I Need Career Advice in Technology Field

[SKYLINEGTR33MWJ]

I have just enrolled in college and I start next month! Im so excited to go and get this over with. My real problem is choosing the right career for me. I know that it has to be in the Technology Field because I enjoy working with computers, enjoy electronics, and love to fix "stuff". If I could only get 5 minutes of your time, and get atleast 6 questions answered, then that would be a lot of help!

My counselor suggested to "go out there" and interview people who work in the computer field and personally know what its like to wake up every morning knowing that they have to go to work, either they love their jobs or not.

Where else could I find "massive" gatherings of IT professionals and Network Adimistrators willing to help ordinary people like myself other than at TECHIMO.COM ? I know you guys are very knowlegable, very professional, and very kind. After all... you are willing to help solve many of our computer problems for absolutely nothing in return.

If you will, please answer the following 6 questions.

0) What is your job/career tittle?
1) What were the educational requirements for your career?
2) What do you like most about your job?
3) What do you like least about your job?
4) What talents or skills do you feel are most useful for this job?
5) What is your typical day like?

If you would like to share any additional information please do so! Any thing you say is extremely appreciated.

Thanks again,
skylinegtr33mwj

1) Information Systems Intern
2) Nothing really, just had to be in high school and not have a record with the police
3) I get to play with a lot of new desktops and laptops, job pays for all my certifications, learn new software, i enjoy the people I work with, the atmosphere. Travel to schools so im not stuck in a cubicle
4) Sometimes we have down times, and bringing out machines and setting them up for a school sucks big time. I mostly deal with software testing it gets dull really fast. The pay isn’t great but at least it’s not the food service.
5) Typical day is starting off at the shop to check out what my plans are. Since I have no real set area to work on I go where ever I am needed. Most of the time I stay at one school for 4 months while we infuse (set it up for children to use) it

Are you going to be living in a dorm at your college or is this community college? if you live in a dorm see if they have a program where you can get paid to help people on your floor with their problems. I had several friends do it and it was a pretty easy job. Stupid questions here and there but they enjoyed meeting the girls in their building . See if any of the technology instructors will take you under their wing and teach the ins and outs.


From the sound of it, your more of the hands on hardware type than the software coding side.

Currently im at a community college working towards internet information technology or something stupid. in other words its a waste of time IMHO. My computer courses are a JOKE. Insert your disk here, turn you pc on here, and click this button to run and .exe. I hate it. But hey you got to get that paper, and im currently trying to transfer to a real college. When you get into the probability of computer and theories that’s where it gets interesting. Work towards your certifications. Sure the MCSE and MCP don’t mean much but to the people hiring they don’t know the difference sometimes and think those letters actually means you know something.

My word of advice is, if you go and get the certifications DO NOT and I repeat DO NOT become one of those people who get the certs but don’t have a clue on what your doing. Don’t memorize the information. Learn and play with the stuff you read. Set up your own networks, break stuff, fix it and you should be well off.

[Steve R Jones]

Might keep in the back of your mind that of all the careers, IT is currently the worse one to be in. There are thousands and thousands of very skilled IT people that can’t find work. MANY jobs are going off shore to cheap labor countries. Hopefully things will change by the time your ready to start looking.

[MatrixmaN]

0) What is your job/career tittle?
1) What were the educational requirements for your career?
2) What do you like most about your job?
3) What do you like least about your job?
4) What talents or skills do you feel are most useful for this job?
5) What is your typical day like?

0) Graphic Artist/Multimedia Developer
1) Associates Degree in Applied Science Multimedia Management and Development for the career majored courses I took which included almost every multimedia program used to make anything you see.
2) The fact that I can do anything I want in the future. Go into almost any feild of graphics, all I have to do is learn the programs. Right now I do legal graphics which are the basics to get an eye for design. That's what I like, learning all the time. Oh yeah, I can also dress casual and get away with it. You can't really tell an artist how to dress.
3) The frickin Monotony....
4) Being able to feel your work, feel colors, see through the eyes of the people your appealing to while still subconciously messing with them, while also stating your obvious style and opinion in your works.
5) Right now? Sit around and rasterize artwork, learn from scratch about how the company I work for is doing things, learn from the main artists every day, tell other people how the hardware im running works and boggle them with all sorts of weird words and stuff that they don't know much about.

[SeanC]

Job Title: Technical & Network Systems Analyst

Education: Post secondary, no certification required

What I like most: Working with technology, most of the people at my company

What I like least: The company itself, my salary (no where near the median for my position and the section of the country) and the people that don't fit in the "most" category for my previous answer

Most useful talents/skills: Customer service, troubleshooting, bit of project managment experience, communication skills (to customers, suppliers and internal staff)

Typical day:
I come in, check my e-mail and voice mail to see if anyone's desktops are broken, read the Operations shift log to see if anything needs my attention there, check server/firewall logs then start working on things like new PC setups, PC repair, give technical input on projects, phone support, order equipment/parts, etc... etc...


While you're still in college, get any little odd job you can (Volunteer and paying). When you graduate, you'll be glad to have all the related work experience you got in college. If you're in a dorm, see if you can help with IT support, see if you can help with the college computer labs. Try to get into computer stores, start a small business (that doesn't conflict with your school).

The specific IT field you decide on is up to you. I suggest trying different things like tech support, programming, networking, graphics design, website administration, system analysis, etc...

Sean

[A.K.Arkane]

If you will, please answer the following 6 questions.

0) What is your job/career tittle?
1) What were the educational requirements for your career?
2) What do you like most about your job?
3) What do you like least about your job?
4) What talents or skills do you feel are most useful for this job?
5) What is your typical day like?

My anwers are
0) System Specialist/Analyst
1) A+ Certification, NetWork+, and MCSE(Working On)
some College. that are the requirment of where i work.
2) Its An Interesting Field that keeps changing32
3) hmm...nothing really that can think of at this time
4) willing to learn, reasoning, people skills
5) my typical day its pretty much never the same. plans for the day can change at the last min. It always keeps things interesting.

[A.K.Arkane]

If you will, please answer the following 6 questions.

0) What is your job/career tittle?
1) What were the educational requirements for your career?
2) What do you like most about your job?
3) What do you like least about your job?
4) What talents or skills do you feel are most useful for this job?
5) What is your typical day like?

My anwers are
0) System Specialist/Analyst
1) A+ Certification, NetWork+, and MCSE(Working On)
some College. that are the requirment of where i work.
2) Its An Interesting Field that keeps changing
3) hmm...nothing really that can think of at this time
4) willing to learn, reasoning, people skills
5) my typical day its pretty much never the same. plans for the day can change at the last min. It always keeps things interesting.

[SKYLINEGTR33MWJ]

thank you all !!! you guys cant imagine how much your imput helps me decide whats good for my future....

Im going to a community college... and im willing to start a small business in order to gain some "experience"

Please..... if anyone else has anything more to add please do so..... Im listnening.....

I have 1month to decide what im going to do with the rest of my life..... and my preferences are web design... networking.. systems analyst.. pc repair.....service all that.....im good with hardware and I learn software very very fast!

and i honestly believe that.. techimo is the best online "tech" community there is....

thanks again

Sky one thing about college is people do not know what they want to do. Hell my dad is 40 and still trying to figure out what he wants to do (currently he’s an HR manager not a bum though ) when you start school your interest and desires will change. Don’t worry if you change your major or degree program. Remember this is not high school.

Good luck with your decisions. oh yah and make sure if your going for your associates make sure your consoler doesn’t try to put you into classes you don’t need.

[vass0922]

0) What is your job/career tittle?
1) What were the educational requirements for your career?
2) What do you like most about your job?
3) What do you like least about your job?
4) What talents or skills do you feel are most useful for this job?
5) What is your typical day like?


0) Network "Engineer" (hey thats what they call me! doesn't mean its true )

1) BS in Computer Science or simliar degree (or a fair share of experience)

2) Very challenging, I've been here over a year and there's still a million things I don't know! I get to play with lots of toys and cool stuff. I work with incredibly intelliegent (note intelliegent doesn't always coorelate with responsible!) people that make me sit in awe lol

3) Location: I loathe the DC area

4) I'm a bit of a different network admin than most that I work with as I do more programming/scripting to automate networking tasks. Its actually more fun, because I can see somebody taking an hour or two to do a manual task. I can put some time into it and make it so it only takes a few minutes and a few clicks Gives me some satisfaction that I'm making somebody's job easier So my job requirements are programming experience, networking experience.. and because I work the late shift I have to have hardware experience as well... so a jack of all trades so to speak (doesn't necessarily mean I'm GOOD at all of them!)

5) I tend to work more long term projects. I check through email to see if there are any problems I have to take care of immediately or anything i have to monitor for the night. If I have to make any phone calls before everybody leaves ( I come in at 4pm) I have to do that immediately. Then the rest of the night I work on projects or fix things that go bump in the night

Overall I really enjoy the job, I REALLY like the company I work for.. its a great company to work for and its got some really smart people running the show
Just wish it wasn't in the DC area