Since you're looking for marketable I.T. skills, I'll tell you what I look for in an entry level candidate.
#1 - Good spelling and grammar. The lack thereof shows a poor level of attention to detail. Work on this. When I review resumes (as I've been doing all last week and this week), those that don't pass the spellchecker test go right into the trash. Now I know many of you are saying to yourself, "that must be rare". Sadly it isn't. About 1/2 contain basic easy to spot spelling errors.
#1a - Communications skills. Modern I.T. is not the same as the I.T. of 20 years ago. The age of the hardcore nerd with the pocket protector and slide rule is long over. In order to be successful in today's I.T., you need to be able to communicate successfully with businesspeople, many of which wouldn't know a USB flash drive from a network card.
#2 - Attitude. No job too big or too small. Ownership of projects, issues, problems and processes is another big one. Once you grab onto (or get assigned) a problem or project, see it through to the end. If you need help, go get it. If you need to hand it off to someone else, hand
it off, but not ownership of it. See it through to the end. Make sure you're personally satisfied that it's complete.
#2a - Emotional intelligence. The ability to perceive, manage, use and understand your own emotions and the emotions of others. In I.T. (especially if you start out in a break/fix kind of position) you'll sometimes be dealing with people at their absolute worst. The are under pressure, they may have lost work, or time, and it's that damned machines fault and you are the I.T. jerk that has failed to keep it running. Being able to take situations like this in stride, hear people out, get back on track and help get a problem resolved sometimes has a lot more to do with emotions than technical skill.
#3 - The understanding that no job in I.T. is a 40 hour work week. If you're looking for 40 hours, be a banker. I.T. often requires long hours, and it's not unusual to get the 2am phone call or to get dragged into the office on a Saturday. It comes with the turf.
#4 - The ability and willingness to learn. Not just on the job or in school, but every day of your life. Showing interest in your career outside of work helps a lot. All things being equal, if I've got two candidates with equal qualifications and experience, the one who is "playing around" with computers at home is the one who is going to get the job.
This one is the most applicable to I.T. and definitely will translate to earning potential in the civilian world.
Put every ounce of effort into getting certifications like the ones listed on this page:
https://www.cool.army.mil/25b.htm
The Cisco certs are worth their weight in gold.
