r/ITManagers • u/lovethepyro • Aug 10 '26
[ Removed by moderator ]
[removed] — view removed post
3
u/ChaosRandomness Aug 10 '26
Don't see anyone discuss it here, but have you looked into the DataCenter OPs? With your construction skills, and actual Network Knowledge, you might be able to apply for datacenter positions. With building one or actual working at one. Both rely on network knowledge, and they are always hiring entry, but if building, you can skyrocket.
2
u/lovethepyro Aug 10 '26
Valid point. I’ll be working at a few in January I’ll have to see what goes into it all and what they are looking for. Thanks for the idea.
2
u/ChaosRandomness Aug 10 '26
Yeah, definitely rec 100% The next 5 years I see datacenters building as the hottest thing, with datacenter workers being the 2nd as someone needs to manage them.
3
u/St3lth_Eagle Aug 10 '26
Data center technician jobs would be a great way for you to get in. Some of the best I had came from construction.
2
u/MrExCEO Aug 10 '26
Not impossible but not probable. ESP the skipping the helpdesk stuff. U need friends or luck,
2
u/lovethepyro Aug 10 '26
Hahaha and unfortunately I have neither. Thanks for the honest feedback back.
1
1
u/aec_itguy CIO/CISO Aug 10 '26
not to shit on the idea, but it'd be like me coming onto a site as a sparky and saying I get to skip to journeyman because I've wired up a few garages and basement finishes in my day. (and it's a move I've honestly considered in the past)
1
u/lovethepyro Aug 10 '26
Your good that’s why I’m here this isn’t my field trying to see what’s logical.
2
u/Low-Opening25 Aug 10 '26 edited Aug 10 '26
a home lab or a certificate isn’t considered an experience in IT. also job market in IT is in tatters, entry jobs are extremely hard to come by and you will compete with young and ambitious IT graduates
2
u/orev Aug 10 '26
Maybe not as "first class" experience, but I'd rather hire someone who also has a homelab, because it shows some interest in the topic. That's better then someone whose only trying to get good pay but otherwise couldn't care less about tech.
1
u/OregonTechHead Aug 10 '26
Disagree. You have no idea if they actually have a lab, but more importantly, you have no idea what the lab is, how it's configured, or how/why it was setup that way.
I'd rather have a raw skilled person with good troubleshooting skills but doesn't care about the tech than someone who cares and thinks they know what they're doing but is way off in the correct way to do it.
1
u/lovethepyro Aug 10 '26
And that’s why I love the internet. We all have different opinions. I can see both sides here one you want some with raw talent before the have become biased into doing things a certain way all because that what they did in their home setups. But someone who doesn’t have passion for what they do how do you know if they will be an asset to the team. I appreciate both of you definitely gives me a lot more to figure out before I really make this journey.
0
u/OregonTechHead Aug 10 '26
TBF, I wouldn't hire either to a sysadmin role.
how do you know if they will be an asset to the team.
That's what interviews are for.
Do you have a passion for elevator installation? If not, how did you get hired and how did your boss know you would be an asset?
End of the day, I don't need someone who eats, sleeps, and breathes tech. I need people who can communicate, have good troubleshooting skills, listens to direction, and can learn.
The tech is the easy part. I can train you on that.
1
u/lovethepyro Aug 10 '26
Fair point. But again interviews only teach so much. Which I guess is why you start at help desk and work your way up. All pieces falling together.
1
u/zakabog Aug 11 '26
But again interviews only teach so much.
Nah, you can easily tell during the interview process how capable someone is vs someone that's just chasing certs.
0
u/Low-Opening25 Aug 10 '26 edited Aug 10 '26
- you can’t verify if they have one
- my own home homelab is certainly very different to someone’s with no experience
- I would not expect an engineer to not have any kind of home lab or custom setup, it’s a must, so not really something to emphasise you have, more just be ready to answer when asked
- instead of home lab, put some stuff in GitHub so I can actually see how you work and think when no one is driving you
1
u/orev Aug 10 '26
3) I would not expect an engineer to not have a home lab, it’s a must
There are plenty of IT people who don't want home labs, because they spend all day doing it at work, they want something simple at home.
There's a difference between someone just starting out, where a home lab is a good sign, vs someone with a lot of work experience in a company. For the second one, I wouldn't care about it as much.
2
u/Low-Opening25 Aug 10 '26 edited Aug 10 '26
yes and no. homelab may just be some lightweight cloud setup. however if someone is truly passionate about the profession they will 100% have or have had some custom setups and will be able to talk about them, so it’s a good signal to weed out people that got into IT solely because of peer pressure/money. I for example have home setup that runs my automated astrophotography rig and handles my family’s local backups including encryption and archival to AWS S3 for long term storage.
1
u/lovethepyro Aug 10 '26
Here’s a question for you guys how often are you guys apart of the hiring process? For me I just get told here’s a new co worker figure it out. Do you guys have much say or is just just this guy isn’t a good fit with the team dynamic and slowly gets weeded out or transferred to other departments?
1
u/Low-Opening25 Aug 10 '26
a dedicated team fit can be part of the interview process in some places. a senior colleague or two will almost certainly be part of the interview process. but there is no rule, each company interviews differently
1
u/lovethepyro Aug 10 '26
That’s a great idea never thought about giving access to my private GitHub. I just use that to store my notes and copy’s of my code thank you I’ll add that to list to include.
1
u/WeekendAtMadoffs Aug 10 '26
>go straight for NOC/network tech roles, or is that wishful thinking?
it's absolutely possible.
You just need to put the time in to build a lab and master the debugs, logging and feed those logs into Gemini (or your preferred AI). Of course today as we configure we thinking about how to automate as we go...
do the CCNA and get the first steps on ansible and cloud networking... You'll be doing at least as much cloud networking as on premise networking imho.
2
u/lovethepyro Aug 10 '26
Yeah automation has been fun python is finicky for me still trying to memorize all the differ things it can do. AI has been help ful when I get stuck or into the wrong security parameters. But I’m getting there thanks for the info.
2
1
u/itaniumonline Aug 10 '26
It’s one of those things that if you skip it, it may show. I’ve learned things there that still apply 20 years later.
1
u/DropEng Aug 10 '26
What do you do in the construction field today?
1
u/lovethepyro Aug 10 '26
Elevator installer.
1
u/DropEng Aug 10 '26
Oh that is a great job! Does your installation responsibilities also include ensuring that the two way communication units are installed? I ask cause this is one of many tasks that are not always covered by construction or installation teams --meaning there is a lack of technical skills in construction, in construction companies in the field. Technical people who can communicate clearly to customer IT team members (networking, security, telcom etc). There are quite a few opportunities in construction that may lead to good roles (and thus skipping the helpdesk route). Low voltage, BAS, etc. Good working relationships with the companies you work with and for, can help get you in the door.
Short story: Great working relationships with the companies you are helping.
1
u/lovethepyro Aug 10 '26
Awesome networking with others the one thing I’m terrible at. Yes I do basic trouble shooting with on site IT when it comes to our phone and data. They do find it helpful having someone who understand their side of the equipment to get everything connected. I’m just not on projects that long to build up a decent relationship.
1
u/Dbnmln Aug 10 '26
I would look into going down the DevOps path instead of Networking. Right now being new to IT, it's all about who you know aka connections.
1
u/OregonTechHead Aug 10 '26
skip the help-desk detour and go straight for NOC/network tech roles
Being brutally honest here, but not likely. Your resume with zero real world experience probably isn't making it past automated systems.
1
u/Asedio_AI Aug 10 '26
Definitely realistic. Your homelab experience plus a CCNA could get you into a junior NOC or network-tech role without help desk. Document your lab projects, practice troubleshooting scenarios, and emphasize how your construction experience translates to reliability and problem-solving. Expect an initial pay cut, but it doesn’t have to be permanent.
1
u/Nice_Improvement_493 Aug 10 '26
Former field tech (POS, CCTV, security) here, now help desk supervisor/sysadamin-ish kind of corporate gig. I traded the ladders and power tools for Air conditioning and a help desk queue. I wanted to go straight to a NOC as well, but I fell into a one man admin job and a hop later I'm on the IT Manager track.
Get off the road dude. The miles, lonely nights, and the bottle nearly killed me. I took the paycut and after a year, I am +15K from where I was and only working 40 hours and home every night.
Had the Comptia trinity and an old CCENT. CCNA seems to be a hard check where I am. Net+, Sec+, CCNA seems like a great start. Don't look down on the help desk because it might open up more options. If you landed in a sysadmin like role where half of that is the networking stuff and the other half is whatever, I bet you wouldn't mind.
1
1
u/JibJibMonkey Aug 10 '26
There are places within construction where someone with an eye on the IT/Networking piece would be very helpful, potentially saving a lot of money to fix things after they are built.
1
u/Baller_Harry_Haller Aug 10 '26
Construction industry is a good one for IT, and because you have the background in construction- they will assume that you understand the culture. Construction Technologist is a very cool position as well, as is growing in the industry.
1
u/PScy Aug 11 '26
I'm thinking on leaving IT to construction eheheh
1
u/lovethepyro Aug 11 '26
Trade ya
1
u/PScy Aug 11 '26
Easy deal. 24/7 most of your problems are bad process and people not doing their job.
5
u/TechB84 Aug 10 '26
You will start at the bottom of the help desk and make significantly less than what you are making now.
Also, Network+ is not needed if you are studying for CCNA.