I'm really thinking about taking up I.T as a career in college and was wondering if anybody had experience in the field. I would like to do more hardware related tasks vs programming because I suck at math but I was just wondering if people could give me tips/advice. Thank you guys.
Information Technolgy as a career choice?
- Thread starter Biggers
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You will still need to learn some math for IT mainly because of what is required by the colleges. It is a great area for a career lots of jobs out there. Only advice I can really think of to give is pay attention to all the details. The little things even though simple will be a very frequent cause of frustration 
PV2 Biggers said:
If that's the only reason you want to do IT instead of programming then you should reconsider. One of my programming professors said at the end of his 10 week lecture for the people who didn't want to continue on "Never not do something because you think it's hard; you won't find yourself in an interesting place." I was in a very similar situation as you, I was thinking about a career in IT because most computer science degrees require calculus but I ended up choosing the programming route anyways. There's nothing wrong with doing IT, it's just a very broad field that includes people making minimum wage as well as people making six figures and everything in between.
1st Lt Blake said:
I am not in an IT field, however, some life advice that Blake just pointed out will help many of us. Keep in mind that usually if something is regarded as "difficult" those careers tend to pay better because not many people know how to do that particular task. Also difficult tasks are rewarding to complete. I could go off on a paragraph long tangent about fair market price of labor and the reasons why difficult tasks are better paid and more rewarding but I will leave that alone. At the end of the day aim for something that is going to be challenging, our brains are programmed to enjoy tasks that require mental effort.
I personally love the it field. I have worked my way from a help desk job to a senior network engineer all without math. Lol. It doesn't necessarily require math unless you are big into programming. I am personally working off of an associates in computer networking and it has given me a job that I wake up everyday and love! Good luck and let me know if you need anymore info.
PV2 Biggers said:
I wouldn't worry about not passing the required math classes you'll be taking. Math is something that can be learned through hard work and repetition. I'm not the greatest at math, but I am a Software Engineer for one of the biggest Corporations in the Computer Industry. All this stuff can be learned, to succeed in this industry the key is to continue learning and educating yourself, not only through school. There are many free online courses you can take to refresh and build skills in areas you may be lacking. I take a lot of the courses from coursera, khanacademy, and others like that to keep myself relevant.
Currently I'm taking some Discrete Math courses and use KhanAcademy to supplement my learning. I wouldn't let a perceived lack of ability in a subject keep you from pursuing something that interests you.
I worked in IT from help desk to Systems Administrator. If building Pc's is what you are wanting to do then working for a medium to large company will leaving you feeling disappointed. Most of the IT work I did was trouble shooting software and working on the network. Most decent size companies have contracts with Dell and the like. Sure, you will run into video cards, power supply, hard drive, and memory issues to deal with but this will be few and far between. If the pc is over 2 years old and the parts cost 1/3 to 1/2 the price of the pc then they order a new one. The computers count off the company taxes for 2 years. After that they tend to want to purchase a new PC for the tax break.
IF I was to do it all over again I would try to find an IT job at a hospital. I went through two company closings/bankruptcies over the years. It is not fun trying to start over at a new job after that happens.... You seldom hear of a hospital closing down so I consider it a safer way to go. This is just my experience and opinion. I'm sure your experience will differ.
IF I was to do it all over again I would try to find an IT job at a hospital. I went through two company closings/bankruptcies over the years. It is not fun trying to start over at a new job after that happens.... You seldom hear of a hospital closing down so I consider it a safer way to go. This is just my experience and opinion. I'm sure your experience will differ.
What would be the best way to get into the field without a 4 year degree? I know there are different certifications you can get, however, I have no idea which ones. Are there any recommendations which certifications are best to start with?
Looking at networking or network security.
Looking at networking or network security.
My Dad has worked as IT for most of his adult life and he has no college degree, just pure unbridled experience, and it's gotten him far.
However, he and I would advise getting a degree in IT, as it not only makes you more attractive to businesses, but it also gives you more practical knowledge from the get go rather than having to learn things through manuals and help guides and the like in the field.
As for what my Dad had to do, he managed networks for a small business and their servers, and regularly had to rebuild employee computers. A lot of the time, he would take his work home with him in order to get the job done, and he spent a lot of hours working overtime in order to finish the task at hand.
However, he and I would advise getting a degree in IT, as it not only makes you more attractive to businesses, but it also gives you more practical knowledge from the get go rather than having to learn things through manuals and help guides and the like in the field.
As for what my Dad had to do, he managed networks for a small business and their servers, and regularly had to rebuild employee computers. A lot of the time, he would take his work home with him in order to get the job done, and he spent a lot of hours working overtime in order to finish the task at hand.
A+, Network+, and Security+ will get your foot in the door. One of the three is usually enough, however, having all 3 is best. Keep in mind that these 3 are regarded as the baseline, there are much more certifications that will demand higher pay, however, those will come later.
PV1 Hicks said:
I work in healthcare IT on site at a hospital. It's basically entry level desktop support work with higher stakes and no corresponding salary increase. You need to know all the normal desktop support ins and outs, and then you need to work with a couple dozen vendors and their custom systems. Delineation of responsibility between the on site IT and distantly related departments, like the informatics section, is blurry at best.
While it's true that hospitals rarely close down, there's also not much room for advancement at the site itself. You've got three or four techs, maybe some data entry specialists, an analyst, and a director/CIO. Not a lot of head room there.
What I'm saying is that it's probably best not to plan on hospital IT as a career, but as a first step toward a career goal.