Jobs in computer field? I need some career advice.

[chrono1081]

For what its worth:

I graduated from high school in June 2006, and I had (and still have) an interest in computers. Loved taking them apart, programming, etc.

I attended Cal Poly in SLO for Computer Engineering. I immediately hated the major. I realized that computers were fun to me, and when they were part of school, I began to hate them. I quickly switched my major to Industrial Engineering, which I absolutely love.

There's quite a bit of money to be made in Computer Engineering. Just stay on top of your social skills, I feel like that is the MOST IMPORTANT aspect of getting a job.

Example:

I have a 2.4 GPA at school. I try, but I don't devote my life to school. I do a lot of other things. I'm currently working an internship for an Aerospace company, and the minimum requirements were a 3.25GPA. All the other guys here have a 3.4 or above. I told them what my GPA was during the interview, they shunned, but we proceeded. I guess I nailed the interview, and they never questioned my GPA.

+90580394805

My last job before this one I actually negotiated a pay raise during the job interview. My interview also lasted a REALLY long time because I was busy signing employment agreement papers towards the end. I kind of felt bad for the other guys waiting to be interviewed.

Social skills are extremely important.

 

[jake.f]

Sorry for the thread hijack, but how does the USA college system work?? All this talk of not even deciding what you want to do until after you start!
In Australia it works like you apply for a course, EG in this case Bachelor of Computer Science and your stuck with it unless you find a way to transfer then you can go and do further studies later ie Masters, Doctorate or get into a postgraduate course, which is simply a course requiring a completed Bachelors Degree for example, a lot of medicine courses here are postgraduate.

 

[pilotError]

Sorry for the thread hijack, but how does the USA college system work?? All this talk of not even deciding what you want to do until after you start!
In Australia it works like you apply for a course, EG in this case Bachelor of Computer Science and your stuck with it unless you find a way to transfer then you can go and do further studies later ie Masters, Doctorate or get into a postgraduate course, which is simply a course requiring a completed Bachelors Degree for example, a lot of medicine courses here are postgraduate.

In America, you can take basketweaving and become a CEO somewhere.

Most of the classes here are shared among all the majors, basic math, english, history, etc.. It's only in the last 2 years that you have to commit to something. You also can change majors (at the risk of losing credits) and just go to school longer. The colleges don't mind you spending the extra money on them.

To the OP, if your in the USA, don't bother with programming. Go into administration (network or systems), DBA, network engineer, etc.. The programming field is pretty limiting these days. It's nice when you first start and the money is good, but the older you get, the more obvious it is that it's a dead end job.

You used to be able to jump into management (it was actually encouraged), but no more. That's reserved for the PMO's. Do yourself a favor and make some money and start/buy your own business. You'll be happy you did.

 

[Silas1066]

I can speak from experience here--I've been in the IT industry since 1997.

Unless you have a passion for programming, and you are in the top 10% of programmers in the WORLD, don't bother going down that route. The changing economy has led to countless developer jobs being sent overseas to India and China. There is some programming work here, but the outlook isn't good.

Instead, I recommend the following "hot" areas:

1. Unified Communications: VOIP, mobile devices, video streaming, etc. Designing and implementing voice, video, and data networks. Not something that can be easily outsourced overseas, and pays very well. It takes a lot of training and experience.

2. UNIX/OSX system administration: Linux, UNIX, OSX, all that stuff is of great value. Implementing open source solutions for businesses, etc.

3. IT Security (my area mostly): Firewalls, VPN architectures, IDS systems. This stuff almost never gets outsourced (to dangerous to do that).

Where to begin? Start with #2--learn how OSX works under the hood. Become proficient in Linux and UNIX (many books available, user groups, etc.). The move either to #1 or #2.

A B.S. in Computer Science would be great to have, but it isn't essential. See if your school offers networking courses instead.

 

[wywern209]

I can speak from experience here--I've been in the IT industry since 1997.

Unless you have a passion for programming, and you are in the top 10% of programmers in the WORLD, don't bother going down that route. The changing economy has led to countless developer jobs being sent overseas to India and China. There is some programming work here, but the outlook isn't good.

Instead, I recommend the following "hot" areas:

1. Unified Communications: VOIP, mobile devices, video streaming, etc. Designing and implementing voice, video, and data networks. Not something that can be easily outsourced overseas, and pays very well. It takes a lot of training and experience.

2. UNIX/OSX system administration: Linux, UNIX, OSX, all that stuff is of great value. Implementing open source solutions for businesses, etc.

3. IT Security (my area mostly): Firewalls, VPN architectures, IDS systems. This stuff almost never gets outsourced (to dangerous to do that).

Where to begin? Start with #2--learn how OSX works under the hood. Become proficient in Linux and UNIX (many books available, user groups, etc.). The move either to #1 or #2.

A B.S. in Computer Science would be great to have, but it isn't essential. See if your school offers networking courses instead.

I want to be a video game programmer. is there a decent outlook for that? i doubt that the programming for games is being outsourced. is it?

 

[stonyc]

Do you like biology? Genetics? Statistics?

If you like any of those, you could couple computer science training with one of those disciplines and join the exciting field of... Bioinformatics!

I'm in my first year in bioinformatics and loving it... and it draws from a diverse background of education. I have a biology/research background and became interested in high-throughput (next-gen) sequencing applications in cancer. I'm learning or have learned R, Python and Java so far. There are other students in my program who have come from strict computer science/engineering backgrounds (one has a M.S. in electrical engineering, another got his bachelor's in Physics).

Bioinformatics is an entirely new and rapidly developing field and the jobs are actually quite plentiful, even in this economy.

A lot of undergrad programs have started bioinformatics/informatics programs (I know the University of Michigan, where I'm at now, has an undergraduate program now). You'll likely take a lot of biology, some stats, and lots of computer science... anyways, just throwing it out there. Good luck!

 

[belvdr]

I can speak from experience here--I've been in the IT industry since 1997.

Unless you have a passion for programming, and you are in the top 10% of programmers in the WORLD, don't bother going down that route. The changing economy has led to countless developer jobs being sent overseas to India and China. There is some programming work here, but the outlook isn't good.

Instead, I recommend the following "hot" areas:

1. Unified Communications: VOIP, mobile devices, video streaming, etc. Designing and implementing voice, video, and data networks. Not something that can be easily outsourced overseas, and pays very well. It takes a lot of training and experience.

2. UNIX/OSX system administration: Linux, UNIX, OSX, all that stuff is of great value. Implementing open source solutions for businesses, etc.

3. IT Security (my area mostly): Firewalls, VPN architectures, IDS systems. This stuff almost never gets outsourced (to dangerous to do that).

Where to begin? Start with #2--learn how OSX works under the hood. Become proficient in Linux and UNIX (many books available, user groups, etc.). The move either to #1 or #2.

A B.S. in Computer Science would be great to have, but it isn't essential. See if your school offers networking courses instead.

I whole-heartedly agree. I started in 1996 in IT and am now working in data communications, with a specialty in data security. I've been working data security since 1999 and can say the pay is nice and I really love what I do.

I have a B.A. in Business Administration and I can say that it truly helps when you get to the end of the spectrum towards management. When I was a consultant, it didn't really matter, but now that I've moved to the corporate world, it really helps understand how/why management does things and it makes my life a lot simpler.

Either way, I would get a degree. It opens doors that were previously closed and enhances your ability to find a job when you need to. Does it necessarily apply every day to work? No, but it's always there when you need to flaunt credentials.

 

[Bobdude161]

I am currently in a CIT program with a networking concentration at a technical school that offers an AA. The things that are essential are your A+ and then another CompTia that's based on you concentration. I'm getting my Net+ and maybe a Security+. If you are into networking, the CCNA is an excellent program. The CCNA is divided into four sections so expect to be in it for a couple years. Also buy a couple of older Cisco routers and switches if the school you attend does not have them. That helps ALOT when studying for the CCNA.

But generally, buy a banged up PC with XP and mess up the OS and try to fix it. You learn the most in those situations. They're most memorable. Also check out www.DreamSpark.com and download a couple copies of Windows Server while you're at it if you think you might be interested in it.

But don't just settle for IT repair, there's not as much pay compared to a network admin, nor as a network security admin (they get paid big!).