/g/ Career
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You are currently reading a thread in /g/ - Technology
Didn't see a career thread so I'm going to ask it here.
I'm deciding between a traditional trade (HVAC) and something geared towards IT like getting some Certs from cisco so I can do network related work which is what I'd like to do.
I already have an associates, but it's in general studies so it's useless tier.
What certs are best if I wanted to do a computer networking related job, CCNA? What else?
Where I live HVAC is always in demand except maybe two months in the winter. It's hard work but it pays well and doesn't take a genius to learn so I'd almost always have work.
I'm worried if I go IT I'll be a guy with certs competing for a job vs some guy that has a CS bachelors or something.
Could I get a decent IT job with certs + my associates? Should I try to get a second associates like an AAS?
Oh and pic related, its me
It depends very much on whether or not the job is in demand in your area. The lower the demand, the greater the competition.
I'm a freelance developer, hoping to start my own business soon
>>55259625
4th largest US city so I'm sure it's bound to be in demand to some extent
>>55259444
Freelance computer repair.
Run a anti virus for $75 an hour
>>55259752
Or deal with apple support
>>55259752
Anon no one is that retarded
Also
>not downloading adobe acrobat
>>55259784
A great man once told me don't underestimate the stupidity of humanity
I'm not OP but I'm also curious about careers, what government technology jobs are out there that don't involve programming?
Bitch had it coming, she deserved to go for fucking with the guy's property.
>>55259937
He's just trying to get money fo dem programs.
>>55259784
>Anon no one is that retarded
Guy who works in a computer repair shop here, I spend my days turning devices on and off or forcing apps to stop.
Running an Anti Virius is regular too.
You'd be surprised how tech illiterate people are.
Two worst cases involved Iphone users.
one girl was wondering why her phone would not turn on, it just needed charging.
The second girl was wondering why she could not ring, text or browse the internet. She has used up her credit and needed to buy more.
I charged the first one 50 euros to leave the phone with me for an hour and charge it with one of our chargers.
So if my local CC has courses for Cisco certs, would that be all I need to prepare for getting it? I'm not great at self teaching so I was hoping generally the courses would cover most of what I needed to prepare.
I know a lot of people self teach for that stuff but I don't think that'd work for me.
>>55260746
I did this, it didn't help. Plus you'll be working with some of the dumbest people you'll meet in your life. There will be a few people who actually know some stuff of course. They're far fewer though. You will likely get paired with some of the dumbest people you'll ever meet though.
>>55260861
That's what I'm worried about. I took the entry level hardware course and it was way too easy. We used the A+ book as a textbook and I hardly ever had to use it. It was a class for people who couldn't computer.
>>55260930
>>55260746
Speaking on this subject, what are the recommended study/learning materials if I did decide to try to self study.
Any free options out there that aren't shit? I saw there's a for dummies version for around $25.
I was recently in the exact same position as you OP, deciding between tradeschool for HVAC and "IT". Ultimately, the fact that I've got a bum knee and that my only real passion in life is computers led me to go the "IT" route. Enrolled in a 2-year networking/sysadmin program, gonna get all the certs and whatnot.
>>55261548
So you're probably going for one of the AAS programs in IT then?
Networking/Sysadmin is what I'd like to do as well.
I recently got into the BAS IT program at a university, and the required programming courses kicked my ass. So I decided that path probably isn't the right one for me.
Gonna check out the more specialized technical IT programs like what you're doing. Hopefully that will be a little more doable for me.
>>55260529
>I charged the first one
You're a pretty bad person. Should have just told her.
>>55261962
God damn we're eerily similar. Same here again. I was accepted into the "Information Technology" program at a university, then when I actually took a long look at the curriculum and saw that it was all business and programming, I decided to do the AAS at the community college right beside it. Yeah the one I'm doing is totally based in the cisco curriculum and it's pretty well received, but I realize the certs are everything in this field.
>>55262270
Sounds good, I guess thats probably what I'm going to do then.
Good to know I'm not the only one in a similar boat.
>>55262270
>>55262361
Oh and just to make sure you aren't me, you wouldn't happen to be in Texas would you?
>>55262410
Aw man you went and ruined the mysticism.
I'm in Canada.
Think some more on it though, HVAC is a pretty sweet deal. Like I said I primarily just ruled out trades because I'm older and somewhat injured.
>>55262410
>>55262361
>>55261962
>>55262270
I'm not either of you, but
>senior year of high school
>apply to local CC
>its shit, fucking horribly ghetto (Center of Indianapolis)
>feel really uneasy, I don't want to die
>school starts randomly changing my bill before first class
>decide to say fuck them
>enroll in AAS computer information technology of another local university, but the online path
>haven't learned a fucking thing
>don't even read the books, just do the problems
>exactly one year left
>what the fuck am I going to do
What the fuck do I do /g/?
I've thought about self study, and obtaining certs. I really haven't learned a single thing except basic HTML. I just skim the books and do the assignments.
>>55262445
Well, I'm mainly considering HVAC because its highest in demand around here out of all trades, and relatively easy to learn.
Do I see myself in my late 50s in a 130 degree (F) attic slowly destroying my aging body? Some guys age well with that, some come out barely able to walk.
The flipside is I do IT, and potentially get outclassed by CS majors and similar because they're more "qualified". I'm giving it a week or two to make up my mind.
>>55262498
Yeah, that sounds about right. Intro to HTML and CSS was actually the hardest IT class I've taken besides my failed foray into programming.
I want a class that actually prepares me for the certs, I'm concerned none of the classes offered really do that.
>>55261548
>>55261962
Just so you are aware, in the IT field, no one is going to let you be a sysadmin or a network admin without at least 3 years of experience working in support. At which point you can be a jr admin which pays the same as a support tech
>>55262611
I don't thint anyone expects to work a sysadmin job right out of school with no experience. You'd likely work your way up from a helpdesk type of position.
>>55262498
Sysadmin here, to upskill, I got my employer to pay for pluralsight which is really cert focused, you might want to check it out, they have some of the comptia beginner tier certs that you should focus on.
Just be aware that in IT the level of importance as far as qualifications goes:
Experience > certs (if they are relevant and match the level of experience you have) > education (only as far as meeting requirements)
So for instance, I have 6 years experience, first three in support, last 3 in operations, I have a BS in information systems and I have an MCSA and LPIC-2 and I do windows and linux administration. I also have a net+ because my job paid for it, but I keep it off my resume because it's really beginner stuff. Since I don't do any of the networking at work other than some simple stuff or on-site stuff for the network engineers, I wouldn't say go get a CCNP and put that on my resume, that would work as a mark against me.
>>55262645
I've run into quite a few people that do in-fact expect this.
Also these kids that are waiting for their "sysadmin" classes to finish before they go into the work force are wasting their time, they should start working right away.
A help desk job doesn't need that much experience and really just something like an A+ can get your foot in the door for a contract job. Work that while you are going to school so that when you are done you only have something like a year until you can go on to bigger and better things.
Upon my father's advice (a CIO), that is exactly what I did.
>Enroll in CC
>Work towards AA in business
>Start working as desktop support contractor
>Graduate
>Enroll in 4 year university
>Start working towards BS in information systems
>Get job as permanent desktop support tech
>while at university get promoted to senior desktop support tech
>graduate
>Get promoted to sysadmin
>start working on certs
>switch companies get 30k a year raise and senior sysadmin title
>>55259444
>>Could I get a decent IT job with certs + my associates?
I'm a high school drop out making $75k working as a web developer. You can literally do anything if you work hard for it.
>>55262769
The only thing preventing you getting replaced by an indian is that they are only have as expensive as an american now.
>>55262769
No shit anon, I'm just trying to gauge whether it would be smart to do these cert courses or if I'd just get all my job opportunities taken by pajeets with better degrees.
I didn't about know what >>55262705
said.
>>55262928
Sysadmin here, got any questions? I am about to go get some icecream with my wife, I got about 10 minutes.
>>55262961
Sure.
How's this order look:
Certs and education>Entry Level IT job>slightly less shit entry level IT job>4 -5 years>hopefully better IT job
That about what I should expect?
>>55263019
yeah that's fine, but do the entry level shit while you are going to school.
IT jobs are very flexible for time shifting work.
For instance I took 3.5 hours out of the day every monday and wednesday at my desktop support job to finish my BS.
>>55263073
Good advice but I'm probably gonna just power through the school first. I tried working and college a couple of times and I always managed to get fucked by my schedule one way or another.
I've actually got 3-4 of the classes already done, since I needed tech credits for that BAS course I'm dropping out of.
Systems engineer here; certs are good to show you're not retarded but don't feel the need to go beyond an NA without a job. An NA will help you get work to break the "need experience" cycle, then work it from there. Source: I work at Cisco
>>55263127
So would an AAS help get a foot in the door then?
>>55263218
what's aas?
>>55263218
I had to Google that, no offense. I didn't take college "seriously," and have a BA in IS from a state college. Someone I started with has a bio degree. Having A degree was a requirement, but after that it's all about fit and ability to learn. Granted we're talking Cisco, not a small shop. Smaller companies and partners won't have rigid multinational HR policies and I could certainly see them overlooking less than rigorous college background in favor of you being... good. IT is a meritocracy. If you're good and your interviewers see that, they want you. Classically speaking people in IT have it as a passion and as such do most of their learning in less structured environments.
>>55263279
A two year applied science degree, if you take the cert classes with a couple of other classes tacked on you can get one for IT.
>>55263299
This is pretty accurate, degrees and certs mostly only apply for salary negotiations, which is why it's important to get a degree that's related to the field.
Look at it this way anons, if there are 2 candidates for a job, both seem pretty close, they start to look at education and certs and the person that tics the most boxes will get the first offer.
That's not to say it's impossible and once you've built a network of people that know you, this becomes mostly irrelevant.
Pic related, former boss wants to hire me for a new sysadmin position.
Are there any certs that are worthless?
>>55263875
Anything that ends in a +
I want to work with computer hardware and not software, what cert and career route should I take?
I am thinking of becoming a sysadmin or a network admin so I think I should go with something network related?
