How can I get the career direction I need?

[morpheos137]

I have struggled for years on the margins of the workforce. I am intelligent and I have a college degree. I just don't seem to be able to break into a professional career. Part of the problem is I don't even know what I want to focus on. It is very unrewarding, for me, to focus on something and not be able to get paid doing. Ideally I would like to be able to get into an apprenticeship program or self study for IT certificates like A+, Network+. I see IBM offers various training courses for free and I am starting to participate in those. A concern I have is will I be able to get a job just having passed some IBM courses or completed some certificates. It seems almost all professional jobs fall into one of two categories: internships and on the job training programs for recent graduates (college to work pipeline) and jobs that require N years of previous work experience in x, y, z. My work experience sucks because I have been employed in low skill jobs for years and I don't qualify for the recent graduate programs that various companies offer. So I am really interested in an apprenticeship or a job where I can start at low level and learn and grow on the job so as to fulfil my potential. I have worked at large number of jobs at small, medium and even a few larger companies. My experience has been that there is frequently no path from e.g. mail room clerk to project manager.

So I guess what I am asking are, are the IBM and other IT self study, certificate programs really worth my time in that they will help me get a job as an intelligent person with a college degree (not in CS) but with years of bad work experience since college?

Are there software, hardware apprentice programs? I have seen IBM has "new collar."

What's the best use of my time?

I guess I wish there was kind of like a guidance counsellor for adults. I don't know what the hell to do with myself and this is worrying me because I make little money, I am not developing skills, and time goes by.

[tylerben]

My two cents on it is to first identify what you want to focus on as this is critical in finding the opportunities that you will enjoy the most and as a result be more likely to succeed at. Make a list of like 5 things that you think would interest you career-wise (could be specific industries you want to work it, specific tools you want to use in your job, etc...).

Then once you have that list make a list of companies/opportunities that match those interests. Do a bit of research on each company and find the relevant person to get in touch with about opportunities at the company. Send a personal email to that person detailing what interests you about the company and asking about any opportunities with that company or if they know of anyone else hiring that you could be a good fit for. If they say you aren't a good fit, ask what skills you would need to be a better fit. Find the common skills that emerge as you hear back from companies and pursue learning the ones you hear about the most.

Most of the jobs I have gotten were never posted on a job board but instead materialized from reaching out to folks. In college I knew I wanted to live in Maine for a summer and knew I wanted to do GIS work. I emailed several people in the state government, heard back from one. He didn't have any opportunities but directed me to someone else at the state who was looking for an intern. I ended up getting this unposted internship and was able to move to Maine and do GIS work.

Hope this helps a bit!

[webmaven]

One path you should consider is SME consulting, there are multiple entrances such as databases, networking, social media, mobile apps, websites, etc. SMEs have many computer-related needs that they need filled, but can't afford to employ someone full-time for. Certifications may help for some fields but not others. Depending on your local market, it may be expedient to specialize in a particular type of customer (home landscaping businesses, or small value-added food manufacturer's, or graphic design studios, or law firms, etc.) as that will help with both WOM and credibility. At the very beginning, you may have to rely on personal references and introductions, not to mention heavily discounting your services, in order to get work.

If your focus is on helping your clients succeed in measurable ways, you'll go far.

After you've done that for a while, you should have both experience and references that you can use to apply to larger firms (some of them possibly among your larger clients) for full-time positions (assuming that is still your goal at that point).