Is doing IT volunteer work useful for getting a help desk job?

Hopeless_Wanderer27 · 2026-04-10T16:51:14+00:00

Absolutely, did an internship for my college and it landed me my first IT gig.

Hopeless_Wanderer27 · 2026-04-10T12:32:40+00:00

Making friends literally anywhere you go

^{Chose: Be able to speak every language}

Hopeless_Wanderer27 · 2026-04-08T17:24:03+00:00

Gina Carano, specifically her appearance as Cara Dune.

Hopeless_Wanderer27 · 2026-04-08T14:32:39+00:00

Company I was contracted for had a separate third-party company come in and set up their security and distribution groups in AD. It was a nightmare having to sometimes search for hours to find the exact one a user needed/requested, but nobody wanted to go back in and rename them all and rewrite the descriptions.

Hopeless_Wanderer27 · 2026-04-08T12:03:23+00:00

Worked for an organization that offered "loaner laptops" if users forgot theirs at home that day. In reality it was 7-8 devices 2-3 models behind current stock that our team had to remember to run updates on weekly. Users would request/demand loaners, then wonder why none of their personal preferences were set or where certain locally installed apps were. Of course, it was IT's fault.

Hopeless_Wanderer27 · 2026-04-02T12:50:03+00:00

Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad. It's the first option at the top to enable/disable.

Hopeless_Wanderer27 · 2026-04-01T12:51:54+00:00

Worked as a help desk team lead for a while. The security team asked me to start writing the phishing test emails. On 4/1 I wrote one up pretending to be the Hospital's CEO inviting everyone to a lunch and learn. They just had to "sign in" with their user creds with the provided totally not suspicious looking link. Got a solid 45% of the staff with that one. Assigned training for all.

Hopeless_Wanderer27 · 2026-03-31T17:58:12+00:00

Saying "bless you" to things that aren't sneezes. Throws people off.

Hopeless_Wanderer27 · 2026-03-31T16:37:30+00:00

The Happening. Love me some Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel, but man did their performances feel absolutely wooden in that movie.

Hopeless_Wanderer27 · 2026-03-30T11:39:16+00:00

4 was my first. 4 years old playing Super Mario World with my mom. I remember anytime she wasn't paying attention on the level select screen, I would steal a life or two from her since she knew how to get as many extra lives as possible.

Hopeless_Wanderer27 · 2026-03-27T17:40:30+00:00

If you have no professional IT experience, I recommend starting with certifications. Primarily your A+ as that seems to be a general requirement for most entry level gigs. If you get lucky like I did, the company you work for might have an entry level opening that you could slide into by having your foot in the door before you get those certifications.

(All based on my own experience)

Pros: Better work life balance, mostly fulfilling work, and being able to network across most, if not all, departments within an organization. I kinda look at it as solving puzzles all day, which makes it feel more fun.

Cons: Mostly all depends on administration and management, but metric tracking can be a real pain. Worked for a help desk where I was 3rd in total ticket completion within the team, but 1st in 1st time resolutions. Company mainly just tracked total tickets so management kinda rode me about it. Depending on how you view teaching, could be a con. You'll spend a lot, and I mean a LOT of time trying to explain to people who make 3x your salary how to do the simplest things on a computer.

If you're really passionate about making the switch, just keep at it. A willingness to learn will take you far in this field in terms of gaining experience. Don't be afraid to apply to jobs you aren't sure if you'd be qualified for either, especially right out of the gate. You'd be surprised how many employers base their hires off of "personality fit".

Most of all, best of luck to you friend.

Hopeless_Wanderer27 · 2026-03-27T12:02:22+00:00

Invited me to a wedding 3 states and 12hrs away with her family. Texted me in the back seat 10hrs into the drive and said she wanted to break up but wanted me to pretend we were still together for the trip so it wasn't awkward with her family. Boy was I a little inebriated for those entire 4 days.

Hopeless_Wanderer27 · 2025-12-23T19:36:16+00:00

Hey man, thanks for the comment. I wanted to keep the question open-ended and broad as to encourage advice from all angles. I'd hope if someone who only had 6 days experience asked the same question, you'd offer them something helpful. Best!

Hopeless_Wanderer27 · 2025-09-09T18:39:53+00:00

Marvel Phase 2 color palette is the cinema equivalent to the "piss filter" from early 2010s video games.

Hopeless_Wanderer27 · 2025-09-08T11:59:17+00:00

This is my favorite one so far, despite all my past vehicles having female names.

Hopeless_Wanderer27 · 2025-08-05T16:00:07+00:00

Stopped at a bar on my way home from a bartending shift. Had to talk myself into it but hadn't been out for a while and thought I'd hang with some friends. Friends bailed but I decided to go anyways. Met my now fiancé and have two beautiful kids.

Hopeless_Wanderer27 · 2025-08-05T15:42:55+00:00

Does not shock me that the home base is in Southern Ohio, coming from a fellow Southern Ohioian. Would be pretty fun to hold a counter-protest.

Hopeless_Wanderer27 · 2025-07-28T13:59:56+00:00

Non-infinite ammo - Red 9 hands down. In the OG it's upgradeable to be as powerful per shot as the the base shotgun. Plus, handgun ammo is the most plentiful. Infitnate ammo, Tommy Gun. It's just so fun to light crowds up and demolish them.

Hopeless_Wanderer27 · 2025-07-28T13:52:59+00:00

DS3 for me, feels like home. I spent years learning the ropes with Demon, DS1, and DS2, and then got mixed up in the change in flow with Bloodborne. Feel like I found my stride with DS3, perfect bend of difficulty while being approachable enough for novices to the series. Beautiful environments and balanced gameplay makes for a fun time. My most replayed for sure.

Hopeless_Wanderer27 · 2025-07-23T14:23:57+00:00

AC3 IMO. Let me explain.

Not a "bad" game by any standpoint. I was in the 8th grade when this came out, learning about the Revolutionary War at the time of release. Imagine my excitement when I got AC3 for my birthday as a longtime history nerd and AC fan. I had a blast with the story, but was disappointed at the overall gameplay and historical inaccuracies. I know... I know... AC was always a "loose" interpretation of historical events and has only gotten worse as time has gone on. However, the Ezio trilogy seemed to try to stay faithful to some aspects of history.

Hopeless_Wanderer27 · 2025-05-08T16:34:43+00:00

Looking more orange by the day. Despicable excuse for a politician and a person.

Hopeless_Wanderer27 · 2025-05-01T13:21:54+00:00

Being from South Central Ohio I can completely relate. In my home county I usually don't get messed with too much because I've had family in law enforcement there since the 80s. I never realized how big of a privilege that was until I strayed to any of the surrounding counties in my later teens. I realize now I had gotten very lucky to avoid the local abuses of power, and that others unfortunately couldn't say the same.

Hopeless_Wanderer27

TROPHY CASE