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Hylekmi

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 8, 2010
101
0
Hey guys, I am in college right now and I have a dilemma. I am currently majoring in Economics and I don't think that I like it. Im thinking about going into something with technology but I don't know what. I love working with technology but i don't think that i like working with code all of that much. I like working with the actual hardware. Do you guys have any suggestions about what to major in?
 
But what does IT do? I don't want to sit in a room all day typing code if you know what i mean?
 
There are many different avenues you can take in technology, and not all of them are programmers.

Sounds like one you could be interested in is Client or Server Architecture. This would involve hands on, building and maintaining of servers. It's a healthy mix between working on hardware and configuring it through software. (I've greatly simplified the description here - a Google search would give you much more information)

If you want to 100% work with the actual hardware, really the only path i can think of right now would be repair work.
 
Can you say more about what you mean by "I like working with the actual hardware." What does that mean?
 
Matt, computer / electrical engineering is more of a hardware and science thing than language (programming).

Hylekmi, you also need to hone in on what you like about hardware. Maintenance or designing? And designing the inside and/or outside?
 
Whatever you end up doing, you will have to do things you don't want to do for a good chunk of your time. There are very few jobs that people enjoy 100% of the time. Every dream job has some boring/unpleasant tasks associated with it.
 
You may well end up working in a technology company, even though your major is economics. Like said above, repair shop is pretty much the only place which is nearly 100% hardware, but I would say that is damn boring. It might be fun for a week or two but after that, it's just putting the parts on their places, one after the other.

You could look into reviewing hardware. If you are a good writer and follow tech a lot, it shouldn't be too hard. In most cases, it's not your day job, more like a hobby.
 
If you like working with actual computer hardware, you'll probably end up in desktop-support or something like that. Help, my account is locked. My computer won't start, etc - my screen is flickering.

I'd recommend getting into media/communications area. That is sufficiently tech related, without being too tech related. Options are pretty open in that field, you can get into public relations, journalism, speech-writing, become a press-secretary (a very neat little job, provided you are extremely switched on with eyes and ears everywhere), etc. The options are endless. Plus, you can still need some of your financial knowledge.
 
The question is, do you want to limit yourself to computer technology, or (as avro said above) look into media technology.

A guy I work with on occasion is a systems installer for a media/security company. His job is basically installing and programming systems for exhibits, casinos, houses, offices...you name it. These systems include high tech audio and video systems, security systems, and architectural lighting systems. I work with him on several museum exhibits where he installs numerous video systems, including the multi-screen surround sound theater. This is in addition to a 32-camera security system he works on.

He showed me one of his recent projects where he got to install one of those massive 103" flat screens in an office board room. It was nuts.

If you're interested in technology that is not just computer-related, that's an avenue to look into.
 
Thanks for all of the suggestions! When i said hardware i really meant i like to work with my hands. It doesn't necessarily mean that i want to do all hardware. Although i made it sound like it.
 
Doesn't your school have a major fair where all the different majors have a booth and tell you about them? Should be having one soon for all the kids applying before December for next year.
 
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