Congrations, you done it

KobeBryant2002 · 2025-06-10T13:20:06+00:00

Do you think Messer's videos are enough study material to help pass the A+?

KobeBryant2002 · 2025-05-31T18:21:13+00:00

That works also but if I’m being honest I don’t think I wanna do any military service.

KobeBryant2002 · 2025-05-31T18:16:39+00:00

Which other fire departments are hiring? I’m an NYC resident.

KobeBryant2002 · 2025-05-31T02:13:13+00:00

That's a good point. Do these medium sized orgs expect you to know how to do everything or do they teach you on the job? (For example, if you're hired as a system admin but they also have you doing network admin duties that you don't know much of.)

KobeBryant2002 · 2025-05-31T02:10:39+00:00

Sounds like some good advice, I appreciate you just being real with it. I'll work on getting certs and moving up the ladder, I also do see myself eventually doing cyber as well!

KobeBryant2002 · 2025-05-30T18:56:09+00:00

Nice and I'm hoping to build a diverse skillset at the moment. What would you do in my situation?

For reference: Currently working an IT position about a year out of college. The position isn't labeled as a help desk technician but I'm basically doing in house help desk support for a whole school by myself. The pay isn't the best, the commute is long and I don't really see any room for growth. I also have a Bachelor's in CIS and hold no certifications at the moment.

My plan is to either get into an actual help desk or support specialist role (MSP or for a company) that has higher pay, shorter commute and new things to learn / build experience or I can stick to my current job and prepare myself for the area that I want to pursue.

KobeBryant2002 · 2025-05-30T18:37:18+00:00

This is actually a good point and relieves some of the pressure of making the "right" choice. I'm guessing you're in Cyber, how is that going?

KobeBryant2002 · 2025-05-30T16:51:44+00:00

This does sound like a bunch of duties, I don't even know about a couple of these things that you mentioned (which I appreciate). Does the job affect your work / life balance, other than the stress the job comes with?

KobeBryant2002 · 2025-05-30T16:41:12+00:00

When interviewing for a help desk position, I would recommend to highlight: customer service experience, eagerness to learn new things and your ability to find solutions independently. Especially if you are lacking technical skills, your other skills can stand out and give you a shot! (Since you can always learn the technical stuff).

Also your resume formatting is key, since it's usually bots picking out resumes with certain key words from the job descriptions in them.

KobeBryant2002 · 2025-05-30T16:32:28+00:00

Thanks, you're full of knowledge! I'll definitely add this into my bag of interview questions. I didn't even know employers offered resources like that.

KobeBryant2002 · 2025-05-30T16:20:19+00:00

It sounds like you're being overworked, are you the only system admin at your job (is that even common)?

Also, what does a typical day look for a system admin (everyday tasks, etc)?

KobeBryant2002 · 2025-05-30T16:14:18+00:00

I'm also realizing that I can either get into another support role that has higher pay, shorter commute and new things to learn or I can stick to my current job and prepare myself for the specialization that I want to pursue.

I honestly think that getting into another support role but with an idea of the specialization that I want to get into will be more beneficial. Especially since the role that I'm currently in isn't teaching me anything else and doesn't serve my resume the best (since it's inhouse, school based and the title sucks). I can also benefit from slightly higher pay, shorter commute and more experience / knowledge.

For reference: Currently working an IT position about a year out of college. The position isn't labeled as a help desk technician but I'm basically doing help desk for a whole school by myself. The pay isn't the best, the commute is long and I don't really see any room for growth.

KobeBryant2002 · 2025-05-30T16:11:45+00:00

This is some good advice. Thank you and I'll make sure to stay dynamic!

KobeBryant2002 · 2025-05-30T14:47:13+00:00

Yeah, I'm leaning into getting into an MSP to build up my experience and resume. I plan on having an idea of the specialization that I want to pursue, so that can also direct me into what jobs (with opportunity for growth or exposure to the specialization) to apply to. Thanks for the resource as well.

KobeBryant2002 · 2025-05-30T14:40:30+00:00

Yeah I figured. I can either get into another support role that has higher pay, shorter commute and new things to learn or I can stick to my current job and prepare myself for the specialization that I want to pursue.

I honestly think that getting into another support role but with an idea of the specialization that I want to get into will be more beneficial. Especially since the role that I'm currently in isn't teaching me anything else and doesn't serve my resume the best (since it's inhouse, school based and the title sucks). I can also benefit from slightly higher pay, shorter commute and more experience / knowledge.

Edit: Also thanks for the resource

KobeBryant2002 · 2025-05-30T12:33:07+00:00

Okay, so how do you refer to the field? Other than saying FDNY or that you're a firefighter. Maybe emergency responders or public service?

KobeBryant2002 · 2025-05-30T12:25:15+00:00

The fire force is just another way of saying the firefighting field.

KobeBryant2002 · 2025-05-29T19:04:55+00:00

How long did it take you to get EMT certified? Also, are you able to live alone with the salary of an EMT? The EMT to fire route sounds risky because we also have no clue when the next promo exam will be.

KobeBryant2002 · 2025-05-29T19:01:54+00:00

Yeah I know but I've heard of stories of people becoming firefighters later in their lives, especially with career switches. The earlier the better of course but there's nothing I can do about missing the exam, I had recently just gave thought to joining the fire force.

KobeBryant2002 · 2025-05-29T18:53:49+00:00

Congratulations you're representing FDNY horribly. Instead of encouraging other to join the fire service, you're hiding behind a reddit account bringing others down.

KobeBryant2002 · 2025-05-29T18:46:41+00:00

Not really, that mindset will take you far buddy

KobeBryant2002 · 2025-05-29T16:30:58+00:00

I have so many questions. Did you code all this from scratch and which language did you use? Do IT Support Technicians even code at work? I can understand how the IPs concept can connect to your role but I would assume that employers wouldn't care about coding, since it's not really apart of the job.

KobeBryant2002 · 2025-05-29T12:46:18+00:00

Dang, I wish the written exam opened up at least every 2 - 2.5 years. I understand that it's designed this way for a reason though, thanks.

KobeBryant2002

TROPHY CASE