What certs do I need to start out at $20+ an hour?

Subaru_guy

Beta member
Messages
2
Location
washington
I'll keep this question short and simple.

My career has been construction, but due to joint damage, I'm worried I may have to leave the field soon. IT is my next career field choice, as I am quite tech literate already.

However, since i already have a mortgage, family, etc, I simply cannot afford to make less than about $20 an hour starting out.

What certs can I study for myself, and obtain quickly with minimal expense, that will make me qualified enough to start out earning $20 an hour or more? And what type of position would I most likely be doing?

I'm thinking about getting the Comptia A+, and Net+ to start. A brief review of the material leads me to believe I could cram and obtain them quickly, however, I'm having trouble figuring out....
A) Realistically what positions will that qualify me for?
B) Realistically what wage would I be looking at?
C) Is that even the best plan for my situation, or are there different/better certs to consider.
 
Network+, Security+, MCSE, CCENT, could start with these. Would definetely help you. What career path in IT though? Those would be ideal for networking. But if you are going into programming I would consider maybe the oracle java cert.
 
There is no magic button - sorry. Most people with zero IT experience can expect to make about 15 an hour sometimes up to 18.

MCSE 2008 R2 or 2012 will get you in the 40k a year. WIth about 1 year experience and an MCSE you can definitely make above 20 an hour.
A)All comptia certs will qualify you for entry level positions - these include help desk, desktop support, NOC
B)15 to 18 an hour. My first IT job was at a help desk for a large company and i made 18 an hour which was on the high end at the time. Within 2 years i was promoted which got me above 22. Within another year i left the company for a much higher paying job. If you work hard and get your certs you can easily make high 40's or mid 50's within 3 years in the industry.
C)Your best plan IMO is get your A+ and Net+. At that point start applying for jobs. While you are applying start on your MCSA Server 2012 R2. There are multiple areas to choose from, do what you enjoy most: MCSE Certification
 
Thanks for the replies.

I'm actually not entirely sure on which IT career path I want yet. Having never been in the field, I don't really know what all is out there in such a broad field. Perhaps someone can make some suggestions?

The only thing I don't think I would want to do is anything that has me intensely glued to the screen all day long. Such as programming where I'd be staring at lines of code, and typing syntax all day, or graphics editing, where I'll be intensely staring, tweaking images all day. I enjoy doing a little programming, and graphics/video editing in small amounts, but I'd hate it all day. I think I would most prefer something somewhat relaxed, with some downtime, work harder when things are busy or needing to be fixed, relax and work slower when things aren't busy or everything is running fine.

I also think I'd be happy "starting" at a helpdesk, or desktop support, or similar, as long as I was making enough to get by, but ultimately I definitely want to move up to bigger things.

So any suggestions to educate me on positions which may fit me well could be very helpful.

Also 2 more questions too.
1) How big of difference does area play in wages? I live near Seattle/Redmond. There are a ton of tech companies here. I don't know if that's a good thing (plentiful positions), or a bad thing (probably everybody flocks there).
2)Is the IT field in demand? Hard to find qualified people?
Or is it over saturated? Way too many qualified people trying to get in?
I constantly hear both of those, which are polar opposites, don't know which to believe.
 
1) How big of difference does area play in wages? I live near Seattle/Redmond. There are a ton of tech companies here. I don't know if that's a good thing (plentiful positions), or a bad thing (probably everybody flocks there).

Cost of living differences vary dramatically. For instance, a $50K salary in Columbus, Ohio is comparable to a $67K salary in Seattle according to this cost-of-living calculator: http://money.cnn.com/calculator/pf/cost-of-living/
 
Thanks for the replies.

I'm actually not entirely sure on which IT career path I want yet. Having never been in the field, I don't really know what all is out there in such a broad field. Perhaps someone can make some suggestions?

The only thing I don't think I would want to do is anything that has me intensely glued to the screen all day long. Such as programming where I'd be staring at lines of code, and typing syntax all day, or graphics editing, where I'll be intensely staring, tweaking images all day. I enjoy doing a little programming, and graphics/video editing in small amounts, but I'd hate it all day. I think I would most prefer something somewhat relaxed, with some downtime, work harder when things are busy or needing to be fixed, relax and work slower when things aren't busy or everything is running fine.

I also think I'd be happy "starting" at a helpdesk, or desktop support, or similar, as long as I was making enough to get by, but ultimately I definitely want to move up to bigger things.

So any suggestions to educate me on positions which may fit me well could be very helpful.

Also 2 more questions too.
1) How big of difference does area play in wages? I live near Seattle/Redmond. There are a ton of tech companies here. I don't know if that's a good thing (plentiful positions), or a bad thing (probably everybody flocks there).
2)Is the IT field in demand? Hard to find qualified people?
Or is it over saturated? Way too many qualified people trying to get in?
I constantly hear both of those, which are polar opposites, don't know which to believe.

Sounds like you got a start on where you want to go. No one knows exactly where they want to be or where they will be after a few years in the industry. For the most part do yourself a favor and read up and expose yourself to multiple technologies. As a sys admin when we interviewa ppl I laugh when they only know one specific technology and nothing else. I once worked with an exchange admin that couldnt troubleshoot a genera server acting slow or locking up. While having areas of focus is a must its a joke when I see ppl unable to do the simplest of admin tasks.

1. Area plays a huge role. I would venture to say as much as a 20% difference in pay can b bc of location.
2. Its saturated right now. The past five years or so when jobs were hard to come by ppl flooded the IT space for an easy way to make $20 an hour. Think about all the IT commerxials you see for school. I would say for entry level its hard to get in but once you are in and get experience its easy from that point.
 
Back
Top Bottom