(OT) Any computer elite people got some career advice for me?

[Chardonnay]

Web Development Technology Major

Industrial Computing Applications Specialist

Electronic Engineering Technology - Computer Maintenance and Networking Major

Computer Information Systems - Network Communications Technology

Computer Information Systems - Software Development

Computer Games and Simulation Design

Computer and Digital Forensics


I'm interested in going for one of these associates degrees... any advice? Anyone have a associates or better in one of these fields?

Wulf?

 

[Wulf2k]

Web Development Technology Major
Industrial Computing Applications Specialist
Electronic Engineering Technology - Computer Maintenance and Networking Major
Computer Information Systems - Network Communications Technology
Computer Information Systems - Software Development
Computer Games and Simulation Design
Computer and Digital Forensics


I'm interested in going for one of these associates degrees... any advice? Anyone have a associates or better in one of these fields?

Wulf?

Well, as a disclaimer, I'm a terrible educational role model. I didn't finish college or university because I was "too smart" (read that with as much sarcasm as you wish). I just couldn't sit through years of mandatory introductory stuff I could do in my sleep to get through to the actual learning. I started a few different programs at different places, but they were all the same thing. This isn't a thread to go into what I do actually have going for me from an employer's perspective, so let's move on.

As such, I'll look at this from a different perspective than most people might answer. What do you enjoy doing? What's your typical free time on a computer look like? Do you program? Do you create web pages? Have you ever created an amusing robot sidekick using nothing but paperclips and chewing gum?

Do you care more about money, guaranteed employment, or personal enjoyment in your chosen profession?

Every one of those programs has some heavy pros and cons that can make you wish for 20/20 hindsight after 4 years and $20K in debt, or whatever it works out to.

 

[Critical Gaming]

I got a job at a repair shop after getting my Associate in "Internet Network Engineer"

Tbh, the few jobs that are around are always taken by people with actual experience.

I've had plenty of interviews for full-time positions, such as helpdesk, field tech consulting, PC tech for companies (like a jr. network admin)

Every interview I followed up on was given to someone else with years more experience than I, and I interview well!

A+, Net+, MCP, Associate Degree - and the best I can get is swapping boards and cleaning viruses.

I'm actually getting tired of trying....

Go be a truck driver.

 

[retrorider]

Wulf and Critical are both right.

Wulf is right about the choice depending on your personality, strengths and weaknesses as well as what you are ultimately looking for. How much dis-satisfaction can you tolerate for how much money, ect...

More importantly Critical has hit the nail on the head. There is a glut of I.T. and C.I.S. personnel. Not necessarily a glut of good, qualified personnel but there are a lot of bodies out banging doors.

What Critical has done is exactly right. He has training, a degree and follow up certifications to prove he has had ongoing continuing education in his chosen field. He has also gotten his foot in the door by working in the field how ever he can to gain the experience that employers are now using as the final yardstick to measure applicants.

Critical (and ultimately you too, Chardonnay), you may need to start doing some side jobs or apprentice with someone who is doing work in your field of degree, depending on your experience level, so that you can build that part of your experience reservoir. Either way don't expect to get paid well, or at all if you apprentice. The real returns will be in getting jobs in the scope (and payscale) of your degree. Just don't give up.

Chardonnay, you need to ask yourself what your best at, what you would like to do the most and what pays the best in YOUR area.

If you can find a happy medium within the subset of the answers to those questions, then you are well on your way to finding the best direction to take educationally.

Good luck!

 

[Spree]

 

[Critical Gaming]

I made up my own business cards and had people hand them out for me.

I made a few bucks off of that. Doing reinstalls of windows for 100 bucks is always pretty cool. You steal a lot of geek squad business that way too.

 

[Sturdy]

Web Development Technology Major

Industrial Computing Applications Specialist

Electronic Engineering Technology - Computer Maintenance and Networking Major

Computer Information Systems - Network Communications Technology

Computer Information Systems - Software Development

Computer Games and Simulation Design

Computer and Digital Forensics

I'm interested in going for one of these associates degrees... any advice? Anyone have a associates or better in one of these fields?

Wulf?

I am only tangentially involved with the people who do the stuff above but I do get to interact with a wide variety of them.

The two specialties on your list that stand out to me are:

Applications Specialist
Network Communications Technology
(Design level not the techs- but one usually comes before the other)

These two specialties are basically in charge of the process (at the level that matters)

They make the creative decisions that drive operational IT within large organizations. I have noticed that the people above and below these specialties come and go. The people who understand, design, and supervise the deployment of actual systems are the people that cant be easily fired.

Techs who lay cable and do trouble shooting are vital- but more easily replaced. Managers who sit in meetings all day are also surprisingly easy to get along without.

 

[Taylor]

Maybe push through the associates degree, get a bachelors or masters, and work for the government. The government seems to be the only place hiring these days, but they prefer bachelors or masters degrees.

 

[Urin]

I see a problem in that you list these different degrees without actually listing what it is you want to do. The degree is just a tool, and half the time all it does is get you in the door. I think you should pin down exactly what you want to do and start generating "content" in that area. I think the other poster marketing himself with business cards was a great idea for tech. work. If you want to program for instance though, start, or start contributing to, an open-source project to get your name somewhere. If games are more your thing, I can think of no better medium than flash and newgrounds.

Also, I feel I should point out that while a degree will statistically increase the probability of higher future earnings, a significant jump in that probability does not really occur with anything less than a bachelor's.

 

[SoulWeaver]

Critical I'll trade you seeds of renewel if you over clock my comp and make it a beast! ^_^

 

[Lorddog]

I do programming and love it. Thats my thing. When I first started in work force doing programming I was averaging about 3-4 months / year unemployed. and some of my employment times were crap data entry jobs.

like they say - everyone wants 2 years experience at min.
I did not have any degree either

my advice is to do one of the new AS degree's that can feed into a BS degree. They now have these around the country. here in Orlando, VCC has 5 AS degree's that UCF now accepts into BS programs.

if you have that option then take it.

network people are a dime a dozen so might be hard to find work.
programmers are close to same but probably have better oportunities.
graphic designers are a dime a dozen so you have to do multiple things with that (some programming, designing, flash etc)

I will address programming as that is what I know best.

right now the advantage is in C# (.net) with database
secondary might be php with mysql with client side (javascript html)

php jobs pay less as it is free (mysql) and companies are trying to cut costs.

little bit less demand for java and vb (.net) but still some demand.

There are jobs in these in specialized software - content management
DDN, Ektron, etc etc

Lorddog

 

[N49ATV]

F it all, and become and electrician for oil and gas like I am. Sick money, lots of jobs.

 

[T'Challa]

Alaskan pipeline. Grow hair on yer juevos, good bankroll + insurance, and nothing to spend yer money on for 6 months at a time.

*edit* obviously, there are IT jobs up there. That was in no way OT.

Also, remember that (insert random percentage pulled from the intrawebz here) percent of people who get a degree don't actually take a career in that field. Companies in this country/economy are looking for people who can wear many hats. Take that as you will.

 

[Wulf2k]

These two specialties are basically in charge of the process (at the level that matters)
...
The people who understand, design, and supervise the deployment of actual systems are the people that cant be easily fired.

To paraphrase Sturdy here, few people are hiring in those specialties.

Not to say it's bad advice, but we'd really need to know his comfort with trading job security/money/ease of employment/enjoyment/etc before suggesting much.

Inventing DOS is a great payday, but it's hard to get hired to invent DOS these days.

 

[Critical Gaming]

I can't OC your PC remotely. Looks like you'll have to make a trip to pennsylvania, buddy!

Just look for a CPU clock multiplier in your BIOS and bump it up a bit. Also check google for different memory timings for your brand/model RAM so you can adjust those for performance

If your PC won't boot after doing any of the above, there is a little jumper connecting 2 pins on your motherboard (should say "CMOS" next to the pins), just pull that off, power cycle, then put it back on and boot. Usually I'll start high and bring it down until I can get it to boot. Once its booted, sometimes its unstable, so keep coming down in that case.


You also may need to adjust voltage if you bump it up a decent bit. You can always google your specific hardware for overclocking - chances are someone has done it already and knows the voltage/speed ratio.

Your computer's lifespan will shorten with OCing though. Mine lasted 2 years after I OC'd 200 mhz and bumped ram timing. After one year my RAM went (caused blue screens), and then a year later my CPU quit.

 

[Wulf2k]

It's just not the same if overclocking doesn't involve drawing on the CPU with a pencil....

 

[Bruin]

Web Development Technology Major

Industrial Computing Applications Specialist

Electronic Engineering Technology - Computer Maintenance and Networking Major

Computer Information Systems - Network Communications Technology

Computer Information Systems - Software Development

Computer Games and Simulation Design

Computer and Digital Forensics


I'm interested in going for one of these associates degrees... any advice? Anyone have a associates or better in one of these fields?

Wulf?

Just a suggestion, pick what can't be outsourced to India. If you're going into a career that's got to last you 30 years, pick something that won't get outsourced in 20. I know a lot of software development is gone. Don't know why games/simulation design has not yet (though I'd love to do that personally).

 

[Urin]

I know a lot of software development is gone. Don't know why games/simulation design has not yet (though I'd love to do that personally).

Tread lightly with that one; there is a tremendous glut of individuals with game/simulation design and related degrees wanting to break into that. Because of this the median salary there is below average for the industry, and the employers are notoriously similar to slave-drivers (there are numerous articles on this). Personally, I would advise against it, unless you really have a killer portfolio that will make you stand out from the herd.

 

[nightstalker22]

Tread lightly with that one; there is a tremendous glut of individuals with game/simulation design and related degrees wanting to break into that. Because of this the median salary there is below average for the industry, and the employers are notoriously similar to slave-drivers (there are numerous articles on this). Personally, I would advise against it, unless you really have a killer portfolio that will make you stand out from the herd.

Don't work for a coorperation, utilize one.

If you can develop a game for Facebook, and it becomes popular, you'll be raking in so much advertising cash, you can forget about working a 9 to 5. You will be working from home.

People are making 100k a year or more just from uploading videos to You Tube. Popular channels are making tons of advertising revenue ( which is why people have no moral qualms about stealing copyrighted material and putting it on their channel ).

 

[Wulf2k]

And for every one person being successful at it, there are thousands+ that aren't.

which is why people have no moral qualms about stealing copyrighted material and putting it on their channel

1. Some people.
2. Stealing deprives somebody of the item in question.
3. I own the copyright to this post. I don't mind if you steal it. Lots of copyrighted material is available for free without it being infringement.