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Recent Grads and Experience Beyond the Desktop?

Posted by Cliff on from the college-and-preparation-for-a-real-world-job dept.

over_exposed asks: "I'm a recent college grad (B.S. in C.S.) and have been on the job hunt for about 6 months. I've been playing around with tech toys as long as I can remember, but it all focuses around the desktop environment. Desktop-grade routers, switches and wireless as well as any/all desktop PC (and some Mac) hardware is what I could get my hands on with my limited budget. After looking through hundreds if not thousands of job postings, everyone is looking for 3+ years of network admin experience or 5+ years of C++ experience even for an entry level position. How is one expected to gain that kind of experience when no one will hire you without the experience? What kind of (part-time) work can you get as a college student to gain experience (Cisco, Exchange, SQL, etc) that will be marketable in the real world? Any suggestions from the Slashdot community will be of great benefit to myself and thousands of others who will enter the 'real world' in the next few years."

6 of 574 comments (clear)

  1. I could tell you... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    But then you'd take my job.

    All joking aside, those of us with IT jobs are becoming more and more protective of them. The sad truth is that helping you (and "thousands of others") out with advice is, in my opinion, just as bad as training my replacement.

    Good luck.

  2. Back in 1999.... by masonbrown · · Score: 0, Troll

    If you go back in time to 1999, companies will pay you a nice salary to come in, be a warm body in a chair, and go to lots and lots of training.

    Nowadays I'm surprised you can find even 100 job postings nationwide.

  3. Typical Response by AgntOrnge · · Score: 0, Troll

    Move to India! Or Russia, or Singapore, or the Phillipines, etc...

  4. why not by geekoid · · Score: 0, Troll

    a Microsoft user group? There usually friendlier, dressed better, better connected, and they feed you better.

    I have been to a lot of user groups, and every Linux user group I have gone to spends more time bashing MS that doing anything interesting with Linux.
    I mention this, but then every one gets pissy at me becasue I want to discuss Linux, and not bash MS.

    Admittedly, it's been 3 years since I've been to a LUG, some maybe it has changed.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  5. Re:MBAs by tomhudson · · Score: 0, Troll
    MBAs have social skills? In a room filled with other MBAs, or MBAs and Rain Man clones, perhaps. Otherwise, they're dull as wallpaper paste.

    When they laugh at a joke, they're doing it because everyone else in the room is laughing, not because they get it. Laugh last, laugh least, that's their motto.

  6. Could be worse.... by jkabbe · · Score: 0, Troll

    ...at least you're not a Java developer. Companies are looking for 10+ years of Java development just to get an interview!!