IT and some college questions.

Discussion in 'IT and Computer-Related Degrees' started by Pluberus, Dec 26, 2009.

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  1. rickyjo

    rickyjo Guest

    Then you will likely find yourself happy in life :)

    I will say this though, system administrators and programmers often produce similar incomes. Don't think you cannot have both in the end!
     
  2. djacks24

    djacks24 New Member

    I feel the same way. I've had my share of jobs I didn't enjoy being anywhere from non-skilled labor to doing tech support. I remember hating tech support so much over time if I woke up within a 2 hours of when the alarm went off in the morning, I wouldn't be able to fall back to sleep. That's especially notable because otherwise I'm a compulsive snoozer. I also remember being almost sick to my stomach the beginning of my workweek. I look back at those days now and realize I'm not dealing with that anymore and more or less don't mind waking up every morning and going to work and am mostly very happy being a techie. Its just frustrating spending so much time in school and doing a job that requires skill and knowledge to still be pretty much living paycheck to paycheck. Between the wife and I, its all we can do to afford our condo and necessities (association fees, utilities, food, fuel, etc..) with no car payments, credit card dept, or student loan dept. We are always one costly disaster from not being able to make next months expenses at any given time. Not to mention heaven forbid either one of us gets sick with neither or our emloyers offering health insurance.

    Not trying to hijack the thread or anything. Just giving a real life example of someone who loves IT but is struggling with an education and experience. Some people say they love their work so much they would do it for free, then why don't they try that for a while and see how fun it is when you are worried about loosing the roof over your head or were your next meal is coming from?
     
  3. Pluberus

    Pluberus New Member

    Well, I'm not sure what jobs are available that I could work towards. The only thing I know for sure is that I LOVE computers and working with them, but I don't really like programming.
     
  4. rickyjo

    rickyjo Guest

    No I understand. But things will get better for all of us, I'm sure, and keep your resume out there. Somebody will find you eventually. You would be surprised at the random telephone calls I get months after letting my resume sit unattended.
     
  5. cutedeedle

    cutedeedle I speak Geek. Will translate on request.

    Hey there Pluberus, here are my 2 cents' worth (I've been in the I.T./I.S. biz since 1969) -- it sounds like you're still not sure what in I.T. interests you. I suggest trying to narrow down what exactly about the field excites you. Is it troubleshooting in general, repairing hardware, web design, administering servers, dealing with networks, computer security, managing people in I.T. -- what? That will then help you determine what to look for in a college program.

    At least you know what you don't want, which is programming. Another poster commented, and I agree, that you'd be stuck with some programming courses in a Computer Science degree. "Information Systems" would be the business and business software/systems design side. If you simply want to troubleshoot and repair hardware, then certifications might be the cheapest and best solution.

    It would be a shame to choose a degree program without having some idea of your goal or narrowing down what your specific interests are. Then again, you might change your mind once you're in academia and trying out different courses.

    I know most people would gag at a lifelong career in I.T. or I.S. but I loved every minute of it and gained so much over the years, not the least of which was travel throughout the U.S. for classes and seminars, at my employers' expense. Yay!
    :D

    One more thing -- just because you start out doing one job in I.T. doesn't mean you are stuck doing that same thing the rest of your career. I wasn't.
     
  6. Pluberus

    Pluberus New Member

    THe thing is, I love troubleshooting (I do it all the time and occasionally get paid xD), I love administering systems, don't really wanna do web design, repairing hardware is good - but not as fun as troubleshooting and working on the software side.

    Anyways, with my ACT scores and whatnot, I'm gonna try for the fullride at Arkansas Tech University and Abilene Christian University. If I can get a fullride - I might as well go to college.

    Even if I don't get a full ride, I have been told multiple times by teachers, parents, counselors, and even my doctor, that I should aim higher/and go to college. (Pretty much all As throughout high-school with an ACT of 31).
     
  7. cutedeedle

    cutedeedle I speak Geek. Will translate on request.

    Go for it! Without knowing you or even talking to you, I'm getting an inkling -- sounds like thus far you'd likely enjoy being a network administrator (hoo boy, lots of troubleshooting there!) or Unix systems administrator. They're both challenging, demanding, require top-notch technical knowledge, skills and the ability to troubleshoot and resolve problems. You'll always be learning something new too. I've done both when I was also doing mainframe tech support, and these jobs eventually pay very well if you can squeeze into an entry position somewhere.

    On the other hand, if you decide you are interested in computer and network security, that has a fantastic future -- there simply are not enough security folks out there who are educated and know what they're doing. If I were starting over that's what I would choose -- but ya gotta go with what ya love or you'll be miserable (like programming).

    Sounds like you're on a good track to succeed. I did it the hard way -- had my career for 25 years then completed my bachelor's degree. Once you've completed your college program they can help you with a career search.

    Good luck to you. I still love computers, never get tired of doo-dads, gizmos, software, all the latest geeky things.
    :cool:
     
  8. rickyjo

    rickyjo Guest

    Security is EXTREMELY lucrative; however, I think you start using the same parts of your brain as programming when you are dealing with that kind of stuff. That's why I never went after it. You basically must become a hacker and that involves some scripting if I'm not mistaken. Somebody more knowledgeable on network security want to chip in?
     
  9. rickyjo

    rickyjo Guest

    Going back to a couple posts ago, after I got my A+ I got a job at a place called tech for less doing really low-level work, but I got to play with so much stuff. I hated everything else about the job but, damn, I loved to play with the gizmos, but printer day was the worst....lol....
     
  10. cutedeedle

    cutedeedle I speak Geek. Will translate on request.

    Yeah, I'll chip in ..... not that I'm assuming what Pluberus should do, but ..... there are so many different types of security positions within small-to-gigantic enterprises. The industry desperately needs knowledgeable security people. You're correct in that sometimes a security person may need to develop scripts but that's somewhat unusual. Often times scripts are available from other sources that can just be tweaked for what you're looking for. I know when administering Unix systems there are scripts available by the zillions and you just grab what you need, customize it and continue the march. I only wrote maybe 4 or 5 very simple scripts in the 6 years I did IBM/AIX and HP-UX support.

    One can design networks with whatever security level is required -- setting standards, designing, then implementing them; or audit networks and servers for security holes; one can do desktop security; or computer forensics for investigation of breaches. There are so many levels and tasks to be done this is just a smattering of what security people do. I'm not sure you'd call someone who is educated and working in computer security a "hacker." That kind of implies an amateur.

    Sometimes what you start out doing in the tech field isn't what suits you, so the nice thing about having a college degree is the flexibility it affords. I can relate to the loathe of programming -- I wrote mainframe assembler language programs for business apps. After two years of heads-down, stuck in a windowless office, hard labor I was ready to start throwing bits of core memory on my boss's desk! (Look up core memory.)
    :eek:
     
  11. Pluberus

    Pluberus New Member

    Haha. Thanks for the input. =) Security might be an interesting career. What kind of degree do people get before going into that field?

    Also, thanks for the input about getting a degree vs just certification. That's primarily why I'm not just getting certification - I want a degree for the flexibilty.
     
  12. cutedeedle

    cutedeedle I speak Geek. Will translate on request.

    It can range from a business degree with a "specialization" in information technology to a specialized degree in technology management, security systems or networking. Ted The Educated Derelict is really good at sniffing such things out!

    I can tell you what I have looked for in a candidate when I was in upper management. Anyone who completed a college degree, any degree, was favored over someone who didn't have the discipline to get through that process. I'm talking entry level positions, candidates with little to none on the job experience.

    When interviewing folks I'd look for someone with a good attitude, tact and sensitivity to others, excellent oral and written communication skills, decent theoretical knowledge and interest in what the particular company was all about. A good manager knows a team member can always be trained on the technology but attitude is something that rarely changes. Techies do need to know how to be tactful -- from the ordinary user at the PC all the way up the ladder to the VP.

    Hope this helps a little!
     
  13. djacks24

    djacks24 New Member

    That helps alot, thanks much! I'm so used to reading the Doom and gloom Dice discussion boards and seeing little to no job posting activity in IT that its really nice to hear someone who has been in the industry so long with a positive attitude about IT. It makes me feel all the years of school were not a waste.
     
  14. cutedeedle

    cutedeedle I speak Geek. Will translate on request.

    Oh my, education is never a waste! At one large enterprise that employed me for many years (and let me do that initial leap from techie to manager) I was surprised to find programmers who had the most interesting assortment of degrees unrelated to I.T./I.S. -- anthropology, chemistry, psychology, you name it. One lady had even studied with B.F. Skinner at Harvard (pretty famous psychologist). So you never know where your eddukashun will take you. I hope it's to your happy place.
    :D
     
  15. Josep

    Josep New Member

    Same here!.
    It's really hard to make decision when you have a lot things to think of before your self.
    I've grown with this things all over my shoulders thats why i'm just 5 feet flat.
    I'm still working on my education as IT even my current job is the opposite. All is just need to survive and make sure tomorrow is ok.
     
  16. cutedeedle

    cutedeedle I speak Geek. Will translate on request.

    My heart truly goes out to you regarding your former stress. Been there, done that, but it was cuz of the boss from hell! The same is true of jobs or bosses -- if you feel physically sick due to stress, time to look elsewhere. Nobody's gravestone says "Gave his all at work."

    I used to joke about my previous job with local government -- if someone were to drop dead on the job, co-workers would prolly step over the body and complain about the inconvenience.
    :rolleyes:
     
  17. djacks24

    djacks24 New Member

    Yeah, thinking back to those days makes me appreciate the fact I don't have to deal with that kind of stress anymore. Now if I could just earn a living wage of a skilled and educated professional and get some health insurance that would be great!
     
  18. kangyu

    kangyu member

    to-gigantic enterprises. The industry desperately needs knowledgeable security people. You're correct in that sometimes a security person may need to develop scripts but that's somewhat unusual. Often times scripts are available from other sources that can just be tweaked for what you're looking for. I know when administering Unix systems there are scripts available by the zillions and you just grab what you need, customize it and continue the march. I only wrote maybe 4 or 5 very simple scripts in the 6 years I did IBM/AIX and HP-UX support.

    One can design networks with whatever security level is required -- setting standards, designing, then implementing them; or audit networks and servers for security holes; one can do desktop security; or computer forensics for investigation of breaches. There are so many levels and tasks to be done this is just a smattering of what security people do. I'm not sure you'd call someone who is educated and working in computer security a "hacker." That kind of implies an amateur.

    Sometimes what you start out doing in the tech field isn't what suits you, so the nice thing about having a college degree is the flexibility it affords. I can relate to the loathe of programming -- I wrote mainframe assembler language programs for business apps. After two years of heads-down, stuck in a windowless office, hard labor I was ready to start throwing bits of core memory on my boss's desk! (Look up core memory.)
     
  19. Pluberus

    Pluberus New Member

    You guys are making me want to work in the Security field. =) So, as far as a job goes, I'm looking at either a network administrator, systems administrator, security analyst, or computer repair technician.

    As you can see, I like hands on "problem-fixing" - I just despise programming. :D My attention span is too short for that.
     
  20. cutedeedle

    cutedeedle I speak Geek. Will translate on request.

    I'd say the one trait you need for any of those careers is tenacity -- never give up, keep at the problem(s) until you resolve everything. Contrary to some beliefs, you definitely need good communication and people skills. If you don't develop those you'll never advance -- you'll be stuck with the "geek" label and that's tough to overcome.

    I've seen many mediocre folks advance over their more brilliant counterparts, just based on being a "team player" and learning the fine art of tact and diplomacy. You know, biting your tongue and getting along with everyone. I had to learn that the hard way and it took about 25 years.
    :mad:

    Carole
     

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