How to Get into IT without Experience or Qualifications.
If there was ever an industry to get into, Information
Technology must be it. The opportunities abound for earning a
lucrative living and now is the time to get on board.
But how? If you have computer skill but no experience (or
qualifications), the employment agencies will tell you the same
old line, "You need experience before anyone will look at you."
It's just plain old Catch-22. You need the work to get the
experience but you can't get that first job to give you a track
record and therefore verifiable experience. With this logic, it
amazes me that anyone actually gets into IT!
Qualifications help but even that is no guarantee nowadays of
getting an IT job. And what do you do when you don't have
qualifications but you want to start now? I mean right now, not
3 months later after you've paid a fortune for certification and
given up your job to have enough study time.
All is not lost. You have two alternatives.
#1. Offer your services free of charge
For a company to take on - as an employee - someone with no
experience is a risky proposition. But all companies need IT
help. Therefore, do the following:
a) Make a list of 10 local small businesses with approximately 5
to 10 employees. This size of business is too small to have a
permanent in-house IT manager yet big enough to have need for IT
support.
b) Call each with the following script:
"I'm calling about the possibility of working for your company
free of charge in exchange for work experience. So, I'd like to
speak to the owner about this please. Could you see if they are
available?"
This will get the attention of whoever answers the phone as
they'll realise it's not just another sales call. You'll have a
high chance of getting through to the boss.
c) If you get through to the boss, say