Resume's and no college education...

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In my field of expertise: the more advanced the certifications (on IT side) the more likely to get past the initial screeners and ended up doing face-to-face interviews.

We recently had a few interviews for an intermediate position: the prospects came with glorious (absolutely glorious, makes you wonder why he/she is over-qualified for our position...) resume and over-qualified certifications for the relevant field...and there it was on resume saying that he/she had worked in major national companies in US during the past 8yrs or so.....but it wasn't until we did the in-person interview that we instantly realised such person has communication difficulties...can't even convey simple technical messages across to us...

interview anxiety, perhaps? but in our field we not only have to know our stuff well, but also need to be able to write reports, verbally communicates with other stakeholders about suggestions, issues, etc.

Just my thoughts on the subject.

Q.
 
Originally Posted By: Thermo1223
I would love to do that I just wonder about the financial strain it might cause on the family. We barely make it now that both girls are in daycare full time.


That makes it quite rough. Some programs can be done while you work. I had a [censored] but did a Computer Science degree in the early days of e-learning remotely honestly while I worked a boring technical job that paid okay. Somehow I was getting my 8hrs paid work in 4hrs so I could do my school work the other 3-4 hrs via a telnet for programming homework sitting in my cubical.
 
Employer does not offer tuition reimbursement.

They would like to not offer health insurance if they could. Thankfully my wife's insurance keeps us out of that constant fear of getting "really" sick.

They do not offer a 401k as well.

I am just going to apply and see what I get, as was said the worst they could do is throw it away.
 
Have a portfolio of your work for any interviews. I'm not sure what an IT guy could use, printouts, reports generated, screenshots, etc. Something showing accomplishments that you can slap on the table and talk about enthusiastically.

We interviewed a guy years ago for an engineering position. He had a bunch of molded parts that led to an interesting conversation and we hired him.
 
Originally Posted By: Rick in PA
Have a portfolio of your work for any interviews. I'm not sure what an IT guy could use, printouts, reports generated, screenshots, etc. Something showing accomplishments that you can slap on the table and talk about enthusiastically.

We interviewed a guy years ago for an engineering position. He had a bunch of molded parts that led to an interesting conversation and we hired him.


Oh, we test our candidates with scenarios, mock (set up in labs) with routers and gears, with a design (question put on whiteboard) and ask our candidates to implement (and why).... grueling tests and while we do not expect perfect scores out of our candidates, we do evaluate them based on their reasonings, and in the case of implementation, we can test how well they know their stuff.

Experience helps a lot in this case, for we have candidates that possess excellent certifications (almost to the point of wondering if they hired someone to perform the cert exams on behalf of them to achieve such results), but failed miserably during the interviews...

and some has terrible EQ.
Q.
 
Are there any other certifications that you guys think would be very beneficial?

I'm looking into getting my A+ and CCNA. I currently have an AS in IT and have been working at my currently place for about 3 years.
 
This probably sounds like it's coming out of left field but...

Would joining the National Guard or Reserves be an option? I believe Pennsylvania is one of the more generous states when it comes to their Guard members.
 
Originally Posted By: kb01
This probably sounds like it's coming out of left field but...

Would joining the National Guard or Reserves be an option? I believe Pennsylvania is one of the more generous states when it comes to their Guard members.


It's funny you mention that!

I had felt like a huge part of what I wanted to while young & dumb was to join the Navy or Marines. I instead got really involved with my now wife and that left the table. Did [censored] retail jobs instead.

I brought up my desire to join again this time obviously as a reservist and my wife nearly threw something at me. I know it would be a struggle with 2 kids but I knew it would better me and in term them.

That was when I was 29 and based on how that conversation went I am reluctant to even mention it again.

I still feel I missed out on that opportunity but I was convinced by her/family/friends I'd be sorry. I kinda wish I just went for it. I am sure 9/11 had a lot to do with their reasoning.
 
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Originally Posted By: Thermo1223
I have the experience, I can do the work


For us older gents, comments like TomNJ's about high success with only a H.S. diploma is certainly MUCH less relevant in today's job market. But, I truly believe that old fashioned "hard work" and working one's way up the ladder (starting at the bottom) is still feasible.

Thermo1223, not too many people addressed the actual paper resume part of your question. Certainly, you should educate yourself about today's effective resume styles that would work in your best interest. Obviously, your resume needs to highlight your actual skills, both technical and personal (assuming you have above average work ethic) vs. your education trail. I want to believe that today's savvy hiring personnel are tired of the non performers who want to start out at the top without putting in the blood and sweat. Maybe I am delusional.

Anyway, investigate resume writing and maybe even pay to have someone tweak it to put your absolute best foot forward.

Best of luck to you.
 
first, good luck.
i would pursue the certs (DYI as much as possible, they are expensive in US) (they get you past some HR filters) and if family time allows, at the same time get the associate/bachelor degree.

but most important: tweak your resume, and learn how to sell yourself.
 
Originally Posted By: Thermo1223
Just turned 30, been doing my current gig for almost 10 years now.

The way the company is structured and managed it is a very dead end position. I am underpaid now for the work I do but it's hard to argue you deserve X amount with no education. I basically get paid 1/4 of what the lowest end consultant would charge for the same work.

Ya I know that has been bugging me that I never got around to getting any certs. I would easily pass them all now. Working on CCNA now actually(well studying).

I'd suggest doing an inventory/assessment of yourself. This may still be included in the What Color is your Parachute? books. BTW if you've never read that book, I would recommend it.

Find out what the competition is and what sets you apart from them. All employers have problems and they're looking for problem solvers. They also want critical thinkers and listeners who take the time to diagnose before they prescribe. IOW, think like a detective.

Also, education is more than certs & degrees, it also includes thinking, a lot of reading and doing research. A lot. How many of your peers do this? If they're too lazy, that gives you an advantage. It's still important to read, comprehend, critically think and learn to apply that to your work...whatever that is. It may sound like a lot of work now, but you'll get better at it the more you do it like anything you're learning.

One more thing, there's more to making money than income. There's also expenses. How much do you keep. As mentioned earlier, learning a trade, being handy, also helps yourself and your family. Working on your car(s), your home, your electrical & plumbing, heating/AC, painting, repairs, wood/metal working, etc. can not only save you a lot of money but develop your own skills as well.

I live in a nice neighborhood and more than a few of the guys question why I work on my own car, change oil, alternator, starter, etc. "Why don't you pay someone else to do that?" A vehicle is an appliance or status symbol to them. That's it. I enjoy learning about all of this as a good challenge to my skills and saving some money, especially as my indy now charges > $90/hr. These guys are also clueless and all thumbs when it comes to doing things like this. That's why they ask me for advice. They complain LOUDLY about what it costs to get something fixed, maintain it or replace it because they didn't take care of it. Like the one who bought a brand-new pressure washer and stored it with a wet pump: It corroded inside. Now it doesn't work so well.

When I was growing up and later in college, I was teased quite a bit by some relatives for always 'being into things', messing with this and that. I didn't appreciate it and didn't understand it, but kept at it. Working on my car, learning to repair fiberglass, tuning up a motorcycle, sealing up leaky outlets in their house, etc. Always curious how things worked, using my hands, learning something new, developing my skills, etc.

Over the last 30 years or so, all that 'messing around' has served me well. I've learned to do most of my own repair work on most anything, be a smart shopper, taught myself AC, woodworking, some metal working, plumbing, electrical, fiberglass repair, and saved A LOT of money and developed my skills to boot. Knowledge is power and it's hard to get ripped off or taken advantage of when you're one for the wiser. Remember "A Fool and His Money are soon Separated."
 
Originally Posted By: redhat
Are there any other certifications that you guys think would be very beneficial?

I'm looking into getting my A+ and CCNA. I currently have an AS in IT and have been working at my currently place for about 3 years.


MSCE, CCNA, A+, network +, SQL admin, VMWARE admin.
 
If one is short on paper work becoming self employed is an option but they say you may have a fool for a boss.
smile.gif
 
If self employment is an interest sticking to IT is great choice. I have been doing it for 12 years initially by force as company I worked for went under but client wanted me for another year.

The nice thing is unlike trades your overhead is bare minimum. I have only purchased three notebooks over 12 years and otherwise expense very little.
 
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