[City]

Hey everyone. Been a minute since I posted something on here, but I figured I'd get some community input on this one. 
I feel currently stuck in my career, still working retail (I've stepped down several times as part time then regained full time). After speaking with some friends, I decided to study for and take the CompTIA A+ exam. I figured there's a few people here who have experience in this. What are some end goals after this exam? What types of positions should I start researching, and how is the job outlook? Where would I advance from there? I have an idea of the answers to the stuff in my mind, just want to gather some other input. I have doubted myself at times studying for the exam if this is really the right move for me or if I'll ever be able to perform well in a technical support role should I pass the exam and get hired on somewhere.

Just as a background, I am not totally new to the tech field, I dabbled with web stuff back in high school but it's been a long time - 9 years, so totally out of date with that. I decided to get back into the field because I remember how much I enjoyed that, plus it is interesting to me. It also fits my personality (more reserved) and in general has the work schedule I desire. The other careers I have tried in between stints working retail were very social and sales oriented. Worked in 2 hotels (my degree is in Hospitality Management) and also got my real estate license and tried that for a year and a half, but neither really fit my personality, nor do they have the working hours and demand that fit around the life I want to live. Thank you to anyone who has advice for quite a personal problem.

[bunniey]

You're going to just want to find a level 1 support desk job. Avoid a call center if possible. You don't even necessarily need your A+ if you already have some experience you can throw down. Right now, experience is worth more than certs. A lot of places are having a hard time finding data analysts if you can learn SQL and get that going.

[RussEfarmer]

hello system administrator here
first of all good luck on the A+
The first positions you are probably going to go for as a first IT gig is desktop support or for a helpdesk/service desk (or more commonly both). I would recommend starting at an MSP (managed service provider) who provides IT infrastructure and support to other companies as a contract service, this will give you a TON of coverage across different areas of IT. Don't worry if it feels like you have no idea what the hell is happening, if you have a supportive team who lets you learn and helps you out a bit you are in the right place.

Use this time to get familiar with the industry and learn from your peers. You will learn a lot from how your coworkers solve issues and by shadowing tier 2 support/admins, watching their thought process, reading documentation they put out about certain issues, etc.

Once you get a little comfortable in helpdesk you can start thinking about what you want to specialize in, and start to learn on your own. There are industry certifications for virtually every major part of IT (CCNA for networking, RHCSA for enterprise Linux, Cisco CyberOps Assosiate/CySA+ for general cybersecurity, AZ-900 for MS Azure cloud), I would pick an area you enjoy working in/more interested in than the others and start studying and labbing.

I would also highly recommend doing some projects at home. You don't need any crazy equipment, just a crappy computer to play with or even Virtualbox on your computer. Use it to learn Microsoft Active Directory, DNS, how to set up file shares, Hyper-V, or whatever else you think is cool. Just decide to do it, look up the documentation for it, and get it working so you can understand it. You can also learn Linux and figure out how to run a web server, set up containers, make a database server, or do whatever else you can find if you search "linux homelab" on reddit

Most important thing is don't stagnate, always be learning and experimenting with new crap. If you have no idea what the hell you are doing and are doing it anyway, you are doing it right. You will never NOT feel like that, you just feel like it with different stuff than last month, because you learned it and moved on to the new thing this month.

As for the job market in IT... it's "meh" right now, but it's nothing catastrophic and it will get better. Compared to the 2020-2023 boom in IT jobs this year looks like crap, but it's just par for the course.

[Potato]

PM me on Discord. I don’t have my A+ yet, but I do have my Sec+. Any CompTia questions you have, you can always ask me

[City]

You're going to just want to find a level 1 support desk job. Avoid a call center if possible. You don't even necessarily need your A+ if you already have some experience you can throw down. Right now, experience is worth more than certs. A lot of places are having a hard time finding data analysts if you can learn SQL and get that going.

I considered data analysis when I was exploring a career change. Looked into university boot camps but after speaking with some friends and doing my own research I decided those aren't worth the money ($8,000-12,000). They said a lot of data analysts have a more mathematics and statistics background. Sucks cause I took calculus in high school and statistics my freshman year of college, but I'm so out of practice. 
I know regardless of job people always recommend learning python too

---

hello system administrator here
first of all good luck on the A+
The first positions you are probably going to go for as a first IT gig is desktop support or for a helpdesk/service desk (or more commonly both). I would recommend starting at an MSP (managed service provider) who provides IT infrastructure and support to other companies as a contract service, this will give you a TON of coverage across different areas of IT. Don't worry if it feels like you have no idea what the hell is happening, if you have a supportive team who lets you learn and helps you out a bit you are in the right place.

Use this time to get familiar with the industry and learn from your peers. You will learn a lot from how your coworkers solve issues and by shadowing tier 2 support/admins, watching their thought process, reading documentation they put out about certain issues, etc.

Once you get a little comfortable in helpdesk you can start thinking about what you want to specialize in, and start to learn on your own. There are industry certifications for virtually every major part of IT (CCNA for networking, RHCSA for enterprise Linux, Cisco CyberOps Assosiate/CySA+ for general cybersecurity, AZ-900 for MS Azure cloud), I would pick an area you enjoy working in/more interested in than the others and start studying and labbing.

I would also highly recommend doing some projects at home. You don't need any crazy equipment, just a crappy computer to play with or even Virtualbox on your computer. Use it to learn Microsoft Active Directory, DNS, how to set up file shares, Hyper-V, or whatever else you think is cool. Just decide to do it, look up the documentation for it, and get it working so you can understand it. You can also learn Linux and figure out how to run a web server, set up containers, make a database server, or do whatever else you can find if you search "linux homelab" on reddit

Most important thing is don't stagnate, always be learning and experimenting with new crap. If you have no idea what the hell you are doing and are doing it anyway, you are doing it right. You will never NOT feel like that, you just feel like it with different stuff than last month, because you learned it and moved on to the new thing this month.

As for the job market in IT... it's "meh" right now, but it's nothing catastrophic and it will get better. Compared to the 2020-2023 boom in IT jobs this year looks like crap, but it's just par for the course.

Thanks for the help Russ! I literally just started readings and videos for the A+, this Professor Messer guy is awesome breaking down complex topics into more simple language. I already feel that "I don't know what the hell is going on" feeling, like idk if I'll ever understand this crap. I don't think networking is my thing cause that's the section that's got me so confused with A+.

[Nate]

Yeah, Professor Messer is definitely where it’s at. Also make sure to check out Jason Dion’s practice exams on Udemy. He makes them for most of the CompTIA certifications, and they’re highly accurate to the actual exam. (Don’t ever pay “full price” on Udemy, they always go “on sale” for $20 instead of $80+)

Also if you’re interested in getting a degree in tech, message me on discord. The degree I’m going for right now, includes A+, Net+, Sec+, Pentest+, SSCP, CCSP, CySA+, ITIL, and a couple more. (Around $3000 if you paid for them yourself and passed your first time) The tuition is half of most other schools and it’s completely online with you being able to complete at your own pace. I am also transferring in 55% of my degree before officially starting by using a two platforms where I sign up for the month and complete as many college courses as I can. They’re $100 and $200 a month, and if you equate half the degree to 2 years, I’ve saved $18000 from this. But if you’re interested in getting a degree in tech, definitely message me on discord and I can give you all the details!

[City]

Yeah, Professor Messer is definitely where it’s at. Also make sure to check out Jason Dion’s practice exams on Udemy. He makes them for most of the CompTIA certifications, and they’re highly accurate to the actual exam. (Don’t ever pay “full price” on Udemy, they always go “on sale” for $20 instead of $80+)

Also if you’re interested in getting a degree in tech, message me on discord. The degree I’m going for right now, includes A+, Net+, Sec+, Pentest+, SSCP, CCSP, CySA+, ITIL, and a couple more. (Around $3000 if you paid for them yourself and passed your first time) The tuition is half of most other schools and it’s completely online with you being able to complete at your own pace. I am also transferring in 55% of my degree before officially starting by using a two platforms where I sign up for the month and complete as many college courses as I can. They’re $100 and $200 a month, and if you equate half the degree to 2 years, I’ve saved $18000 from this. But if you’re interested in getting a degree in tech, definitely message me on discord and I can give you all the details!

Appreciate it! Considered school but from everyone I talked to experience is far more valuable than a degree. I already have a bachelor's degree even though it's not tech related it's still business related. Not really wanting to go back to school for another 2-4 years if I can help it.