IT career

[Uncertain]

Anybody in IT? I'm interested in a career, although I'm not sure what part of IT. I dont know a whole lot obviously but since I am not really interested in doing other jobs out there and I'm always on the computer, I might as well do it. It actually seems kind of fun. Interested in maintenance/software.

[Suesser Tod]

Anybody in IT? I'm interested in a career, although I'm not sure what part of IT. I dont know a whole lot obviously but since I am not really interested in doing other jobs out there and I'm always on the computer, I might as well do it. It actually seems kind of fun. Interested in maintenance/software.

 

Well, you could be a writer, that would also mean spending a ton of time in front of the computer.

 

What is exactly what you like to do when you're using the computer? The computer is also a means of scaping, a window to the world, don't confuse the fact that you like to use the computer with working with them for a living.

[BeStrongBeHappy]

where do you live? (what country?)

 

IT and software in the U.S. is not the best job anymore because they are offshoring a lot of the work to countries where the labor is cheaper.

 

it is also a job where the demands of (unpaid) overtime can be very bad... often night and weekend work too.

 

and some parts of the country are totally dead for work in this now becuase of the layoffs and offshoring. if you live near a major metropolitan area it might be an ok job, but you also need lots of training since there is competitions for these jobs.

[flower99]

My husband just finished College he took "networking & internet security course" He loves it. He's always working on computers at home, fixing other peoples, building them....anything involving computers.

 

Right now he's an IT technician (finished school in Sept) he's making pretty good money right now, but he's looking for another job because he doesn't like the company he works for right now.

I say if you enjoy working on computers & understand them...Go for it!!

[LostInMyThoughts]

Contrary to BeStrongAndHappy said, IT and the computer industry is still a lucrative field.

 

In the US: In 2006 Computer Engineers entry level positions started at around 53k a year. Compare that to the average of 30k for a liberal arts major.

 

Specific to software development: off shoring is a problem, but only to the lower-end developers. The US still is brining in workers from overseas like crazy (look at all the reform laws coming up for for H1B's). There is always competition for entry level positions, but as you get more salary, you will see the benefits (I took a new position and a 20k increase in salary during the "offshore" boom).

 

And as long as there are computers, there will always be a need for IT Admins (maintaining IT infrastructure).

[LostInMyThoughts]

Keep in mind, IT Administration can be a thankless and difficult job. It also requires a lot constant training and constant recertification to keep up with the changing times in AD.

[Hope75]

I am in the US and both my fiance and my brother work in IT and are doing quite well. My fiance has been at his present job (working for the government- security) for almost 5 years and my brother, who is a recent graduate has had his job for 2 years (about 6 months after he graduated he got the job.)

 

I think you do have to do your homework and make sure that where you are has job opportunities in IT and options for you.

[Uncertain]

Im in LA, CA, USA. my brother (23, im 25) just got a job paying 65k a year and he never took a course. I dont know exactly what he does but i found out just through self usage. It isnt something very complicating like some of the jobs I read about. He just maintains the computers in his company, not exactly sure what he does but I heard he is making sure they work. I'm sure there is more to it.

 

BTW I didnt mean software development. I dont think I can ever do that. I dont understand about 95% of the jobs in IT. I just dont really have an interest with other things and I want to work more independently. The less people, the better. Im not deathly in love with anything, its just something that seems more interesting to me than working with a bunch of people which I'm not going to do. I find people to be roadblocks and too drama-infested to work with. Everyone has their own problems and brings their attitude with them. Could be that its an LA thing but it is what it is.

[Hope75]

Keep in mind, IT Administration can be a thankless and difficult job. It also requires a lot constant training and constant recertification to keep up with the changing times in AD.

 

My fiance is completely self taught and he has never taken a course (he has his degree in History with a minor in Physics!) and he has been working in IT for over 5 years and is making over 100K a year.

 

I think it really depends on where you look.

[Uncertain]

My fiance is completely self taught and he has never taken a course (he has his degree in History with a minor in Physics!) and he has been working in IT for over 5 years and is making over 100K a year.

 

I think it really depends on where you look.

 

How did he learn by himself and what is his exact position? Thats alot of money for being self taught on something especially while having a degree in history and a minor in physics as well. Thanks.

[Hope75]

His exact position is a software engineer for a government security agency. He has books on Java, Ajax, Webwork, Python, MySQL, HTML, Struts, Coding, etc. He read them and practiced on the computer until he knew how to use the applications. He is very intelligent and computer oriented.

 

He has never worked in anything to do with his degree, he went into IT immediately after graduation from college in 1997 and has worked for 3 IT companies since graduation, including where he is now.

[Uncertain]

That sounds like real complicating stuff. But everything that is new always is. Did he always have a deep interest with computers?

[Hope75]

That sounds like real complicating stuff. But everything that is new always is. Did he always have a deep interest with computers?

 

I certainly can't understand it. He tried explaining computer code to me at one point and I flat lined on him.

 

But then again I am a nurse and medical terminology is lost on him too.

 

Yes, he always had an interest in computers.

[Alezia]

Both me and my boyfriend are Software Engineers.

Although you can pretty much get into the field with no experience, you might want to look for a college / university background if you do want to get it more easily (the high paying jobs).

If you are good right out of school it's not unknown to get 80K+ a year paying job still.

 

That said, you really have to like being behind a computer 24/7 and near a release there can be a lot of crunch time.

[LostInMyThoughts]

His exact position is a software engineer for a government security agency. He has books on Java, Ajax, Webwork, Python, MySQL, HTML, Struts, Coding, etc. He read them and practiced on the computer until he knew how to use the applications. He is very intelligent and computer oriented.

 

He has never worked in anything to do with his degree, he went into IT immediately after graduation from college in 1997 and has worked for 3 IT companies since graduation, including where he is now.

 

It sounds like your husband is not really in IT Administration, and instead is a developer.

 

IT Admins, absolutely need to be kept abrest of how to configure and maintain their companies computer infrastruture. It's not just a matter of knowing to to keep computers working.

[Hope75]

It sounds like your husband is not really in IT Administration, and instead is a developer.

 

IT Admins, absolutely need to be kept abrest of how to configure and maintain their companies computer infrastruture. It's not just a matter of knowing to to keep computers working.

 

That's right, he's not an Admin, he's a developer/engineer/programmer.

[MollyElise]

If you don't want to work with people IT Administration is not the best line of work, your job is to help people and you have alot of time working with them and on their computer.

 

You could become a software engineer on the other hand and have very little time working with others.

[Uncertain]

Maybe its the low wage jobs I had in the past that make me feel that I dont want to work with people. The only other field of work I would be interested in, that I have alot of knowledge in is also what your husband likes..history. I have also been thinking of being a history teacher but that requires a good 4-6 years. I'm 25 now, and i'll be at least 30 when i'm done but I have a huge interest in that, I am very knowledeable with the Third Reich and WWII (8 solid years of research on my own using books, internet, history channel, etc) but I don't think I will be able to teach just that so I will have to teach u.s. history, govt, economics as well as other world history courses. Maybe if I get my masters, I can teach that alone in college, otherwise its high school. Also paid summer/winter vacations sound real good to me as I love traveling.

[Hope75]

Just a comment for you, my guy does work with other people. He shares an office with 3 other developers and has meetings almost every day of the week with his 'team'.

 

And on a side note, if low paying jobs are leaving you cold than teaching might not be for you either. My brother-in-law is a teacher (a new teacher- he graduated recently and is in his second year of teaching) at a Catholic school, which is notorious for paying low wages for teachers) and he makes less than 30K a year.

 

My guess is you need to find a balance between doing something you love, and making enough money to satisfy your lifestyle.

[LostInMyThoughts]

If you don't want to work with people IT Administration is not the best line of work, your job is to help people and you have alot of time working with them and on their computer.

 

You could become a software engineer on the other hand and have very little time working with others.

 

HAH!

 

Trust me, collaboration is a corner stone of software development.

 

I spent the first 8 months in a small conference room with 3 other devs.

[Hope75]

If you don't want to work with people IT Administration is not the best line of work, your job is to help people and you have alot of time working with them and on their computer.

 

You could become a software engineer on the other hand and have very little time working with others.

 

My guy is an engineer and he shares an office with 3 other engineers and he has almost daily meeting with his team, so this isn't all that accurate.

[Caldus]

When you say IT, do you mean software engineering? It sounds more like you want to do software engineering, which is different than IT in my books. I am a software engineer for my company and we have a separate IT department that supports us. The IT department here is responsible for making sure everyone's computers are properly maintained, fix any problems that may come up, installing new packages, and things like that. This is so that the software engineers can concentrate on producing software for the customer and not fixing their computer problems all day. What is it that you really want to do with computers exactly?

 

Every field is going to have its problems, challenges, and even opportunities no matter what it is. Luckily I have a job where I am paid if I were to come in for overtime and yes I do sometimes have to come in on Saturdays because time is critical in this field. In fact, I am going in for work tomorrow since I have a due date early next week.

[Caldus]

You could become a software engineer on the other hand and have very little time working with others.

 

I also disagree with this statement. I have to constantly communicate with my teammates everyday about any problems that come up and my current status on my project. I also have meetings every week just like many other jobs. Sometimes, I am suddenly thrown into a string of meetings for half of the day. So I definitely wouldn't say I am alone working on a computer all day by any means.

[Adobe GIllis]

I am currently looking for work in the IT field. I have many of the same questions as Mr. Uncertain. I have a graphics BA and an MFA in Multimedia as well as 4 certifications. i-Net+, CIWA, CIW,and MCIW. I am a whiz at Adobe CS2 CSS XML HTML DHTML XHTML, front-end WYSIWYG editors, flash, XAML, and now I've been exploring more back-end platforms like SQL and link removed. Plus I can draw/paint/design like a son-of-a-buck (I am an internationally-published comic-book inker. No, I'm not telling you my real name,fanboys... but lets just say David Mack is a good buddy of mine

 

Well, truth be told, slinging ink isn't all that lucrative (funny-books are a dying industry) and, unlike Mr. Uncertain, I want a team-oriented people-job in tech, because comicking is a lonely field. I do have webmastering and tech-analyst experience from grad-school, but I am actually interested in more of the administration and maintainence aspects of the field. What should I look for in the titles of job-postings? Or should I just spread my wings and go for an in-house webmaster job? I definitely want to clock-in to a company either way.

 

BTW, all the people I know in IT have been at their jobs for years. Most of the offshoreing is for the customer-service and helpdesk positions. Well, according to them.

[ConfusedKitty]

I'm going to bring this back as I have a question that's pretty much the same as the OP. I want to go into IT, as trying to get an art degree is killing my wallet. It's way to expensive. I need to go to school, and the only other thing I can think to do is IT as it intrigues me. I want something where all I do is deal with the computers or software and not customers. Working in customer service has made me hate dealing with people with a passion. I suck at math though, so I'm not sure where to go. Anybody have any ideas?