Introduction

I started my journey in I.T. in August 2023, less than 2 years ago at the time of writing this. I knew very little about computers and had no coding experience. I spoke with a Cloud Engineer, a Director of Tech Ops, a Director of Infrastructure and Security, and two I.T. Support Managers. This was their combined advice:

1. If you know nothing about I.T. and you'd like a broad introduction, it's wise to get the CompTIA A+ certification.
2. The rewards that this field can grant you are closely tied to the initiatives you take.
3. Think about where you want to end up before you start this career. (I'll speak more on this later)

For context: I'm now a Cloud Engineer and I make $80k/year. That's at my day job. In my own time, I'm a Full Stack Software Engineer.

Let's talk about building the fundamentals.

Fundamentals

Should I get a certification?

As I said, the CompTIA A+ Certification, which is made up of 2 exams (review here) will give you a very broad overview of how computers work. Many people recommend acquiring this certification because it's kind of like a "good-deed" in I.T. If you can focus and study the material, and pass, it's a precursor for your success. It'll prove that you can focus on tasks and apply the knowledge you've gained even if it's not always fun.

*Note: I use about 5% of what I learned in getting my A+ certification in my job now. It was on my resume that landed me the job I have now, however, at least some of my peers did not have this certification when they were hired. Remember, it's just best practice to get this certification so you're well rounded and can speak about a wide variety of things.

The CompTIA A+ will also gives you something to refer to when it comes time for your first I.T. interview.

Should I learn a coding language?

Don't worry about coding languages yet as they're not needed to get your first job in I.T. That's a > 6 month experience goal.

Do I need a college degree?

No.

Set Your Intention

Before I got the job I have now, I knew I wanted to go into Cloud Computing. I knew it paid well and I took an interest to it when I studied for my CompTIA A+ (as cloud computing is touched on in the second exam).

Many I.T. jobs are remote. If you ask me, this is the general appeal of working in I.T. I'm not going to tell you that you should go into I.T. just for this reason because the ceiling is incredibly high in this field, and getting higher. You should want the best for yourself and I.T. has so much to offer if you take it seriously.

Have a general idea of what you want to do, where you want to end up, how much you want to make. This will be your guiding light through your career.

Your First Job

Your First Position

Nearly everyone that starts in I.T. starts in something called "Help Desk" - this is a very entry-level position to I.T. This may also be called "Tech Support," "Tech Support Analyst," "Support Analyst," or "Product Support Analyst." Unless you have exceptional prior knowledge and experience in I.T. or with computers, this is where you'll likely start out. It pays around 35k to 45k per year at the time of writing this.

*In My Case: I started as a Technical Support Analyst and made $41k/year.

Work Culture

Work Culture strongly impacts (not dictates) your success in I.T. and should be something that you ask specifically about in your interviews. The company that you start working for ought to have an open-door policy (or as close to it as you can find). This essentially means that everyone in the organization can be reached. Lack of "red tape" means that you can start networking very early in the role. If you can find a company with a proven track record of transparency, promotions, opportunities for growth, take it.

That's how you get started.