I wanted to be a programmer as that was the only IT job I had heard of. Did odd jobs fixing up other peoples PCs etc. Was OK at school but didn't study.

 

Went to uni to do a degree in computing. Did a year out work placement working in factory that built and designed cash machines. Windows 95 upgrade project was on, so it was a case of putting overdrive processors and bigger HDs in machines, and installing win95, and general IT support. I was like a pig in poo. One day the boss called me in, I thought I was in trouble. He told me to slow down as I was making the full time staff look bad. They kept me on working part time whilst I finished my degree (Which I hated by this point). Last project I did was a msmail to exchange migration, which probably helped get me a job at a telco doing Exchange support.

 

From there, I also realised that as well as techie, I can do the design bit, talk to normal humans and I loved getting stuff delivered. Worked for a few firms then went freelance, typically with end user computing projects for FTSE100 firms and government departments. Along the way, I also picked up the IT support contract for my sons school (hence why I hang out here I guess)

[craig2562]

I worked in Engineering for 30+ years of my life, having various Senior Engineering roles from Chief Engineer up to Works/Manufacturing Manager in various industries ranging from Toy, Furniture and Food Packaging & Utensil manufacture. In my last role I worked in Plastic Milk Bottle Production manufacturing over 20M bottles per year. I travelled the world and had some great fun.

 

I had always been interested in Computers, having had a few over the years and was the Go To person in the family when things needed fixing on these new fandangled Windows PCs that they had bought.

 

A friend of mine, who had worked in IT Telecoms for most of his working life had decided to set up on his own doing IT Support for local users, businesses and schools after having worked in IT support for the local borough. He needed extra help at one for the schools he supported and I was working Continental Shifts so had spare time to help him. It was a steep learning curve, but with his help I managed to do OK.

 

In 2011, I was made redundant by a buyout of the company that I worked for and took the redundancy money assuming that , with my engineering experience, I would have no trouble finding another job. Six months , and many interviews later, i was struggling to find something.

My friend told me of a job in a local school that were looking for an ICT Technician on three days per week (TTO). I thought it would at least give me something to do while looking for work elsewhere.

 

Within three months my days were increased to 4, within 6 to 5 days a week and then the following year I was give a full time job. I worked hard, taught myself networks and AD etc, installed a Ubiquity Wireless Network. I worked there for 5 years and when it looked like the budget cuts were starting to cut in I applied for a job at the Local Borough Education Support and was offered it.

 

That was a really steep learning curve, but I had a boss and fellow IT staff who were great and patient with me while I caught up. Again, with LA cuts cutting deep it was decided that the department would be wound down and rather than wait I jumped ship and I am now working as a Senior ICT Technician in a Special Needs School and loving it. I'm still learning and still not afraid to ask questions - no matter how stupid they may seem.

[mikeprice]

I'm still learning and still not afraid to ask questions - no matter how stupid they may seem.

 

That kinda sums up our job

 

I often find that I am the one who ends up asking questions that seem obvious to be but no-one else has thought to ask

 

sometimes something obvious like "Exactly how much is it going to cost??"

 

sometime we are the only people who can see possible scenarios due to our experience of different system - and the way we think of things

so we can come up with the 'What if' questions that no-one else can see

 

When I worked in business I was once moaned at because I just saw loads of problems in a planning meeting - all what-if type things

confused me a bit because I would rather spot problems in an initial planning meeting rather than trying to fix it at 2 a.m. on the day after it is implemented and the company will go bust if it isn't sorted by 9 a.m. the next day

(which I have been in - but it was OK - just a company with a 1 billion pound turnover!!)

[Tomythy]

I tried to get into IT through an "apprenticeship" that was really just a 6 month course of IT qualifications. Landed a job soon after that in an MSP and left amicably 6 weeks later as both myself and my boss agreed that neither of us knew what we were getting when they employed me. This put me off IT for a good 3 years but after working those 3 years in Retail, I knew I could do something more.

 

Ended up going to University to study Computing where I did a years placement in a school. Ended up getting into more IT jobs through that placement years experience than I did my degree. I don't regret going to University though as I wouldn't have been able to get that placement without it and I had a blast while I was there.

[icechris]

I started as a teaching assistant but revealed I had tech knowledge and got additional hours as a technician. I kept doing this while training as a teacher and I’m now currently a computing specialist within a primary school.

[Zoom7000]

I wasn't planning on this post being this long, but as I started to write it, it just went on and on but I enjoyed the memory. I've replicated it on my blog here.

 

I remember my first experience using a computer was when I was in Year 5 in a school in Leicester back in 1992. We were the only class in the whole school that had a computer in the room. It was an Acorn Computer. We were all fascinated by this device that was something amazing that no one in the whole school (or outside of school!) had access to except for us. We would all be given 30 minutes "play time" to use the computer. At that age, I had a huge interest in art and drawing cartoons. We'd been working on an art project and when it came to my time to "play" on the computer, I launched the Acorn version of Paint and then began to draw out my art project on the computer. Suffice to say, I fell in love with computers at this point and my teacher was so impressed with what I’d done, that I got more and more opportunities to use the computer to exploit my "talent". From that moment onward, I knew that I wanted to work with computers and IT.

 

We moved and settled back in London in the summer of 1992 and a year later I started at secondary school. I had a huge interest in IT by now and ended up taking IT at GCSE, then at college and then chose Computer Science at uni. I had a mixed experience with my degree. Most of our lecturers were terrible and utterly demotivating! I did enjoy the programming modules and I was actually very good at them. But, I HATED the networking modules! I remember I would vividly say, “I will do something in IT when I leave, but the one thing I definitely will NOT do, is networking!” What was I to know eh?!

 

One day in my final year of uni in 2004, my friends and I were having lunch in the canteen, when a lady came over to us and said, “Would you guys be interested in coming to a 1 hour session this afternoon and help us with a research project? All we need you to do is answer questions on why you feel there are so few Asian people in teaching.” We looked at her and promptly told her that we were not interested. She then said “I forgot to mention, we pay you £10 for attending!” Suffice to say, we ran to the session!

 

The session was actually very interesting. At the end, true to their word, we were given a crisp £10 note. As we were leaving they asked us if we’d be interested in spending 10 days at a school observing lesson as part of a programme called the “Student Associate Scheme”. Before we could have a chance to waver at the fact of having to spend 10 days in a school, we were told that we’d get paid £40/day. It was the easiest £400 we’d make in our lives!

 

At the end of the 10 days, we’d go for a 1 hour evaluation session to share what we learnt and got a cheque (remember those?!) for £400. As I was leaving the evaluation, the tutor said “I have some money left in the budget, would you like to do another 5 days?” My eyes lit up at the £200 and I snapped it up.

 

On my penultimate day at the school, I bumped into the Head Teacher. I spoke to her and told her that I was a final year uni student. I didn’t have a PGCE or anything, but I knew a thing or two about computers. Would she happen to have any summer work for me whilst I looked for a job post uni-life. She introduced me to the Business Manager, who introduced me to the Network Manager. I sat with him in his office whilst he awkwardly didn’t really know what to ask me. I then asked him what he was doing and he was struggling to deploy an MSI to a remote PC. I showed him how MSI parameters worked and he said, you’ve got the summer job!

 

The summer job turned out to be a two week network overhaul project involving the decommissioning of the RM CC2.4 network and the implementation of a new vanilla Windows Server 2003 network with Windows XP clients. The school had called in a now defunct small company to carry out the implementation in full. I shadowed the lead engineer like a leech and watched his every single move like a hawk! At the end of the two weeks, the Network Manager told the Business Manager that he’d like me to stay till the end of the summer holidays to ensure a smooth completion of the project. Come September 2004, things were still a bit shaky with the usual new network teething problems and so the Business Manager asked if I would still carry on until the end of September. I had nowhere else to go, so of course I did.

 

The previous Network Technician who was term time only, returned in September. She told me that she was due to start the Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) and become an IT teacher at the school. It turned out that there was a chance that she wasn’t going to get accepted because she didn’t have a grade C in GCSE Maths. I went to see the Assistant Head and asked her if the technician didn’t get accepted into the GTP, could I do it instead, as I had a grade B in GCSE Maths. She said she’ll look into it and let me know. A few days later she told me that the technician had managed to do a GCSE Maths equivalent course and passed and so there wouldn’t be a position for me in the GTP. I asked her if the technician was leaving the IT Technician role, could I apply for that?

 

That afternoon, an internal vacancy went up for the role of Network Technician. I applied, a couple of days later, I had probably the most “non-interview” in the world and I was given the job as I pretty much knew the network setup like the back of my hand!

 

What started off as a two week contract for some work in the summer, turned into a ten year stay at the school, with some very valuable experiences of highs, mighty lows, but some very valuable learning experiences. So yeah, that’s how I ended up getting into IT!

 

If I had to sum it all up as the “moral of the story”, I’d say... Be passionate about what you love and grab any opportunity that comes your way. You never know where it will take you! Be patient, keep working hard and success will come. It may take some time, but you will reap the rewards in the future!

 

And to think, I was so close to becoming a teacher! 😂

[Davit2005]

I started as a teaching assistant but revealed I had tech knowledge and got additional hours as a technician. I kept doing this while training as a teacher and I’m now currently a computing specialist within a primary school.

 

Likewise, revealed I had created a website, got asked to look at the companies website due to a few issues then got asked to help the IT Manager with issues on the servers and network, lol.