looking for a tech job

[aklass]

I'm going into my senior year of high school and I'm trying to find a tech job so I can make some cash. so far I've applied to staple's easytech and geeksquad for a tech job troubleshooting pc's hardware install, etc I can do that but so far have yet to get a response. because I'd rather get paid minimum wage doing something I like. So ehere do you guys recommend applying to?

[mlee49]

Technical support is a good starting point. Ususally minimal knowledge of the subject area is necessary.

Have you looked into an A+ cert? Might help with a Help Desk position.

[aklass]

haven't looked at A+, I'll give it a look, but i don't want to go to classes etc...

[Soylent Joe]

Originally Posted by aklass

haven't looked at A+, I'll give it a look, but i don't want to go to classes etc...

You can learn enough through online and in-hand guides to pass the test. It'll just take a bit of looking to find the right ones. Also, how old are you? Tech shops around here don't even think of hiring you until you're at least 18.

[A Cheese Danish]

Kinda hard to find a job like that while still in high school.
I was lucky and already in with Circuit City when I got my tech job when I was a senior.
But I can almost guarantee you won't hear back from Best Buy/Geek Squad.
But if you do, then props my good sir.
And an A+ would definitely be the route to go if you want to get a job in the tech industry.

[yogurt_21]

yup agree with the above, get the A+ it get's your foot in the door. (plus a pay boost of 2-3$ an hour, seriously) then just look around and see what kind of businesses are in your area.

I personally always say avoid retail like the plague which means don't go for the geek squad. It may be nice in the immediacy but in the long run won't give you the same type of experience a real tech job will.

Also choose your specialty as soon as you can, for me it was networking and server/db management so the tech certs in that line are Net+, Security+, ccna (np, etc) ccda (dp, etc), ccisp, MCITP Database Administrator (2008), MCITP: Database Developer (2008), MCM: Microsoft SQL Server (2008), MCITP: Enterprise Administrator, MCM: Windows Server (2008): Directory

and degrees in the area of network engineering or in my case I merged business with tech and my masters (still working on it) will be in Technology Management.


each specialty has it's own career path and benefits, but for now look into the + line of certs and go for those that are in line with your specialty. I got my A+ back when I was doing alot of desktop support so naturally I went with the desktop technician variant. Go for what you feel good at and like doing as a hobby. Because really you'll be doing it 8 hours a day 5-7 days a week for a long time.

[A Cheese Danish]

Another thing you may want to try is to apply at any local pc repair shop, if there are any around you.

[PP Mguire]

A+ here and Staples still didnt hire me even though my best friend is lead tech in the next district over. Best Buy i had 4 references from Geek Squad and still didnt get hired. I applied there over the course of 4 years and decided to give up. Office Depot is a joke.

Good luck to finding a job with any of these places, and even more good luck since your still in high school. Most tech places will not hire a high school student.

[Solaris17]

i was in geek squad for about 2 years. the only reason they touched me is because i provided a resume with my volt mods a detailed discription of my utility disk. and i gave them a beta of 3.0. They gave me the test and i passed. they told me later that my resume was the only reason i got in. geek squad is NOT the same as bestbuy. they are diffirent. you get paid more. the diffirential between GS and the other departments is amazing. However it comes at the price of being harder to get into. getting hired for home theatre is cake compared to GS.

[PP Mguire]

My latest resume to them looked like this. A+, 2 reviewing positions, 10+ years of PC experience, freelance PC repair and maintenance with proof of customer satisfaction, 8 years professional stage services in professional audio, 2 years retail experience + Calling center experience and a few years networking experience doing LANs for LAN parties being trained by the people actually in the field. On top of that my many references. All of this hasent meant squat. My friend whos the lead tech at Staples said i was probably over qualified. Whats funny is when he gets in a jam at work he calls me. Hes also supposedly the best in his district so that makes me lol from time to time. I guess Staples must be hiring idiots to do their PC bidding.

[A Cheese Danish]

Originally Posted by PP Mguire

My friend whos the lead tech at Staples said i was probably over qualified. Whats funny is when he gets in a jam at work he calls me. Hes also supposedly the best in his district so that makes me lol from time to time. I guess Staples must be hiring idiots to do their PC bidding.

Supposedly. My friend/lead tech at FireDog is now lead tech at a Staples, and
he still calls me from time to time to get my input on what the problem could be.

[PP Mguire]

LOL thats really funny. It seems my assessment of Staples is correct. (Not calling your friend an idiot, just saying Staples doesnt hire very well).

[aklass]

damn must be extremely tough then, The annoying shit is all the online crap they make you fill out that has nothing to do with the damn job, only staples asked for a resume, but being a teen I don't have much job experience which probably disqualifies me despite building/troubleshooting/upgrading Pcs and setting up home networks for the last 4 years of my life. If I work for bestbuy I'd rather be a commissioned sales man for tech but so far non of those jobs are available. And micro center won't take me without a high school diploma.

[PP Mguire]

My friend i talk about got hired at Staples while only working at Office Depot for a few months. He has no certs or qualifications at all. Thats why he said im probably over qualified for the job. I was like right because we need moron wanabes making us look bad to the general public.

[aklass]

my last resort is a long shot away from being a tech, and I here it sucks ass so I don't want to work at radio shack. If only I got more business I could just continue being self employed =/

[Solaris17]

Originally Posted by aklass

damn must be extremely tough then, The annoying shit is all the online crap they make you fill out that has nothing to do with the damn job, only staples asked for a resume, but being a teen I don't have much job experience which probably disqualifies me despite building/troubleshooting/upgrading Pcs and setting up home networks for the last 4 years of my life. If I work for bestbuy I'd rather be a commissioned sales man for tech but so far non of those jobs are available. And micro center won't take me without a high school diploma.

wanna know a trick? BB does alot of internal hires before we open it to public. apply for home theatre or something. then transfer departments. its alot easier than getting hired for that position. get to know the managers make some friends. wait a year give or take. then transfer.

[aklass]

thanks for the tip, what job do you recommend applying for that's computer related? other than non-com sales..

[yogurt_21]

I agree with Cheese Danish to apply to a local pc shop.

whether or not GS is harder to get into is not the issue. how it looks on the resume when you apply for a real career position is. Nothign the GS does will help you in that case, but I know of several local pc shops that service small businesses (such as my own. lol). The experience gained there will help you and does look alot better ona resume. Believe me I work both my own business and corporate tech and in both cases I hire. AVOID RETAIL LIKE THE PLAGUE.

[mlee49]

Had a thought, go to your local craigslist and go to Technical Support Jobs and see what you might qualify for.

Sometimes call centers will take grads with minimal tech support exp. for $13/hr. Look at help desk positions and other positions to see what qualifications or requirements are necessary.

That should give you a fair idea of what the market expects.

[aklass]

I only found 1 pc tech job, but it seems dodgy as hell because they expect you to work at home and there website is blah Link I called their shop also and you just get a computer recording? ...

[A Cheese Danish]

Originally Posted by aklass

I only found 1 pc tech job, but it seems dodgy as hell because they expect you to work at home and there website is blah Link I called their shop also and you just get a computer recording? ...

Craigslist would probably be the last place I would look for a tech job.
It looks legit for a small, local business, however the recording is what gets me.
It's like you almost have to visit their location and speak to them about the position.

[aklass]

hence why I'd rather work for a big retailer because at least I know I'll get paid rather than a small business that gets no business.. because I searched up PC repair in google maps and got alot of results in my area, all of which seem to be run by someone in his/her house

[A Cheese Danish]

They only thing I can really offer is try to get in BB and move around positions like Sol stated.
Or work in sales for a different company (Staples, OfficeMax) and gain retail experience with computers and such.

[aklass]

the thing with bestbuy is that I don't know what to apply to as the only sales jobs available are non-com

[CDdude56]

I to am looking for a job.

Ive been out of high school for a while now and i have both books for the A+ cert and the Network+ cert that im currently reading. But i'm still just looking for a job so i can pay to take some college classes(im trying to go for a computer science degree). Which would help me even more in looking for a job in IT.

Here's hoping for getting a job soon.