Hiya. Just looking for some advice at the moment, I’ve read/heard/seen a lot of people on here they work in various IT roles. I am currently really looking at a career change, I’ve worked in advice, support and counselling for addictions for the last six years and I’ve really reached my “burn out” phase. Stress of poor temporary work, major cuts and constantly dealing with morbid requests from people have taken their toll on me for the meantime and I just can’t stomach the work or mental agitation from it anymore.
I’m out of work at the moment and considering a complete career change. I know my way around a computer quite well, I have worked with databases,html, microsoft networking, visual basics and C++ in the past but only on a entry level.
My last few 10 years of experience has been around healthcare, even though I did build a database for a previous employer in collecting statistical information. So on paper I’m not really going to get a look in at any jobs in IT - AT THE MOMENT, other than a GCSE in IT (which amounts to nothing really) I have no other qualifications in IT at all.
I was wondering if anyone had some good advice about how to break into this field of work, I know this is very vague, as it’s a very vast area covering a lot of different aspects, but I’m more concerned with just getting myself job ready for entry level positions such as technical support and so on. I am quite intelligent, I’ve got a degree, loads of qualifications in counselling, drug awareness and healhtcare but NONE of these are recognised really outside the sector of healthcare/addiction support/counselling/working with people . I’m a good speaker, I did a lot of public speaking and running of groups in last role so I’m able to communicate and liaise with all manner of people and give clear advice and instructions.
Any advice would be worthwhile at the moment, so if you’re in the sector of IT and could imagine for a second you were in my position, where would you begin?