One question I get a lot is how can I get an IT job without any technical experience. Fortunately I can answer that most people already have IT experience. It can be tough finding your first IT job when you have limited technical experience. But a large part of IT has to do with customer service, inventory management and the technology almost everybody uses every single day. Don’t believe me? Well then do a job search for entry level IT positions and just see for yourself. Most of them will require experience with Windows, Microsoft Office, PC’s, Customer service and yes even inventory management. You don’t have to put your first IT job on a pedestal. It’s not that hard. I mean, most highschool students have experience with the first three things I listed. Fortunately for you those high schoolers won’t be applying for the same jobs you will be. So now that I’ve convinced you, or rather, now that you’ve convinced yourself after searching job listings. Let me explain even further so that you can show off your IT experience to potential employers.

Let’s start with customer service. Communicating with customers is essential in any type of technical support role. It’s so important that the ability to communicate with customers effectively is something you’re tested on in the comptia A+ exam. This is also known as soft skills. If you’ve worked as a waitress, hostess, department store clerk, cashier or any other job involving customer service then you’ve got some IT experience already. 

If you’re worried that the technical aspect makes a huge difference. I can tell you that I help people with their technology needs all the time in my job. And a lot of the time I’m fixing something that doesn’t really take a lot of technical knowledge to fix. What seems to have a bigger impact on people is the customer service I provide. If I respond promptly to their tickets and communicate effectively then the customer is much more appreciative. If I didn’t do those things then the customer would understandably be more upset even if I did fix their problem.

This kind of leads into another point and that’s the technology that IT professionals support is usually the same technology we work with every single day. Most people have a computer, a phone, an internet router, or maybe even their own network equipment. It really doesn’t take much to build your own IT lab. You could even do it virtually on your computer. If you want to brush up on your technical skills then there isn’t much stopping you. But even if you don’t build out your own lab, there is still a chance you’ve had to fix your own computer or phone before. Every time you google a problem you are having with your electronic devices, you are pretty much doing what an IT professional does when the see a problem for the first time. The road to being an expert IT repair man is paved with Google search after google search. 

Now you may wonder how you can pepper these personal experiences onto your resume. Well you could just apply the solutions to your job. If a device at work gave you the same issue then how would you fix it? Well the same way you fixed your own computer or phone or router that one time it gave you issues. These could make some pretty interesting bullet points on your resume and help employers see you as more of a technical person.

At this point some of you may still be struggling to find any IT experience in your past jobs. If that describes you then you’re probably wondering “what if I don’t have any technical or customer service experience?” Well there is another big part of IT and that is asset management. Have you ever stocked shelves or received deliveries at work. What is the value of all the merchandise you’ve handled at one time? This may seem like a stretch but IT equipment does not come cheap. So if you can show that you’ve been trusted with expensive inventory before then that could go a long way with a potential employer. Especially for an entry level position. Another way inventory relates to IT is that inventory is usually tracked with software. You may have experience with an inventory management system similar to one used for information technology. 

Guys IT support is just another entry level job for people who are familiar with technology. And guess what? Almost every young person is familiar with technology. This may make me sound old, but kids these days have things like video games and social media.  Well technically I had video games and social media if you count Nintendo 64 and Myspace. That doesn’t really make me feel any younger, but there are people entering the job market who don’t even know a world without high speed internet let alone a world without internet at all. Again there I go dating myself. My point is… Yes there is a point. Being a young person is a definite advantage in the IT world. It is a job that is suited for a generation who has literally grown up with technology and has adapted to learn new technology quickly. There has been a new iphone every year since the first one in 2007. Really there has been more than just one a year because Apple has definitely released more than 14 kinds of Iphones. If you’re that person who studies the latest phone specs to see if it’s worth upgrading then IT is probably for you. And I have a hunch that includes a lot of people. 

So let’s review. If youre someone who has customer service experience…. I’m not saying IT is the only profession for you. But for someone who wants a clear path to a successful career. If you hate your current job but love technology. If you want to a job where you can learn and grow. If you want a job where youre valued. If you want a job where your skills are literally in high demand. A job that you could do literally anywhere. Even in the north pole. Then you need to get into IT now. Dont waste time like I did. I knew from a young age that I loved fixing computers. I built my own PC since High School. But I didnt get my first IT job til I was 35, oops I did it again. Yes I will soon be an old man but I’m glad that I’ve finally found a career that I love. So, I hope that maybe just maybe this helps some of you find a career you love as well.