[Zuelajindi]

Now, before we begin, I am an aspiring student with a mathematics/comp sci major. I am currently 21 and am a full-time student, and well, I work at a grocery store, and have been for the past half a decade. I have no computer certifications, nor professional experience with computers. Now, the job I have now is stable, but it is not doing me any good. I would like your 2-bits on if I should get out there and try to land an entry level job doing some computing job (it can be anything from repetitive data entry to 'x' task'). Also, I make $10/hr as a janitor, so I wasn't sure if other entry level positions would start me any higher, or at that rate, even.

Additionally, do these employers even offer part-time positions? Being a full-time student, it may be a tad difficult balancing.

Thanks, cheers.

This post has been edited by Zuelajindi: 27 October 2012 - 09:49 AM

[Apokio]

I know many people who got their first IT job at Geek Squad fixing computers. You have to get an A+ certification but if you are looking to move into an IT field it will help anyway. The pay should be at least the same if not more. The best thing to do is just check around and ask. It doesn't hurt to ask and they worse they can say is no. You may also get some good leads on job opportunities.

[jon.kiparsky]

Frankly, there's not much less you can make, legally, in most states. I don't know how interns are treated in the rest of the country, but at my company they're paid $15/hour. I'm still getting email updates from the CS department at UMass, and it looks like that rate is typical for the internships in the area - at least, the ones that the CS department at UMass is willing to refer people to.

If you're a full time student, you might consider working through a temp agency. For people with functioning brainstems, this is usually easy money, and the pay is better than janitorial work. The disadvantage is that the work isn't steady, but the advantage is that you can say no if it conflicts with your schedule. It also puts you working in office environments, which is useful when you find yourself applying to office environment jobs.

You can also end up in interesting jobs this way. When I first got to Boston, I had no work lined up, and I ended up doing a fair bit of work for the Sam Adams brewery before I landed my current gig. Since I'm an amateur brewer, that was a lot of fun for me.

[CP3]

Simple. Take initiative. What about internships? They pay $15-25/hr and if you do a good job and ask, some do try to accommodate you in a PT role afterwards. What about a position in your schools IT dept? There's a lot of opportunities there. How about being a TA for a comp sci class?

At 21 and almost done with school you better start figuring stuff like that on your own.

[Zuelajindi]

CP3, on 28 October 2012 - 04:11 PM, said:

Simple. Take initiative. What about internships? They pay $15-25/hr and if you do a good job and ask, some do try to accommodate you in a PT role afterwards. What about a position in your schools IT dept? There's a lot of opportunities there. How about being a TA for a comp sci class?

At 21 and almost done with school you better start figuring stuff like that on your own.

I am actually behind so I have probably 2.5 years left.