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Recently my dad has come to me at work and asked me if i would be his IT guy... to start off im not to savy with any IT work to be completly honest and was wondering if anyone knew of a website or maybe a small class online that would be helpful for me learning the basics and key words etc. before i jump into this hands on schooling that ill be given... any and all ideas and helpful websites would be great and again thank you very much ahead of time...

What kind of duties are you expected to perform?

I understand there are many many things that IT could do but my duties are more geared towards setting copiers up to scan/print/networking/sharing... None of it so far has been to difficult to grasp but I would like a few pointers considering I've been ready to eject a computer out the door at times... I think if I knew more definitions of things I'd be a lil better off and more capable.

Edit... More on the connectivity side of IT than anything.

Edited, Aug 6th 2013 9:27am by Mmoderator

http://www.howtogeek.com/

I go to this site for help. However, I wouldn't take a job as an IT person. Is someone else in charge of security? If not, you've got routers and computers, plus any walk in employee handhelds that are a risk.

Its complicated.

Also, I think you in the wrong Forum, unless you plan on playing ffxiv from work.

Edited, Aug 6th 2013 11:53am by Grandmomma

The tonnage of things you can learn on youtube is astonishing. I'd go for some basic device networking. I just googled "networking a printer" and got about a zillion youtube results. If you're generally working with a particular model of printer or copier, you can include that in your search and narrow it down considerably. My shop repairs computers, occasionally we use youtube or some other reference source for correct disassembly of a laptop. Way better option than risking breaking part of the chassis.

If you're suddenly "in charge" over there, you might've found yourself thrown into the deep end a bit. The best skill is adaptability; if you can figure out what you're doing as you're doing it, you'll be ok.

I would like to thank you all for the input here on my subject. It has been of great help to me and my career. Much appreciated!

I couldn't imagine being thrown in this position like this. I would be freaking out.

IT (the kind you're talking about) isn't rocket science, but there is a lot of stuff to learn. Especially the stage you are at.

I've been an IT assistant (and library manager) for a few years now with only hands on training. I'm currently studying for my A+ cert and N+ cert. Cisco and Microsoft certs will follow after that. Depending on the job market I might go back to school.

Be thankful that you're in this position and work hard. I'd also buy an A+ certification guide, just to get familiar with the different parts of the computer.

And to echo others here, mess around with computers at home; network them, take them apart, and put them back together. Once you kinda get some of the basics and lingo down, then really it kinda boils down to how good your google-fu is.

Good luck!

You should tell your dad no. Ask him to hire some kid out of college for cheap and you work with that person until you learn the ropes. IT isn't hard to learn but when you're dealing with mission critical things like e-mail and connectivity learning as you go isn't always the best practice. I've been in IT for 15+ years and the first thing I tell people aspiring to get into the profession is that you don't have to know everything. But you have to know how to find the answers quickly to the things you don't know.

That being said, you can easily learn from someone else. Especially if you'll only be working for a specific company. You'll just need to know how to fix things related to that one company. That is until they want to expand or try something new.

LOL. Well if he's insistent about you being in the family business you can't ask him to work in a different part of the company?

Your father could be making a serious mistake from a security perspective. By putting someone inexperienced into a systems or network administration role he could be putting the entire IT infrastructure of the company at risk. I understand that your father has an immediate need but he should really hire a trained professional. He could try opening an unpaid internship position if he's worried about cost, and advertise at the local colleges that he's looking for someone.

If you're interested in the job yourself I would recommend getting some books and studying as much as you can. You'll eventually want to get the following certifications:
A+
CCNA
MSCE

Those I would pursue as a minimum. The more certifications the better. If your dad is willing to hire you into the role (and wont look for alternatives) then take the opprotunity to learn as you work and study the hell out of those books for those certifications.

Godspeed man.

Edited, Aug 7th 2013 1:34pm by reptiletim

Might just be time to cut the cord and move on. Clearly it's not what you want, and clearly your dad needs to learn what no means. Do you really want to be stuck working in a job you don't even really like just because your dad tells you to? Also, you realize if anything does go wrong from an IT sense, you're going to get all the blame, regardless of being thrown into the position without experience.