any IT guys here, willing to answer a few questions.
 

I was wondering if I can ask a couple of questions.

Re: any IT guys here, willing to answer a few questions.
 

What questions? I could probably answer some.

Re: any IT guys here, willing to answer a few questions.
 

Go.

Re: any IT guys here, willing to answer a few questions.
 

Lol, this thread amuses me.

Re: any IT guys here, willing to answer a few questions.
 

Okay, so I have these answers. Can I give them?

Re: any IT guys here, willing to answer a few questions.
 

Would you guys sell them to me for a low price, I need to make money.

Re: any IT guys here, willing to answer a few questions.
 

I decided to try the IT field. I will have to start at a junior college and go for a AAS degree, first. I'm not good at math and mainly going to be on the network side; database/network admin.

I was wondering if you guys have opinions on where to start school.

Re: any IT guys here, willing to answer a few questions.
 

Math isn't really a requirement for admin work so I wouldn't worry about that. Make sure that you really enjoy technology. The field involves long hours and then you go home to read books afterward. The pay sounds good until you figure it out by the hour. lol.

Re: any IT guys here, willing to answer a few questions.
 

I enjoy my job, a lot.

Re: any IT guys here, willing to answer a few questions.
 

If you want a 2 year degree then go to a real school that allows the credits to be transferred, pretty much any community or technical college. Do your research on this, you'll thank me later.

Not much IT work requires the use of math except some programming, and networking when you start dealing with things like subnets.

As mlomker said you REALLY need to enjoy technology. If you aren't the type who regularly follows technology news and trends and don't enjoy playing with computers in your spare time then you are not going to like doing this as your career.

Re: any IT guys here, willing to answer a few questions.
 

I don't really follow tech news but I do build my own computers and love to solve network issues. I game a lot so issues come up. I feel very driven to find a solution to network issues, I search, read, and try to comprehend as much as I can. I tend to not want to stop trying to find a solution, it can be hours and I don't even notice. I know real IT work is on a different level but I can't find an area of interest that leads me to be so driven to solve a problem.

Is there any junior colleges that you guy's recommend as a good place to start?

Re: any IT guys here, willing to answer a few questions.
 

I recommend that you swing by Century College in WBL and check them out.

I took my CISSP exam up there and was impressed with their Cisco lab equipment. Their 'Information and Telecommunications Technology' AAS degree looks really solid. I think the ideal is to find a program where you'll leave with BOTH respected industry certifications and an AAS that'll allow you to do a bachelors completion program down the road. You really can't get by (long-term) without a bachelors.

Re: any IT guys here, willing to answer a few questions.
 

Thanks!

Re: any IT guys here, willing to answer a few questions.
 

I enjoy my job and it took a while to get where i wanted to be. Don't believe any school recruiter telling you you'll make very good money right out of college. You'll get entry level pay. I remember interviewing some tech's and Network guys who expected top level pay right of college. :lol:

Re: any IT guys here, willing to answer a few questions.
 

Certainly not if you're a guy. Women that are good can get more, I've witnessed it first hand.

Re: any IT guys here, willing to answer a few questions.
 

If you're open to programming, which is much easier to get a job in that field, the best career path is to drop out of high school -> skip college -> get a programming job (shitty pay) and work your way up...

I make more money than all of my friends that went to college and I don't have student loans and made money while they were paying for college.

My two friends that went to college for networking, CCNA, MCSA etc. are both out of jobs right now my 6 other friends that are programmers all have great jobs and the market is wide open for good programmers, web specifically.

You said you wanted a network job but I figured I would give you some information about my field.

Re: any IT guys here, willing to answer a few questions.
 

Dunwoody awesome school, if your willing to put the work into it!. . .Problem is credit transferring one of the UNDESIRABLE THINGS about that school!

Re: any IT guys here, willing to answer a few questions.
 

Listen to these guys! Absorb everything and make a plan for yourself. People got into the field different ways as I've learned. There really isn't no wrong way or right way. Just find a way that fits you and your budget. I honestly would go to school as it's easier to "get your foot in the door" as most places want a 4 year degree now or equivalent work experience. Check out some listings to get an idea of what you want to do and shoot for. Just food for thought.

I just recently got into the field myself and enjoy my job very much and can't wait to move up the chain and take on new responsibilities. It took me awhile to land a job but persistence, perseverance, and talking to most of these guys on here helped me a lot and I'm going to take this chance to say...

Thank you to all the IT guys here who have given me advice. I wouldn't be in this position if it wasn't for you guys. I have never been happier in my life and actually enjoy going to work every day. I'm happy to be on this board cause I swear 90% of them are in the IT field. So, you've chosen the right place to ask questions!

Re: any IT guys here, willing to answer a few questions.
 

Yes, as great of a school as Dunwoody is (I have a few friends who graduated from there and have great careers) the chance of you being able to transfer those credits anywhere is slim to none.

Re: any IT guys here, willing to answer a few questions.
 

I love IT work but it is difficult to find good paying jobs that don't have you working odd hours. Programming seems much more in demand especially with web or java.

I eventually worked out of IT and into management. Now I am a client manager in the software/IT field as I found more stable work going that way with decent pay.

Like DoughtCom, I also do not have a college degree, just a course completed at Brown Institute for PC/LAN back in 99-00.

Not having a degree sucks in my line of work if I am ever out a job and competing against a guy on the street. That is why it is important to never burn bridges, meet as many people as you can, and make friends with those at whatever company you work at outside of your immediate group of colleagues.

I also agree with MattD in that you are better off going to a 2 year school where credits could transfer. You sound like someone that is interested in IT which is good because the successful folks in IT are passionate about the technology and become better problem solvers.

Good Luck!

Re: any IT guys here, willing to answer a few questions.
 

Just to throw it out there, Hennepin Tech is part of the Minnesota college system, so the credits will transfer to any state school... which means that any 4 year school that takes credits from the MN state schools takes credits from Hennepin Tech.

Re: any IT guys here, willing to answer a few questions.
 

Add me to the list of people who work in IT without a degree. I took some MCSE classes back in the day and that's it. I've applied myself at work and had a thirst for getting my hands dirty and learning new stuff all the time. My past three jobs have all been attained through knowing someone, so what Jim said about meeting people and networking rings true.

Re: any IT guys here, willing to answer a few questions.
 

Agreed with MattD and Jim, networking is a big deal in our field. ASP.Net/Java programming are both very valuable. One thing that's interesting in my field is most reputable places hire people with experience over people with college. We kind of look at programming with the idea of it's not something that can be taught in a classroom, so I lucked out in that regard.

Re: any IT guys here, willing to answer a few questions.
 

I did professional programming for 10+ years. I liked it a lot, it is the kind of thing you need some natural talent for and like to do. I went the no real college route also, I went to the U but dropped out when my programming job started paying too good and taking too much of my time well before I took any actual computer classes. Unlike networking, DBA, keeping computers running, etc it is something that often can't be just taught in a classroom, it takes some creativity, problem solving ability and you need to like it. A lot of people who like computers hate programming.

Re: any IT guys here, willing to answer a few questions.
 

Damn Shane I didn't know you used to be a programmer! It all makes sense now :) Well said too, that's pretty much exactly how my field is.

Re: any IT guys here, willing to answer a few questions.
 

And the list keeps growing...

How does one get a basic understanding of programming and little taste of it? Python? Vb? C+, C++, C#? Theres so much out there and I'm just trying to become more well rounded myself and touch base on a few things. Suggestions? Websites? Wiki?

Re: any IT guys here, willing to answer a few questions.
 

I'd suggest starting with a scripting language (Perl, Python, VBScript, Windows Powershell). Data structures, loops, calls, and other logic doesn't vary a great deal between languages. The nice thing about scripting is if you decide that programming isn't for you, scripting is still very useful for admin work.

I wouldn't say that I dislike programming but I have no graphic arts ability at all. The stuff that I create is utilitarian.