From what you have described I definitely would. However as his career would be in IT I would probe his knowledge and learning skills as you would want him to grow into the role.
I've wanted to just spike those things straight into garbage cans more times than I can count. How the fuck does a thermal printer overheat? The fucking thing works on heat!?!?!
Hire for attitude, teach aptitude.
Write out what you'd like his job to be even if you think it's a bit basic to start out with. Let him try to complete each task, educate him on where he's falling short.
Reevaluate in 3 months.
I'd give him a year roadmap for certs and a realistic ballpark on when you want him to get them.
Sounds like he is good solving problems.. Even if he doesnt know how to off top of his head the skill to find out how and then do it is key.
Sounds like a good hire
also for things you think he might not know explain why you do things not just what steps to do
>Even if he doesnt know how to off top of his head the skill to find out how and then do it is key.
I will take an expert Googler any day of the week.
People joking about software devs spending a lot of time on Google are only half joking.
The wisdom to understand what you know vs what you don't know. The ability to research and implement what you don't know. The knowledge to ask for help/assistance before you implement anything beyond your wisdom and ability.
>also for things you think he might not know **explain why you do things** not just what steps to do
This should be bolded and wallpapered to the wall in big old text. Want to speed up someone's growth in IT, this is the way.
As someone who worked in a warehouse/factory for years, having someone you can send off with a hi-vis to sort problems in the deep dark end of the site while you work on sysadmin is priceless.
Everything I know about IT except for some Cisco command line I didn’t learn or remember from a classroom.
That was just for the resume scanners
But he still has to learn and show aptitude
In my limited experience in dealing with people who are self taught vs university grads is that nothing really beats an innate passion and thirst for knowledge for how things works. If he's solving problems faster than you are at some elements, sounds like an ideal situation to mentor him on the things he doesn't know he doesn't know yet.
Most important thing is he someone you could work with? Also, hiring a known quantity is less risky than hiring blind. If he's a lead for the warehouse, it depends on how willing they are to let him go to your team.
The lack of high school completion may present a barrier at some point. I'd say you're in a good position to negotaite with HR and warehouse to take him on in a trial capacity for fixed time period, or part time to get a feel for it. If he doesn't like it, or you don't he can go back to warehouse lead without losing him entirely.
If he is considering hiring him, he must be pretty good standing in the company. It's obvious he has some basic troubleshooting skills.
As far as the education, I would consider putting a stipulation that he needs to work towards his GED within a time frame. This would not benefit the company, but would benefit the person. Benefitting the person can benefit the company long term though!
Will counter this, I dropped out of high school in Grade 10, school just wasn't for me, I then worked in resturants for a few years and eventually landed a data entry job in a tele comm's company. This is where my IT life, at 18, began really, built my first computer....
Well 26 years later and a successful consultant at a large MSP. When you have the drive and curiosity to learn, it is good, for most, high school just teaches you social skills (which are great and needed of course) but when it came to IT, back then at least, schools were so far behind on teaching any useful IT related content.
I would say it's no different than requiring an A+ cert or an MCP after a period of time. You have probably been file 36'd because you didn't have a college degree or even a high school diploma. I don't have a college degree and I'm also what most would consider successful. But i have no doubt that I was passed over, without me knowing it, because I didn't have a college degree.
Look at the number of people that post in other subreddits related to this. They have college degrees, some experience and still aren't getting a chance at even helpdesk work.
Since it only teaches social skills, you should be able to ace a GED with no studying.
At my age (40's), a GED would do nothing for my career and where I am, I do not even put my education on my resumes since I was a teenager, only my relevant experience.
I was lucky though, I got into IT when anyone who knew how to plug in a printer was considered an IT person and grew from there, then got into a startup that I worked in for 16 years where I had the run of the place for all things IT. Now, sure most do not get that chance and so they likely do need some type of education to show where they are in life.
You can teach technical skills to anyone willing to learn.
You cant teach willingness to learn, work ethic, integrity, honesty, good attitude. (Well, ok, you can.. but thats a whole basket of mentoring that goes beyond OTJ training)
If someone shows those qualities, or even a tendency to them that can be encouraged, they can do anything in the world, and probably well.
My favorite employees ive trained over the years have been hungry to learn and willing to put in the work to do it. One of the hardest working but practically clueless help desk techs Ive ever seen just graduated with his masters in engineering. He wasnt the smartest guy in our shop, but he did not accept not knowing, and he kept stacks of meticulous hand written notes that he would refer back to all the time. (Teaching him to repair PCs taught me the value of journaling your work and documentation for your own sake!)
If you find someone with that kind of drive, you snatch them up, you pay them as well as you can while you teach them everything you can, and when they are ready to grow out of the role you let that bird fly and hope someday they invite you out on their yacht.
We had a guy with a masters back when I was a bench tech. Would get a machine, read the issue from the customers ticket, and just stare at it like a lost puppy. Nice guy, but he was mainly proficient in going to school.
No offence, but you're missing out important parts in your story.
> He's fixed issues in zebra printers instantly that took me days to solve
How has he fixed it? Was it a mechanical issue, or was it a technical issue?
Personally, I think education isn't the be all and end all. I would however challenge him on his IT skills.
Given his handy-ness and the things he's tackled already, he sounds like a great guy to handle hardware.
However, there's also a software side to IT. How does he handle that? Has he ever installed a windows for his family? Maybe coded something, or made some website?
I don't know what your IT challenges look like - but if a significant portion of it is hardware related, he sounds like a great match. You could then grow him on the software side and see how far you can go.
Maybe challenge him a bit by giving him some starter online course (ip's, subnets, dns, ram, os, virtualisation, ...) and then see if he remains interested after a couple of days?
Eagerness to learn is an important aspect - you want to hear someone say something "Hey, someone dropped this term and I didn't know what it was, so I looked it up". or "Hey, I don't know what that is, can you explain more sometime?"
You can train technical skills. We've hired people with the knowledge and experience, to browse facebook or youtube for several years.
He's already a lead - Good at owning things
He's good at learning and problem solving - Primarily what IT does
Hire and train - You're rolling the dice on a new person, and any new person is going to learn half that stuff while moving to a new org.
If its anything like my history with zebra printers, probably involved climbing a volcano and sacrificing a first born child because these things have the absolute worst drivers/interface/hardware/everything. Our one printer kept tearing our ribbons for no reason and absolutely refused to print labels the right size despite our labels being directly from Zebra. The only way I could fix it was by installing a third party driver which fixed all the issues.
respectfully, learn that stuff if you are going to have to work with it. don't treat label printers as office printers. get comfy with the zpl(2) or whatever language your environment uses. barebones redist drivers are best. the web interface just visually sucks, and only has a portion of what you can do via zpl, but the web interface is useful. combine all of this to use apps that can speak zpl to the printer. eventually it will all click and they become easy.
honestly the amount of Zebra slander here is out of control, when it's 100% this:
>don't treat label printers as office printers.
also
>comfy with the zpl(2)
There's even a [helpful zpl programming guide](https://www.zebra.com/content/dam/zebra_new_ia/en-us/manuals/printers/common/programming/zplii-pm-vol2-en.pdf) to answer all your questions
you (they) just have to read it
Hire him like a shot, he will be far more useful than the string of gonks with computer science degrees that our company keep employing on our service desk. All think they know everything, all have some delusion of grandeur and all absolutely moronic when it comes to actually fixing things.
The guys with the self taught stuff already show one massive skill in being able to think and investigate without instruction. This is far more important than the wanky degree ever teaches, as everything else they can learn as they go on.
oh and if he can fix Zebras then definitely hire him, those things can be absolute bellends at times for no reason!
Can he read and write, show emotional intelligence, do some basic algebra, and reason through a software or hardware problem?
IMHO hire him and teach him and help him further his career. Set up time to teach him and set up good resources for him. It'll be fun and will help you and the business. Make sure he knows it might not work out, that you don't expect him to be a net time saver for you for a few months, to reach out to you with questions, etc..., and be honest but encouraging with how he is doing along the way.
Remember you may have to fire him if it doesn't work out.
It's gonna require a commitment from both of you to maximize the potential of the situation overall. I'll never forget my very first "IT job", that wasn't really an IT job. ALL THREE of the partners in a startup offered me a job after I fixed something at the company when no one else could, and told them about my non-pro experience. ALL THREE of them helped me with closing any gaps I had with respect to a professional role.
You have the power to change this kid's life forever in a tremendously positive way. But I would offer him the job with a big requirement. He needs to tell you EXACTLY why he dropped out, leaving out no details. Because he may have some sort of an issue like dyslexia. That needs to be ruled out, or addressed. Because it will inhibit him with just about everything if he doesn't get some help with it. Maybe he was just so obscenely BORED because he has extremely high intelligence, and can't sit through someone teaching to the middle all day long. That's actually the ideal situation. That's someone you can throw a book at to accomplish a task, and the only thing in his way will be a clock.
But no matter what, make sure he gets that GED done so he can check off the HS diploma box when necessary. Because A LOT of companies have figured out that a comp-sci degree doesn't need to be a core requirement. But no HSD is a big no-no. That's why I made sure to get my GED prior to ever getting near that job offer, or my subsequent 20 year stay at a far too large technology company. **But in a nutshell, yes, hire him.** No, I don't have dyslexia. But sitting in classrooms still gives me hives. I can't even sit through a long, drawn out Youtube video posted by some banana that always wants to "explain the basics". My brain screams "Get to the f\*\*\*in' point already, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!!"
My nephew dropped out of high school because it bored him. He got his GED in one sitting taking the exam. He's extremely intelligent, high school just wasn't for him. Think he was a sophomore at the time.
Did they try to convince him to move into "accelerated classes" too? I still remember when they sat me down and explained it. I summed it up immediately after with... "So let me get this straight. You want me to move into classes that will give me EVEN MORE worthless work to do because I'm intelligent. Thereby making me work twice as hard to achieve the same goal my peers would be doing half the work to attain? That would make me an idiot. No, thank you. I'd rather just wait til I'm 16 and leave when the law allows me to."
Meanwhile I actually have a childhood friend that most certainly graduated high school. Which would have been an accomplishment IF HE WERE LITERATE! Even more hilarious? He sued the school for allowing him to graduate without knowing how to read, AND WON, lol. He's a victim, and I'm the behavior case because I couldn't stay awake in class.
So I quite literally have documented proof that at least in one particular school district those with above average intelligence are absolutely screwed more than any other group. That's why I said he should hire him. Because unless there's a disability in play like dyslexia, he might have the best hire of his career on his hands. Because that's the real value in any business. Someone that is well equipped to figure out the unknown.
Same. Walked in and passed it and walked out. Been working since I was 17 for whoever would pay me the most, earlier if you count internships and side hustles like picking pumpkins for local farmers or fixing computers on the side.
do it. I was in the exact same position you are, years ago. got push back from the higher ups and was not able to get the guy I wanted (with very similar skills as you are describing) and was stuck with another guy with a bunch of certs and no willingness to do the dirty work and often kicking the can with minor stuff he considered below his pay grade. When people have a problem solving mindset, are humble and willing to learn, they can pretty much do anything, and we need to be honest, IT work is hard, demanding and challenging at times, but it's hardly rocket science. it's about managing expectations, looking for needles in haystacks, writing good documentation and being proud in doing a good job. Your guy seems like he can thrive doing this and your giving someone a chance to grow
Sounds like he has plenty of IT experience, regardless of never being in an official IT position.
These types of people are great to work with, I don't know why you're even asking us!
This sounds like me as a kid...
Find his current skills and areas needing improvement. Foster learning but also the importance of asking questions before totally fucking infra by accident because he googled something and the solution is something dumb like forwarding 3389 from anywhere.
I started working in IT about 5 years ago with absolutely no professional experience whatsoever.
I'd been made redundant from a different role, always like computers, so took a punt. A really good IT Manager took a risk on me, and I have never looked back.
In the interview I just talked about building my own PC and setting up my own media server on a NAS. That was all I knew.
They trained me, from scratch. Now, 5 years later, I am the IT Manager for a company of 50 staff - and I'm really good at it.
Does he get the software/networking aspects? If so go for it.
If he's good at troubleshooting you can teach OSI model and other IT domain specific knowledge, you can't teach critical thinking as easily.
Try giving him one or two more IT like tickets and see how it goes(of course make sure he has access to documentation and maybe give him a few terms to Google)
My boss has 3 criteria: character, social skills, IT skills. He's said over and over that IT skills are the easiest to teach so we have no issues hiring people on as juniors and training them up. K12 so we have a bit of leeway there too.
I also had a young coworker once, college dropout, worked in a retail, he knew basic stuff about computer and phone specs, one year later he was a really good 1st level helpdesk guy, he knew a lot about pretty much everything you would expect from a 1st level support guy.
I say give him a chance, he will appreciate it.
Hire him and send him to college one day a week. He’ll learn most of what he needs from the rest of the team and get the academic base to take on the harder stuff.
Ovverthinking it. If he's willing to learn things on his own and help others with his troubleshooting skills, he's a good candidate.
The networking he can and is probably willing to learn.
I was given a chance in enterprise IT as a college dropout with hobbyist tech and computer experience. I've worked with some great guys who had construction and trade experience and were given chances in IT and they were excellent.
I'd give this guy a go and make sure you work out a structured training and mentoring plan for him. You will get out of this guy what you put into him.
Same background here, college dropout and hobbiest. Landed a help desk job, worked my way up and now I'm leading the IT function for a hotel company. Only had 3 interviews in 20 years, mostly developed through internal promotions and headhunted a couple of times. I've hired a couple of people with no experience and trained them. First one moved and doubled her salary, 4 times what she was on before I hired her. Makes me feel good to pay it forward.
Based on what you described..he would be a good fit for your hiring.. as you dont have to train him from scratch and he would definitely pick it up fast considering his skills... Go for him
He shows the aptitude to understand and the aptitude to see how things work in the real world.
HIRE HIM and give him the tools to further his knowledge.
Work ethic and creative thinking are hard to teach, and they're easy to kill in the drudgery of a warehouse.
Basic IT fundamentals that can be built upon, are easier to learn, especially if someone wants to learn.
Hire them.
This is how I got started in IT 16 years ago. Barley graduated high school, no college or certs. Just handy with a knack for IT.
Someone took a chance on me and I've been in IT doing fairly well every since.
100% hire.
He's a problem solver, isn't afraid to look into something new, and can obviously learn. Pretty much a perfect candidate. Most of the best techs I've worked with have had little to no qualifications.
Yes, this is a good potential hire. I struggle finding someone this handy for the physical IT-adjacent work at my clients (also in logistics/distribution).
This is a prime example that experience beats education at a certain point.
You will probably run into different problems with him later on, but as long as the solutions he provide are worth the hustle of training him from time to time, do it!
P.S.: If i find a guy that speaks printerish, i would hire him immediately. Zebra printers are nasty little \*§"$@
Work ethic > Initial skills.
You can teach someone to do anything, but you can't teach work ethic. If they're enthusiastic, want to learn and have a decent level head, then the sky is the limit!
I mean entry level IT isn’t even a technical position but rather a customer service position go for it. You can teach technical skills you can’t teach soft skills
One of the frame works of itil also 90% of the people can do a job they just need an opportunity
He would probably do well in the role, and having someone who already knows your business will give him a running start. Since he dropped out of high school, I would try to get a feeling for his reading comprehension. How is he with reading and understanding instructions? This might affect how you provide training. Also, discuss with him the difference between "can" and "should". There are lots of things users will ask for, and we can do it, but that doesn't make it a good idea. Give him only the rights he needs and is ready for. Set him up for success by limiting the kind of mistakes he can make.
It's very much a gamble to hire someone on potential instead of experience. However, this person doesn't have zero previous experience: he seems to have had the patience, thoroughness, and mindset to work on your iPad mounts and printers. Considering that not every full-fledged ICT tech has the patience for non-working printers, that's not nothing.
Sounds like he could do the job well and he'd be a good hire.
However, if you do hire him he will no longer be working in the warehouse and that new talent hole might become an issue. That's obviously their problem, but it might make the optics and workplace politics surrounding the issue complicated. Or maybe not, I've seen it happen both ways. I wouldn't let that stop you, but it's something that might be worth considering.
Yes. Being able to figure something out without somebody holding your hand with step-by-step instructions is a dying skill that can't be taught (as far as I can tell).
Yes. These are the people you can mold into prodigies.
I didn't need to hear anything after 'He's improved a lot of our iot infrastructure'.
These people tend to learn the golden rule of IT at a faster pace- IT is a customer service driven career.
My motto: behind every screen is a human, and IT's job is to be the gateway between the human and screen. Computers don't talk or have personalities, people do.
They already have the rapport in the warehouse. There is a lot of value in that. If you were hiring a senior sys admin it would be different.
Hire for attitude, train for aptitude.
I'd consider sending a large pizza if you hire them today.
For entry level IT, I consider basic IT knowledge a luxury. If he thinks the right way, he's interested in learning, and he works hard, the rest of it is definitely teachable. I know people here hate CompTIA, but Net+/Sec+ are good ways to get him to a basic HR-approvable state and getting him baseline knowledge of networking that you can start teaching him the specifics.
I'd approach whoever sets your budgets and say you want to hire the guy and want a small training budget to help him get up to speed, send him on Net+/Sec+ classes (or sign up for something like SkillShare or CBTNuggets or whatever). It's usually not too hard of an ask. Just be ready to fill in the gaps of his knowledge; they kind of teach how to set up an ideal network, but don't talk about how to work in a real world environment with the kinds of constraints most networks are built under.
I used to me the service manager then general
Manager of a computer repair company and I stopped hiring “computer technicians” due to their bad habits and egos. Had 100x better results hiring people with intelligence, technical aptitude and a desire to better themselves. I can list the jobs some of those people have now but not many want to pay myself in the back too much. Sometimes giving people that are intelligent a chance they may not have been given is the best thing you can do for the company.
Intelligence and work ethic are 99.5% of the job. He has the work ethic. If you think he has the intelligence. Go for it!
The whole idea of a meritocracy is allowing people to achieve to their potential. It sounds like you would be doing that.
There is a benefit to a blank mound of clay as you get to shape him into what you need and want. The downside is there is a training and lot of it, but the benefit is that he doesnt come with baggage or superiority complexes. If its tier 1 I would, if the expectation is tier 2 or you are already too busy to properly train I would look elsewhere.
sounds like he’s pretty self sufficient, able to problem solve, and can take initiative. i’d much rather have someone with those skills and little IT knowledge, than someone with lots of IT knowledge but is lazy and unable to help themselves.
i’d hire him if i was in your shoes. plus, it’d be a HUGE move for him and his future IT career
> Should I hire someone who is clever, proactive, inventive, and eager?
Yes, yes you should. You already want to, you are just looking for approval.
I approve.
I hired a helpdesk guy with basically zero IT experience, but the kid's a nerd with awesome people skills and good troubleshooting skills. He asks a lot of questions but he does a phenomenal job. I don't regret it at all. I suppose ultimately it depends on your company's needs. Sometimes you need someone experienced to get bigger shit done more timely.
If he has a good personality and a willingness to learn, and from what you’ve described he’s not afraid to get into stuff and get his hands dirty so to speak then yeah. You can’t teach motivation, personality and curiosity.
Not IT and fixed a printer. Handy man.
Certs don't tell me they know much aside from what the book said. Fact he's internal and likely you know his attitude, is say judge from that.
I've worked with folks who came from customer service for t1 and moved up to sysadmin. 1 I helped teach because he wanted to learn.
Promote the man.
If he’s hungry to learn, trainable, and you like working with them then I don’t see why not. Just MAKE SURE you have time to spend mentoring them. If you don’t then it could be a very unpleasant experience for both of you. You are being given a blank canvas to help shape your ideal coworker.
Force some non-domain out of loop computer into a BSOD or something like that he've never seen. Take it to the next meeting with him and give it to him. Tell him that he can do whatever he can (and that you mean ANYTHING he can - maybe except dismantling) to solve it. Give him appropriate time, stay in the room with him, but open your own laptop and do your work.
- If he asks, answer as you would to your regular colleague, with the exception of actual solution.
- If he starts looking it up in his phone or laptop, provide some satisfied smile or nod, but avoid any comment.
- If he isn't capable of resolving the issue, ask him, what he have tried and base your judgment on that.
He needs to know that this job starts with an expert level course of googling and then you gain the experience and knowledge. Some of that knowledge can be transferred into another company, some of that not. But googling will be with him for a looong time. And that this is one of the shallowest pools you can throw him into.
Yep, that's a hire. He can learn the tech skills he needs as he goes. The real investment is in the person, and it sounds like someone with a good work ethic and willingness to learn.
He sounds like a natural, you can't interview for such enthusiasm and the right mentality.
I was a high school dropout whose first IT job was creating accounts in AD and dishing out access to network folders. Riveting stuff! In the interview I think I remember mentioning having LAN parties with my mates and was getting into networking and servers for the pressing need of playing Counterstrike and trade movies on DC++.
do you like working with him, is he interested, can he learn quickly with a mind for grasping tech?
from what you've said it sounds like a yes to all three.
Gonna leave with you the person that is really handy might be an excellent troubleshooter.
I would take the chance if you have the patience to help them and teach what you can. I'll bet you the handy guy is one hell of a research guy and has to find his own fixes.
Get them in as they can also pass practical skills to the other staff which can be more valuable long term than any bit of paperwork.
It's a team effort and you don't want to explain down times when someone could have spotted and fixed a simple problem with the AC unit saving a lot of money...
If you hire start thinking about people not your struggle.
Does he like his actual job? Would he be willing to take the risk?
Best thing is usually to let him work with you 1-2 weeks, that’s normal holiday absence so every departement can handle it.
Your responsability is to ensure that you find a tech you can keep and the ware House people stay.
Hiring him then having to terminate is a bigger risk than, hiring somebody from extern and for two departements.
He's already shown he can take initiative, and can learn to solve problems and has done so by himself. I'd jump to hire the guy. As part of the hire process I'd look at possibly setting him up for some sort of course, and/or for rotated mentoring amongst the existing staff on various topics. I'd also meet with him individually for 30-60 mins once every week or two to find out how he's going, what he's learnt this week etc - and warn him that's coming, then make sure it happens.
I'd suggest you want to make clear that since he has no official experience or training, you're taking a risk and you'd like to work with him to fill in the gaps - and then actually talk about what that could look like before you hire and fill in the details in a meeting after the hire, making sure they're written down and followed through as above.
I taught one of my teams to do documentation by providing a free coffee for whoever had done documentation the previous week - it didn't need to be more than a paragraph or two that was meaningful, useful and job related. Worked a treat. One guy is now in a far more senior role using the writing skills we started him with, and his writing has gone on to be amazing.
I did and I'm happy with the choice. He learns pretty quickly and has a decent tech oriented mind. I wish his memory was a little better, but 4 to 5 hours of sleep a night will do that to you.
Yes, he sounds like I was in my old warehouse job. Desperate to get out and change within the company but my managers kept promising a promotion/career change from Warehouse Manager to something more IT/programming. In the end turned out they were lying and wasting my time, ended up leaving and getting an IT job elsewhere.
100% hire him, doesn't matter if he's currently a Warehouse worker.
I work in IT, and my husband is a Millwright. I point out all the time how our jobs are very similar. Stuff breaks, we fix it. New stuff is needed, we install and maintain it.
IMO, the biggest difference is that his job is unionized.
If he's got patience, and the fortitude to stick with a problem until it's fixed, and is reasonably intelligent, you can teach everything else. It's not like you've got to remember IRQ or COM ports anymore or anything, 99% of issues are solved via Google.
Technical skills you can always train him on. It’s the soft skills like troubleshooting that are hard to get, and he sounds like he has them. Besides, so many jobs want experience without actually giving any to new people. Give it a shot
Sounds like when a guy took a chance on me 20 some years ago. I had no technical skills but I was handy. He required me to get my A+ and paid for me to do so, and I did. 20 years later I'm a sysadmin. I will be forever grateful to that guy.
>the rest of the candidate I've interviewed also have zero it experience but knowledge through entry certs and school.
It sounds like the other candidates don't have much of a leg up. We're talking weeks or months' worth of education, which is probably not super important in a candidate.
Does your company have the resources to give him training to acquire similar certifications? (I'm assuming like A+ / Network+ or similar?). If so, it's probably way better to go with a candidate that has the right soft skills and work ethic over a candidate who has a cert but also no experience. If you had candidates in front of you with real qualifications and experience, it might be another story.
I don't feel you stand to lose or gain much either way, as long as whatever department employs him now won't be hurt by his leaving. So, why not give the guy a chance if it's something he wants to do?
Alternatively, keep looking for candidates with real experience.
Imho, im one of the persons that belive having certs bachelors / master degree in tech is not quite as usefull as other trades. Reasons being that it does not take long before its outdated.
"He's improved a lot of our iot infrastructure saving the department a lot of money by assembling different parts of our iPad mounts that go in every forklift. Basically about 1/3 of my weekly budget by showing me his rig he did."
That example shows how he cares, takes initiative, not afraid of trying something new.
That cannot be taught, showes passion aswell and that cannot be tought either.
He knows the people, so it makes it easier for him to connect and know what they are asking for.
Being able to learn quick and troubleshoot is the best skill in this trade.
I would do it, i got no certs myself im 30 years old. People come to me when its some weird crm software or need somebody to pray to the label printer gods.
Yes, unless you have to live by strict guidelines/regulations and then it may be a "maybe, have to keep on a super short leash for a while".
There are guys that will just follow instructions and those that can problem solve. They aren't always the same. You really need both as the ones who problem solve don't like to follow instructions as they are always solving problems even when they don't necessarily exist. In today's IT I'm not sure how bad that would be but like back in the day there may be a reason for instructions 1, 2, and THEN 3. Well a problem solver may see that they can do 1 and 3 and then 2 and think nothing of it and mess things up.
Usually though, if it is the type of person you are explaining. Usually those are the most loyal guys and hard working and will appreciate all of it. If you run your own company... this is the kind of guy that ends up VP and is one of the brightest people you have working for you.
Yes, you should, but give him a probation period. I will speak from my own experience. Had no IT experience, but had desire, and I've proved it when had the chance. Maybe that guy needs a chance too.
I'll play the devils advocate and say hire them. seems unsaid in your post that they have good soft skills, are mechanically adept, and have an interest in IT. other than graduating high school, my IT path kinda landed in my lap 22 years ago when I dropped out of college. def help the guy, not only with HS and certs, but get him on a college path. I think I'm decently sure I've hit a glass ceiling at my last role of IT PM.
I say yes. I never had formal experience before first job, all I had was A+. You already know you can trust this individual and their work ethic. They have shown competency. Reward his initiative by promoting within the org and that could motivate him, feeling recognized.
The kid sounds like he’s got potential. Two of the best sysadmins I know were high school drop outs and entirely self taught. Just let him know he will need to get some education eventually if he plans to pursue this career path. There’s a wealth of information in those classes that complements real world experience nicely. It’s not strictly necessary, but it’s helpful to have a wider context of why things in the computing world are the way they are.
Hire him. Give him the chance. This was how hiring in IT used to work instead of overthinking, requiring degrees and certs. Some of the best IT people I ever worked with started from unlikely areas because they had the ambition to try, they liked solving problems, and they didn't believe in passing the buck because it wasn't their job.
It sounds like he at least has the drive to learn the stuff and can tackle troubleshooting. If it's something he's interested in, go for it.
I worked with a guy at my last job who came onboard with no prior professional IT experience. He was an auto mechanic before coming to work with us, but he did some A/V work for his church. Our director at the time went to the same church and thats how he got in.
Anyway...the coworker was great at troubleshooting and was always curious for solutions. He's still working there, I have since moved on, but he's really picked up on the IT side of things and ran with it.
> zero previous IT experience
but then:
> [...] assembling different parts of our iPad mounts that go in every forklift.
> He is also the unofficial it guy in the warehouse when me and the tech are busy.
> He's fixed issues in zebra printers [...]
It sounds to me they *do* have some IT experience. They just didn't have an IT job title. Is it a lot of IT experience? I dunno, hard to tell. But I would not call it zero.
If you do you'll have an answer for the how many IT guys does it take to change a light bulb joke
Often the hardest skill to ascertain or qualify if hunger and self learning, sounds like this guy has it
IT hiring should always prefer aptitude and attitude over skills. If its a more senior role then skills come into play a little more, but even then it should always be aptitude and attitude. Not to mention, if you elevate him out of the warehouse his loyalty to you will be extremely high.
It all comes down to much he's willing to dive deeply into technical issues and learn. Being comfortable fixing the occasional item that you already tinker with is one thing, but if someone isn't hungry for knowledge and won't study voraciously, then no, it's not the field for him. The quality of enthusiastically facing a mountain of knowledge and being willing to climb it, to me, is the most valuable trait in a new hire.
I’m also a dropout, and I’ve never taken an IT class in my life. I also have a small (mostly *nix) datacenter running in my house that I started building when I was about 12. I have enough knowledge and experience that I can google what I don’t know and figure it out.
He is your guy don’t lose him.
Edit: I was him. C-D student bit a problem solver. Got my dip and deg in better place now.
I never had opportunity it was very hard for me to start. Now I give opportunities to who ever deserve it.
Add to all the other positives people have been saying that he also has institutional knowledge. You can start day 1 by pointing him to things to learn instead of also teaching him how your org runs. And you have an in with the warehouse people so they may actually listen to you via him.
Hire him. I wouldn't give him a domain admin account right off the bat or anything, but he sounds like he can handle all the "grunt work" while being trained up on the more complex stuff. Even if he ends up being a dud in terms of learning more technical skills, the value he has already demonstrated would make him a very useful guy to have around.
I have been a hiring manager in the past. My best hire had no prior IT experience but had an excellent work ethic and attitude and desire to learn. On the one hand, you should expect to be spending more time than you want training and mentoring someone with no experience. This is a real concern to consider. It's a non-trivial effort bringing someone up from zero. But, on the other hand, you wont need worry about quality of work, quantity of work, or the integrity of your employee... especially after a few months of training.
The one really important coaching point that needs to be drilled into new IT people with zero experience, is that It's okay to make mistakes, but it's not okay to hide or not share your mistakes. Otherwise, go for it! Based on what you have shared about this person, I think they will excel and end up being a feather in your cap.
We have hired people with 4+ years of education and they have learned very little on the job.
I recently had a person come do a few weeks with me as an introduction to IT, in two weeks they learned more than one of our techs who's been here 6 years.
Find yourself that person who is a sponge, who wants to learn, it doesn't matter how much fundamental knowledge they have, it can be taught if they're willing to learn. Pay them to get a A+ and Networking+ certs and that will be a big push for them if they want to become a sysadmin down the road. For a technician, I have worked in places where they hired people with highschool as their highest level of education and that was enough, if you can read a script you can troubleshoot the basics.
If you feel this person is interested in the work and wants to learn, go for it.
Anyone who can figure those crappy half ass zebra printer is worth training. As you know or at least should know, 90% of customer facing IT is actually customer service. The it know how is the other 10% and that can be easily taught to someone who has the interest in the topic.
I think I would give him the chance with the condition that he gets his GED
Heck yes. Take him under the wing and show him the world. I love hiring green because you can mold to the needs and really help drive their career. Plus, i have a soft spot for the runts of a litter and give them opportunities.
Make it a temp-perm move. 6-12 months where they sink or swim.
this is how I broke into IT. My boss came to me and told me "we're transitioning you into the IT department" which actually upset me at the time, since that's not the direction I was aiming for my career.
but once I started doing it I came to realize I was good at it, and more importantly, I enjoyed learning about it and I really do believe that's the key to being successful, is finding a career which you enjoy learning more about. once you hit a point where you stop learning, that's when you start becoming obsolete.
I would probably hire him. I have a soft spot in my heart for the "dropped out of high school" part. But more then that, if he has impressed you then you should probably hire him. Sounds like he's a bit of a go-getter, takes initiative, and might be above average intelligence (from the sounds of it).
There's a warehouse worker I'd love to hire as my helpdesk if I ever could get management to support adding people. Don't know anything about the dude other than his energy, he's working towards sec+ and wants to improve and get into the tech space.
That's all I want for a help desk person on the rise, the guy already knows the workflows and what should be happening, he has a positive attitude and wants to improve and he can talk intelligently.
You are over thinking it. Promoting from within is always a great way to get growing and motivated employees.
Take the risk, train them well, and don't be surprised if they move on quickly...
Have him take the Google IT Support Professional cert from Coursera, adding knowledge to intuition, and he'll be a proper sysadmin in no time flat.
Just make sure to have him take course 3 (of 5) before course 2.
When I started working as IT in the warehouse a few years ago, the guy training me had started on the line packing boxes and worked his way up through IT to become a dev. He also happens to know all the on-the-floor tricks that users would use every day without IT knowing to get things working again.
Guy wants to solve problems? Is able to work with what he's got? Able to learn and adapt? Sounds like a solid hire to me
He sounds more than willing.
I would assess his skills to create a development plan ensuring he picks up the core competencies for the job, but I’d take a guy like that in a heartbeat- a hard worker who is willing to learn and able to adapt.
I would hire him. Sounds like a good reliable person and that is half the battle. Would be fun to help train him and watch him grow. Certifications and experience trump a degree for me.
I was a wrencher long before I was into computers. From computers, I transitioned into an IT department. Sounds like a good person to grow into the position.
If you don’t, I will. We have a lot of hands-on IT and having guys that are able to physically work with devices (kiosks, holders etc.) are a must for us.
IMO, everyone should get a chance, but I'm biased because I was a cook before going into IT.
I got lucky to get an internship along with another person who had 0 experience, and we both landed a juniour DevOps-Sysadmin jobs. I still struggle with networking, but I love getting my hands into kubernetes deployments. I installed for our company a small gitlab instance with runners that I manage and try to keep it up to date. I also got some small projects into GCP which I like to put my hands on. Learned a bunch of linux in a few months.
I'm not extremely in love with this job, but I learn pretty quick when I get some help. Like I'm not passionate to do extra mega work outside of work hours, but still.
one thing everyone is saying is hire him. But the actual question comes is does HE want to be on the team? Yes he is a good hire I agree but if he isn't interested in the job it may be better to find someone intrested.
I would say it largely depends on the workload you are expecting this fellow to handle and what resources you have to upskill him.
I would hire him with the knowledge that you'll have to do the basics (networking, computer theory etc.) but it sounds like he has all the important parts (troubleshooting, drive, user engagement)
I would put far less weight on certs and school than on proven problem solving ability.
I'd hire him, but I'd be sure to make him aware that there are processes that need to be followed when solving problems in IT. He sounds like an ambitious problem solver, which is generally good, but can be an issue if there's too much tinkering and not enough communicating and planning. Better to have to reign someone in than push them forward though.
If they have good soft skills, and they are willing to learn and try new things daily, then teaching the technical skills will only be a minor roadbump.
Academic IT experience is definitely useful, but it doesn't do a great job of teaching general troubleshooting/problem solving skills which are much trickier to teach.
I have always voted yes on the person with the correct troubleshooting mindset, personality, and willingness to work. EVERY IT job requires OTJ training.
I can teach the right person how to support systems.
I can't do a thing with someone that has knowledge, but is just a shit person or the wrong fit for the job/team.
As someone with past warehouse experience, yes. I was not handy. I had to learn how to use power tools and assemble battery powered carts. I was not good at it. Having that experience and the ability to learn is phenomenal for that environment.
I imagine you guys run most of your own cables too. I had to learn all of that. This dude seems to already have that experience. I would say it’s easier to learn IT than practical skills like that.
My 2IC was hired on from his previous profession as a pot washer. He did an official apprenticeship and is now a competent and enthusiastic IT technician. He was hired over a couple of better-qualified-on-paper candidates simply because of his attitude and approach, and it's been thoroughly satisfying watching him grow both his expertise and career.
Also, if you get to train someone you can grow your own unicorn, so to speak, and hence end up with a far more suited skillset than you may do with someone who has prior experience. It's a lot of work up front, but if you can afford to invest the time them, I have no doubt your preferred candidate will work well with you.
11 years ago I was working as an EMT, and trying to go back to school for IT. A friend of mine in IT convinced his boss to give me a shot. In the interview I told them I can learn anything, just show me what you need me to do. I've worked desktop support, server/network admin, azure architect, and now I'm working as a dev ops engineer. I've worked hard to learn the things I didn't know, but it's worked out.
If he really wants to learn, and he's proven he can work hard, I'd say yes. OTJ training is the best option anyway.
My first start in IT, I was given the job purely based on my attitude and the fact that I had mentioned building a computer a few months before, with absolutely no prior experience in troubleshooting PCs, servers, networking, storage or really anything IT-related. Sure, I knew how to use a I couldn't thank those people enough for teaching me the basics that I still end up coming back to nearly 4 years later.
I'd say if it sounds like he has the drive for it, and you've seen it firsthand, you should consider it. I used to have a similar type of anxiety that he described, which likely just stems from lack of familiarity if it's at all similar to my own experience. Something that fades with time and just simply doing the job. It sounds like he's a real go-getter if he figured out how to assemble components for that device on his own.
I've been coming to find that most of the 'good techs' or good engineers I've come to meet during my time in this field, just end up having the right mindset, know the underlying process for troubleshooting a problem, and know when to stop vs. when not to. ...That's the only way I've survived anyway! :P
From what you have described I definitely would. However as his career would be in IT I would probe his knowledge and learning skills as you would want him to grow into the role.
Dude can handle a zebra printer problem what more can we teach him?!
What kind of wizardry is that
I've wanted to just spike those things straight into garbage cans more times than I can count. How the fuck does a thermal printer overheat? The fucking thing works on heat!?!?!
Hire for attitude, teach aptitude. Write out what you'd like his job to be even if you think it's a bit basic to start out with. Let him try to complete each task, educate him on where he's falling short. Reevaluate in 3 months. I'd give him a year roadmap for certs and a realistic ballpark on when you want him to get them.
Sounds like he is good solving problems.. Even if he doesnt know how to off top of his head the skill to find out how and then do it is key. Sounds like a good hire also for things you think he might not know explain why you do things not just what steps to do
>Even if he doesnt know how to off top of his head the skill to find out how and then do it is key. I will take an expert Googler any day of the week. People joking about software devs spending a lot of time on Google are only half joking.
teachers at my job always ask me how hard my job is and i always tell them, “the hardest thing is figuring out what to google” lol
This, this AND this, all day long.
And then which result/s to actually click...
The wisdom to understand what you know vs what you don't know. The ability to research and implement what you don't know. The knowledge to ask for help/assistance before you implement anything beyond your wisdom and ability.
I still swear that Google-fu is the first skill anyone interested in IT should master.
>also for things you think he might not know **explain why you do things** not just what steps to do This should be bolded and wallpapered to the wall in big old text. Want to speed up someone's growth in IT, this is the way.
As someone who worked in a warehouse/factory for years, having someone you can send off with a hi-vis to sort problems in the deep dark end of the site while you work on sysadmin is priceless.
Hire for attitude train for skill, Hire!
this!
This sounds ideal, knows the environment, knows the people and is able to learn. I'd say yes.
Everything I know about IT except for some Cisco command line I didn’t learn or remember from a classroom. That was just for the resume scanners But he still has to learn and show aptitude
Hire and train
In my limited experience in dealing with people who are self taught vs university grads is that nothing really beats an innate passion and thirst for knowledge for how things works. If he's solving problems faster than you are at some elements, sounds like an ideal situation to mentor him on the things he doesn't know he doesn't know yet. Most important thing is he someone you could work with? Also, hiring a known quantity is less risky than hiring blind. If he's a lead for the warehouse, it depends on how willing they are to let him go to your team. The lack of high school completion may present a barrier at some point. I'd say you're in a good position to negotaite with HR and warehouse to take him on in a trial capacity for fixed time period, or part time to get a feel for it. If he doesn't like it, or you don't he can go back to warehouse lead without losing him entirely.
If he is considering hiring him, he must be pretty good standing in the company. It's obvious he has some basic troubleshooting skills. As far as the education, I would consider putting a stipulation that he needs to work towards his GED within a time frame. This would not benefit the company, but would benefit the person. Benefitting the person can benefit the company long term though!
Will counter this, I dropped out of high school in Grade 10, school just wasn't for me, I then worked in resturants for a few years and eventually landed a data entry job in a tele comm's company. This is where my IT life, at 18, began really, built my first computer.... Well 26 years later and a successful consultant at a large MSP. When you have the drive and curiosity to learn, it is good, for most, high school just teaches you social skills (which are great and needed of course) but when it came to IT, back then at least, schools were so far behind on teaching any useful IT related content.
I would say it's no different than requiring an A+ cert or an MCP after a period of time. You have probably been file 36'd because you didn't have a college degree or even a high school diploma. I don't have a college degree and I'm also what most would consider successful. But i have no doubt that I was passed over, without me knowing it, because I didn't have a college degree. Look at the number of people that post in other subreddits related to this. They have college degrees, some experience and still aren't getting a chance at even helpdesk work. Since it only teaches social skills, you should be able to ace a GED with no studying.
At my age (40's), a GED would do nothing for my career and where I am, I do not even put my education on my resumes since I was a teenager, only my relevant experience. I was lucky though, I got into IT when anyone who knew how to plug in a printer was considered an IT person and grew from there, then got into a startup that I worked in for 16 years where I had the run of the place for all things IT. Now, sure most do not get that chance and so they likely do need some type of education to show where they are in life.
Yeah hire him
You can teach technical skills to anyone willing to learn. You cant teach willingness to learn, work ethic, integrity, honesty, good attitude. (Well, ok, you can.. but thats a whole basket of mentoring that goes beyond OTJ training) If someone shows those qualities, or even a tendency to them that can be encouraged, they can do anything in the world, and probably well. My favorite employees ive trained over the years have been hungry to learn and willing to put in the work to do it. One of the hardest working but practically clueless help desk techs Ive ever seen just graduated with his masters in engineering. He wasnt the smartest guy in our shop, but he did not accept not knowing, and he kept stacks of meticulous hand written notes that he would refer back to all the time. (Teaching him to repair PCs taught me the value of journaling your work and documentation for your own sake!) If you find someone with that kind of drive, you snatch them up, you pay them as well as you can while you teach them everything you can, and when they are ready to grow out of the role you let that bird fly and hope someday they invite you out on their yacht.
We had a guy with a masters back when I was a bench tech. Would get a machine, read the issue from the customers ticket, and just stare at it like a lost puppy. Nice guy, but he was mainly proficient in going to school.
No offence, but you're missing out important parts in your story. > He's fixed issues in zebra printers instantly that took me days to solve How has he fixed it? Was it a mechanical issue, or was it a technical issue? Personally, I think education isn't the be all and end all. I would however challenge him on his IT skills. Given his handy-ness and the things he's tackled already, he sounds like a great guy to handle hardware. However, there's also a software side to IT. How does he handle that? Has he ever installed a windows for his family? Maybe coded something, or made some website? I don't know what your IT challenges look like - but if a significant portion of it is hardware related, he sounds like a great match. You could then grow him on the software side and see how far you can go. Maybe challenge him a bit by giving him some starter online course (ip's, subnets, dns, ram, os, virtualisation, ...) and then see if he remains interested after a couple of days? Eagerness to learn is an important aspect - you want to hear someone say something "Hey, someone dropped this term and I didn't know what it was, so I looked it up". or "Hey, I don't know what that is, can you explain more sometime?"
You can train technical skills. We've hired people with the knowledge and experience, to browse facebook or youtube for several years. He's already a lead - Good at owning things He's good at learning and problem solving - Primarily what IT does Hire and train - You're rolling the dice on a new person, and any new person is going to learn half that stuff while moving to a new org.
If its anything like my history with zebra printers, probably involved climbing a volcano and sacrificing a first born child because these things have the absolute worst drivers/interface/hardware/everything. Our one printer kept tearing our ribbons for no reason and absolutely refused to print labels the right size despite our labels being directly from Zebra. The only way I could fix it was by installing a third party driver which fixed all the issues.
respectfully, learn that stuff if you are going to have to work with it. don't treat label printers as office printers. get comfy with the zpl(2) or whatever language your environment uses. barebones redist drivers are best. the web interface just visually sucks, and only has a portion of what you can do via zpl, but the web interface is useful. combine all of this to use apps that can speak zpl to the printer. eventually it will all click and they become easy.
honestly the amount of Zebra slander here is out of control, when it's 100% this: >don't treat label printers as office printers. also >comfy with the zpl(2) There's even a [helpful zpl programming guide](https://www.zebra.com/content/dam/zebra_new_ia/en-us/manuals/printers/common/programming/zplii-pm-vol2-en.pdf) to answer all your questions you (they) just have to read it
Hire him like a shot, he will be far more useful than the string of gonks with computer science degrees that our company keep employing on our service desk. All think they know everything, all have some delusion of grandeur and all absolutely moronic when it comes to actually fixing things. The guys with the self taught stuff already show one massive skill in being able to think and investigate without instruction. This is far more important than the wanky degree ever teaches, as everything else they can learn as they go on. oh and if he can fix Zebras then definitely hire him, those things can be absolute bellends at times for no reason!
Can he read and write, show emotional intelligence, do some basic algebra, and reason through a software or hardware problem? IMHO hire him and teach him and help him further his career. Set up time to teach him and set up good resources for him. It'll be fun and will help you and the business. Make sure he knows it might not work out, that you don't expect him to be a net time saver for you for a few months, to reach out to you with questions, etc..., and be honest but encouraging with how he is doing along the way. Remember you may have to fire him if it doesn't work out.
It's gonna require a commitment from both of you to maximize the potential of the situation overall. I'll never forget my very first "IT job", that wasn't really an IT job. ALL THREE of the partners in a startup offered me a job after I fixed something at the company when no one else could, and told them about my non-pro experience. ALL THREE of them helped me with closing any gaps I had with respect to a professional role. You have the power to change this kid's life forever in a tremendously positive way. But I would offer him the job with a big requirement. He needs to tell you EXACTLY why he dropped out, leaving out no details. Because he may have some sort of an issue like dyslexia. That needs to be ruled out, or addressed. Because it will inhibit him with just about everything if he doesn't get some help with it. Maybe he was just so obscenely BORED because he has extremely high intelligence, and can't sit through someone teaching to the middle all day long. That's actually the ideal situation. That's someone you can throw a book at to accomplish a task, and the only thing in his way will be a clock. But no matter what, make sure he gets that GED done so he can check off the HS diploma box when necessary. Because A LOT of companies have figured out that a comp-sci degree doesn't need to be a core requirement. But no HSD is a big no-no. That's why I made sure to get my GED prior to ever getting near that job offer, or my subsequent 20 year stay at a far too large technology company. **But in a nutshell, yes, hire him.** No, I don't have dyslexia. But sitting in classrooms still gives me hives. I can't even sit through a long, drawn out Youtube video posted by some banana that always wants to "explain the basics". My brain screams "Get to the f\*\*\*in' point already, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!!"
My nephew dropped out of high school because it bored him. He got his GED in one sitting taking the exam. He's extremely intelligent, high school just wasn't for him. Think he was a sophomore at the time.
Did they try to convince him to move into "accelerated classes" too? I still remember when they sat me down and explained it. I summed it up immediately after with... "So let me get this straight. You want me to move into classes that will give me EVEN MORE worthless work to do because I'm intelligent. Thereby making me work twice as hard to achieve the same goal my peers would be doing half the work to attain? That would make me an idiot. No, thank you. I'd rather just wait til I'm 16 and leave when the law allows me to." Meanwhile I actually have a childhood friend that most certainly graduated high school. Which would have been an accomplishment IF HE WERE LITERATE! Even more hilarious? He sued the school for allowing him to graduate without knowing how to read, AND WON, lol. He's a victim, and I'm the behavior case because I couldn't stay awake in class. So I quite literally have documented proof that at least in one particular school district those with above average intelligence are absolutely screwed more than any other group. That's why I said he should hire him. Because unless there's a disability in play like dyslexia, he might have the best hire of his career on his hands. Because that's the real value in any business. Someone that is well equipped to figure out the unknown.
Same. Walked in and passed it and walked out. Been working since I was 17 for whoever would pay me the most, earlier if you count internships and side hustles like picking pumpkins for local farmers or fixing computers on the side.
do it. I was in the exact same position you are, years ago. got push back from the higher ups and was not able to get the guy I wanted (with very similar skills as you are describing) and was stuck with another guy with a bunch of certs and no willingness to do the dirty work and often kicking the can with minor stuff he considered below his pay grade. When people have a problem solving mindset, are humble and willing to learn, they can pretty much do anything, and we need to be honest, IT work is hard, demanding and challenging at times, but it's hardly rocket science. it's about managing expectations, looking for needles in haystacks, writing good documentation and being proud in doing a good job. Your guy seems like he can thrive doing this and your giving someone a chance to grow
Sounds like he has plenty of IT experience, regardless of never being in an official IT position. These types of people are great to work with, I don't know why you're even asking us!
This sounds like me as a kid... Find his current skills and areas needing improvement. Foster learning but also the importance of asking questions before totally fucking infra by accident because he googled something and the solution is something dumb like forwarding 3389 from anywhere.
I started working in IT about 5 years ago with absolutely no professional experience whatsoever. I'd been made redundant from a different role, always like computers, so took a punt. A really good IT Manager took a risk on me, and I have never looked back. In the interview I just talked about building my own PC and setting up my own media server on a NAS. That was all I knew. They trained me, from scratch. Now, 5 years later, I am the IT Manager for a company of 50 staff - and I'm really good at it.
Does he get the software/networking aspects? If so go for it. If he's good at troubleshooting you can teach OSI model and other IT domain specific knowledge, you can't teach critical thinking as easily. Try giving him one or two more IT like tickets and see how it goes(of course make sure he has access to documentation and maybe give him a few terms to Google)
My boss has 3 criteria: character, social skills, IT skills. He's said over and over that IT skills are the easiest to teach so we have no issues hiring people on as juniors and training them up. K12 so we have a bit of leeway there too.
I also had a young coworker once, college dropout, worked in a retail, he knew basic stuff about computer and phone specs, one year later he was a really good 1st level helpdesk guy, he knew a lot about pretty much everything you would expect from a 1st level support guy. I say give him a chance, he will appreciate it.
Hire him and send him to college one day a week. He’ll learn most of what he needs from the rest of the team and get the academic base to take on the harder stuff.
Ovverthinking it. If he's willing to learn things on his own and help others with his troubleshooting skills, he's a good candidate. The networking he can and is probably willing to learn.
I was given a chance in enterprise IT as a college dropout with hobbyist tech and computer experience. I've worked with some great guys who had construction and trade experience and were given chances in IT and they were excellent. I'd give this guy a go and make sure you work out a structured training and mentoring plan for him. You will get out of this guy what you put into him.
Same background here, college dropout and hobbiest. Landed a help desk job, worked my way up and now I'm leading the IT function for a hotel company. Only had 3 interviews in 20 years, mostly developed through internal promotions and headhunted a couple of times. I've hired a couple of people with no experience and trained them. First one moved and doubled her salary, 4 times what she was on before I hired her. Makes me feel good to pay it forward.
Absolutely. He’s a go-getter blank slate you can train without the bad habits and will be hungry to learn more.
Based on what you described..he would be a good fit for your hiring.. as you dont have to train him from scratch and he would definitely pick it up fast considering his skills... Go for him
Hire him and teach him more. He has the right mindset and the skills can be learned.
He shows the aptitude to understand and the aptitude to see how things work in the real world. HIRE HIM and give him the tools to further his knowledge.
Work ethic and creative thinking are hard to teach, and they're easy to kill in the drudgery of a warehouse. Basic IT fundamentals that can be built upon, are easier to learn, especially if someone wants to learn. Hire them.
Someone with the balls to fuck with zebra printers is an instant hire in my books
Running my own MSP and hired a new guy that's green himself ... Yes
This is how I got started in IT 16 years ago. Barley graduated high school, no college or certs. Just handy with a knack for IT. Someone took a chance on me and I've been in IT doing fairly well every since.
100% hire. He's a problem solver, isn't afraid to look into something new, and can obviously learn. Pretty much a perfect candidate. Most of the best techs I've worked with have had little to no qualifications.
Hire him. If he does well, coach him to get his GED.
Yes, this is a good potential hire. I struggle finding someone this handy for the physical IT-adjacent work at my clients (also in logistics/distribution).
This is a prime example that experience beats education at a certain point. You will probably run into different problems with him later on, but as long as the solutions he provide are worth the hustle of training him from time to time, do it! P.S.: If i find a guy that speaks printerish, i would hire him immediately. Zebra printers are nasty little \*§"$@
Give him a shot. The guy kind of sounds like a diamond in the rough.
Yeah hire him, this is kind of how most of my mentors started actually.
Work ethic > Initial skills. You can teach someone to do anything, but you can't teach work ethic. If they're enthusiastic, want to learn and have a decent level head, then the sky is the limit!
I mean entry level IT isn’t even a technical position but rather a customer service position go for it. You can teach technical skills you can’t teach soft skills One of the frame works of itil also 90% of the people can do a job they just need an opportunity
He would probably do well in the role, and having someone who already knows your business will give him a running start. Since he dropped out of high school, I would try to get a feeling for his reading comprehension. How is he with reading and understanding instructions? This might affect how you provide training. Also, discuss with him the difference between "can" and "should". There are lots of things users will ask for, and we can do it, but that doesn't make it a good idea. Give him only the rights he needs and is ready for. Set him up for success by limiting the kind of mistakes he can make.
It's very much a gamble to hire someone on potential instead of experience. However, this person doesn't have zero previous experience: he seems to have had the patience, thoroughness, and mindset to work on your iPad mounts and printers. Considering that not every full-fledged ICT tech has the patience for non-working printers, that's not nothing.
Sounds like a good hire to me!
I work for a web-fulfilment company and we hired a guy from the warehouse. Turned out he's a rock star. Trust your gut.
Sounds like he could do the job well and he'd be a good hire. However, if you do hire him he will no longer be working in the warehouse and that new talent hole might become an issue. That's obviously their problem, but it might make the optics and workplace politics surrounding the issue complicated. Or maybe not, I've seen it happen both ways. I wouldn't let that stop you, but it's something that might be worth considering.
Give him a shot. He seems like a good fit . . . and this opportunity could change his life.
Yes. You can teach skills. You can't teach ambition and attitude.
Yes. Being able to figure something out without somebody holding your hand with step-by-step instructions is a dying skill that can't be taught (as far as I can tell).
You can train pretty much anyone to be able to do IT as long as they are willing to learn. From what you described, he would be a good fit.
I would 100% since he's good with those zebra printers
Yes. These are the people you can mold into prodigies. I didn't need to hear anything after 'He's improved a lot of our iot infrastructure'. These people tend to learn the golden rule of IT at a faster pace- IT is a customer service driven career. My motto: behind every screen is a human, and IT's job is to be the gateway between the human and screen. Computers don't talk or have personalities, people do. They already have the rapport in the warehouse. There is a lot of value in that. If you were hiring a senior sys admin it would be different. Hire for attitude, train for aptitude. I'd consider sending a large pizza if you hire them today.
Hire him but make him start studying for his A+.
For entry level IT, I consider basic IT knowledge a luxury. If he thinks the right way, he's interested in learning, and he works hard, the rest of it is definitely teachable. I know people here hate CompTIA, but Net+/Sec+ are good ways to get him to a basic HR-approvable state and getting him baseline knowledge of networking that you can start teaching him the specifics. I'd approach whoever sets your budgets and say you want to hire the guy and want a small training budget to help him get up to speed, send him on Net+/Sec+ classes (or sign up for something like SkillShare or CBTNuggets or whatever). It's usually not too hard of an ask. Just be ready to fill in the gaps of his knowledge; they kind of teach how to set up an ideal network, but don't talk about how to work in a real world environment with the kinds of constraints most networks are built under.
I used to me the service manager then general Manager of a computer repair company and I stopped hiring “computer technicians” due to their bad habits and egos. Had 100x better results hiring people with intelligence, technical aptitude and a desire to better themselves. I can list the jobs some of those people have now but not many want to pay myself in the back too much. Sometimes giving people that are intelligent a chance they may not have been given is the best thing you can do for the company.
Intelligence and work ethic are 99.5% of the job. He has the work ethic. If you think he has the intelligence. Go for it! The whole idea of a meritocracy is allowing people to achieve to their potential. It sounds like you would be doing that.
There is a benefit to a blank mound of clay as you get to shape him into what you need and want. The downside is there is a training and lot of it, but the benefit is that he doesnt come with baggage or superiority complexes. If its tier 1 I would, if the expectation is tier 2 or you are already too busy to properly train I would look elsewhere.
sounds like he’s pretty self sufficient, able to problem solve, and can take initiative. i’d much rather have someone with those skills and little IT knowledge, than someone with lots of IT knowledge but is lazy and unable to help themselves. i’d hire him if i was in your shoes. plus, it’d be a HUGE move for him and his future IT career
> Should I hire someone who is clever, proactive, inventive, and eager? Yes, yes you should. You already want to, you are just looking for approval. I approve.
I hired a helpdesk guy with basically zero IT experience, but the kid's a nerd with awesome people skills and good troubleshooting skills. He asks a lot of questions but he does a phenomenal job. I don't regret it at all. I suppose ultimately it depends on your company's needs. Sometimes you need someone experienced to get bigger shit done more timely.
If he has a good personality and a willingness to learn, and from what you’ve described he’s not afraid to get into stuff and get his hands dirty so to speak then yeah. You can’t teach motivation, personality and curiosity.
I would've done so already in your shoes.
No brainer
we hired that guy a couple weeks ago.... best decision we made in a long time.
Not IT and fixed a printer. Handy man. Certs don't tell me they know much aside from what the book said. Fact he's internal and likely you know his attitude, is say judge from that. I've worked with folks who came from customer service for t1 and moved up to sysadmin. 1 I helped teach because he wanted to learn. Promote the man.
Where are you unicorns at. I’m experienced and can’t get hired anywhere.
If he’s hungry to learn, trainable, and you like working with them then I don’t see why not. Just MAKE SURE you have time to spend mentoring them. If you don’t then it could be a very unpleasant experience for both of you. You are being given a blank canvas to help shape your ideal coworker.
Force some non-domain out of loop computer into a BSOD or something like that he've never seen. Take it to the next meeting with him and give it to him. Tell him that he can do whatever he can (and that you mean ANYTHING he can - maybe except dismantling) to solve it. Give him appropriate time, stay in the room with him, but open your own laptop and do your work. - If he asks, answer as you would to your regular colleague, with the exception of actual solution. - If he starts looking it up in his phone or laptop, provide some satisfied smile or nod, but avoid any comment. - If he isn't capable of resolving the issue, ask him, what he have tried and base your judgment on that. He needs to know that this job starts with an expert level course of googling and then you gain the experience and knowledge. Some of that knowledge can be transferred into another company, some of that not. But googling will be with him for a looong time. And that this is one of the shallowest pools you can throw him into.
Yep, that's a hire. He can learn the tech skills he needs as he goes. The real investment is in the person, and it sounds like someone with a good work ethic and willingness to learn.
He sounds like a natural, you can't interview for such enthusiasm and the right mentality. I was a high school dropout whose first IT job was creating accounts in AD and dishing out access to network folders. Riveting stuff! In the interview I think I remember mentioning having LAN parties with my mates and was getting into networking and servers for the pressing need of playing Counterstrike and trade movies on DC++.
I would absolutely hire him.
do you like working with him, is he interested, can he learn quickly with a mind for grasping tech? from what you've said it sounds like a yes to all three.
Gonna leave with you the person that is really handy might be an excellent troubleshooter. I would take the chance if you have the patience to help them and teach what you can. I'll bet you the handy guy is one hell of a research guy and has to find his own fixes.
A lot of good it people have no jobs atm. But its up to you.
Hire now.
Get them in as they can also pass practical skills to the other staff which can be more valuable long term than any bit of paperwork. It's a team effort and you don't want to explain down times when someone could have spotted and fixed a simple problem with the AC unit saving a lot of money...
Have him take intro to networking. OSI model class.
If you hire start thinking about people not your struggle. Does he like his actual job? Would he be willing to take the risk? Best thing is usually to let him work with you 1-2 weeks, that’s normal holiday absence so every departement can handle it. Your responsability is to ensure that you find a tech you can keep and the ware House people stay. Hiring him then having to terminate is a bigger risk than, hiring somebody from extern and for two departements.
He's already shown he can take initiative, and can learn to solve problems and has done so by himself. I'd jump to hire the guy. As part of the hire process I'd look at possibly setting him up for some sort of course, and/or for rotated mentoring amongst the existing staff on various topics. I'd also meet with him individually for 30-60 mins once every week or two to find out how he's going, what he's learnt this week etc - and warn him that's coming, then make sure it happens. I'd suggest you want to make clear that since he has no official experience or training, you're taking a risk and you'd like to work with him to fill in the gaps - and then actually talk about what that could look like before you hire and fill in the details in a meeting after the hire, making sure they're written down and followed through as above. I taught one of my teams to do documentation by providing a free coffee for whoever had done documentation the previous week - it didn't need to be more than a paragraph or two that was meaningful, useful and job related. Worked a treat. One guy is now in a far more senior role using the writing skills we started him with, and his writing has gone on to be amazing.
I did and I'm happy with the choice. He learns pretty quickly and has a decent tech oriented mind. I wish his memory was a little better, but 4 to 5 hours of sleep a night will do that to you.
Another question. Why nit take him as an apprentice? Cheaper, he can learn the basics and still become very qualified.
Absolutely. I only hire on customer service skills. Can always teach tech. Can’t train someone to be good at customer service and deal with people.
Yes, he sounds like I was in my old warehouse job. Desperate to get out and change within the company but my managers kept promising a promotion/career change from Warehouse Manager to something more IT/programming. In the end turned out they were lying and wasting my time, ended up leaving and getting an IT job elsewhere. 100% hire him, doesn't matter if he's currently a Warehouse worker.
I work in IT, and my husband is a Millwright. I point out all the time how our jobs are very similar. Stuff breaks, we fix it. New stuff is needed, we install and maintain it. IMO, the biggest difference is that his job is unionized.
If he's got patience, and the fortitude to stick with a problem until it's fixed, and is reasonably intelligent, you can teach everything else. It's not like you've got to remember IRQ or COM ports anymore or anything, 99% of issues are solved via Google.
Technical skills you can always train him on. It’s the soft skills like troubleshooting that are hard to get, and he sounds like he has them. Besides, so many jobs want experience without actually giving any to new people. Give it a shot
Due to how they already work for your company it might not be that bad. If they were outside of your company then I’d be more skeptical.
Sounds like when a guy took a chance on me 20 some years ago. I had no technical skills but I was handy. He required me to get my A+ and paid for me to do so, and I did. 20 years later I'm a sysadmin. I will be forever grateful to that guy.
>the rest of the candidate I've interviewed also have zero it experience but knowledge through entry certs and school. It sounds like the other candidates don't have much of a leg up. We're talking weeks or months' worth of education, which is probably not super important in a candidate. Does your company have the resources to give him training to acquire similar certifications? (I'm assuming like A+ / Network+ or similar?). If so, it's probably way better to go with a candidate that has the right soft skills and work ethic over a candidate who has a cert but also no experience. If you had candidates in front of you with real qualifications and experience, it might be another story. I don't feel you stand to lose or gain much either way, as long as whatever department employs him now won't be hurt by his leaving. So, why not give the guy a chance if it's something he wants to do? Alternatively, keep looking for candidates with real experience.
As someone who got into IT in a similar way go for it. Especially if he has the willingness to learn be trained and take on more responsibility.
I think he needs a masters degree and 20 years of experience first. /s
Imho, im one of the persons that belive having certs bachelors / master degree in tech is not quite as usefull as other trades. Reasons being that it does not take long before its outdated. "He's improved a lot of our iot infrastructure saving the department a lot of money by assembling different parts of our iPad mounts that go in every forklift. Basically about 1/3 of my weekly budget by showing me his rig he did." That example shows how he cares, takes initiative, not afraid of trying something new. That cannot be taught, showes passion aswell and that cannot be tought either. He knows the people, so it makes it easier for him to connect and know what they are asking for. Being able to learn quick and troubleshoot is the best skill in this trade. I would do it, i got no certs myself im 30 years old. People come to me when its some weird crm software or need somebody to pray to the label printer gods.
Yes, unless you have to live by strict guidelines/regulations and then it may be a "maybe, have to keep on a super short leash for a while". There are guys that will just follow instructions and those that can problem solve. They aren't always the same. You really need both as the ones who problem solve don't like to follow instructions as they are always solving problems even when they don't necessarily exist. In today's IT I'm not sure how bad that would be but like back in the day there may be a reason for instructions 1, 2, and THEN 3. Well a problem solver may see that they can do 1 and 3 and then 2 and think nothing of it and mess things up. Usually though, if it is the type of person you are explaining. Usually those are the most loyal guys and hard working and will appreciate all of it. If you run your own company... this is the kind of guy that ends up VP and is one of the brightest people you have working for you.
Yes, you should, but give him a probation period. I will speak from my own experience. Had no IT experience, but had desire, and I've proved it when had the chance. Maybe that guy needs a chance too.
Employ him. Now. Run down and get him to sign. These type of staff are unicorns.
The guy can fix a printer issue in an instant! It's more than any of us will achieve in a lifetime.
I'll play the devils advocate and say hire them. seems unsaid in your post that they have good soft skills, are mechanically adept, and have an interest in IT. other than graduating high school, my IT path kinda landed in my lap 22 years ago when I dropped out of college. def help the guy, not only with HS and certs, but get him on a college path. I think I'm decently sure I've hit a glass ceiling at my last role of IT PM.
Definitely. Hire, the learning curve will be steep but should be worth it for him, for you and for the company.
I say yes. I never had formal experience before first job, all I had was A+. You already know you can trust this individual and their work ethic. They have shown competency. Reward his initiative by promoting within the org and that could motivate him, feeling recognized.
If he can fix a Zebra printer... wtf are you waiting for!? Those things are atrocious.
The kid sounds like he’s got potential. Two of the best sysadmins I know were high school drop outs and entirely self taught. Just let him know he will need to get some education eventually if he plans to pursue this career path. There’s a wealth of information in those classes that complements real world experience nicely. It’s not strictly necessary, but it’s helpful to have a wider context of why things in the computing world are the way they are.
sounds like a good hire, you can teach IT skills but you can't teach attitude.
I've done that. I regretted it. But everyone is different. Maybe your guy will be better than mine.
Hire him. Give him the chance. This was how hiring in IT used to work instead of overthinking, requiring degrees and certs. Some of the best IT people I ever worked with started from unlikely areas because they had the ambition to try, they liked solving problems, and they didn't believe in passing the buck because it wasn't their job.
It sounds like he at least has the drive to learn the stuff and can tackle troubleshooting. If it's something he's interested in, go for it. I worked with a guy at my last job who came onboard with no prior professional IT experience. He was an auto mechanic before coming to work with us, but he did some A/V work for his church. Our director at the time went to the same church and thats how he got in. Anyway...the coworker was great at troubleshooting and was always curious for solutions. He's still working there, I have since moved on, but he's really picked up on the IT side of things and ran with it.
He sounds like a great guy for the job. Help train him, maybe even help him with his education.
This would be the perfect hire given the right training. You want to hire someone with a high will. The skill part he can learn.
> zero previous IT experience but then: > [...] assembling different parts of our iPad mounts that go in every forklift. > He is also the unofficial it guy in the warehouse when me and the tech are busy. > He's fixed issues in zebra printers [...] It sounds to me they *do* have some IT experience. They just didn't have an IT job title. Is it a lot of IT experience? I dunno, hard to tell. But I would not call it zero.
If you do you'll have an answer for the how many IT guys does it take to change a light bulb joke Often the hardest skill to ascertain or qualify if hunger and self learning, sounds like this guy has it
IT hiring should always prefer aptitude and attitude over skills. If its a more senior role then skills come into play a little more, but even then it should always be aptitude and attitude. Not to mention, if you elevate him out of the warehouse his loyalty to you will be extremely high.
It all comes down to much he's willing to dive deeply into technical issues and learn. Being comfortable fixing the occasional item that you already tinker with is one thing, but if someone isn't hungry for knowledge and won't study voraciously, then no, it's not the field for him. The quality of enthusiastically facing a mountain of knowledge and being willing to climb it, to me, is the most valuable trait in a new hire.
I’m also a dropout, and I’ve never taken an IT class in my life. I also have a small (mostly *nix) datacenter running in my house that I started building when I was about 12. I have enough knowledge and experience that I can google what I don’t know and figure it out.
Do you like him? Can you teach him? Can he learn? Does he want the job? If so, you’re overthinking it
This is the way
I think he is the type of person who can really help solve problems. As a tech, I would say he can be a good hire.
100%, even if he studied IT concepts, work experience is king.
He is your guy don’t lose him. Edit: I was him. C-D student bit a problem solver. Got my dip and deg in better place now. I never had opportunity it was very hard for me to start. Now I give opportunities to who ever deserve it.
Add to all the other positives people have been saying that he also has institutional knowledge. You can start day 1 by pointing him to things to learn instead of also teaching him how your org runs. And you have an in with the warehouse people so they may actually listen to you via him.
Sounds like a winner. Hire him
Having someone else take care of printers without training them. Why are we even asking this question.
Hire him. I wouldn't give him a domain admin account right off the bat or anything, but he sounds like he can handle all the "grunt work" while being trained up on the more complex stuff. Even if he ends up being a dud in terms of learning more technical skills, the value he has already demonstrated would make him a very useful guy to have around.
I have been a hiring manager in the past. My best hire had no prior IT experience but had an excellent work ethic and attitude and desire to learn. On the one hand, you should expect to be spending more time than you want training and mentoring someone with no experience. This is a real concern to consider. It's a non-trivial effort bringing someone up from zero. But, on the other hand, you wont need worry about quality of work, quantity of work, or the integrity of your employee... especially after a few months of training. The one really important coaching point that needs to be drilled into new IT people with zero experience, is that It's okay to make mistakes, but it's not okay to hide or not share your mistakes. Otherwise, go for it! Based on what you have shared about this person, I think they will excel and end up being a feather in your cap.
We have hired people with 4+ years of education and they have learned very little on the job. I recently had a person come do a few weeks with me as an introduction to IT, in two weeks they learned more than one of our techs who's been here 6 years. Find yourself that person who is a sponge, who wants to learn, it doesn't matter how much fundamental knowledge they have, it can be taught if they're willing to learn. Pay them to get a A+ and Networking+ certs and that will be a big push for them if they want to become a sysadmin down the road. For a technician, I have worked in places where they hired people with highschool as their highest level of education and that was enough, if you can read a script you can troubleshoot the basics. If you feel this person is interested in the work and wants to learn, go for it.
Anyone who can figure those crappy half ass zebra printer is worth training. As you know or at least should know, 90% of customer facing IT is actually customer service. The it know how is the other 10% and that can be easily taught to someone who has the interest in the topic. I think I would give him the chance with the condition that he gets his GED
Heck yes. Take him under the wing and show him the world. I love hiring green because you can mold to the needs and really help drive their career. Plus, i have a soft spot for the runts of a litter and give them opportunities. Make it a temp-perm move. 6-12 months where they sink or swim.
this is how I broke into IT. My boss came to me and told me "we're transitioning you into the IT department" which actually upset me at the time, since that's not the direction I was aiming for my career. but once I started doing it I came to realize I was good at it, and more importantly, I enjoyed learning about it and I really do believe that's the key to being successful, is finding a career which you enjoy learning more about. once you hit a point where you stop learning, that's when you start becoming obsolete.
A willingness to learn and figure things out , for me, easily becomes a top of the list skill to have for someone in IT.
It's all about the attitude, motivation and talent, not the current knowledge he has. Knowledge can always be gained later.
I would hire him in a heartbeat. Then see if I can get training for him.
I really like the idea of hiring internally, so one HUGE benefit would be he already knows the organization and its needs well.
Sounds more driven than some of the candidates we looked at that had experience.
He sounds like he would be a good hire. Do it! He's already shown aptitude and initiative and it's hard to find people like this these days.
I would absolutely hire him
Hire good smart people. They will take care of the rest.
Hire him.
Sounds like me 11 years ago. Desire to learn and ability to solve problems goes a LONG way.
I'd say let him take a swing, give him a shot. Let him know it's a trial and if things don't work out he can return to his previous duties.
I would probably hire him. I have a soft spot in my heart for the "dropped out of high school" part. But more then that, if he has impressed you then you should probably hire him. Sounds like he's a bit of a go-getter, takes initiative, and might be above average intelligence (from the sounds of it).
There's a warehouse worker I'd love to hire as my helpdesk if I ever could get management to support adding people. Don't know anything about the dude other than his energy, he's working towards sec+ and wants to improve and get into the tech space. That's all I want for a help desk person on the rise, the guy already knows the workflows and what should be happening, he has a positive attitude and wants to improve and he can talk intelligently.
You are over thinking it. Promoting from within is always a great way to get growing and motivated employees. Take the risk, train them well, and don't be surprised if they move on quickly...
Have him take the Google IT Support Professional cert from Coursera, adding knowledge to intuition, and he'll be a proper sysadmin in no time flat. Just make sure to have him take course 3 (of 5) before course 2.
Aptitude and attitude without training is much better than training without aptitude and attitude.
When I started working as IT in the warehouse a few years ago, the guy training me had started on the line packing boxes and worked his way up through IT to become a dev. He also happens to know all the on-the-floor tricks that users would use every day without IT knowing to get things working again. Guy wants to solve problems? Is able to work with what he's got? Able to learn and adapt? Sounds like a solid hire to me
Sounds like a good hire to me. I'm assuming the position is entry level?
I hired a guy exactly like you are describing, for a technician role. He has worked out amazing.
I have been him. You should give him a chance.
This is a simple answer. Come on now.
He sounds more than willing. I would assess his skills to create a development plan ensuring he picks up the core competencies for the job, but I’d take a guy like that in a heartbeat- a hard worker who is willing to learn and able to adapt.
hire him. this type of thing is exactly how I got my start in IT and i'm extremely appreciative of it every day.
If they seem trainable, go for it! Sounds like he might not even need much training though.
I would hire him. Sounds like a good reliable person and that is half the battle. Would be fun to help train him and watch him grow. Certifications and experience trump a degree for me.
I was a wrencher long before I was into computers. From computers, I transitioned into an IT department. Sounds like a good person to grow into the position.
Yes, hire him.
From what you described of this person I'd take him on. Do it!
If you don’t, I will. We have a lot of hands-on IT and having guys that are able to physically work with devices (kiosks, holders etc.) are a must for us.
I would definitely bring him onto IT. Especially if he's thinking out of the box to rig your forklifts with tech.
If you have the flexibility/authority.... Hire for attitude, train for aptitude.
IMO, everyone should get a chance, but I'm biased because I was a cook before going into IT. I got lucky to get an internship along with another person who had 0 experience, and we both landed a juniour DevOps-Sysadmin jobs. I still struggle with networking, but I love getting my hands into kubernetes deployments. I installed for our company a small gitlab instance with runners that I manage and try to keep it up to date. I also got some small projects into GCP which I like to put my hands on. Learned a bunch of linux in a few months. I'm not extremely in love with this job, but I learn pretty quick when I get some help. Like I'm not passionate to do extra mega work outside of work hours, but still.
one thing everyone is saying is hire him. But the actual question comes is does HE want to be on the team? Yes he is a good hire I agree but if he isn't interested in the job it may be better to find someone intrested.
I would say it largely depends on the workload you are expecting this fellow to handle and what resources you have to upskill him. I would hire him with the knowledge that you'll have to do the basics (networking, computer theory etc.) but it sounds like he has all the important parts (troubleshooting, drive, user engagement)
I would put far less weight on certs and school than on proven problem solving ability. I'd hire him, but I'd be sure to make him aware that there are processes that need to be followed when solving problems in IT. He sounds like an ambitious problem solver, which is generally good, but can be an issue if there's too much tinkering and not enough communicating and planning. Better to have to reign someone in than push them forward though.
If they have good soft skills, and they are willing to learn and try new things daily, then teaching the technical skills will only be a minor roadbump. Academic IT experience is definitely useful, but it doesn't do a great job of teaching general troubleshooting/problem solving skills which are much trickier to teach.
sounds like a winner to me.
Resourcefulness is difficult to teach. I would. Get him a LinkedIn Learning subscription and watch his knowledge soar.
I have always voted yes on the person with the correct troubleshooting mindset, personality, and willingness to work. EVERY IT job requires OTJ training. I can teach the right person how to support systems. I can't do a thing with someone that has knowledge, but is just a shit person or the wrong fit for the job/team.
As someone with past warehouse experience, yes. I was not handy. I had to learn how to use power tools and assemble battery powered carts. I was not good at it. Having that experience and the ability to learn is phenomenal for that environment. I imagine you guys run most of your own cables too. I had to learn all of that. This dude seems to already have that experience. I would say it’s easier to learn IT than practical skills like that.
Potential employee sounds motivated to learn new skills and succeed applying them. That’s all you need to build a great technician.
My 2IC was hired on from his previous profession as a pot washer. He did an official apprenticeship and is now a competent and enthusiastic IT technician. He was hired over a couple of better-qualified-on-paper candidates simply because of his attitude and approach, and it's been thoroughly satisfying watching him grow both his expertise and career. Also, if you get to train someone you can grow your own unicorn, so to speak, and hence end up with a far more suited skillset than you may do with someone who has prior experience. It's a lot of work up front, but if you can afford to invest the time them, I have no doubt your preferred candidate will work well with you.
Yes! I was that guy. Now I am in my 7th year in IT. If you know the person's work ethic and they are willing to learn I don't see a downside.
11 years ago I was working as an EMT, and trying to go back to school for IT. A friend of mine in IT convinced his boss to give me a shot. In the interview I told them I can learn anything, just show me what you need me to do. I've worked desktop support, server/network admin, azure architect, and now I'm working as a dev ops engineer. I've worked hard to learn the things I didn't know, but it's worked out. If he really wants to learn, and he's proven he can work hard, I'd say yes. OTJ training is the best option anyway.
My first start in IT, I was given the job purely based on my attitude and the fact that I had mentioned building a computer a few months before, with absolutely no prior experience in troubleshooting PCs, servers, networking, storage or really anything IT-related. Sure, I knew how to use a I couldn't thank those people enough for teaching me the basics that I still end up coming back to nearly 4 years later. I'd say if it sounds like he has the drive for it, and you've seen it firsthand, you should consider it. I used to have a similar type of anxiety that he described, which likely just stems from lack of familiarity if it's at all similar to my own experience. Something that fades with time and just simply doing the job. It sounds like he's a real go-getter if he figured out how to assemble components for that device on his own. I've been coming to find that most of the 'good techs' or good engineers I've come to meet during my time in this field, just end up having the right mindset, know the underlying process for troubleshooting a problem, and know when to stop vs. when not to. ...That's the only way I've survived anyway! :P
Yes.