no, just personal experience for 25 years. I can do most programming. They leave those post up all the time and never fill them.
Yeah, I'll echo above. I'm outside your area, so no help on local jobs.
Two way radio now is very IP centric, so if you don't have any IP background, work on getting some. Take some networking classes at your local community college.
Most shops are not going to let the new guy program radios. It's good you have some experience, but that's not always as helpful as you might think. Programming two way radios for trunked systems is a whole different game than programming a few conventional channels. There's usually manufacturer training involved and quite a bit of experience needed. Sounds like you have a good start, though.
Locally, our county run shop hires a lot of guys out of the automotive dealers. They really like mechanics that understand vehicle systems and can do a quality installation. More than likely, as a newcomer, you're going to end up in the install bay, not on the bench. Own that. I'd suggest getting some install experience, like at a stereo shop.
There's some qualifications/training you can do yourself to fluff up your resume. If you can afford it, get a tower climber certification. If you have some electronics knowledge, start studying for your FCC GROL test. A lot of shops won't even talk to you if you don't have a GROL. While not required for most work, it's sort of an indication that you have some knowledge and understanding of radio systems. Ham radio licenses won't get you the same effect, but it wouldn't hurt.
Not sure what your age group is, if you are young, or are willing to go back and take classes, get the IP Networking stuff going. Don't get hung up on things like Cisco certifications, they are mostly useless. Take some electronics courses. Get your GROL. etc.
But keep applying. Sometimes you can get your foot in the door as an entry level tech. That may not be really attractive right now, but it's a start that will get you in the door.
