Going back to school for computers/IT type stuff and just wondering if anyone else here works/studies in that field? it's quite overwhelming at first but it seems the best idea has been to just dive into it and learn what I need as I go upon this journey. One thing I know, Saying you study IT/computers has landed me several job offers despite having little experience.
Quote:Going back to school for computers/IT type stuff and just wondering if anyone else here works/studies in that field? it's quite overwhelming at first but it seems the best idea has been to just dive into it and learn what I need as I go upon this journey. One thing I know, Saying you study IT/computers has landed me several job offers despite having little experience.
You could say I did. I have been a software developer for over 20 years. One thing I can tell you is that my job now is completely and utterly different than it was 20 years ago. Prepare for a lifetime of learning. But there is a ton of demand in the field.
Quote:You could say I did. I have been a software developer for over 20 years. One thing I can tell you is that my job now is completely and utterly different than it was 20 years ago. Prepare for a lifetime of learning. But there is a ton of demand in the field.
That's what I hear. I really enjoy learning so I figure that will make it fun. I hear the money is pretty good too. Do you mind if I ask if you make good money working in software development? I want to do something I enjoy but it would be nice to get paid good for it as well.
Quote:That's what I hear. I really enjoy learning so I figure that will make it fun. I hear the money is pretty good too. Do you mind if I ask if you make good money working in software development? I want to do something I enjoy but it would be nice to get paid good for it as well.
It depends on what kind of development you do and your job title/responsibilities but like anything else, demand tends to drive compensation. Salary.com has information about the industry in general, you can browse different kinds of specialities and see some free salary survey data. If you're taking courses or self-learning, one piece of advice I'd give is to not concentrate on just learning a language or two but spend time studying software architecture and methodologies. Good luck!
I currently work in IT and have sone since leaving school 10 years ago. In te last few years I've become at lot more interested in networks/infrastructure as opposed to PC's/Hardware. Always new stuff to learn, every problem is logical, you just need to find the missing pieces
Quote:It depends on what kind of development you do and your job title/responsibilities but like anything else, demand tends to drive compensation. Salary.com has information about the industry in general, you can browse different kinds of specialities and see some free salary survey data. If you're taking courses or self-learning, one piece of advice I'd give is to not concentrate on just learning a language or two but spend time studying software architecture and methodologies. Good luck!
I couldn't agree more with the bolded text. When I first started in IT we were starting batch jobs with card decks. 20 years later we were converting a system written mainly in COBOL running on mainframes to SQL running on network servers. If none of that makes sense it's because that was 10 years ago, and everything we worked with then is likely nearly obsolete. What didn't change was the system design process and methods. Everything else is tools used to achieve the desired results. You'll never stop going to classes.
LOL @ COBOL, totally rad!
Yeah, it's always changing. Find some decent lists to subscribe to for relevant news/updates in whatever field you are working in. There is SO much available free, you shouldn't ever need to pay.
And the older you get, the closer they are to replacing you with a kid out of school or off-shoring your job. Though with the current state of the economy that has subsided a bit in the past 5 years.
Best thing to do...imbed yourself somewhere that has a pretty ironclad contract with a stable govt client that cannot be outsourced. Then, as long as you are useful, you are safe.
Engineer here. What do you want to do?
If you are looking for standard IT work, then look for a MIS or general IT degree and get a couple CompTIA certs and you can get a standard IT position (sysad, netad, analyst, etc) making $15-30 an hour.
If you are looking for something a little more, you should look into getting an electrical/computer engineering/comp sci degree and you can look for engineering/programming positions making $30-50 an hour.
If you don't want to do engineering but still want to make some money, look into cyber security degree, ethical hacking certs, CISSP, and you can make $40-60 an hour working government contracts.
IT has a TON of diverse options for what you want to do. Whether it is general IT, databases, systems admin, network admin, engineering, programming, or whatever. A lot of options. You just have to put in a little effort.
I will also recommend the military, particularly Air Force or Navy. They have GREAT IT career paths that can help you get an awesome job when you get out.
There are not nearly enough security professionals out there and it's a hugely important and evolving field. If you want to consider job security, consider that field.
I personally hate it and wouldn't really be able to handle it (find it boring) but if you're able to do it without wanting to hang yourself it's definitely something to consider.
Depending on what you're doing, there are several free user groups locally which are good for free training and networking. JSSUG (Jax SQL Server User Group), JaxDUG (JaxDotNet User Group) for example. UNF also hosts free all day training for SQL (SQL Saturday) and .Net (Code Impact - formerly Code Camp) once a year. There are a lot of other groups and training opportunities, but I can vouch for the ones mentioned here.
Quote:Going back to school for computers/IT type stuff and just wondering if anyone else here works/studies in that field? it's quite overwhelming at first but it seems the best idea has been to just dive into it and learn what I need as I go upon this journey. One thing I know, Saying you study IT/computers has landed me several job offers despite having little experience.
It depends on your interests and what you want to do. Programming and Electronics is pretty much my background, though I do also have some experience with Networking/Network Security. One thing that I highly recommend is to learn different platforms. I assume that you probably use Windows computers and either an Android or an "iDevice" of some type. Learn about Unix/Linux as well as Mac. You want to know not only how to use each Operating System, but also learn how they work.
Something that is huge now, is 'business intelligence'. And the way the economy is and how cost conscious people are, I would think it has to continue to be important. It's pretty much a glorified programmer but there are a few other skillsets involved (learning some of the business intelligence tools). And there are many companies offering business intelligence software now.
In all honesty, my skillset is pretty close to the same as it was 5 years ago, but I learned a couple of basic skills on some business intelligence tools and my salary went up 20% just being able to say that I am a Business Intelligence Analyst. I mean, it certainly does sound much more important than 'programmer'.
CS degree here. If I were getting into computers today, I would learn a facet of the field that is less likely to be outsourced in the future. Not saying learning how to code isn't useful, but I would get more into security and networking. Maybe even database administration.
If you do choose the coding/configuration path, I would learn to specialize in specific products that most big corporations use.
Quote:Going back to school for computers/IT type stuff and just wondering if anyone else here works/studies in that field? it's quite overwhelming at first but it seems the best idea has been to just dive into it and learn what I need as I go upon this journey. One thing I know, Saying you study IT/computers has landed me several job offers despite having little experience.
Computers is a very vague career def., but its the one thing that is not gonig away anytime soon. Tons of high paying jobs in demand around the world.
Quote:There are not nearly enough security professionals out there and it's a hugely important and evolving field. If you want to consider job security, consider that field.
I personally hate it and wouldn't really be able to handle it (find it boring) but if you're able to do it without wanting to hang yourself it's definitely something to consider.
I was about to recommend this.
IT security is booming.
Ton of analyst work out there, too. HR systems, healthcare information systems and related payment systems.
I have a ton of friends in the financial software industry, I could ask them what they recommend if you're interested and I'm 91% sure I could get you put in the front of the line for a job at one of the company's Jacksonville office.
You might not even need to have your degree finished, I'll have to ask those jokers. I'm pretty sure they told me the company will pay for schooling and/or put you through their own courses while you work.
I thought about getting an IT engineer for my personal pc.. Way too much pr0n.. I think its possessed..