D.A. Pearson : Guide to the Game

Now out on Amazon! Buy the paperback book

We are starting a new class. Mid May. Black men on north side Mpls and north metro, 25 yrs of age and up. email me us.

Email me to sign up

I had a convo with a friend on how to get into data jobs. Here is what I found: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140610015329-78432055-how-to-get-a-50k-job-as-a-data-analyst-almost-for-free-without-a-college-degree

Here is one of my test classes: MTA Networking Guide Video We are going to discover jobs, resume and many tools. Stay tuned!

I am seeing alot of people out here without Apple experience in the workplace. Here is a way in: http://training.apple.com/en/itpro/macinteg1012/exam.html Most of my IT colleagues are not too hand on Apple Macs. It pays to invest 60.00 in yourself. Go rent or burrow one if you must and get familiar. Apple even provides you a pdf you can download, no excuses!

Here are the tools you need: -Tableu -Power BI -Excel  -SQL server -Sharepoint -Salesforce  Go support these professionals to get you updated: https://www.excelerateclasses.com/ Very affordable and efficient. They train for SQL server and Excel!

Anyone unemployed, under employed or working part time may be eligible for IT certification training. Bring the following to Mpls Urban League: 2100 Plymouth Avenue North Minneapolis, MN 55411  on Tuesdays at 9:45 AM sharp. 1. High school diploma or 2 yr College Degree 2. State ID 3. Social security card 4. Intake form (email me for form) Print all paperwork. 2 copies of the class outline and one copy of the intake form.  You will provide me with one copy of the outline which you have filled out. Keep the other copy which you will bring to the urban league. Expect to stay until 1:30 PM, tests will be administered. Vouchers, Practice Tests, and mentorship will be provided.

I think the best situation in your case is stack up on certifications. You are going to need some kind of real world experience to back the salary or rates you want. It is going to be tedious, but it can be done. If your bottom line is 20- 25 an hr, it does not make financial sense to take less. I am in the same boat; I was getting 25 for the last few roles when I deserved 32 or more for my background. But the industry is tedious and it's alot of under hand vendors giving IT consultants sharecrop deals. It is not supposed to be like this. IT staff were once respected more. Now, working at a Citrix support firm, even though I dont know much, I been around long enough to know something, and next role I can say; I want at least 62k or more. In the next few weeks I will take my  Server MTA cert: https://www.microsoft.com/en- us/learning/exam-98-365.aspx     We have to be diligent and focus on   big data, virtualization and the cloud,   so we don...

Rule number one. Never give a number until the employer does if its not a contract. First person that mentions pay loses. Eventually they will crumble and make an offer. Do you research. Know what your area pays for what skill and experience you have. If you have a CCNP and citrix experience, you won't take less than 75k.  You wont be able to obtain those certs without the proper experience, so you need to be compensated for it. If you know splunk and app dynamics inside out with 3 plus years experience, 75k is too cheap. Know your software; cisco just bought app dynamics for billions. If you know Power BI and you are a SME and few people dont know it, dont sell yourself for cheap. I wait a 1-3 days and make a decision, and make a counter. If its fair make sure you know the package; 401k, benefits, etc Pay scale is cool, but you really want to crunch some numbers and see what this company can offer. Do they pay for education and certs? Is this culture worth your skillse...

tips: -never use I in a resume. -each sentence of something you did, bulletpoint that. for example: 1. I used Ad to configure servers 2012 for password resets. Provided users top level support. 2. We installed 50 machines in one day. 3. Great customer service skills, loyal fun. (You combined 2 sentences in one. It sounds overkill)  re write:  -Configured servers and assisted team with password resets and image management. -Ability to communicate in diverse range of stakeholders -Able to support an enterprise environment with minimal downtime -Familiar with server/virtualization concepts. -Provided first line remote to support: RDP/Teamviewer/GoToAssist/VNC/ -Adhered to all company policies and regulations in a consistent manner You want to make a resume appealing. You see, if I was a recruiter, I would trash your resume. I am being honest. You must make it sell! Notice I did not use the same starting word twice, and if I did, I diver...

http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/blfs/download.html

For those interested in Cybersecurity, download the iso: https://www.parrotsec.org/

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/exam-70-741.aspx Server 2016 networking cert is the cutting edge cert....

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/training-events/training-certifications/certifications/associate/ccna-cyber-ops.html There is also some scholarships in order, check the site.

What are employers looking for: Passion Tinkerer Troubleshooting skills Patience & Persistence Communication & Reporting Up to date Technical Skills Windows Linux/Unix Networking Programming

VMware Certified Associate 6 – Network Virtualization (VCA6-NV) This is an entry level cert, for those interested in VMware. Know that, in the industry we are in now, desktop support is slowly dying in regards to alot of hardware support. Some companies are even decreasing funds to train. So, they want techs coming in knowning about this stuff. That goes back to me talking about doing for self! Sign up online and take advantage of the free course... Check out this tutorial where you are at it, by the way if you have a colleague, you should all book a space at the library and invite a study group, everyone can learn at the same time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNt4tC8mQWc

This is free cert. It's for sales, but you can learn how citrix works. Add this to your resume when you obtain it. http://training.citrix.com/mod/ctxcatalog/course.php?id=1161

I recommend this resource, as Microsoft has tons of self study guides. Best thing to do is install Virtual box, or VmWare on your desktop and practice, practice, practice! There are alot of people that ask where they can get training, my answer, try to do for self. Employers like to hear people who find results on their own: http://borntolearn.mslearn.net/startyourcareer/#fbid=Qdn7QLWIR_z You can sign up for the cost of an email. You reap the benefits at end of the day.

I found an invaluable source to help pass citrix exams!!!! https://citrixxperience.com/2016/03/30/how-to-pass-a-citrix-exam-using-citrixxperience-com-practice-exams/ This is a a great source, watch the videos, and sharpen up on Server 2012....citix teamed up with citrixexperience to help you get prepared.