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re: Career change to IT
Posted on 2/5/26 at 4:07 pm to j1897
Posted on 2/5/26 at 4:07 pm to j1897
quote:
This isn't doom bullshite, we just had a large layoff and i'm friends with a ton of people looking for jobs. Companies are strongly prioritizing higher Sr. and Expert roles, entry level they are doing their best to replace with AI.
Sorry you don't like it, but if you are working on AD DC's i can see why your perspective of the industry is radically different.
I haven't really seen any of this. But I've been in security for a while now. If anything AI has made me have more job security. The amount of stupid shite people are doing via AI without a second thought is absurd. We have shut down lots of the AI usage because we had clowns doing stuff like leaving API keys or PII data in plan text because that's what the AI told them to do. Devs that should know better too.
AI is neat and has it's use case, but I feel like these AI layoffs are really just investor relations so they don't have to admit they are just regular layoffs.
ETA:To OP - echoing what others have said, you probably aren't jumping to a systems analyst or system admin role right away. You are going to have to cut your teeth on helpdesk.
Not saying it's the only way to do it, but I a Sr in cloud security and I started out as a temp making $10/hr on the helpdesk. But you can prove your worth and move up pretty quick at some companies.
This post was edited on 2/5/26 at 4:09 pm
1
Posted on 2/5/26 at 6:33 pm to WavinWilly
quote:
AI layoffs are really just investor relations
Probably, but it's still crushing the job market.
Posted on 2/6/26 at 9:07 am to j1897
quote:
Companies are strongly prioritizing higher Sr. and Expert roles, entry level they are doing their best to replace with AI.
How exactly would that work? Once all the current senior level folks retire, who is going to become the next senior level folks if all entry level is replaced by AI?
Posted on 2/6/26 at 9:42 am to Tig3rman
Find a niche IT area to grow your expertise in. More valuable than large scale generic IT with a zillion applicants.
As your knowledge grows in that vertical so does your value.
AI is just another tool to help with productivity; the key is to keep on top of what it's good at and leverage that and shift your focus onto those things that it can't do.
Then you're seen as a valuable worker who can also properly utilize AI as needed.
As your knowledge grows in that vertical so does your value.
AI is just another tool to help with productivity; the key is to keep on top of what it's good at and leverage that and shift your focus onto those things that it can't do.
Then you're seen as a valuable worker who can also properly utilize AI as needed.
Posted on 2/6/26 at 10:18 am to jdd48
quote:
How exactly would that work? Once all the current senior level folks retire, who is going to become the next senior level folks if all entry level is replaced by AI?
The CEO's think AI will replace them as well at some point.
Posted on 2/6/26 at 2:56 pm to jdd48
quote:
How exactly would that work? Once all the current senior level folks retire, who is going to become the next senior level folks if all entry level is replaced by AI?
That's way too forward thinking for the IT industry.
Posted on 2/10/26 at 9:50 am to Tig3rman
You're going to start off resetting passwords. Even if you are trying to be some analyst, you'll start at the bottom so be prepared. In my opinion a comptia cert won't do anything. But since you have 0 experience, it'll get you a conversation.
Posted on 2/13/26 at 9:49 am to Tig3rman
I would not go help desk. Those jobs suck, barely pay money and you work a lot of hours dealing with grumpy people and their problems.
Posted on 2/13/26 at 9:52 am to CAD703X
quote:
Find a niche IT area to grow your expertise in.
This!
Do you like coding/development? Do you like Testing? Do you enjoy an application in the business world, such as Jira or Wiki/Confluence or a Requirement Tool, etc?
Find an application that you enjoy (relatively, it's still a job) and search for jobs looking for those programs and go down that path.
Hell, knowing Jira administrative skills can be a full time job paying 85k-150k depending on location and expertise.
Posted on 2/15/26 at 10:25 pm to DoubleDown
Tldr incoming, but I hope it helps a little bit.
This. At minimum you'll want to try and find a Desktop Support or Infrastructure Support role if you completely get out of finance. Like another poster mentioned, if you can blend your financial experience with software and find a niche so you don't have to start over from scratch that would be ideal. If you do start from scratch, try to start past an entry level Helpdesk position given your age, family size and financial obligations.
At the most basic level - IT is divided into two broad buckets. Software & Infrastructure. There's a million different roles within each of those buckets.
I started on the Infrastructure side with roles like Desktop Support, Infrastructure Support & Jr. Systems Admin from the time I was 20 until my late 20s. I was then offered a QA Analyst role in our QA Dept and transitioned to the software side of the house. I did QA work for 1 year and soaked up as much as I could on the software side of IT. I got lucky & networked with my former companies Salesforce team after QA'ing one of their big projects. They offered me a Salesforce Admin position where I did that for 6 years. Fast forward another 2 years & I'm managing a Go To Market stack for a software company where I admin/manage our CRM, Telephony, Scheduling, Sequencing, Lead routing software, etc for multiple sales teams. All from starting at a Desktop role. I'm sure a lot of the guys without and maybe with degrees have similar stories
I say all that to say this - if you do start over, give yourself time to learn as much as you can about the various specialities under the IT umbrella. Remind yourself that these entry-mid level roles are just you paying your dues along your way until you figure out what you want to do. Come up with a game plan for a position that you think you'll enjoy and is going to pay a salary that will allow you to give your family a good life. Then aggressively go after it. There are amazing earning opportunities within IT with the right roles. Overtime and after exposure, you'll find that you'll gravitate towards specific specialties. If you can find a niche within IT (believe me, you can and will with enough time) that has a mix of what you're good at and what you enjoy (relative) that's of course the sweet spot. Don't be afraid to explore different areas after you have some equity built up with what ever company gives you a shot.
Don't forget that there are tons of non building/configuring/developing roles within IT that pay well too. Roles like Business Analysts, Scrum Masters, Quality Assurance Analysts, Financial/Revenue Operations Analysts, Change management, Coordinators, Project managers, etc. that are vital for Software & Infrastructure teams to function. That's on top of the Admins, Devs, Engineers and Architects that do the heavy lifting. If you're looking to go on the Infrastructure side, you're probably going to want to shoot for a System Administrator, Server Admin, Network Admin/Engineer, Security Analyst/Engineer, Cloud Engineer, etc. type role. All of the positions listed above are going to pay well and give you a comfortable life, but you're typically going to have to pay your dues before you get offered them just like any other industry. Good luck my friend
quote:
I would not go help desk. Those jobs suck, barely pay money and you work a lot of hours dealing with grumpy people and their problems.
This. At minimum you'll want to try and find a Desktop Support or Infrastructure Support role if you completely get out of finance. Like another poster mentioned, if you can blend your financial experience with software and find a niche so you don't have to start over from scratch that would be ideal. If you do start from scratch, try to start past an entry level Helpdesk position given your age, family size and financial obligations.
At the most basic level - IT is divided into two broad buckets. Software & Infrastructure. There's a million different roles within each of those buckets.
I started on the Infrastructure side with roles like Desktop Support, Infrastructure Support & Jr. Systems Admin from the time I was 20 until my late 20s. I was then offered a QA Analyst role in our QA Dept and transitioned to the software side of the house. I did QA work for 1 year and soaked up as much as I could on the software side of IT. I got lucky & networked with my former companies Salesforce team after QA'ing one of their big projects. They offered me a Salesforce Admin position where I did that for 6 years. Fast forward another 2 years & I'm managing a Go To Market stack for a software company where I admin/manage our CRM, Telephony, Scheduling, Sequencing, Lead routing software, etc for multiple sales teams. All from starting at a Desktop role. I'm sure a lot of the guys without and maybe with degrees have similar stories
I say all that to say this - if you do start over, give yourself time to learn as much as you can about the various specialities under the IT umbrella. Remind yourself that these entry-mid level roles are just you paying your dues along your way until you figure out what you want to do. Come up with a game plan for a position that you think you'll enjoy and is going to pay a salary that will allow you to give your family a good life. Then aggressively go after it. There are amazing earning opportunities within IT with the right roles. Overtime and after exposure, you'll find that you'll gravitate towards specific specialties. If you can find a niche within IT (believe me, you can and will with enough time) that has a mix of what you're good at and what you enjoy (relative) that's of course the sweet spot. Don't be afraid to explore different areas after you have some equity built up with what ever company gives you a shot.
Don't forget that there are tons of non building/configuring/developing roles within IT that pay well too. Roles like Business Analysts, Scrum Masters, Quality Assurance Analysts, Financial/Revenue Operations Analysts, Change management, Coordinators, Project managers, etc. that are vital for Software & Infrastructure teams to function. That's on top of the Admins, Devs, Engineers and Architects that do the heavy lifting. If you're looking to go on the Infrastructure side, you're probably going to want to shoot for a System Administrator, Server Admin, Network Admin/Engineer, Security Analyst/Engineer, Cloud Engineer, etc. type role. All of the positions listed above are going to pay well and give you a comfortable life, but you're typically going to have to pay your dues before you get offered them just like any other industry. Good luck my friend
This post was edited on 2/17/26 at 11:31 am
Posted on 2/16/26 at 1:51 pm to LemmyLives
quote:
Networking and IT are two totally different paths. You're either going to go for a CCIE (networking) or the systems admin side. They are complimentary bodies of knowledge, but if you're going to go network, you go full network. And don't forget AWS/Azure. I think AWS still has a free base certification which you should be able to pass quite easily.
Oddly enough, I'm in a role where I had to learn both. Admittedly my situation is rare, so I agree this is good advice - pick a path and stick with it.
That said, if you end being a networking technician who has no idea how to open your own PDF files be prepared for a good teasing.
I'm not sure I agree with the "don't bother with Network+" advice; if you already had some experience I'd agree wholeheartedly, but it sounds like you're going to be trying for an IT job with practically none. Getting a certification (presuming it doesn't force an undue burden financially) will give you at least a bit of a leg up on others. As a hiring manager, if I see someone applying with no experience for a support role I presume they're just out of college; a 33 year old doing so would raise some eyebrows. The certification at least gives a hiring manager the sense that you're taking a career change seriously - otherwise they might think you'll just jump ship in 6 months because you decided it wasn't for you and you're off to try your hand at something else.
But aim for a certification more in line with what you're trying to do, be it A+, Network+, AZ-104 - these are considered entry level, but you're telling the person that your interests lie in a path towards SysAdmin, Network Admin, or Azure Admin.
Posted on 2/20/26 at 12:09 pm to Tig3rman
Don't do it.
Kind Regards,
A jaded systems engineer who floats around in cybersecurity as well.
Kind Regards,
A jaded systems engineer who floats around in cybersecurity as well.
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