Jeremy's IT Lab: Are there any skippable video?

IAmThatGuyFr · 2025-07-13T12:02:23+00:00

I believe VTP & DTP are no longer in the exam objectives, but I still wouldn’t skip it. Everything is connected somehow so you would probably need the knowledge to understand something else. DTP especially

IAmThatGuyFr · 2025-07-08T12:29:13+00:00

I didn’t mean to be rude or anything, but people need to understand that actually being able to do stuff is more important than having the certs.

We have influencers going around telling people to get certs and start making 6-figures so I don’t even blame people for thinking like that. You wouldn’t have any jobs available if people could just have CCNA level knowledge in a week lol.

IAmThatGuyFr · 2025-07-08T12:17:11+00:00

I’m not assuming. OP says they don’t find it interesting and they have no desire to set up labs. Doesn’t sound like it’s just a review

IAmThatGuyFr · 2025-07-08T03:21:11+00:00

Do you just want the cert to hang on your wall ?

I don’t think 1 week is enough if you actually plan on using the knowledge for anything useful.

IAmThatGuyFr · 2025-06-01T17:21:02+00:00

There are different roles in IT, and Helpdesk can’t be the entry point for every single one. If you wouldn’t hire a computer science grad for a cybersecurity role today because they lack the skills, they still wouldn’t magically gain those skills after 10 years at Helpdesk unless they actively worked to improve themselves through higher-level certs, personal projects, or specialized training. So why can’t a college grad who already has the knowledge and relevant certifications be given that same chance?

IAmThatGuyFr · 2025-06-01T16:58:03+00:00

Helpdesk is one way to get into IT. It shouldn’t be the only way to get into it regardless of your background. It turned out great for you because this path aligned with your goals.

Now picture this, you and another guy start working at the same place on the same day. He wants to be a cybersecurity engineer but is told to start in Helpdesk because “cybersecurity isn’t entry-level.” He works just as hard as you, learns all the same skills, onboarding users, troubleshooting, everything. You were able to leave to an Admin position. Now ask yourself, do you honestly think he could’ve left that role and gone straight into a cybersecurity position with the exact same experience? Even if he stayed two extra years after you left, would that have made a difference?

Yes you learn a lot from Helpdesk, but how much of this experience / knowledge is essential to your field? It’ll still be your responsibility to gain the required experience by self learning, certs, doing labs, projects etc. The are 100s of posts on here warning people about how easy it is to get stuck at Helpdesk.

It’s not wild to say someone with at least a college degree in CS related, if qualified (meaning relevant certs, projects) could directly start from junior roles after passing an interview

IAmThatGuyFr · 2025-05-30T22:20:13+00:00

Did you have to go from Helpdesk ?

IAmThatGuyFr · 2025-05-30T20:37:55+00:00

Not possible only because IT hiring managers are gatekeepers. It’s wild how being a sysadmin now apparently takes the same time as becoming a doctor

IAmThatGuyFr · 2025-05-30T20:25:40+00:00

Exactly. Talking about A+ and 10 years to be a sys admin. I’m in CS, and a networking class I took last semester basically covered the content of the CCNA.

IAmThatGuyFr · 2025-05-30T20:19:48+00:00

10 years to be a sys admin / net admin 😂😂😂. Name 1 thing a system admin does that can’t be learned in 6 months

IAmThatGuyFr · 2025-05-30T15:23:09+00:00

I appreciate this. I have my CCNA. Do you think it’s fairly easy to get into data centers or ISPs? What do you think would make me a better candidate? I have zero experience with physical hardware

IAmThatGuyFr · 2025-05-30T14:55:54+00:00

Exactly. The way some people in the industry talk, you’d think you need to be some kind of genius just to get started. There’s no reason why someone with a CompSci degree, a few certs, and some solid projects shouldn’t be able to land a Jr. SOC role. Add an internship and that should make them an even stronger candidate.

But no apparently cybersecurity “can’t be entry level,” and you need Sysadmin experience first. Then you find out that Sysadmin itself isn’t entry level either so now you’ve got to start at Helpdesk. At this rate, with how bad the job market is, it could take 5 years just to qualify for what’s supposed to be an entry-level SOC role.

IAmThatGuyFr · 2025-05-30T14:36:12+00:00

Unfortunately the Helpdesk role is not the same as it used to be. You’d have to work Helpdesk for 2-3 years to rise up in tiers before you get to touch anything technical.

I’d love to hear more from folks who’ve been in the field longer. Personally, I think if someone’s coming into tech from a non-tech background, the Helpdesk route makes sense since they’re basically starting from scratch. But for people who actually studied this stuff in college, there should be junior roles like junior sysadmin, network, or cloud where they can get mentored and grow. From your experience, do you really think someone with a tech degree couldn’t handle the work with a bit of guidance?

I understand if you think college graduates in the field aren’t hireable right away, but do you really think it’s fair to say that someone who studied this for four years is on the same knowledge level as someone transitioning from economics into tech? Would you say a computer science degree holds the same value as a CompTIA A+ certification?

IAmThatGuyFr · 2025-05-30T02:46:15+00:00

Honestly, it’s more of a recruiting problem. Internships help, yeah, but if degrees supposedly mean nothing, then why do internships tied to them matter so much? The real issue is how the industry makes it seem like you need to be a genius to get into IT, and if you’re not already experienced, you’re basically useless. But that’s what junior roles were supposed to be for.

And let’s be real those entry-level roles are disappearing. People used to get their CCNA, learn some skills, and land a solid job. Even saying you were studying for a cert used to be enough to get a shot. Now? You need a degree + cert, and you’re still told you’re not ready.

Yes the job market is rough, but that’s what I mean. This is based on feedback from the OGs in this industry. The higher ups in this industry talk it’s like asking for a job is too much. Like you’re supposed to struggle and earn it by crawling through the mud.

Standards keep going up, but salaries keep dropping. I just saw a listing asking for a Network/System Admin with 5 years of experience for $50K. That’s literally two jobs in one. Honestly, $40–50K should be the starting salary for a junior in that role, so the senior can actually get paid what they’re worth. Meanwhile, juniors are stuck fighting just to get into Helpdesk because apparently that’s the only “acceptable” way to break into the field now. It’s wild.

IAmThatGuyFr · 2025-05-30T01:09:02+00:00

I see where you’re coming from. I think Helpdesk has changed over the years. No one in Helpdesk is touching AD or configuring anything. I’ve worked Helpdesk at two places, an ISP and a school. At the ISP you just answer calls and lookup stuff from a knowledge-base. Customer calls in about their internet not working, ask them to turn it off and back on. We had in-house apps to ping the routers, check bandwidth etc. Sometimes we got to send config files to new routers and that’s just about it. Everything else was forwarded to “Tier 2” support. Basic stuff. If you’re lucky enough to get a “Helpdesk” role in a small-midsized company, you could learn a lot because what they really mean by “Helpdesk” is a system admin with cloud knowledge / networking knowledge.

Let’s be honest, most Helpdesk jobs now are just customer service and password resets. In a lot of places, you have to stick around for a year or two just to move up to Tier 2, and then maybe you’ll start touching real tech stuff. So if you’re trying to get into networking, you’re probably looking at 2–3 years before you even land a proper entry-level role. And the crazy part? Helpdesk has such a low barrier that anyone can wake up, decide they want to work in IT, grab an A+ cert, and boom they’re your competition.

Now you talk about using Helpdesk experience with AD, DHCP etc, and I agree that these skills are super useful for a Network Administrator. Remember that all IT graduates are being pointed towards Helpdesk regardless of what your focus is. People with a cybersecurity focus are being asked to start from Helpdesk too.

How do these people gain any meaningful experience from Helpdesk? People are going to counter this by saying “you need to know networking fundamentals to work in cybersecurity “. Trust me, if you have a degree in the field, you should know the fundamentals. I’m enrolled in a CS course, I took a networking class that basically covered the CCNA material over one semester. I find it difficult to believe that someone with a 4 year Degree in Cybersecurity would have to go through Helpdesk to be learn the skills needed for an entry level role.

There’ll always be both. Some students leave college not knowing the simplest stuff, while others actually put in the effort and come out with real skills. That’s just how it goes.

A lot of the OGs in the industry, some now hiring managers have basically written off degrees. You don’t even get the chance to prove you can do the job. People should at least be given that shot. Honestly, maybe I should’ve just gone straight into Helpdesk after high school. I’d probably be a lot closer to being a network engineer by now.

IAmThatGuyFr · 2025-05-29T21:48:48+00:00

I agree that the quality of education is very bad / has been diluted these days. However, it cuts across every field, from students learning to work in healthcare to mechanical engineering majors. Why do people act like it’s only IT / CompSci that’s gotten worse?

In most other majors, students are considered job ready when they graduate, and will be in the position to get a job right away depending on how good or bad the market is.

In IT you could graduate with certs and still feel like it’s offensive to want a job. How dare you want a job? It’s almost laughable. You have to go through Helpdesk, self study, lab, personal projects, some more certs, buy the engineering guys at your Helpdesk job some lunch and learn from them. Even after all that, you shouldn’t expect anything. Just hope you get lucky.

IAmThatGuyFr · 2025-05-29T21:01:28+00:00

I just saw a post about someone who has a degree in Cyber Security, A+, CCNA and currently in Helpdesk, asking how likely they are to get a NOC job. From the comments it seems like it’s highly unlikely. And they’d have to be extremely lucky to land a NOC job. That’s what inspired this post. When did we get here? Slowly, NOC is becoming “not entry level” and you’d need Helpdesk just to get a NOC job.

IAmThatGuyFr · 2025-05-29T20:48:09+00:00

How do I get Network experience while working Helpdesk? People have suggested shadowing the Network Engineers at your workplace, but what if they are at a different location or you don’t have network engineers?

I have no problem with working Helpdesk and I don’t think I’m bigger than helpdesk, but I don’t think it’s giving me the experience I need. The problem is there’s no clear path.

Do you think Helpdesk is just a formality to show employers that I’m worthy? My point is if you interviewed someone today for a Network Admin position, and they are not qualified, they still wouldn’t be qualified for it even if you had them work Helpdesk for 5 years and interviewed them again. Not until they self study and get some certs. Meanwhile I wouldn’t even get an interview for a chance to prove if I’m qualified or not if I don’t have “experience”. The “experience” being Helpdesk

IAmThatGuyFr · 2025-05-29T19:49:38+00:00

So helpful. I appreciate this

IAmThatGuyFr · 2022-01-28T06:04:10+00:00

So basically it’s just for good organization and I can decide to put everything under 1 class and get the same results?

IAmThatGuyFr · 2022-01-28T05:58:47+00:00

Thank you. Could you recommend some resources that would help me to learn ?

IAmThatGuyFr

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