How do I get started as an IT Contract Tech? In this video I cover some advanced skillsets you need to get started as a new tech with Field Nation alternative clients, and on platforms like Field Nation and Work Market. If you’re new to the industry, this video explains some Level 3 skills of cabling, audio video, and fiber you need and the types of jobs you can get to earn money as a freelance I.T. Contract Technician.
Platforms like Field Nation, Work Market, and even direct clients have service calls available to help you build your skill sets so you can become a tech professional.
Guerilla tactics to get your first jobs: https://youtu.be/yhu7eQosrgA
Real example service calls: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeKQphKP6d0bcd6hnTytnqOxd9ok9NkFb
Understanding the Field Nation System: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeKQphKP6d0agikXwgsxwNF-HaLvbVNQf
Understanding the WorkMarket System: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeKQphKP6d0ZDxB_ZoUifgsoPTSp7aYYj
Understanding the CloudWork Pro System:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeKQphKP6d0ZDYywPS9HGDbvxdCZnPu0a
I offer one-on-one coaching and have a downloadable skillset and equipment list on my website to help you maximize your Field Nation and Work Market profiles: https://fieldtechacademy.com/shop/
I have been in the freelance IT tech industry since 2000, on Field Nation since 2010, and on Work Market since 2011. Field Tech Academy gives you the secrets of 20+ years of experience how you can succeed as an Independent IT Field Tech.
Have questions about Field Nation or Field Nation alternatives or want me to cover something I missed in a video? Feel free to leave me comments and I’ll do my best to help! If you would like to learn more about how to find clients or about being an independent IT field technician, watch our other videos and visit our website for coaching services.
Subscribe to Field Tech Academy’s YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@fieldtechacademy
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Video Transcript:
Hello, this is Michael with
Field Tech Academy.
If you are an experienced cabling tech
and you’re wanting to get into I.T.
contracting,
I wanted to go over the types of jobs
you might see with Field Nation alternative clients and on platforms like Field
Nation or WorkMarket or
CloudWork Pro.
In my previous two videos,
I covered the first two tiers
of skill sets
required to work in this industry.
That covered things l
ike computer hardware,
point of sale, de-installation
tickets, assistant and helper tickets.
And then the second tier was network
hardware,
“rack and stack”,
“smart hands”, things like that.
the third skillset tier, in my opinion,
is low voltage cabling.
That’s going to require a little bit
more of a skill set and a lot more tools
than the first two
tiers that I talked about.
There is a constant flow of tickets
available
on these platforms and direct clients
for a lot of different types of cabling.
Now to me,
pulling a cable is pulling a cable.
If you know how to get a cable from point
A to point B,
that’s the biggest part of this skill set.
Having the tools to do that,
to be able to drill
through different types of material
and get through walls and do wall fishes
and be able to fish cables
through different kinds of ceilings,
from drop tile to hard ceilings
and different things like that.
So if you’re a new technician
trying to get into this industry,
bear in mind that this is going to take
the most amount of skill, in my opinion,
and the most amount of tools.
This is probably not
something for an entry level guy.
But if you want to learn about it,
let’s talk about it.
The main category of tickets that I see
deal with low voltage cabling for phone,
and that can be old school phone and VoIP
phones, networking, and audio video.
When you see tickets for anything
related to phone or telephony,
you want to figure out is it old school
phone, like POTS,
dial tone, or digital phone systems?
Or is it more modern
phones like voice over IP phones,
which are really just network
based phones?
So it’s just network cabling.
You want to make sure not picking up
a ticket for old school POTS line
and you have no clue how to deal with it.
Networking
is probably the simplest form of cabling.
You’ve got all the different CAT
terms of CAT, CAT, CAT,
whatever cat they have at the time
you’ve been watching this video.
When doing jobs for Field Nation alternative companies, you’ll have to understand how to terminate
to a patch panel, have to understand
how to do a wall fish, how to do a wall plate,
how to manage your cables, how to tone
and trace the cable,
how to troubleshoot cable.
You know,
that means having a punch down tool,
knowing how to do tone and trace, having
a tone and trace set. Having fish tape
so you can go through conduit. Understanding
what a circuit extension is.
And when it comes to audio video,
that is another skill set
that a lot of people may or may not have.
A lot of speakers are ran with daisy chain
and not direct home runs.
But there are some that are home runs.
When you’re putting speakers in,
a lot of times you’re going to have to cut
ceiling tiles to fit the mounting brackets
for the speakers.
You’re going to have to understand
how Phoenix plugs work.
You’ll have to understand
how to install an amplifier,
and then you’re going to have to deal
with the voltages
and what tap
settings to set on the speakers.
So if you have not done
audio video, that’s probably a fourth
tier of difficulty.
And then there’s simpler sides
like plugging in media players,
which just plugs into a network cable
And then there’s conference
room equipment,
that includes installing the cameras
for conference calls
and the screens on the wall, maybe
even speakers in that conference room.
And then there’s even fiber running,
which is a whole other skill set.
That would require the tools
and the supplies to repair the fiber
and do all that.
And that’s pretty expensive.
So that’s really not something
for an entry level person as well.
Cabling is a little more dirty
and difficult job,
and usually it pays
a little bit better as well.
if you’re just getting started in this
industry and you’re curious what doing I.T.
contracting might look like. On my YouTube
channel,
I have a playlist that is called Service
Call
Examples. Go into that and you can watch
some of the tickets that I’ve done.
You can get an idea of what it really
looks like to be on one of these jobs.
Hopefully this gives you some confidence
to get out there and start bidding on jobs
and taking them and get out there
making some money in this field.
If you got value today,
from what I shared, please smash
that like button
and subscribe to my YouTube channel
so that I can continue to grow
and provide material like this.
As always, let’s get you out in the field
making money.
I’ll see you in the next video.