Sheer Persistence
100s of 'No's
My first 'Yes'
Originally posted on r/ITCareerQuestions
TL;DR Career shift. Feeling disappointed, but kept moving forward. Started volunteer tech work -> lead to basic tech contracts -> lead to a full time tech job. Has anyone ever used Acumatica ERP? Thoughts? Tips?
I wanted to make a shift towards Tech. I got my CCNA and brushed up on AD, SQL, etc. I applied to hundreds of jobs, got A LOT of phone interviews, and a lot of 'no's. I was feeling disappointed.
I had a mental shift. I knew I needed more experience. I started doing a lot of tech jobs at my local church** and small tech jobs for friends. These led to small contracts locally - running CAT6 cabling, setting up security cameras. I started getting enough contract work to hold me afloat (financially).
Then I started getting in person interviews. I would always make it to the last round of interviews - I have a customer service background so I know how to connect with people. But, I would hear the same thing - "we went in a different direction. We like your personality, but we need more _____ experience." Though disappointed, I knew there was a job for me somewhere.
Finally I got an interview with a high-end furniture company in my area. They needed someone to be a local expert at their ERP solution (and do some other smaller tech jobs). From a previous job, I had experience with a large grocery chain's proprietary ERP - not developing, just GUI expertise. But my well rounded** IT experience showed I could learn this ERP - Has anyone ever used Acumatica ERP?
I start in a couple of weeks. Enough time to start learning Acumatica and close out some other contracts I am working on.
Comments & Questions
u/DirtyScooby Biggest thing about the IT field:,Getting your first job. Always the hardest part. About who you know, not what you know.
u/Prazzic exactly, that pretty much goes for any job. it sucks, but it is the honest truth
u/[deleted] hello, sounds like I'm the same boat you WERE in. I'm in customer service now and i am having a career change to IT. i am working on getting my COMPTIA A+ now, get a help desk job, gain some experience and some other certs (MCSA mainly) then in a year or two apply for a more admin type position. I'm scared to go through what you went though where i am taking tons of interviews with little experience but you have to start somewhere right?
u/Glitchnj OP I'd encourage to start applying now; it can't hurt. Every 'no' I got prepped me for what the next interview would entail. And taught me what employers were looking for. I had 2 particular jobs that said they'd offer me a job but required A+ cert. I was too stubborn to get it.
u/[deleted] yeah man i was working on getting my MCSA first but after consulting reddit i decided to do the A+ first. how did hte customer service background work? i think a help desk job would like it
u/Glitchnj OP I worked in a grocery store for 5 years. And I'm good at talking with people. Just basic stuff like that. It's literally a skill anyone can practice. A guy named Network Chuck on YouTube always talks about the importance of customer service in the tech field.
u/cassinonorth I recently made the switch from retail management to IT. First things, first. Don't leave your current job. Grit and bear it until you get an in with a new company. Steady paycheck can help in the meantime while you weather the no's and ghostings from companies. This gets repeated ad nauseum, but for good reason. Network network network. You need a foot in the door. Sometimes your 3rd cousin's boyfriend's cousin can vouch for you and get you an interview or even a position. You'd be shocked the people that you know already that have connections. I played beer league hockey with a guy who's a tech recruiter in Philly and another who is an IT manager at a company in NYC. Second, you're on the right path with your A+. Get that and it should be plenty coupled with your customer service to get a MSP help desk job. From there you'll have to decide what career path you'd like to go on and the certifications which will take you there. Good luck!
u/[deleted] thanks man i really appreciate the insight yeah its who you know not what you know right!
u/[deleted] also im right here in south jersey!!! my brother in law is head of web security at the navy yard near the bridge that gaps NJ and Philly!
u/cassinonorth To start a career 100%. Once you gain the magical 3-5 years experience + relevant certifications you'll get annoyed by the amount of recruiters.
u/ZrRock I just got in a major company in my town. I interviewed with 3 different people for a tech 2 position. They called offering me helpdesk instead, but at a MUCH higher pay than I expected for helpdesk. I start on monday. Prior to this I had been in retail customer service/supervision for a couple years. Its doable.
u/cdoublejj i skipped the A+ but, i'd been working on desktops since middle school. if you're new to it then go for it.
u/HBarnestech That’s awesome! Same thing happened to me. I graduated and couldn’t find a job anywhere in IT. I put in so many applications I couldn’t count...finally I said screw it and started working at a grocery store in the deli...then I applied for our towns school district as a tech and I got it!
u/SmashinStrudle What did you do prior to graduating in terms of work?
u/HBarnestech I worked at a college it department as a technology student worker for 4 years. I was also their highest paid worker as well as had administrative rights and privileges. Then I worked as a technology tutor for a year and a half.
u/Glitchnj OP Woah. bro that is surprising. you had that amount of experience and you still struggled to find a job. I guess it is true what they say, the first job is always the hardest.
u/HBarnestech I seriously thought its because I'm a woman. They have done statistical data that its harder for a woman to find a job in IT than it is for a man.
u/Glitchnj OP That's funny. In the NYC metro area there are jobs that specifically LOVE hiring more woman. There are "Women in Tech" groups, etc.
u/HBarnestech Yea its not like that around me. I wish it was. Back home near Chicago, it would be good but I live in southern Missouri where they are still kinda old fashioned...
u/DontTreadOnMe2020 Congrats! The IT job market can be a huge field to navigate, and extremely deflating. I went through same experience a few years ago interviewing with big tech companies. I have 20 years experience, but feel like a jack of all trades, and master of none. I found a small company where I can do basically everything, and O enjoy constantly working on and learning new stuff. I don’t have experience with Automatica, but do have experience with SAP, and tons of experience with CRMs. At the end of the day data is data. You sound like the type of person that will find a way to succeed. So congrats again and good luck on your new endeavor!
u/Glitchnj OP I'm so fascinated by the tech field. My girlfriend, whose a nurse, always says that her jobs train her in whatever specific skills she needs. While many tech jobs want a prior expertise before hiring. It almost requires us to become jack of all trades just to survive.
u/DontTreadOnMe2020 Funny my wife is a nurse, and wanted me to pursue a nursing degree when we first met. I cringed at the idea of dealing with bodily fluids, some more than others! I’ll say this about nursing, it does, at least at this moment, allow a lot of job security and flexibility to live and work most anywhere. The same can be said with remote IT work, but companies still haven’t embraced this like they should. A good compromise would be working in the hospital IT field, but you are doubly screwed there. They want IT experience AND hospital experience. So yeah I totally understand what you are saying! ;-)
u/[deleted] I hope this doesn't sound dickish, but.. this really makes me appreciate just how lucky I got. I put in about 10 applications, no relevant experience, and somehow got a full time help desk job. It seems like getting in tends to be the hardest part. I hope this new job works out well for you!
u/Glitchnj OP not dickish. just facts! I have always had a history of applying for 10 jobs and getting 7 interviews. I had great favor in that regard. That is why the 100's of applications came as a shock to me. But hey... perseverance has to develop somehow.
u/flashster12 Did you enjoy learning SQL? I’m thinking of learning it
u/Glitchnj OP I actually found SQL to be pretty easy. I used a lot of Excel spreadsheets in the past. I feel like SQL is the natural next step after Excel. There were a couple confusing JOIN statements. But with a bit of practice, you start to speak it's language. I did find it funny that when I was swapping from python to SQL it felt like shifting languages in my head. (English to Spanish or something like that)
u/sold_myfortune This is an amazing and inspiring story. You have learned one of the keys to working in the US IT industry, namely that determination contributes to success more than anything else. Congratulations on your new job, may it be the first of many.
u/digitalplanet_ congrats
u/Iced__t First of all, congratulations! I was just recently in the same boat and know how frustrating/time consuming the job hunt can be. Took me nearly 3 months of applying and interviewing (with an A+ and a couple other random certs), but I finally got an offer and have left the retail world behind! My biggest piece of advice to anyone looking to break into an entry level job is to watch videos on/play around with Active Directory and apply to every IT job you come across. It's a numbers game.
u/cyberjobmentor Woohooo!
u/SoloDolo314 Proud of you. This is determination and hard work paying off.
u/[deleted] Would it be possible to do it without the certs (getting them after one has the job)? No certs here, just a degree and some experience that doesn't seem to land anything aside from a few first round interviews.
u/Glitchnj OP Personally, the certs didn't help me with the job I landed. The certs helped get a couple interviews. And I think the certs just show you're interested in learning and growing.
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u/[deleted] Relocate.