Some course/career advice needed

[Stevepage]

Since 2007 I've been struggling to find a full time job, I've had work but it's only been temporary which at one point put me through a horrid depression. However I'm determined to turn things around and be able to support myself and my future wife.

The reason is because I only have qualifications in music and as us guitarists know, qualifications mean nothing to musicians. They also mean nothing to the recruitment manager at the warehouse down the road. So I've been thinking of going back to college on a part time basis and actually getting a qualification in an area where I know there will always be a demand of some sort. There's a few reputable college's near me that offer affordable courses with decent level qualifications when completed.

I've always had an interest in making things work or developing upon something so I think this would be a good idea. I did also try getting into plumbing and other trades but even though people say there's a huge demand for them, it's near impossible for some one like me to actually get the experience and knowledge without putting myself into near poverty and debt.

I've given it some thought and I'd like to get a qualification in computing , either networking or web design. Are there any of you guys on here that have a job in either of these areas?

Also what qualifications do employers look for?

Bare in mind I'm 25 and due to get married at the end of the year so I can't afford to go on a full time course.

[Twinfan]

Computing is a good idea in theory, but there's a LOT of work being outsourced to cheaper countries - India in particular.  There are fewer IT jobs like that in the UK than there used to be.

Are you any good at/interested in programming?  Can you get a course in some of the specialist web stuff like Java, or some of the database stuff like Oracle?

[Stevepage]

I had looked into Java and Oracle databases but the course prices are too pricey for me.

[Twinfan]

Shame.  I think the basic stuff is well covered in the market, I think you may need to find a niche?

[Dmoney]

what about looking into doing infrastructure installation. I used to do that.
I used to install the CAT5 cables in schools. My mate made a scalable server solution as a product and based it on Linux Red Hat. He's gone away from doing that and more into IP based CCTV.

Point is... installation of networks and maintenance of them is needed still. Small to medium sized businesses often have a main server, some system of backing it up, some average routers and switches. BAM. Seem from my experience that its more larger companies that use CISCO routers and virtual LAN's etc. Our network where i'm based in pretty crazy in complexity.

So, maybe you could look into doing that as a project manager or technician? doing CISCO courses seems to be a big deal. Or if you can demonstrate a lot of knowledge in networking maybe do a project managers course. critical path analysis and that sort of thing.

[Afghan Dave]

I've worked around Oracle at quite a high level and employed some excellent professionals and the experience out there (those you would compete with) is exceptional now and constitutes a massive barrier to entry.

In a way your lack of professional background can be seen as a big bonus. You can be very creative and quickly adapt to the needs of the labour market.

I have to say this, and please don't take offence - Do you have to be married this year? - Marriage is great and I'm sure it will be great for you but I tend to feel that you don't build a house when the earth is shifting under your feet.

You will probably have to spend £5 - 10k minimum on it!

You will have your whole lives together and the next few years will only get more challenging economically.

"Love flies out the window, when debt knocks at the door"  :?

[Stevepage]

Yeah marriage is definitely on this year. Everything's been booked and confirmed as I proposed in 2010. The marriage isn't a problem as we don't plan on having kids for a number of years yet and she's very supportive in helping me find work or training.

I'm open to ideas so keep them coming and thanks for the advice already given.

[MrBump]

I'm an IT manager for a bank, and I started as an Infrastructure engineer.

There is still a market for decent skills in this country - yes, there's a lot of outsourcing to low cost centres (I do it, I'm afraid to say...), but there is still demand in the UK for decent IT professionals.  Have a look around Jobserve.co.uk to get a flavour of what's out there and what's in demand.

Microsoft Certifications are always good to have, and my industry likes them a lot.  There are networking qualifications that are expensive (Cisco certification is always desirable), but you really need experience to go along with it.

As with most careers, you'll generally need to find the lowly jobs before you make a decent living out of IT - service desk analyst, or junior developer debugging code.  But it can be rewarding.

[Chris]

The trend for outsourcing work to other countries seems to be following the expected route and starting to come back to the UK somewhat, so the IT job market is improving, but slowly.  I'd echo what a few other people have said here and look at getting into the hardware/network/installation side, because that seems to be more bouyant from what I've seen.  Of course, you have to be sure that you follow a path you'll enjoy though - if you prefer programming, go for that over network installation/support.

Also, if you aren't particularly bought into a platform yet you could do worse than look at unix/linux training - demand for these skills are on the up at the moment as opposed to the Microsoft stuff, which is significant, but already has a lot of good people competing for the contracts that are out there.

Of course this is only my experience, things may be different in your neck of the woods - why not contact a consulting/recruitment firm near you and ask them what skills are most in demand at the moment?

[Dmoney]

on the IT side too, broadcast is increasingly moving over to IP based interconnections where digital video circuits over coax used to be used. For example, some video encoders and multiplexers are connected using twisted pairs and intelligent routers rather than direct connections through multilayer video router.

Broadcast kit has a 10 year lifespan generally speaking, so you could take some IT skils into broadcast. Lots of current broadcast operational engineers don't know a lot about that side of things because the technology moves faster than the knowledge base of long term staff. Asynchronous Serial Interface over IP is the real deal.

[ToneMonkey]

Not sure where you're based, but we're looking for apprentices. Electrical fitters moving on to cable jointing etc. There's a lot of people I work with that came up through the tools and there all earning a good wedge now. Jobs are about as secure as you'll get too.

Depending what they're offering then an apprentiship could be a good way to go.

[Stevepage]

I didn't realize more people replied. I'm based in Hertfordshire (Hatfield and Bushey). Tonemonkey what's the name of your company?

[juansolo]

What I've noticed in IT is that jobs are continually being segmented, simplified and procedurised. Essentially so cheaper less skilled people can do them, mainly off-shore. It's not an industry I'd look to going into if you're looking at the systems admin/development/middleware specialist type thing these days. Or if you're a techie, that side of the job is just vanishing. It's more admin and compliance than anything else these days.

There will however always be a need for hardware engineers/installers. From the sat behind a computer side of things, networking is the way to go as everything needs to be plugged into something... But as has been mentioned, qualifications don't come cheap in that so be prepared to start at the bottom and work up.

[Johnny Mac]

I'd agree with the Jaunsolo. It is always changing and things get easier to do, its not something I would want to rely on pay a mortgage and feed a family.

Are you any good at fixing things? If you are think about becoming a Diesel Fitter. Fixing lorrys and buses ect. They get very good money. They will always be in need. At 25 you're still young enough to get into a trade like that but you will have to be prepared not to earn much until you become more qualified. On call fitters for DAF can earn £150 a shift so I'm hearing.

[ToneMonkey]

I didn't realize more people replied. I'm based in Hertfordshire (Hatfield and Bushey). Tonemonkey what's the name of your company?

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