IT jobs in Houston! (issue)

[SKYLINEGTR33MWJ]

I dont know what else to do, its my first semester in college and i cant see how im going to be able to make it through the second, if i cant still get a job anywhere. It seems as if no one is hiring!

the iT field here in houston, i heard, that is doing very bad! someone told me that if i were to major in Computer Information Systems, that i would have to move to a less (industrialized) city far from houston because there is too much competition here.

What can i do? should i change my major? quite honestly, i dont want to. all this computer knowledge that i've gained over the years, i dont want to set it aside, and put to waste. I'm not sayin'g that i have mastered all there is to know about computers, but i am saying that i know a significant amount for a company to hire me, and well... work!!!!!

i need a job here, for many reason's, primarly, to continue paying for my school, bcuz i don't qualify for "financial aid" and i dont think getting a loan is a good idea. i would like to work, but how on earth am i going to find a job in the computer field, or something like it, if they require that i have a college degree, but in order for me to even get the college degree, i need the money to pay for it!

Should i drop college, and go for some "certifacates" and go straight to work... (if hired) or should i stick around jobless for the next 2 yrs while i finish atleast my associate degree?..?

plz give me your oppinion! or any suggestions! cuz
im going through some hard times here in houston,
no jobs, no money, and 3 more years of college to go!

What can i do? !!!!!

[butch81385]

sorry that this is just a generalized answer but:
sometimes a company will hire people without the degree under the circumstance that they continue with the school until they get the degree (you may need to keep some loyalty to the company afterwards). also, some companies will help out with the cost of school. this is usually for graduate school, but i have seen exceptions for all schooling.
just my $0.02

EDIT: p.s. be cool, stay in school... if you want a job that pays over $30,000 a year, the best bet is to finish all your schooling. if you will settle for less than that, then you might be wasting time with school. (i know that there are many exceptions, so dont yell at me people. i am just giving some general advice to follow. and for those who didnt finish schooling, keep your hopes high so that you can become one of those exceptions if you want too..... just my motivational speech of the day)

[SKYLINEGTR33MWJ]

thanx man, sometimes even ur $0.02 cents can mean alot to SOMEONE!

anything helps...

certificates now in days are almost useless. Everyone and there mom has one. (doesn't mean companies still look for them) Alot of business like it when you can say i have actually worked on the computer instead of i read in a book. Now with that i would continue school and complete what you have started. Maybe look for a job in something else? food, services, or check your school resource area. they might have some job listings to help out college students. Alot of schools post jobs only for students to help you get your foot into the door

BTW i am in the same boat as you right now

[dr_roberts49]

Outsourcing is killing us. Until our government does something to curtail this, anything that can be done overseas for 50 cents an hour will be done. That being said, concentrate on something in the IT field that requires hands-on and a physical presence. Something that can't be done from a remote location (like India). I hope I don't come off as being racist here, but myself and several friends and coworkers have lost their jobs because of this practice by corporations to increase THEIR profits. I even had a friend in California, who was given a raise to train some IT people from India, on his company's help desk procedures. What he didn't know, was that he was training his (and others) replacements. He did this for a year, before getting his pink slip last June. I'll now get off my soap box

Robert

[SKYLINEGTR33MWJ]

where is the IT field leading to? that is my biggest concern! many years ago, in the early 1990's to be exact. I first learned how to use the computer, DOS and windows 3.1, then win 95, 98 and now 2000..... i've been around, since i think, the beginning of time, (for computers) and somehow, i feel that this business, is going down, less and less jobs, more and more requireiments to even get hired. now that were' in the early 2000's it seems as if.... all this is dying out.. why should i even major in CIS? i dont know anymore.

but i do however, have visions of the future! mwahahaha! one day not to far from now, computers will rule the world! (j/k) no seriously, automobiles will drive themselves, computers will be "stupid fast" and extremely smart, im thinking they will put (AI) to use well.... i mean, my point is that these computers aint going no wheres, so now that we understand them, and how to work with them, we must stick around, even if they pay us 30,000 a year. bcuz there is nothing more easier than sitting in an office, clicking here and there and gettting paid for it. i prefer that a million times over working with my dad who is a "heavy machine operator" for a construction company.

[dr_roberts49]

Times change. I started in computers in the late 70s. The first 10 years were all about standards and support. Computers were still too difficult to operate, so there was a lot to be said about computer support and service. In those days, it meant belonging to a users group. There was a lot of money to be made too. After the introduction of the Macintosh and then the first version of Windows, computing took a step towards becoming "More User Friendly" and as they did, the need for support and service declined. Then we moved into the next phase of more power hardware and more integrated software. Connectivity became the new "holy grail", and support and service became popular again. All of us here know the phase we're into now. I guess the real challege is, what's next? Those who guess right on that, will be the next generation of rich guys. Don't give up on school!

Robert

[DocHopper]

The problem in the IT market is that there are too many "Generalists" out there. Not enough people specialize in one niche product. People that do this still can find work. Network engineers come a dime a dozen. Programming is not where most companies throw their IT budget anymore.

Most times companies either hire a programming outfit to do the custom development, or they simply buy something that does CLOSE to what they want and just make do. If you REALLY want to get into IT, learn something like SAP or specialize in a certain field. There ARE jobs in the IT field here. But you have to understand, that Monster.com, and other job sites only get the ones that you can get from an agent.

According to what I've been told recently only 20% of jobs are found off the internet. The other 80% are from "networking". Get to know people. Join the Lions club, the Knights of Columbus, the Rotary. Something. But get out and meet people.