IT Technician Position tips

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endlesszeal

Senior Member
hey guys, im looking at an opening at a county job for an IT tech. position. and i was wondering if you guys could help me with some of the jargon. the position seems pretty entry level to me and im looking for something with benefits as I make okay money where I work now, but no benefits is killing me.

little background; ive been building computers for about 10 years now and have a strong grasp on hardware. enough to build a computer with my eyes closed and name parts by touch. i dont know much coding, but im comfortable with working with linux distros and DOS like environments. i would say my networking skill is about average, meaning setting up a SMB network, monitoring and troubleshooting it. But I wouldnt know how to do VPNs, certificates or encryptions. lastly, im a pretty fast learner, as I do this more for kicks, and pretty much self-taught (meaning google-fu/forums) with no formal education or certifications.

on the application, there are few questions im not really sure about since I googled what they meant and it feels like Ive done it, but just never learned the proper terms for them.



1. Do you have an in-depth understanding of the OSI model and how to use it as a troubleshooting tool? ___Yes ___No

i found this: How to use the OSI Model to Troubleshoot Networks

does that pretty describe the OSI model and "utilizing" it?

3. Do you have experience working in a Call Center or Help Desk, which supports an Active Directory domain environment? ___Yes ___No

does that mean controlling policies for files and systems? who can read/write/modify and install programs?


13. Do you have experience administrating Active Directory accounts


he person that responsible for setting said policies from the previous question?t




thanks for the help guys!
 
ive been an admin for almost a decade and never used OSI information at all. i'm sure with more indepth networks than i am used to it could be useful, but everything seems really cut and dry...

AD is so much more than what you think it is. sure it encompasses setting up accounts for users, but it can also incorporate DNS. and organizational units can have certain policies applied to them either group or domain wide. i'm being very vague here....

and yes administering AD accounts involves the above.


i try to standardize EVERYTHING as much as i can from client to client. keep the general structure the same between computers/servers/users/everything else. if needed we drill down more for kiosks/macs/etc but it is usually not needed. i standardize because when jumping from client to client it saves alot of time in the long run trying to find where accounts are held. we create security groups to determine policy rather than creating per AD OU. if any of that makes sense... again just one example :)
 
I'm with Turbo, I work in the IT field as well, and although in school the OSI model is hammered into your brain, I have literally never used it for troubleshooting problems.

Maybe if you were a developer you'd need to know it as it may be beneficial to understand the layers when building a program and need to know how the layers interact, but other than that I don't find it useful.
 
As a former network guy, and now a developer, i have never used the OSI model either. lol


It's good to know when you're troubleshooting packet loss.... but frankly, the tools these days do all that shit for you.

IMO, whip through an A+ prep book and you should have a pretty good idea of what you're getting into.
 
You guys do use the OSI model, you just don't realize it.

When HS goes down, you can't get to the webpage. You try going to another page. -- layer 3 troubleshooting.
If you can't get to another page, you close out firefox/ie/safari and try again. -- application layer troubleshooting.
when you can't get to HS, some of you will try pinging it. -- two fold, both tests end-to-end and dns resolution.


Like B said, pick up an A+ book, but I'd even go further and pick up a CCNA book, Network+, and Security+. A+, N+, S+, MCITP (new MCSA/E) and CCNA/E will get you very far -- even if you don't have social skills. The best thing you can do for yourself in an interview is to say "I'm studying for my CCNA/MCSA/MCSE(only if you have a MCSA or MCP)," which if you have the book and are actually reading it, isn't a lie. Don't try to bullshit though, some interviewers will ask you about the curriculum because they've gone through it too, lol.

Learn a programming language that is useful today. Start with something widely used, and hone the skills to more of a niche if you enjoy it. Personally I don't enjoy coding, but the knowledge comes in very handy when I'm working with the developers to solve a problem, troubleshooting something that we didn't build, when something doesn't quite work in our environment, or when I'm performing penetration testing.
 
see, you're what's wrong with the hosting industry.

"The server isn't down" but the vm running on the server is.
 
haha thanks guys. i was pretty sure i am competent for the job, i just didnt know the correct phrases and what not. i looked at a couple of A+ sample tests and they were like computers for idiots, but some where tricky and legacy as hell. i mean, who even installs floppies anymore??? even my ABIT board from 2006 has "boot other media."

anyway, imma just apply for the heck of it and im pretty sure i wont get it since Im not certified and all of that.

awpticks, thats a good idea but no thanks. i dont want to make a career out of it. its just some extra cash or what not until i get into grad. school. damn this economy.
 
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