IT career women - I am new!

Author

I am new!

Freespirit

2001-05-18, 7:57 pm

Hello, everyone. I am currently in the process of thinking about making a career change. I am a licensed counselor and am looking at becoming a Microsoft Certified Professional. My purpose for posting at this sight is that I might receive suggestions and/or advice on which route to go. Let me tell you that I have limited experience with the computer jargon. I use a computer on a daily basis and perform skills that I am not able to verbally name by their technical term. I am open to hearing from anyone and will sincerely appreciate any information you can share. Thank you.

Randy

2001-05-18, 8:25 pm

OK, that leaves a lot of room for talk . . . I mean . . . why are you considering M$ and how much do you know about computers? What are your interests? Your comments were so general as to make it a bit difficult to give advice. Computer jargon is easy to come by, there's too much of it really, a lot that doesn't mean much . . . but what is your hardware/software experience and what are your aims? If you can be a bit more specific, maybe somebody can offer a few more useful suggestions . . .

je.souhaite

2001-05-18, 8:34 pm

Congratulations , on deciding to make a career change , and in an interesting field at that , if you are just starting out A+ certifications may not be a bad place to start and also Network + which is offered by Comptia organization , both these certifications offer a very good intro into the world of Microsoft.

There is a great deal to learn , even though some people think that the above mentioned certifications are not worth as much to employers that is just not true , but more than anything , making it worthwhile to yourself and having a sense of accomplishment at what you do is where its at.

Be prepared though to study , study , and study some more , until you have to chug more than a few cups of coffee a day , and until you are absolutely , up to your ears in information , but never see things as an obstacle , only goals that you want to meet , there is a whole lot of resources on the web and a lot of it is free , but do invest in good textbooks , and if you can afford it a good class , you are going to be bombarded with technical jargon , so try to familiarize your self as much as possible.

The high tech industry has a lot of offer in terms of a life long career , and if you are dedicated to busting your butt , then you can go far , so what ever you do , and however difficult things might get along the way keep reaching for the stars.

Learn IT Live IT Love IT

Here are some links to get ya started

http://www.pcworld.com/

http://www.cnet.com/

http://www.techweb.com/encyclopedia/

http://www.pcwebopaedia.com/

http://www.glossary-tech.com/

Freespirit

2001-05-18, 8:39 pm

Thank you for your reply. I will be more specific. I am familar with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Works, etc. I can perform most basic functions. I am thinking that I would like to teach at some point - to go into businesses and teach people how to use a program. I may be interested in computer security. I would LOVE to operate a company's computer system, maintain it, answer questions, fix problems, set-up equipment, etc. Does this help? Tnank you once again.

Randy

2001-05-18, 8:55 pm

From what you have described, MOUS seems to be the direction you may want to go in, or maybe also MCT . . . maintaining a computer system is a LOT more problems than showing people how to use individual programs . . . that sounds more like a net administator's duties. Still, if you like teaching people how to use software packages, MOUS may be a good starting point . . . the A+ may be a good cert to try . . . netowrk troubleshooting can get quite complicated, so you had better be sure that is what you want before embarking on CCNA or UNIX certs . . .

SPittmon

2001-05-24, 2:30 pm

Hello,

I am a new memeber and I was reviewing some of the CHAT conversations from "FreeSpirit". I just wanted to respond because I have some MOUS Certifications and I presently teach Microsoft Word. I also have a Computer Information Systems Degree, so if you have any questions that I can answer, let me know. Anyone else is also welcome.

Kasor

2001-05-24, 2:58 pm

From what I see that you most like toward on the application support. However, what do you about hardware and networking.

Being a MS cert not only required you to know the MS product, but also knowledge on networking.

Randy is right, A+ will be a good start if you don't have any strong background on computer.

Nicole

2001-05-24, 3:42 pm

Hi Freespirit, and welcome!

Your background in counseling implies strong communication skills, and I think you'd get snapped up pretty fast for an entry-level help desk position because of that. GOOD help desk people are few and far between. I'm inclined to agree that a MOUS might be the place to start and/or an A+ -- you'll probably need one for that first job.

In addition to your idea of teaching classes, there are also internal corporate training positions... kinda like a proactive help desk position, but paying much better. I suspect that people who can train everyday users and do it well will have great prospects in the next 10, 20 or 30 years.

But as you learn more about computers, you might find yourself drawn in a new direction. Don't be afraid to change your mind! New specialities and niches are cropping up all the time. I think above all, you have to stay flexible -- the technology changes so fast, we're all just figuring it out as we go along.

-Nicole

JennyWren

2001-05-25, 6:18 am

I strongly recommend researching in your country/region as to what is demand. I made the mistake of going MS. Now I wish I had've taken Unix/Oracle first then MS, because I didn't research enough. I'd also recommend going to TechRepublic they have great white papers on trends. Good luck and don't make the mistake I did.

JennyWren

2001-05-25, 6:24 am

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