Help Me Get Back Into The IT Field

Morphio25 on 07/12/2022 - 07:35
Last edited 07/12/2022 - 07:52

I was made redundant back in 2019 from a company I'd worked at for almost 10 years in Customer Service/Level 2 Helpdesk and then into a projects team servicing corporate clients building MPLS networks. My job title there was Network Administrator and then Engineer (but that was mostly so they could give me a pay bump, I wouldn't say I'm qualified as an engineer though I do have a CCNP which is about to expire).

I then got myself a job working on an internal service desk at a bank for 6 months doing AD/Exchange admin and basic IT support which I ended up leaving because there was no promise of a permanent position and I needed that security at the time so we could build a house.

Through a family member I ended getting a job in public service which is basically just an admin type thing and is definitely NOT something I want to continue doing into the future, it has served its purpose and I wish to go back to IT.

Problem is all the roles I am applying for in the public sector (they're Service Desk/Technology Officer type roles) I'm not even getting interviews for and the feedback I'm being given is that all the other candidates have various degrees etc that I do not. Ideally I would like to stay in the public sector though I'm not closed to going back to private.

So if you were in my position what skills would you try and learn to give yourself a leg up and perhaps at least start getting interviews for some of these roles. Keep in mind that I do not have the time (I have a 6 month old daughter) or resources (single income household with continuously rising mortgage rates!) to actually study a full blown degree.

I was thinking some sort of Cyber Security course might be a good way to go and I will renew my CCNP to keep that active (even though it's been 3 years since I've used it).

Cheers

Education & Work

Comments

  • Pikaloo on 07/12/2022 - 08:39

    Communicate to the manager of the team you'd like to join within your government organisation and express interest. Ask them to keep you updated if there's any roles opening soon. Usually they send out EOIs allowing internal staff to apply before the role is made public.

    If you have an understanding manager, it also doesn't hurt to let your manager know. Maybe they know a manager that may be looking for someone.

  • Cheaplikethebird on 07/12/2022 - 08:56

    Have you tried outside of gov roles? It's hard to get experienced help desk staff atm so I'm surprised you're having issues with your last relevant role being in… 2019?

    • Morphio25 on 07/12/2022 - 09:06

      I haven't, mainly because I'd like to stay within government however there is a provision for me to take leave without pay for I think up to two years to go do something else and still be allowed to return to my current role so that's definitely something I can look into.

      • jv on 07/12/2022 - 09:28
        +1

        because I'd like to stay within government

        why?

        • Cyphar on 07/12/2022 - 14:08

          Tenure & job security most likely. Gets to keep their LSL

        • Morphio25 on 07/12/2022 - 22:37
          +1

          Job security mainly. It's hard to get rid of government employees. I've actually only been there 2.5 years but I am permanent in my role. I'm not turned off from the idea of going back to private sector employment though.

  • Quantumcat on 07/12/2022 - 09:17
    +3

    Definitely stay in government work since you've managed to get in - the job security is great. You could study a diploma of IT through CIT. I started my career with a government cadetship which is where you work part time and study a degree part time, but there were also people doing apprenticeships, which is the same thing but doing a diploma in IT, and they end up doing jobs like you were doing and what you want to get back to - installing networks, help desk, network admins, etc. A degree would be the wrong thing for the job you want to get back to and a diploma is a bit quicker and easier. Plus you probably already know everything you'd be studying anyway. Would be a bit of pain for a year or two but worthwhile if it gets your career going in the direction you want it to go. You can also apply for jobs while you're still studying, and put a future date on that diploma in the CV. Make sure your cover letters are really good, if you still don't get interviews after putting that on your CV along with all the experience you have, I would look at paying someone to help you with your cover letters.

    • Morphio25 on 13/12/2022 - 08:16

      Cheers for the reply. I assume a diploma of IT is done through TAFE? If that's something I can study part time while continuing to work full time then I definitely would be up for that. I just can't afford to drop down to part time work to study as I'm currently the sole earner in our little family and when my wife does go back to work she is in childcare which pays poorly (i.e. we need my wage to survive).

      • Quantumcat on 13/12/2022 - 08:45

        Yeah I think you could keep working full time, especially since you would already know most of the material. It will be a stressful 2 years but worth it

        • Morphio25 on 13/12/2022 - 09:37
          +1

          Just had a look at TAFE SA's website, looks like Diploma courses in ICT are free for students who start in 2023. Looks like I can do any of the following.

          Diploma of Information Technology (Cyber Security)
          Diploma of Information Technology (Systems Administration) & (Cloud Engineering)
          Diploma of Information Technology (Advanced Networking) & (Cloud Engineering)
          Diploma of Information Technology (Advanced Programming)
          Diploma of Information Technology (Back End Web Development)

          The hardest part is going to be choosing which one I should do. The advanced networking portion looks to be Cisco R&S which I'm already qualified in so I will breeze through that part (though a refresher won't hurt).

  • Seraphin7 on 07/12/2022 - 09:54

    Without spending time or money on qualifications, the only option you have is to keep talking to relevant people to see if you can get an "inside run" on something.

    If you are consistently finding yourself out-qualified by other candidates, that's going to be a hard game to win.

  • pharkurnell on 07/12/2022 - 09:58
    +3

    Its sad that a fancy piece of paper is worth more than 10+ yrs of real world experience.

    • star-ggg on 07/12/2022 - 11:16
      +4

      What if you are getting candidates with 10+ yrs of experience and the fancy piece of paper? 10 yrs is a long time for ppl to get the piece of paper.

      • pharkurnell on 07/12/2022 - 16:12
        +1

        Most people don't and shouldnt need a piece of paper if they have 10yrs experience in a certain area….

    • Clear on 07/12/2022 - 11:54

      Company I work for has offices all around the country and any experience will always be taken over a piece of paper anyday. It's really hard to find applicants with experience compared to people with degrees.

      • star-ggg on 07/12/2022 - 12:23
        +1

        As manager, it's a lot easier to benchmark salaries for people with clearly defined attributes. I assume this is especially the case for government where every decision you make has to be documented with justifications.

        • Clear on 07/12/2022 - 12:27

          Government sure do love degrees over experience.

          • pharkurnell on 07/12/2022 - 16:13
            +1

            @Clear: Yep.certainly sounds that way!!!

            We've had people come in for jobs who have bits of paper and no idea what they are doing.

  • alexlim2000 on 07/12/2022 - 10:01
    +1

    Have you considered working for a Power company? They need network engineers, and are less picky about degrees.

    That being said, I feel that some sort of project management peice of paper would be more useful to you than a paper for CyberSec - CyberSec is fast paced and fast changing - you need a portfolio of experience in CyberSec or else you have to start as a grad.

    I feel project management would better respect the past experience you've had.

    • Morphio25 on 13/12/2022 - 08:12

      I worked for a power company for exactly four days on contract before I decided not to go back. There was absolutely no training in any of their systems or any direction about what they wanted from me each day. I also don't think I was quite in the right head space at the time.

      I wouldn't mind starting as a grad in CyberSec, those jobs pay more than what I make now but the thing is I don't have the time nor the funds to go to uni and study.

      Do you happen to know anything about boot camps such as the kind Adelaide Uni offer in things such as Cyber Sec and Data Analytics? Are they worth it and can they lead to getting work in those roles?

  • mini2 on 11/12/2022 - 16:51

    Are you in Canberra? There should be some level 1/2 helldesk opportunities coming up, except they're likely to be at APS3/4 level.

    Alternatively, have you considered branching out to SD-WAN given you have MPLS knowledge? Heaps of murmurs around the place where SD-WAN will go replace a fair bit of MPLS as they're expensive, and Tel$tra is an absolute pain to deal with.

    • Morphio25 on 13/12/2022 - 07:59

      Unfortunately no, I'm in Adelaide.

      The last time I renewed my CCNP was in 2019 shortly after I was made redundant. That is due to expire in February and from the looks of it the certification has largely changed such that I don't know I'll be able to recertify before it expires.

      I've not looked at SDWAN at all and now being in a job and industry where I don't have access to kit to play with everyday would make learning it harder than it otherwise would be. It appears the new certification focuses more on SDWAN and it's technologies.

      • mini2 on 17/12/2022 - 17:53

        Just whack in (expired) next to CCNP in your CV…I wouldn't completely rule it out, given not everyone's on the latest and greatest bit of a kit or need their tech's certificates to be current.

        • Morphio25 on 17/12/2022 - 17:55

          Great idea, I will do that. I plan on recertifying at least to the CCNA level. It I plan on starting from scratch because it has changed so much since I first did it.

  • [Deactivated] on 13/12/2022 - 08:23

    Problem is all the roles I am applying for in the public sector (they're Service Desk/Technology Officer type roles) I'm not even getting interviews for and the feedback

    Public sector employment is not worth the time and energy. I have been through a few and several stages and each time they just wasted mine and many thousands of peoples' time and did not even receive any communication. I called them for a feedback and remember that I felt insignificant. I believe they have way too many applicants than they can even respond to, but have to go through many inorder to give "equal opportunity" to all applicants.

    • Morphio25 on 13/12/2022 - 09:53

      Certainly seems that way yes. I've had two where they've not even bothered giving me any feedback despite me asking.

      One of those was communicating with me through the application process when I queried him on a few points. Once I submitted my application and then sent a follow up email a week later he replied again but once I received a 'your application has been unsuccessful' email a few hours later and I asked for any feedback it's just been radio silence.

      I'm wondering whether emailing and asking about any updates to my application is hurting my chances to begin with.

  • kiwiyonip on 17/12/2022 - 22:52

    Have you considered being a long haul Truck driver? I see they're paying up to $160k yearly.

    • Morphio25 on 19/12/2022 - 06:39

      No. I have a 7 month old daughter and I wouldn't want to be away from her for that long.

  • kiwiyonip on 02/02/2023 - 09:15

    My officemate was a labourer when he started, then dabbled on many roles within the company until finally settling with being an IT tester, then took some certifications for it, then now has been enrolled in a full IT course while working, wanting to be a software developer. But being in Software Development is stressful and many people are switching careers from that, so I doubt if he's gonna last long in the field, so I would just suggest try IT Networking, Security, etc, where your brains not gonna hurt from constant thinking and stress resolving issues.

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