this may not be an appropriate question....

Quote from mrbobhcrhs : OOO I know what DC housing is like, 60k is live able. The reason I asked about being in is because I know with the Army there might have been a way to get them to pay for some of the certs.

And I've never been in the Army, so that's not doable.

Quote from VictoriaS : And I've never been in the Army, so that's not doable.

Yea, community college would be good. Also working with your friend to get the basics of help desk and hopefully you can make some connections.

OK, as a hiring manager for IT people (and this is just for me personally - other opinions will differ) -

Experience is worth about 100x more than certifications. If you hand me a resume with A+, Network+, MCP and CCENT but have no actual experience in any of those, it'll get tossed in the trash.

Also, I don't think this is a consideration for you but I'll say it again for anyone who may have missed it - stay FAR FAR away from for-profit tech schools like ITT. For me, ITT resumes also go into the trash.

So my advice is:

1) Take full advantage of helping out your friend who's in the business. Even watching & helping out will make a big difference if he's OK with you putting that experience on your resume & giving you a reference. Hands on makes ALL the difference.

2) Don't discount those general education classes that your community college requires. They may seem like fluff, but if they count towards an associates degree then they're worthwhile.

3) On your resume, lead with your experience - not your certifications.

4) It's not what you know, it's who you know. When you're ready to do some job searching, start by talking to friends & family. See if they know of openings. Also, if you don't have one already, create a LinkedIn account & start connecting with people. You may be surprised at the connections you can make there.

5) Finally, get involved. There are TONS of technical user groups around - pick a few technologies (Microsoft, Cisco, security, etc) and google up local user groups. Go to some meetings (they're almost always free) and start shaking hands & meeting people. Tell them you're starting over & want to make some connections - tech people LOVE that kind of stuff. Connect with them on LinkedIn & that may lead to some opportunities.

Good luck!