Hi, Thanks to all of you who provide a vast amount of information on this forum. I used it to make a DL decision a few years ago and now I'm back again. This time, I am looking to make a complete career change. I have a BA in Religion and I have been teaching elementary and middle school special education. I want to move into the IT field without having to go back for another bachelor's and I want to get started ASAP. My experience in IT is confined to doing part time computer hardware and software repair as well as a LOT of reading online. Other than that, I don't have much to show a potential employee. No formal certifications. So, I jumped the gun and applied to Atlantic Intercontinental Univ. MIT with Internet Security focus. Most other schools require that you either take pre-requisite classes or possess a computer science type Bachelor's. This school looks a little shady to me and it is enormously expensive. My student loans won't even cover the cost! I am skeptical that an employer is going to take such a program seriously. Now, I'm not looking to work for the NSA or anything of the sort. I just want to get into the field and discover my strengths. Advice is very appreciated!:squareeyed:
The program you applied to is very shady. Here is the big red flag. Its "accreditor" has been in legal trouble and forced to shut down its business in one state before resurfacing in another. Here is an article regarding some of its issues. There is nothing to suggest that it is a remotely legitimate school. I recommend staying far away from it.
I apologize. It is American Intercontinental University. I now realize that there are two and the one that is referred to above is NOT the one that I am looking at. I still feel apprehensive about Amer Int. U though.
AIU has been the subject of controversy in the past: American InterContinental University - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Though they are still regionally accredited. Why did you decide on AIU instead of other schools offering online master's degrees in the IT field? Is it mainly due to the fact that AIU doesn't require many/any prereqs? What specifically would you like to do, ie what kind of jobs are you looking to get? Have you checked the GetEducated.com list of programs? Best Buy Masters Computer Science & Information Technology | Ratings & Rankings | GetEducated.com
One of the awesome things about the IT industry is that if you have the right skills, you're sufficiently in demand that no one can afford to care about academic credentials. If I were you, I'd consider a program like this one, which teaches PHP programming and the MySQL database system. It's taught by O'Reilly, which is a respected name in IT publishing, and it leads to a certificate from the University of Illinois. I don't know about your area, but there's a lot of demand for people what that skill set here in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. Good luck, -=Steve=-
Here are my reasons: 1) Want to get into the IT field. 2) Want some type of credential to hang my hat on instead of "I repair computers on the side." 3) No pre-reqs 4) Can start right now instead of waiting for the next semester to roll around in schools with traditional semesters. As for what I want to do. The IT field is so HUGE that trying to find where to fit in is crazy to me! I know that I am very good at repairing PC's and setting up small networks. That is only a start when you are talking about application in an enterprise setting. I have an aptitude to pick up on any popular field such as PHP/mySQL certifications suggested by Steve. I've played around with these types of things in my "geek" endeavors. It seems that the best course of action for me is to get my foot into the door of a high demand aspect of the field and then choose specifics from that point. On a personal note, many people in my life tell me, "You are so gifted at this! Why aren't you doing this all the time?" I finally figured out that that is a good question.
As someone who's been in IT for over 20 years, 15 of which was sans Bachelor's degree, it's definitely doable. However, one piece of advice - know what you're looking for. When people say "IT" it's like saying "teaching" - you can teach different grades, different ages, etc. Do you want to manage people? Do hands-on work? The industry trends now are towards things like web services, cloud computing and away from onshore programming (India is much cheaper) and even systems administration (which is easily outsourced). If you want to consistently have a job, ensure that whatever you pursue is something that cannot be sent offshore or outsourced. Hardware break/fix is something that's local but also doesn't generally pay very well. You don't say what you hope to earn but if it's more than $12-14/hr PC repair won't do it. Have you thought about doing IT work in an academic setting, such as for a school board? This would combine your experience in teaching (and presumably your contacts) with the ability to move into IT. Once you have an idea of what you want to do then I would suggest looking into a potential Master's degree (don't bother with a second BS) and also appropriate certifications.
Thanks guitarmark2000, Yes, I have thought about doing work for a school board. My plan is to get the necessary skills, then move in that direction. I do not want to continue to teach kids, but I can be an asset to a school system since I know the teaching trends and the technology that backs that up. The pay probably won't be phenomenal, but it will offer experience and a more lateral move plus great health insurance, etc. My current school system needs help right away. There is a possibility that I can move in that direction, however they are probably going to be pissed with me when they find out that I'm not coming back into teaching. The good news? 159 counties in GA and several school districts within those counties. Surely SOMEONE is in need. I am registered for my first week of classes at AIU. I'm seriously thinking of either a) putting that on hold or b) pulling the plug on that and seeking out a master's that is a tad less than the enormous amount of money that they want for the accelerated degree. Also, I want to begin working on the certs asap. I may go to a local tech school since I don't have out of pocket money to pay for the training.
So I canceled classes with AIU and decided to research the "IT" field in order to find my place. Guitarmark, it's interesting that you compare the various fields of IT to teaching. I thought about this and I remember when I first decided to teach. I had NO idea what it entailed other than what I experienced while in school or where to teach. I picked the area with the highest demand and went from there. Since then, I have moved around to various levels such as middle school to elementary in order to find my niche. So, where do I go to talk to folks about the various aspects of IT and what it's like in the real world? I have read some heated arguments on here and realize that folks in their respective field may defend what they do vehemently.
