i'm looking for some guidance. i've been reading alot of posts, but i'm still lost. i would like to pursue a career in computers. i like the idea of computer science, but what types of jobs can you get, and what do they entail? what school do i choose? how much of a difference is there between regional and non regional accreditation? i'm looking for independent study. i would like to learn at my own pace, and finish as fast as possible. i have an associate degree in automotive. i've been a technician now for about 5 years, and i'll make about 70-75K this year. what kind of starting salaries are there for the computer science field? i'm sorry if my questions are out of place. i just don't want to make the wrong choices. any help is greatly appreciated.
I have to think that you'd be taking a big pay cut with an entry level computer science job. Why do you want to change careers? Is there a way perhaps, to bridge your previous experience with new knowledge of computers so that you could seek something that is above entry level? My neighbor is always lamenting not going into EE when he was younger because he feels his job as an mechanic isn't really him. But hey, he's really good at it and everyone respects the heck out of him. And, he makes a good living. Changing now would hurt in the old pocketbook. My brother didn't go to college and can buy and sell most of the folks I know because he went into a trade, did well, and owns his own business. What do you think you want to do with computers? I think that's the best place to start.
i liked being an auto tech for awhile, but i want to use more of my mind than my body. i don't see myself doing it forever. i've always loved computers. i picked up on it right away, but i have no idea as to which direction to go. i don't exactly know what each job consists of. i'm sure there are many. what types of salaries are there? what field are you in?
I would agree about finding something that combines computers and the automotive industry; that way you would not have to start from ground zero. The automotive industry is so enormous and so technology-dependent that there must be tons of specialized niches. How about this program? http://www.pct.edu/disteduc/degrees.html
Well, do you want to do hardware or software? Right now, I'm at home with my daughters, but when I was working I was running a database system for laboratories in a pharmaceutical company. When my first daughter was born, I backed down to consulting and then instead of managing the entire system, I was doing applications programming (Oracle) and validation work. When I return to work, I don't anticipate doing the same thing but I'm not sure what I want to do yet. I've got time to figure that out, and will look toward a masters in the mean time. I'm wondering if there is some sort of book out there describing different potential jobs. Many entry level jobs are help desk, especially if you're a PC person. Even those with solid database and networking backgrounds end up there and the folks I know on help desks hate it. I was lucky because I had a special skill in chemistry, which mated well with lab systems so I was able to move into a niche job. And at the time it was on a proprietary system on which few people had any skill at all. Now things are much more standard and the competition for jobs is a lot greater.
You would actually be an ideal candidate for our Agricultural Operations Management or Ag Engineering program here at UF. Agriculture is very much a mixture of old and new technology. Everything from gas/diesel engines, power tools, electronics, to computer networking, GPS/GIS, robotics, and remote sensing to name a few examples. Unfortunately we don't have many DL courses in our department. However you might be able to find a similar program at large, land-grant university in your state. As for starting salarys, precision agriculture is a hot field now and I've seen people after a few years experience making $90,000+.
