Wanting An Occupation In The Computer Field

[Twistid 5,000+ posts]

Where do you work at? Can you recommend any companies for me?

Think outside the box, every company needs IT. Big oil companies, communication companies, transportation industries.

 

[_DjScrew_ 5,000+ posts]

Go get your A+

Agreed. your A+ and MS 70-270(although you meay want to get the 70-620(configuring vista) How long have you been working with computers?

 

[PollyCranopolis 10+ year member]

I'm in a help desk job currently doing support for the computer systems for the state parks. Most of my job nowadays entails documenting and testing problems with the application our companies provide that the client reports (our Indian programmers apparently are pretty inept). The rest of my time is taken up with mundane tasks like walking 60+ year old employees through installing printers and making sure their IE is set up properly to use the application. Not a bad job. My supervisors are cool, I can go on breaks/lunch whenever I feel like it as long as the phones are staffed, and pretty much am guaranteed any PTO or time off I need as long as I request before the weekly schedule comes out. With winter around the corner, and most of the state parks we support closing, I spend 75-95% of my time surfing the internet, and watching movies/listening to music off our 2TB community file dump server. As stated earlier, not a bad job, and you would probably make almost twice as much money living in a major city doing the same thing as me (I make about 20k a year //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif in my podunk town ). I've been here 2+ years, but can't really see myself doing it for more than a total of 5. Just not high enough pay or interest for me in the long term. I will tell you I have noticed our requirements going up. We tried to hire a few new guys at the beginning of summer, and the job requirements were outrageous (3+ years it experience, certs, etc). It was pretty funny though when 50 people applied (many from hours away) and laughed at our bosses when they told them the starting salary and rolled out the door. We ended up hiring a few friends of friends who were computer savy, as no one else with the job app requirements were willing to work for such shitty pay/benefits.

I would suggest doing what other people have suggested and get some certifications. I'm working on my Comp TIA certs (A+, Net+, Linux+). These are good because there is a ton of free study material and resources out there, and once you pass the tests, youre certified for life (unlike some Microsoft certs). I figure I get a few of these under my belt, maybe the Microsoft certs after that, and combined with my aas in comp science, hopefully a couple years from now I'll have some better opportunities. I'm working on my BA in comp science, but am unsure if I'm going to finish (high level programming requirements FTL)

 

[_DjScrew_ 5,000+ posts]

I'm in a help desk job currently doing support for the computer systems for the state parks. Most of my job nowadays entails documenting and testing problems with the application our companies provide that the client reports (our Indian programmers apparently are pretty inept). The rest of my time is taken up with mundane tasks like walking 60+ year old employees through installing printers and making sure their IE is set up properly to use the application. Not a bad job. My supervisors are cool, I can go on breaks/lunch whenever I feel like it as long as the phones are staffed, and pretty much am guaranteed any PTO or time off I need as long as I request before the weekly schedule comes out. With winter around the corner, and most of the state parks we support closing, I spend 75-95% of my time surfing the internet, and watching movies/listening to music off our 2TB community file dump server. As stated earlier, not a bad job, and you would probably make almost twice as much money living in a major city doing the same thing as me (I make about 20k a year //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif in my podunk town ). I've been here 2+ years, but can't really see myself doing it for more than a total of 5. Just not high enough pay or interest for me in the long term. I will tell you I have noticed our requirements going up. We tried to hire a few new guys at the beginning of summer, and the job requirements were outrageous (3+ years it experience, certs, etc). It was pretty funny though when 50 people applied (many from hours away) and laughed at our bosses when they told them the starting salary and rolled out the door. We ended up hiring a few friends of friends who were computer savy, as no one else with the job app requirements were willing to work for such shitty pay/benefits.
I would suggest doing what other people have suggested and get some certifications. I'm working on my Comp TIA certs (A+, Net+, Linux+). These are good because there is a ton of free study material and resources out there, and once you pass the tests, youre certified for life (unlike MCSE certs). I figure I get a few of these under my belt, maybe the Microsoft certs after that, and combined with my aas in comp science, hopefully a couple years from now I'll have some better opportunities. I'm working on my BA in comp science, but am unsure if I'm going to finish (high level programming requirements FTL)

That's what makes me nervous in the comp science stuff is the programming. The high level stuff isn't so bad, but when you get into assembler //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

 

[PollyCranopolis 10+ year member]

That's what makes me nervous in the comp science stuff is the programming. The high level stuff isn't so bad, but when you get into assembler //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

Yeah, I noticed REALLY quick how different the comp programs are at university. Community college was cake compared to this. My situation kind of sucks. I have to pass COSC 240 and 241, which are basically java programming, but I'm having a very difficult time as I don't particulary like programming, and hate the theoretical course work that goes along with it even more. The homework load is insane. For 240 alone for example, we have a dick-thick pamphlet of homework due every Wed, which usually takes about 3 hours a day, 3-4 days a week to complete. Then we have a 2 hour lab each Wed with another stack of lab homework sheets due at the end. On top of that, we have a project we have to program by hand and present to the class every Friday. After that theres the tests and quizzes which are also hard as shit (write code for a program to solve complex word problems by hand). I'd like to take the new IT program my college just started (which does not require these classes), but because it's a new program, I'd have to go 4 years to complete it as they don't have the 2nd 2 years of the program even at the school yet.

 

[_DjScrew_ 5,000+ posts]

Yeah, I noticed REALLY quick how different the comp programs are at university. Community college was cake compared to this. My situation kind of sucks. I have to pass COSC 240 and 241, which are basically java programming, but I'm having a very difficult time as I don't particulary like programming, and hate the theoretical course work that goes along with it even more. The homework load is insane. We have a dick-thick pamphlet of homework due every Wed, which usually takes about 3 hours a day, 3-4 days a week to complete. Then we have a 2 hour lab each Wed with another stack of lab homework sheets due at the end. On top of that, we have a project we have to program by hand and present to the class every Friday. After that theres the tests and quizzes which are also hard as shit (write code for a program to solve complex word problems by hand). I'd like to take the new IT program my college just started (which does not require these classes), but because it's a new program, I'd have to go 4 years to complete it as they don't have the 2nd 2 years of the program even at the school yet.

ouch. Yeah I hate java also. I've got a buddy who just graduated and is doing java programming for the government. He hate's it too, but loves the money. I'm thinking about going back for a my bs in Information Security. It's hard when you work two jobs with weird hours though. I'm still not sure about doing the degree online.

 

[snoopdan 5,000+ posts]

Help desk jobs get you in the door in an IT carrer field. I did it for about a year and wanted to cut my wrists, but it did get me going in the right direction with the company I was at and I ended up Senior Software Developer/Manager in 2 years. I suppose it really depends on where you work, and if your company is expanding and going places vs. just supporting their existing products.