I just graduated high school, and I am interested in a career in IT. I am finding out 'IT' covers a LOT of stuff. My interest is in setting up networks for small businesses (between 5-50 employees) , and configuring/repairing servers for them. The problem is I don't know where to start. What kind of certifications will I need to be successful in this field?

Hi Carl Its great that you want a career in IT. I would have to suggest you to go university and study for a degree in IT. Research you choice carefully and ask what happens when you reach years 3 and 4. A lot of universities allow you to specialise in particular areas eg networking / programming once you get towards the end of the degree. Also find out if the university couse will allow you to sit exams from Cisco and Microsoft. Check out the CCNA / MCP's and CompTIA Network+ stuff. I'm trying to get switch career and get started in networking and I've passed my CCNA. Unfortunately I am finding it very difficult as I am being edged out by graduates. Good luck - make your choice with all the info. I may not have found it as difficult if i was a graduate... PS - find out if your local uni/college do courses at nightschool that you could do aswell as any IT course or if you were working. Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3P Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 2x1Gb Corsair XMS2 DDR2-800Mhz Sapphire x1950Pro 160Gb Seagate Baracuda 500W FSP Bluestorm PSU

I would recommend your A+, Network+, Server+ and possibly your Security+ CompTIA cert's to start with. If you could get those along with a 2 year diploma computer course (preferably from an accredited institution) you would be doing yourself a favor. Some IT schools offer a diploma course that includes some of the above cert's. At least, the one I went to got me my A+, Network+ and MCSE as well as their diploma. I would also try to get my MCSE if I were you.

d85kennedy: Most university level Computer Science courses relate mainly to programming and programming languages. I've yet to see a single one that offers anything but the most basic hardware, network or operating system courses. Most of what you described can only be had from technical institutes that offer diploma courses (as compared to degree's). If you find you're getting edged out on jobs, it's more likely an experience issue with regard to networking.

My opinion would be that the more you know the better. Limiting youself to a small portion of the IT field would be foolish. If you insist then contact local shops that provide that service and ask them what they would want you to have to get hired on. Brach out to more interests to include factory automation would be my suggestion. I read it wrong and answer it wrong too. So get off my case you goober.

Curt R, I would completely agree with your sentiments there. The jobs I am applying for are not 'senior network engineer' for example. I have been trying for trainee positions and 1st line tech support etc. I was turned down with an apprenticeship with BT due to being over-qualified in comparison to school leavers! I am over qualified and under experienced - even although i did the CCNA through the Cisco Academy program so i have 1 year lab experience as opposed to a 4 day crash course. However, In my opinion i am possible being edged out by graduates because their degree proves they are educatable to that standard, where as my qualification means i know a wee-bit about cisco... Also, the CCNA is very specialised which is also making it difficult. I would agree with Jefro in this respect. I hope there are some valuable points in here for Carl. (PS - have another interview with BT for a broadband installation engineer tomorrow - hopefully this is a foot in the door!) Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3P Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 2x1Gb Corsair XMS2 DDR2-800Mhz Sapphire x1950Pro 160Gb Seagate Baracuda 500W FSP Bluestorm PSU

First, I have to agree with Jefro. Don't limit yourself. I started doing exactly the type of work you talk about Carl. Then I moved to a position fixing servers, PC's and printers in financial institutions. Mainly hardware support and deploying images etc. That got pretty boring after a while. Then I had another job doing basically the type of work you described again. While I enjoyed that immensely, I found I wasn't challenged enough in the long run. Just the same as hardware support. Once you've done one or two small scale LAN's, even if it includes a windows domain, it's not hard to do it again, and again, and again........ However, all that provided me with a solid background in networking and experience working with an assortment of managed switches and routers. Now I'm a network technician and would never go back. What I do now is infinitely more satisfying, and challenging, to me. Maintaining an enterprise WAN with VoIP, wireless, a large datacenter. I work closely with our security department and am responsible not only for the day-to-day maintenance of all the equipment and the network itself, I also get to work on new deployments (like the integration of VoIP and an enterprise level WLAN). The project I'm working on right now, which I'm loving, is phasing out all our old switches for new ones. We're finally getting rid of all the old Cisco junk (sorry Cisco fans....lol) in favor of some awesome Nortel products. I'm creating stacks of switches, configuring VLAN's, dealing with routing issues, BGP etc etc etc....... Of course, we're all different and you may remain happy with the one type of work, I'd wager after a few years you'll start looking over the fence once you've found the area of computing that most tickles your fancy. So never say no to further training and always, always, persue as much as you can. The more you know, the more employable you are and the more $$$ you can earn. Also, if you know a lot and are good at what you do, it gives you job security. d85kennedy: The way things stand, it sucks! There are no college level "degrees" in networking. None! I know of one technical institute here in Canada that has a "network" degree which is actually an add-on to a 2 year diploma networking course. Now keep in mind, this is a fully accredited institution so the diploma is nothing to sneeze at (unlike most unaccredited private "do-it-yourself" colleges) but, the degree is more of a pseudo degree and the one person I met who actually has this degree, well, he applied for the position I now hold when I applied for it and he didn't even get an interview. Of course, lack of experience had a lot to do with that on his part. But, it's also a testament to the quality and acceptance of his "degree". Networking is a highly specialized field. It requires solid education and understanding to be able to do what I, and others in this field, do. I work with programmers, web developers, security specialists and other geek types and none of them can do what I do. Yet, most of them have degrees in Comp Sci. In fact, most of them call me up when they want to hook two PC's up at home in a small LAN.........LOL. There's a bias and a misunderstanding of the networking field that isn't likely to change in my lifetime. But I would like to see universities start offering some serious networking courses in their Comp Sci programs. I wish you well on the interview! Knock em dead. That's all you need, that foot in the door. A couple of years experience doing something like that and you can start looking at some of the really good jobs available out there.