Hi everyone,

I just want some advise on what i should do next from you guys in the IT industry, to let you know of my background i was studying a Diploma of Network Engineering in a private college in sydney and they went bankrupt half way through my course, so i moved here to switzerland to finish my studies and/or try to get into the industry as a junior.

I have completed:
-A+ os+/hardware+ certification (took the exam here in switzerland)
-helpdesk support management and theory
-project management
-structured programming including c++ (kinda basic, mainly the fundementals of programming)
-security and sharing
-network+ (still studying, will be taking exam here)

I mainly have alot of experience with winXP but not linux, im thinking of studying win2003 server as this will help me alot.

I have been doing unpaid work experience in a english company for the past month to get some practical experience on how a helpdesk works and so on, i enjoy it so much but find it abit hard to solve most of the issues that come in due to restrictions on access, and being in the office here in switzerland when most of the problems come from the UK and worldwide.

i document most of the issues into our program and install most of the programs users request and so on, emails, printers etc... nothing really practical mostly remote access is what im doing to solve the problems.

I have been offered a refrence from this company and i have to finish in the next week because the manager is returning from holiday's. I have asked for a position as a junior here but there is basically no room for another IT guy, and there looking for a native speaking german employee. But fortunatly for me i got the experience i wanted and have learned some usefull information on how to administor a few things in the network.

Please any advice on what i should do i will really appreciate it because before i was working here i had alot of trouble getting into the industry in switzerland.

Thanks for the time for reading my post, appreciate it.
Matthew James

Pretty much what everyone else in your position must do : look hard for a job. Quals and bits of paper are very important so make sure you have some even if your studies were only part complete. Make sure you get a good reference in both German and English language. Talk to some agencies here concerning the how best to pitch yourself at IT employers.

dave

At this level you'll almost always be expected to speak German, since you'll be dealing mainly with users. My advice would be brush up on your German and start getting the certificates. I'd also try to broaden your skillset to include Linux, this makes you far more useful in environments which may have both linux and windows. Taking a look at the CCNA probably wouldn't hurt you either.

I know it's tough at the moment, if I hear of anyone who wants to take someone for work experience I'll keep you in mind.

I am doing a basic german course at migros 2 nights a week, so starting slowly... I will take alook into the CCNA from cisco and look more into it. Shouldn't be too hard to get the books here in english i think.

As for going to a college here to do more certifications i don't think i can do that, as we payed $15,000 for the course and didn't recieve any compensation. So studying by the book is the only way todo it i guess. appreciate your advice and im definatly willing todo more work experience! thanks

Sorry, just to make it clear - I didn't advocate that you go to a college to learn such skills. I never did and I never would. As the saying goes "People who can read have an advantage". Learning German on the other hand is a different story

Just a book tip - due to the high cost of technical books I generally find that I can have the books in 2-4 days from Amazon.com in the US, pay the taxes and shipping and still end up getting cheaper than if I'd bought the same book here. You'll find that the higher level books here will all be in English, but the lower level stuff like CCNA may be in German only.

One thing very very important is to get a native Swiss person to write your CV.
Many people come in from different countries trying to find work using their own country's format. If a potential employer can't find your credentials quickly by searching where he would normally, you loose your chance.
My wife looks at hundreds per year and says this is one of her most hated items.
Also get it done in the language who you are targeting. Do you like to read German if you can't do it quickly? Most employers want to see the candidates where they can read quickly and find the information required for the position.
Look at all your angles before proceeding. First impressions are ever lasting when it comes to job search in Switzerland.

Appreciate your info, will get my CV updated asap

Check out ABEBooks.com, some times you can get even better bargins there.

Regarding buying books, see also Online Shopping

I still think you're crazy for wanting to work in IT though

thanks for the info regarding buying books, tts you think im crazy to work in IT? i was a chef in sydney for 3 years and i love the work im doing at the moment

I've got over ten years in IT, and yes, I think you're crazy

You need to decide what kind of work in IT you want to do. Helpdesk work? Programming? Systems administration?

Right now you're kinda new to all these areas. Certifications might help or they might not, it depends on the company you're applying to. Self learning is the only way to go, and the more you do, the better.

Marks suggestion of learning Linux is an excellent one. You'll learn a useful real world skill and (more importantly?) you'll learn a lot about how computers work.

But the IT space is so huge you really do need to figure out what you enjoy first then really cram on it, unless you're happy to continue doing helpdesk work.

We need a paperwork b*tch for few months to document some processes...

I don't live in Switzerland (yet ) so can't given specific advice about breaking into the Swiss IT industry. But I can give my 2c worth about the IT sector...

First of all I've been in IT on and off for 10 years and I think it's a great sector to be in! In my 20's I loved to travel and work in different countries and being an IT contractor made this easy. I've worked in sectors other than IT and, for me at least, IT has been the highest paid, lowest stress environment. Others may think differently but that has been my experience.

In terms of breaking into the industry I think the first thing to do, as Cantarell mentions above, is work out what you want to do. There are a huge range of potential careers within IT. Some of the obvious ones include network support, development, software testing, business anlaysis, project management, etc, etc. Of course you can always change once you're in the industry but I think you should have a rough idea of where you want to be in 5 years and work towards that.

Once you've worked out the area you want to be in certification can help you get your foot in the door. I've worked as a Business Analyst and Systems Tester and have found that, especially for getting that first job in a new market, it helps to have a recognised certification. Some certifications are very easy - I've done a couple in software testing that even someone with no experience could pass with a few days preparation. Even given that, they are still held in quite high regard by some organisations / recruitment agencies. So you may not learn much from doing them but it will help pad out your CV, especially when you have limited experience.

When it comes to actually finding a job my advice would be to get your CV looking very polished and professional and then start sending it out and making the calls. Dealing with agents can be difficult and I've been let down many times by dodgy recruitment agents. What I do now is try to get an impression of the agent. If they seem OK and seem to have integrity then I try and build up a bit of a relationship with them. i.e, rather than just e-mail call them to discuss possible roles, etc.

If you are finding it tough to find work in Switzerland, maybe you could consider trying some of the other european markets. I'm from New Zealand and started my european employment in London. I didn't particularly like living in London but it was definitely easy to find work there.

Anyway, that's enough of my ramblings .... good luck !

Corran