A Degree or Experience?
I have been trying to land a job repairing computers for local computer shops. I haven't had any luck, it seems that they are hung-up on degrees. I have to ask, whatever happened to experience?
I always try to keep a positive outlook on Puerto Rico as a whole, outside of politics. We all know, or you should know, that local politics will never amount to anything good for Puerto Rico, but, I digress.
If it weren't for the fact that I don't live on a fairly or highly traffic area, I would probably have my own shop now along with everyone's clients. Yet, for all I know not one of these shops will give me a chance.
I did after all run my own ISP from my living room's apartment in Philadelphia! That's on my resume. I find it hard to believe that not having a degree trumps that, do you?
I have had friends come to me complaining that a local computer shop took a month to fix their computer and then did the opposite of what they asked!
For example, one of my friends wanted the same exact motherboard replacement put into his Gateway computer so that he could use the software that came with his Gateway computer. After a month, he got it back, but it was a totally new non-Gateway motherboard and CPU. Granted, it was a better motherboard, not that munch faster, but he wasn't happy.
And to top it off, I had to take the computer back because it kept restarting. I had to explain to the person who repaired it that the memory type he installed could not be combined on this particular motherboard because the motherboard would only accept 1 stick of the type of memory he had installed (as per the motherboard manual). So we had to exchange two 256 MB sticks for one 512 MB stick. I wonder how long he would had kept the computer again if he had to diagnose the problem?
Guess what this friend does now? Yep, he comes to me. The last time I repaired a computer for him I had to order a motherboard from Canada, because I couldn't find it anywhere else. It was for a 64-bit motherboard for an eMachine that was bought a year earlier at Sams.
His wife was happy and it didn't take a month.
Here's something else I can bring a local computer shop: respect for your customers! Try getting that from a degree.
I can overclock computers and their graphic cards, diagnose problems caused by simple things like a bad BIO's setup, test memory sticks, program, etc., the list goes on.
How long should my resume be, before any of you shop owners get a clue?
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As a university professor I think it’s better to have a degree AND experience. That would be the best combination. Many universities and colleges have online and night classes. Go get a degree (slowly and on your own time, and with the government helping you to pay for it) and then your resume (and your dream of having your own shop) will be awesome.
Don´t underestimate the power of knowledge!!!
“Don´t underestimate the power of knowledge!!!”
Who is underestimating the power of knowledge? Not having a degree does not equal lack of knowledge.
In my case, I have too much knowledge when it comes to IT, more than enough to do the simple job of diagnosing and repairing personal computers. I do that now, as I explained in my post, better than shops around me.
Not having a degree would not impair me the dream of having my own shop. It’s lack of resources.
Some of the biggest industrialists barely made it out of grade school, Henry Ford, or ditched college all together, Bill Gates.
Thank you for replying. I enjoy a good debate.
In this particular case, I think you would be better served getting certifications like the A+ or whatever else is in demand right now. If you already know what you’re doing, you could get a study guide and read it, then take the test. It’s way cheaper than college and in my experience is a lot more useful.