Aspiring IT, how to learn server tech?

[MasterplayerC]

Hey,

Not sure if this is the right place for this, but I'll give it a shot.

I'm an aspiring IT guy and I've seen a lot of job opportunities requiring experience with things like SBS2008 and other server software/tech, and I'm curious if anyone could point me in the right direction regarding how to learn everything I need to know so I can fill an IT consultant position.

Is this something easily done with a how-to book? Do I need to take a class? Could I set it up on my own home network and play around with it? This applies to any and all server software and related technology.

Thanks in advance,
Chris

[Putz]

Any of the books and exam crams for the MCSE path would give you all kinda of info on that stuff

did my MCSE back in the NT4 days not sure if they still call the 2003/2008 courses the same, but once you find a job most places will allow you to go take training and have a test machine to fool around with

Unfortunately with the GW Bush aftermath economy here in Canada I haven't had my 2 weeks of training approved yet this year for 2008, although I used it from the MSDN package and i didn't like it one bit, I think 2003 is still the choice of majority, if not 2000 still.

[k1pp3r]

Unfortunately with the GW Bush aftermath economy here in Canada I haven't had my 2 weeks of training approved yet this year for 2008, although I used it from the MSDN package and i didn't like it one bit, I think 2003 is still the choice of majority, if not 2000 still.

There was no political question in the OP, so lets keep is outta this thread please. Thanks


OP: The way i learned server tech was baptism by fire, we terminated a tech and i told my boss to let me do it, i had no clue what i was doing lol. But i'm darn good now.

[groebuck]

It depends how you want to approach it. A lot of colleges now offer msce training. You can go to a boot camp as well - they offer a week long cram session that pretty much gets you passing the test. Certs matter for a resume if you have little to no experience but trust me. MSCE means less than real world experience when your actually doing the job. One of the chepest ways actually is to get a subscription to technet. I gets you acces to most all of the server and os software for a year and lots of on line training. You can set up virtual environments and learn basic AD design, Exchange best practices, SQL server basisc...etc.

[YeOldeStonecat]

Work for a place that provides that consulting service, working as an assistant for their primary engineers.

Nothing...nothing at all....beats "Hands on". ;)

Stuff like "SBS"..Small Business Server, that'll most be SMB consultant stuff, working with different setups, different equipment, different approaches to each client all the time. It's part of what makes it fun! :D

[Keiichi]

I really hate to say this, but...
Boot camps are going to be your best bet. They're expensive and really short on social engineering, but it'll fastrack you, and you might even learn about some open opportunities. I agree with Stonecat though, you gotta get some hands on stuff, at a school, in your basement, in someone else's basement etc.

[StarTrek4U]

Nothing...nothing at all....beats "Hands on". ;)


This

Your certs will not mean a lot if you have never touched a server in a business environment. Volunteer, get an internship, etc. The certs will supplement your experience, not replace it.

[darkpaw]

Please don't volunteer unless you actually know what you're doing :P

I spent a few years volunteering my time to clean up after the volunteer that "knew some computer stuff" at a few non profits. If they have some IT people you can work with, it'd be a good opportunity though.

Technet + online training helps a lot. Having a machine that can run 6-10 virtual systems + technet + various resource kits/MS cert training books will get you some real good hands on training.

[Keiichi]

Nothing wrong about volunteering, just don't lie about your abilities.

[MasterplayerC]

Thanks for all the replies, I wasn't expecting such a strong showing.

Yea, I'm currently trying to get my foot in the door internship-wise. I'm gonna be a senior in college and getting hands on experience is definitely my goal, but its been harder than I expected to find somewhere to start. There are surprisingly few places that advertise internship openings in which you can do mostly bitchwork while learning during downtime. (PS if you're in the NY city / Long Island area and have some suggestions please let me know.)

I've been messing around with home-built PCs for years now and worked my way through most of the MS OSs and had a brief foray in Ubuntu to see what it was like, and am in the process of procuring a Macbook so I can tool around in OSX, but it seems like the technology for small/medium businesses is a little out of my range as far as dicking around at home.

Technet seems interesting, I'm definitely gonna check it out.

Also, baptism by fire would be my preferred method as well, but that requires having a regular position first. I'd love nothing more than to flex my brain muscles and impress my superiors with my speed of learning new technology lol.

[MrGuvernment]

IT consulting wont happen over night, you need experience and alot of it if you really want to make it, i have 8 years in this job working with servers and i wouldnt even considering doing IT Consulting for a living with out alot more experience.

[k1pp3r]

Also, baptism by fire would be my preferred method as well, but that requires having a regular position first. I'd love nothing more than to flex my brain muscles and impress my superiors with my speed of learning new technology lol.


Its not really a "Flex your brain and impress people" gig, thowing yourself into the fire is one of the most stressful situations you can possibly put yourself in. Keep in mind that your not impressing anyone, they think you should know how to do the tasks anyway

[Keiichi]

"Baptism by fire" route isn't going to be the best way to start. It's great if you're a tech or an engineer, but not so much in the consulting world. You'll be more of a jack of all trades, and trying to find ways to make things easier and cheaper for your clients and yourself.

[MasterplayerC]

Stress isn't an issue for me. 5 years in the catering industry doing everything from setup to supervising to bartending 300 person weddings has prepped me for stressful situations, and I don't crack under pressure as it is. People don't scare me and I handle situations well.

But yea, I don't intend to jump into consulting. I'm hoping to find a regular tech job to get some experience first, but I'm having difficulties getting there at the moment. I honestly just mentioned consulting because a position opened up on a listserv I belong to, and I can't see myself just doing straight helpdesk/IT tech stuff for more than a few years, I need some business oriented responsibilities to keep me from getting bored.

[YeOldeStonecat]

Stress isn't an issue for me. 5 years in the catering industry doing everything from setup to supervising to bartending 300 person weddings has prepped me for stressful situations, and I don't crack under pressure as it is. People don't scare me and I handle situations well.

I've been in restauranting....catering, bartending...and law enforcement.

Wait til ya have to revive a dead server (a job that often racks your brain with hard thinking as you're going through various steps)...with the bosses of a business hanging over your shoulder until it's back up. :D

[YeOldeStonecat]

To narrow things down...and influence answers better, are you looking at SMB consulting? Or working in some IT deparment at one company?
Two quite different things.

[MasterplayerC]

Right, let me clarify. I'm currently a senior in college with no formal internships/jobs in IT. Everything I've learned has been on my own (save a brief foray into Target's backroom inventory database system, and helping stupid people get on my school's network).

I think consulting is something I'd enjoy doing in the long-run, but obviously I don't have anywhere near the experience to do it right now. Working in an IT department is what all my advisors are suggesting, but I'm reading this CompTIA A+ book and its boring the crap out of me, aka I've spent enough time building and troubleshooting hardware/software on my own that I've got all the basics covered.

I've tried finding an internship/job that will have me assisting and learning from an IT tech or manager and its slim pickings (or they want 3 years experience in a helpdesk environment, which I don't understand because its supposed to be an entry level job). My curriculum has me doing database/SQL stuff in the fall, but thats too late to put it to use in an internship.

I love challenges, and I'm good at troubleshooting and explaining things to people, and efficiency/optimization has become almost a hobby of mine, but my strongest attribute is my versatility in general. Show it to me once and I'll figure it out halfway through you explaining it, it doesn't matter if its hardware, software, forms, setup, dealing with clients, employees etc.

Everyone keeps saying "pick one thing to specialize in" but I'm trying my hardest to have that not be the final answer.

[YeOldeStonecat]

If you have experience with computers, esp hands on, yes you'll find the CompTIA A+ 'n stuff boring....but just go through it, it's still good to build a foundation for your future courses. And some of those courses have pre-reqs being those entry courses....so...just plow through them and get 'em over with. Remember..build that foundation to keep building upon.

I started out a couple of employers ago just being hired in the "break/fix-it" department of a "ComputerLand" franchise in my area. They were just getting into doing consulting for businesses...and I started helping out one of the senior engineers...going with him on jobs, helping with larger setups, and for almost 2 years straight..working under his direction in wrapping up a big wide area network we did for a large town schoolsystem. So I really didn't waste my time much doing boring break/fixit stuff.

There are tons....TONS...of SMB consulting businesses out there. I can leave my office and drive 5 minutes in either direction and pass a few. And we're all slammed busy. As you drive around town....look at all the businesses you drive by. They run on computers, chances are they have a handful of more of computers, and a server or more. The ideal SMB client for what we do is between 10 -75 workstations, and at least a server or a few servers. If you get smaller than that...you pretty much just have a little peer to peer network that any high school kid can setup for just 50 bucks an hour. Once you get past 10 PCs, chances are you have at least 1 server involved..and now you're commanding an IT guy with more knowledge, and can better command at least 100 bucks an hour. Introduce Small Business Server..and chances are even better at getting more money, because there's a lot in SBS to teach people in utilizing. Once you get a business with a network of above 75 PCs...chances are they're a big enough company to have their full time IT guy or guys...so you as the SMB consultant tend to not be used by businesses above that size.

[TechieSooner]

Unfortunately with the GW Bush aftermath economy.
:rolleyes:
So many things wrong with that statement, but we'll move on...

Wait til ya have to revive a dead server (a job that often racks your brain with hard thinking as you're going through various steps)...with the bosses of a business hanging over your shoulder until it's back up. :D
This.
I'm a pretty laid back and mellow guy... And worth with 90% of people that almost have ADD and have zero patience. You won't know what stress is until you've got a downed server with everyone asking when it's going to be back up.
Yes, I still handle the entire thing with patience and being laid back, but honestly: the people will piss you off.


I'm pretty much was similar to your situation. Except it was a flip-flop. I was making house calls and working for myself pretty much, then took a job at a very fast growing SMB with no prior IT department. Talk about a drastic change.

IMO, stick with the SMB route. Here's why... Smaller business are more flexible. If you either become in charge or are just a person on staff, you are generally able to get policies changed easily.
In larger business or government, you're stuck with the same policies they've had for 10 years.

That's a huge part of it, for me.

[MasterplayerC]

IMO, stick with the SMB route. Here's why... Smaller business are more flexible. If you either become in charge or are just a person on staff, you are generally able to get policies changed easily.
In larger business or government, you're stuck with the same policies they've had for 10 years.


This has definitely been on my mind. The biggest frustration for me in any of my jobs thus far hasn't been working with peers/clients, but bonking myself on the head every time a manager gives an order or focuses on something that is so ass-backwards and stupid its mind boggling.

I'm at the point where I'm just going to start offering myself as an unpaid internship to small businesses and startups that would be willing to teach me as payment, as the job postings websites suck for what I'm looking for. Again, my trouble is finding the companies.

I'm going to be trying to get involved in the NY Tech Meetup, an organization that gets tech startups, IT professionals, and venture capitalists together in NYC to demo ideas and such. I'm hoping by walking around I'll be able to find the right fit. I just can't imagine why startups and small businesses aren't openly looking for people in my position. Sure I'd have to be trained for a about a week, but not having to drop precious cash has got to be worth it.

[xBabyJesus]

My friend did a post on the topic (or, a very similiar topic) that's worth considering:

http://joshuamaher.com/2009/04/10/entry-level-email-admin/

[TechieSooner]

This has definitely been on my mind. The biggest frustration for me in any of my jobs thus far hasn't been working with peers/clients, but bonking myself on the head every time a manager gives an order or focuses on something that is so ass-backwards and stupid its mind boggling.

Exactly...

The problem really doesn't go away in SMBs though... The difference is that you can get stuff changed in an SMB much easier.

The upside to a larger business: you put in your 40 hours, follow the policies (right or wrong) and collect a paycheck.

An SMB IMO would offer you more experience. If you could find a place with an IT person or two, you could learn by experience quite well.