getting started

[NeWbiE :-)]

well...im 17 out of school and never took the oppurtunity to take a computer tech class in high school, ill be going to a comunity college next fall. my question is with no experiance, no classes basically a newborn in the pcworld what are my chances of getting some kind of job at even just a local pc store? If the possibilities are slim is it worth it to build and sell PCs out of my house? maybe on ebay or something? :confused:

[PrntRhd]

I would start learning the basics of PCs and technology by going to the free Certiguide (http://www.certiguide.com) site and start learning the knowledge you need for an A+ certification as a building block. The material on that link is accurate and applicable when you take those courses later. You should also know the stuff so your classmates will not be a huge step ahead of you when you start those classes, and it will help you find a job when you can show a prospective employer you know the stuff.

[Donn]

Hang out and lurk and use http://www.webopedia.com for definitions--start learning the terminology as best you can.

Resist the temptation to interupt other people's posts to ask questions so as not to disrupt somone's panic-stricken desparate flight to find out that their mouse is plugged into the wrong port (whatz-a-mouse?!? Whatz-a-port?!?).

CompUSA offers basic course fairly cheap that will get you familiar with some basics in the PC and the products/parts that go with them.

There was a time when everyone here didn't know anything about computers.



:cool:

[FastLearner]

Don't feel too bad, and stay positive.

I've used a computer every day for the past five years, have completed three years toward my bachelor's degree in IT, carry a 3.98 GPA, and I still can't get a nibble in the way of jobs relating to computers.

Like the others were saying, it's important to learn the basics first, and then worry about starting a career once you have a solid foundation and have tinkered around enough to find a field that really interests you--in my case it would be networking.

Funny you should ask about building your own computers and selling them on eBay. It is definitely a great way to gain experience. But as far as making a profit, it is very difficult. I put together exactly five computers and sold them on eBay last year (with the hopes of making some money)--used the best of everything in the way of hdd, memory, drives, you name it. You know what? I lost money. The reason is that there are too many computer manufacturers who can sell the same computer you build for much cheaper (including a decent operating system) because they buy everything in huge quantities. It's tough to compete with that financially. But again, it's a great way to get to know about the greatest invention ever--the computer.

I wish you all the best in your studies and don't ever be afraid to ask a lot of questions--whether it be here in the forums or of your peers and instructors. He who doesn't ask doesn't know...:)