Computer repair certifications? Yes? No?
June 28, 2011 2:26 PM Subscribe
Computer repair certifications? Yes? No?
So I'm taking a break from college this Fall semester and going back in the Spring to finish up my 3 semesters left for my Computer Science degree. In the meantime , I've been interested in getting my repair business off the ground and that's happened. I now have a website and have been posting flyers and business cards. It's slow, but coming along.
However, I'd also like to get on somewhere as a part-time PC technician/repairman (as a sort of internship kind of deal) and so far my resume hasn't gotten any bites whatsoever. Now maybe the companies (and colleges I've applied to) want someone with far more experience than 7-8 years, but I'm thinking it's because I haven't completed my C.S. degree in addition to fact that I don't have any certifications under my belt. I have experience, but I think with the competition out there and the fact that they probably have degrees and/or certifications, that I'm not gonna get a glance until I get one and/or the other.
What do you think fellow mefites in the IT/Computer industry? Why are these companies rejecting me and not even emailing me back? Given the fact that my degree is still 3 semesters away, is it time to start getting some hardware (and possibly networking) certifications under my belt?
-Travis
So I'm taking a break from college this Fall semester and going back in the Spring to finish up my 3 semesters left for my Computer Science degree. In the meantime , I've been interested in getting my repair business off the ground and that's happened. I now have a website and have been posting flyers and business cards. It's slow, but coming along.
However, I'd also like to get on somewhere as a part-time PC technician/repairman (as a sort of internship kind of deal) and so far my resume hasn't gotten any bites whatsoever. Now maybe the companies (and colleges I've applied to) want someone with far more experience than 7-8 years, but I'm thinking it's because I haven't completed my C.S. degree in addition to fact that I don't have any certifications under my belt. I have experience, but I think with the competition out there and the fact that they probably have degrees and/or certifications, that I'm not gonna get a glance until I get one and/or the other.
What do you think fellow mefites in the IT/Computer industry? Why are these companies rejecting me and not even emailing me back? Given the fact that my degree is still 3 semesters away, is it time to start getting some hardware (and possibly networking) certifications under my belt?
-Travis
Not sure what the job market is like where you are, but maybe take a second look at your resume. Be sure to include a cover letter summarizing your experience, conveying some sense of your personality and customer service perspective and interest in the job.
If you've got 7-8 years of employment experience as a computer repair/desktop support technician, that's more than enough to qualify for a job without a degree (or with a degree in progress) or certifications. Honestly, I don't think A+ or HP/Dell repair certifications are worth much in the job market.
posted by cnc at 2:41 PM on June 28, 2011
If you've got 7-8 years of employment experience as a computer repair/desktop support technician, that's more than enough to qualify for a job without a degree (or with a degree in progress) or certifications. Honestly, I don't think A+ or HP/Dell repair certifications are worth much in the job market.
posted by cnc at 2:41 PM on June 28, 2011
There's a fairly well known adage about certifications "IT Certifications are for people with nothing on their CV." A+ and basic repair certs aren't worth the paper their printed on. The Apple cert is handy if you want to get hired as an Apple repair person. Any certs higher than the repair ones aren't really geared towards someone in "repair" so to speak.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 2:47 PM on June 28, 2011
posted by Mister Fabulous at 2:47 PM on June 28, 2011
isoman2kx: "However, I'd also like to get on somewhere as a part-time PC technician/repairman (as a sort of internship kind of deal) and so far my resume hasn't gotten any bites whatsoever. Now maybe the companies (and colleges I've applied to) want someone with far more experience than 7-8 years, but I'm thinking it's because I haven't completed my C.S. degree in addition to fact that I don't have any certifications under my belt."
It could be your underqualification, but it could also well be your overqualification. CS degree commands CS degree salaries, while an A+ certification offers no such threat of turnover. In the colleges I've worked at, computer repair is a part time student job given to students with paper demonstrable aptitude, who will stick around for multiple years. In other words, anyone who can get past HR and is currently affiliated with the college has a great shot.
That and, repair services depends on underlying asset prices justifying the expense vs just buying a replacement. Unless you have a big box store dedicated to locating the utterly clueless (perhaps you'll call it Nerd Squad), computer repair is not looking fantastic. As I understand it, many contractual (service contracts / warrantees, usually on servers or expensive laptops) repair places have outsourced to freelancers, who aren't in good position to be hiring competition.
posted by pwnguin at 3:10 PM on June 28, 2011
It could be your underqualification, but it could also well be your overqualification. CS degree commands CS degree salaries, while an A+ certification offers no such threat of turnover. In the colleges I've worked at, computer repair is a part time student job given to students with paper demonstrable aptitude, who will stick around for multiple years. In other words, anyone who can get past HR and is currently affiliated with the college has a great shot.
That and, repair services depends on underlying asset prices justifying the expense vs just buying a replacement. Unless you have a big box store dedicated to locating the utterly clueless (perhaps you'll call it Nerd Squad), computer repair is not looking fantastic. As I understand it, many contractual (service contracts / warrantees, usually on servers or expensive laptops) repair places have outsourced to freelancers, who aren't in good position to be hiring competition.
posted by pwnguin at 3:10 PM on June 28, 2011
Unless the certifications are in specialized equipment (medical or lab hardware, for example), it doesn't mean much.
I suspect you are not getting a response because every job is getting hundreds of applications, some of them from IT professions with years of full-time, sometimes even managerial, experience, plus a mountain of unqualified applicants just hoping to win the lottery. And in those circumstances, cover letters don't get read. I'd suggest you make sure your resume is extremely clean and pleasant to look at, and that a reader can tell in the top 2-3 inches that you are qualified and a good choice.
But also, I don't know who would hire part-time PC repair (note, nobody much repairs PCs anymore, they stick them in a closet and buy a new one) or desktop support person. Generally, you want somebody there all day, and on call all night and weekends. And mostly that work is done by the lowest-ranking IT staff in the department, when departments are often 1-2 people, and those people have actual full time jobs programming or administering.
When I need less than full time IT support, I would go to an IT oursourcing company for that, not hire in-house. They send me Bob or Jane or Joe for half a day one day a week, and at the end of the month send me an invoice, which I pay. No HR, no timesheets, qualified experienced full-time professionals in my office every week, even if Bob is on vacation.
So the job you're looking for may not actually exist.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:11 PM on June 28, 2011
I suspect you are not getting a response because every job is getting hundreds of applications, some of them from IT professions with years of full-time, sometimes even managerial, experience, plus a mountain of unqualified applicants just hoping to win the lottery. And in those circumstances, cover letters don't get read. I'd suggest you make sure your resume is extremely clean and pleasant to look at, and that a reader can tell in the top 2-3 inches that you are qualified and a good choice.
But also, I don't know who would hire part-time PC repair (note, nobody much repairs PCs anymore, they stick them in a closet and buy a new one) or desktop support person. Generally, you want somebody there all day, and on call all night and weekends. And mostly that work is done by the lowest-ranking IT staff in the department, when departments are often 1-2 people, and those people have actual full time jobs programming or administering.
When I need less than full time IT support, I would go to an IT oursourcing company for that, not hire in-house. They send me Bob or Jane or Joe for half a day one day a week, and at the end of the month send me an invoice, which I pay. No HR, no timesheets, qualified experienced full-time professionals in my office every week, even if Bob is on vacation.
So the job you're looking for may not actually exist.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:11 PM on June 28, 2011
A+ is meant to certify that someone with 6 months of experience in PC repair knows what they are doing. It is a low level, first line certification. It isn't worthless, but it only goes so far: it certifies you know enough to pass the test.
The manufacturer certs are meaningless unless you want to do warranty work.
There are a lot of PC techs out of work right now, as the business is declining. Getting a job is mostly luck.
What is your 7-8 years of experience in? Is repairing PCs what you want to "do", or is it just a skill that you'd like to use to make money for a while until you get your degree?
posted by gjc at 3:51 PM on June 28, 2011
The manufacturer certs are meaningless unless you want to do warranty work.
There are a lot of PC techs out of work right now, as the business is declining. Getting a job is mostly luck.
What is your 7-8 years of experience in? Is repairing PCs what you want to "do", or is it just a skill that you'd like to use to make money for a while until you get your degree?
posted by gjc at 3:51 PM on June 28, 2011
Response by poster: @gjc
I'm shooting to get my Computer Science degree with an emphasis in Information Systems. Right now, I'm just trying to get my side-pc repair deal off the ground or get on with someone to talk getting some real-word computer experience.
I don't want to repair PC's long-term, no.
posted by isoman2kx at 5:21 PM on June 28, 2011
I'm shooting to get my Computer Science degree with an emphasis in Information Systems. Right now, I'm just trying to get my side-pc repair deal off the ground or get on with someone to talk getting some real-word computer experience.
I don't want to repair PC's long-term, no.
posted by isoman2kx at 5:21 PM on June 28, 2011
Response by poster: Interesting (and deflating responses) so far everyone, lol. Yeah, I don't know. I'm trying to find something to do with my time off for the Fall semester and I wanted to keep my mind active in terms of computer learning and knowledge, but at the same time get paid for it too.
Any suggestions on that front?
posted by isoman2kx at 5:23 PM on June 28, 2011
Any suggestions on that front?
posted by isoman2kx at 5:23 PM on June 28, 2011
I've done some part-time side work in this area. Certifications are essential for a couple of reasons - Warranty work often requires them, and tech companies advertise "certified technicians". I have an old MCSE and never bothered with A+, but that would probably be the easiest to go take and put on an application.
I agree that your (and my) qualifications are beyond what is needed, but it makes for a flexible small extra income stream. I took the job to have a low-stress sideline. However, an hour here and there just doesn't add up. Unless you can land some small business contracts, I don't see much future in the business. Residential work is the pits.
Somebody mentioned nobody repairing PCs anymore - you'd be surprised. More often than not I'd be talking folks out of spending a couple hundred on my labor to speed up a 5 year old PC.
I didn't find it at all appealing to my learning and knowledge side, mostly scratching my head wondering why anyone would click/install/open the things they do.
posted by hey you over in the corner at 5:52 PM on June 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
I agree that your (and my) qualifications are beyond what is needed, but it makes for a flexible small extra income stream. I took the job to have a low-stress sideline. However, an hour here and there just doesn't add up. Unless you can land some small business contracts, I don't see much future in the business. Residential work is the pits.
Somebody mentioned nobody repairing PCs anymore - you'd be surprised. More often than not I'd be talking folks out of spending a couple hundred on my labor to speed up a 5 year old PC.
I didn't find it at all appealing to my learning and knowledge side, mostly scratching my head wondering why anyone would click/install/open the things they do.
posted by hey you over in the corner at 5:52 PM on June 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
Yeah, I've been thinking about my answer and I think it generally holds true for corporate work, but there probably is a niche in very small businesses (non-tech companies who need 1-2 computers to keep the books) and local government, if you have access to small towns with small libraries and city offices. Since it's summer, you might also check out nearby school districts. It's mostly gruntwork - virus/malware, drivers, memory upgrades, Windows Update, and probably a fair amount of very basic training, but if you're personable and willing to drive around and go talk to people, you could probably get some steady work out of it.
If you have actual authorized Dell or HP repair centers nearby and can get in the door, you could probably get the kind of education you can't pay for in sheer exposure to folks who've been back in the workroom diagnosing mainboard problems since they were the size of tabletops. You will probably need to get Dell/HP/Gateway/whatever certifications fairly quickly if you got work doing that.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:27 PM on June 28, 2011
If you have actual authorized Dell or HP repair centers nearby and can get in the door, you could probably get the kind of education you can't pay for in sheer exposure to folks who've been back in the workroom diagnosing mainboard problems since they were the size of tabletops. You will probably need to get Dell/HP/Gateway/whatever certifications fairly quickly if you got work doing that.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:27 PM on June 28, 2011
Certifications do come in handy for some types of repair work. For example, if you have a Dell or an HP certification you can do "official" warranty work on those machines. Without those certifications, you can't. Also, if you are doing break/fix or helpdesk types of work and are being hired as a contractor the agreement between the contracting company and the company who is paying them might stipulate all candidates must have A+ (or Network+ or MCP...). Also talk about your own personal experience in repairing and building computers. They really don't care about your awesome resume. All they care about is that you can hit the ground running and make them more money then it costs to pay you.
If you still want to do repair work, more than anything I think you need to target your resume for the type of work you are looking for. Some employers don't want to have a new hire leave soon after they start and if you are underemployed (which is the type of work you are looking for) they think you can pretty much leave at any time. And that is not in their best interests. Companies hire based on their best interests not your best interests.
If you want to make money based on your interests in Computers and not just doing repair work I would recommend sending your highly qualified resume (not the lower qualified and targeted resume I mention in the previous paragraph) to some companies who provide outsourced IT services in your area. Many of them have short term contracts 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, etc. and they are looking for people who just need some IT work to fill a defined time period with a known beginning and end.
As far as the premise that people don't repair computers any more and just toss them and get a new one? That's pretty much untrue. Sure residential customers who have had their computers for 5+ years and are looking up to upgrade anyway may do that. But there are plenty of residential customers who want you to fix what they have. And in the large companies where I have worked we replace and/or repair everything, hard drives, systemboards, power supplies, lcds, keyboards, et.al.
If you think you can ace the A+ Ceritifcation test and you have the money to pay for it then I'd say go for it. At the very minimum at least you'll find out what it's like to take one of those IT Certification tests.
posted by dgeiser13 at 1:00 PM on June 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
If you still want to do repair work, more than anything I think you need to target your resume for the type of work you are looking for. Some employers don't want to have a new hire leave soon after they start and if you are underemployed (which is the type of work you are looking for) they think you can pretty much leave at any time. And that is not in their best interests. Companies hire based on their best interests not your best interests.
If you want to make money based on your interests in Computers and not just doing repair work I would recommend sending your highly qualified resume (not the lower qualified and targeted resume I mention in the previous paragraph) to some companies who provide outsourced IT services in your area. Many of them have short term contracts 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, etc. and they are looking for people who just need some IT work to fill a defined time period with a known beginning and end.
As far as the premise that people don't repair computers any more and just toss them and get a new one? That's pretty much untrue. Sure residential customers who have had their computers for 5+ years and are looking up to upgrade anyway may do that. But there are plenty of residential customers who want you to fix what they have. And in the large companies where I have worked we replace and/or repair everything, hard drives, systemboards, power supplies, lcds, keyboards, et.al.
If you think you can ace the A+ Ceritifcation test and you have the money to pay for it then I'd say go for it. At the very minimum at least you'll find out what it's like to take one of those IT Certification tests.
posted by dgeiser13 at 1:00 PM on June 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
To be honest, if you're wanting a part time help desk/repair job, you don't need to list your future CS degree other than to acknowledge that you are a student. If you're wanting to get into repair and troubleshooting, you're kind of overkilling it with CS.
posted by mikeh at 2:32 PM on June 28, 2011