My golden rules for landing an IT Support/Helpdesk role and excelling from there

Greetings again, all!

I wanted to take a moment to pivot slightly from the InfoSec topics that I typically post about as of late to offer some tips for those just trying to break into a Helpdesk/IT Support role or move on from one. I sometimes lose focus of how many out there are still trying to just break into their first IT role. Here are some of my golden rules (suggestions really) that I have amassed over my roughly 5 years in IT:

1. I realize we're in a pandemic currently, but be open to working in person at the office and make sure you're proactive in letting employers know this if you're in the application/interviewing stage. In today's world, this will set you apart from the couch jockeys and help you build rapport with the company. Not to mention it will undoubtedly give you hands on experience with equipment you may not have at home (if that wasn't already obvious). Also, if the dress code is casual, don't wear shorts or flip flops or anything with a logo (other than the company's). Especially if it's a large corporate office environment (and even if you think you can "get away with it")

2. ALWAYS have something to say during round table discussions and IT meetings. Whether it's an issue you've been struggling with, a useful fix you've discovered, a news-related event concerning the OS/ applications you use, or just a general technical question, NEVER be the one in the group that has nothing to say. At the start of any meeting, just get a notepad up and jot down anything you can think of to add to the dialogue if you don't have anything already queued up in your head. Also, try to get in the habit of always having your webcam on during meetings, even if others are not doing so. Every hour of every day that you're working you are marketing not just your technical skills but yourself as well. Being more front-and-center in this respect will only make you look better to your colleagues and company in general.

3. Avoid the habit of asking others to help you without first doing the legwork to research and try what you can. This shows others that you're more than receptive to not passing the buck on the issue and happy to learn the resolution yourself if they're willing to guide you, even if it's not always feasible and does in fact needs to route to someone else.

4. Always be learning. It's ok to take breaks and have hobbies and relationships, but do your best to set aside 1-2 hours a day at most of study time. Studying objectives for a certification, jumping into virtual machine labs (once again, shoutout to ITPRO.TV ($30-$50 a month and worth every penny) and also Tryhackme (Free for basic infosec labs, $10 monthly for more advanced). It's ok if you miss a day..or two... But try your best to set a precedent for that measly 1-2 hours a day. You might be surprised where it leads you after only a few months or a year. Learn beyond what you utilize in your daily IT job duties. It will help you bridge gaps and give you something very important in this field: leverage. Leverage to justify to your boss more money, more responsibilities, maybe even a promotion to a higher-tier role. Your ultimate goal should be to become UNEXPENDABLE. These extracurricular studies over time, while certain others stay stagnant in their role and knowledge level, will do you a world of good.

5. Treat every single end user as if they were the CEO. Whether they're an intern, an associate, or a Sr. Director, give every single one of them the same white glove level of service. A critical-level ticket is a critical-level ticket regardless of title. Obviously there's some caveats to this, but in general these are words to live by.

6. Create a professional social media presence! Assuming you've already got a Linkedin filled up with all the professional details of your life you can possibly think of, it's time to expand further. Whether you're recording youtube videos or publishing an awesome blog like mine, this will help reinforce concepts for you as you break them down and outline what you've learned to others. Your video or blog entries don't need to be every day. They could be once a week or once every other week. Use this as a time to break from studying/labbing.

7. Make the slow days count! Don't let your guard down when a slow day finally hits. Make your presence realized even if it just means rearranging or tidying things up around the office, getting together an inventory spreadsheet, anything! Post a quick message in your group's chat just to let the team know that you're working on something when you otherwise would have been radio silent. Employers love this.