Information Technology (IT)

[rare]

So after speaking with a buddy of mine who’s a Software Developer, I decided to look into C#. Literally I spent 5 hours yesterday just looking up C# into courses and for beginners and it reminded me of how much I enjoyed learning VB.Net in HS (I did it solely as a hobby, just because I thought it was cool). It made me realize that the app I made in HS, which wasn’t anything crazy but i felt proud because I coded it, was done out of interest. I’m about to finish my associates at the community college here and I’m getting ready to transfer to the university of my choice. Since originally i was going for Business Admin I think I’m going to switch over to an MIS bachelors (they call it Business Analytics and Information Systems) so help me out. With learning C# until I graduate, do you guys think it’ll help solidify a skill set when I graduate? I’m currently in Insurance (call center) at a really really good company making 37k before bonuses (probably 42-44k after shift differentials and bonuses). Could i potentially find something while in school similar to my pay to help me get some experience?

 

[mr j 858]

Real talk every time I read this thread so many dudes on here are focused on and think certs are the fast track and best way to get a good IT job which is just FALSE.

It's like damn I get people want a career change or eager and lured to high paying Sys Admin, Network Security, or software developer jobs. But at the same time certs will only take a person so far.

 

[17]

Real talk every time I read this thread so many dudes on here are focused on and think certs are the fast track and best way to get a good IT job which is just FALSE.

It's like damn I get people want a career change or eager and lured to high paying Sys Admin, Network Security, or software developer jobs. But at the same time certs will only take a person so far.

Do you think it would be more beneficial to get a Masters degree first then go for certs? I'm about 9 classes away from my bachelors and am trying to decide on which route i should take.

 

[raider5]

Eh. I agree and disagree at the same time.

Yes, certs will only get you so far because those certs are basically saying "I know how to do this one thing, and I know how to do this one thing REALLY well". So, yes...certs will only take you so far. But some times that does get your foot in the door. Every scenario and every case will be different.

Just remember, experience >.

Do you think it would be more beneficial to get a Masters degree first then go for certs? I'm about 9 classes away from my bachelors and am trying to decide on which route i should take.

I think that depends on what your end goal is. If it were me and I can afford the time/money/patience to go after my Masters I think I would do it...

 

[doxen5703]

Real talk every time I read this thread so many dudes on here are focused on and think certs are the fast track and best way to get a good IT job which is just FALSE.

It's like damn I get people want a career change or eager and lured to high paying Sys Admin, Network Security, or software developer jobs. But at the same time certs will only take a person so far.

@ them if you feel that way then. And help them out and tell them the correct way to get on. You said it was “FALSE” but didn’t try to help them with any legitimate information.

 

[spiderjericho]

I could have passed the PMP. But that doesn't necessarily mean I will be a great project manager. Experience or job competence are ultimately going to rule at the end of the day. However, the certification is a foot in the door, show up in recruiter searches or demonstrate you know certain skills.

Personally, I'm interested in obtaining OSCP and CCIE. But those are from a challenge and journey perspective.

 

[timelessflight]

Took the Project+ exam, 2nd attempt, today and thankfully passed. Not as easy as I thought it would be.

what did you use to study the test?

 

[raider5]

I’m kind of in a dilemma and some outside perspective may do me some good.

First and foremost i’m on the infrastructure side of IT for a government agency. My boss wants me to take a promotion to basically be a supervisor to our team which would lead me towards more of a management path.

Sounds great, but management isn’t all that exciting to me. I can take the promo now and get a nice bump in pay, but my goal was to basically continue down a technical path and become an infrastructure engineer - in short I’m basically a Jr. Engineer now and doing some of that work already but that promo may be years down the line (being in government some dudes don’t retire for hella years so those spots are limited).

A big part of this is I’m trying to buy a house ASAP. So this bump in pay will be hella helpful for this goal. For those in the Bay Area, you know how difficult it is out here

Anyone else gone through anything like that?

 

[johnnyutah]

Been putting off getting certs and taking exams but I think I might be getting passed up even though I've got decent experience.

 

[spiderjericho]

^^^Never hurts.

Just make sure to get the ones with RoI like CISSP, Sec+, PMP for generalist certs.

Obviously certain technical ones carry more weight like CCIE, VDX, RHCE, AWS architect, SANS, OSCP, etc.

 

[rare]

Falling in love with everything I’ve learned so far with C#. Been talking to my boy (he put me on to getting back into coding since HS) who just became CEO at a digital marketing firm and he saw my progress. Let me know that once I move on to focusing more on class and object structure that he wants to meet up and start working with me. Grinding even harder and once I get this I wanna get some web dev under my belt (typical HTML, CSS, JavaScript, MySQL) so when I start applying that it shows my effort to get into software dev.

 

[Grine]

Falling in love with everything I’ve learned so far with C#. Been talking to my boy (he put me on to getting back into coding since HS) who just became CEO at a digital marketing firm and he saw my progress. Let me know that once I move on to focusing more on class and object structure that he wants to meet up and start working with me. Grinding even harder and once I get this I wanna get some web dev under my belt (typical HTML, CSS, JavaScript, MySQL) so when I start applying that it shows my effort to get into software dev.

Make sure you get Drupal, Rust, Java

Don’t waste your time on php

 

[rare]

Make sure you get Drupal, Rust, Java

Don’t waste your time on php

Java is also on my list. Literally everywhere I’ve looked at entry level they want Java. Even 0-1 experience says basic understanding of java I’m honestly excited though to learn all of this within the coming months, then to think I’ll get paid for it makes it even bittersweet.

 

[boris]

Anyone here that learned CS outside of a university setting?

Any good online courses? Books? Lectures, etc?

I want to learn more about algorithms, logic, etc.

Do you have any experience in CS? If you are a complete beginner, I'd recommend checking out Stanford's intro CS courses (CS 106A and 106B). I've also heard Harvard's CS50 is a really good intro, but I've never looked into it.

 

[da r entertainment]

what did you use to study the test?

The Project+ Official Study Guide.

Amazon product ASIN 1119280524

 

[fapmasterjr]

Server Admin here. love my job and the environment of IT. If you would like to be set for future my suggestions are:

- firewall/networking/opsec

- blockchain technology (cryptography) Ethereum and Bitcoin

- dapps and coding

I posted the above in dec 2016......the position as a blockchain analyst, solidity coder, or architect is starting at $250k

 

[jayt1202]

I posted the above in dec 2016......the position as a blockchain analyst, solidity coder, or architect is starting at $250k

How did you get started as a server admin? Did you learn on the job, through certs, combination of both? I'm still in Desktop support and would like to eventually move into server/system admin work.

 

[PRIME]

Solidity is so close to Javascript's syntax, I might just have to pick it up.

If you're a fluent javascript developer, it might be a no brainer

 

[fapmasterjr]

How did you get started as a server admin? Did you learn on the job, through certs, combination of both? I'm still in Desktop support and would like to eventually move into server/system admin work.

Started with degree in information technology (security) and landed my first job at a now defunct online retailer many years ago. I peeped game and just kept moving up. I guess my hot tip would be to look at govt, school district, university jobs. They allocate BIG money for the Technology sector since "Who wants to be known as a school that still running windows XP" (believe me, lots of those still out there when doing DA sweep).

IF you land a gig like the one mentioned above, YOU WILL get promoted as you finish jobs/projects and score high on your 6month - 1yr reviews. Remember, when you're under a BIG umbrella...these type of things are mandatory:

- Reviews (as well as 360 reviews)
- Competitive Wage increases (depending on city/state)
- Merit increases / Bonuses

Also, not to mention how great insurance and PTO/Holiday & SICK time are all considered its own entity. So in actuality, you probably earn/get a 5wk+ paid "vacation" yearly.

 

[Fat_Boi_Stay_Fresh]

Jumping into IT work isn't that hard but you have to be into it... meaning you have to actually like what your doing. I made a career change moving from Project Coordinator, am now a technical analyst trying to become a sys admin. In most cases it's all about experience. I had to hit the reset button; so I started off at a lvl 1 which as we all know is grunt work and slowly moved up.

I will tell you this you cannot BS your way in this field, and as many others said certs will only take you so far... once your tasked with a problem, and you have to start troubleshooting that's where the true skills come in to play which for me is the fun part but that's because I love computers, and it's always a learning experience.

 

[757bred]

Is anyone here involved with Salesforce? I see a lot of jobs for that posted and visited heir site and saw they have free training that you can go through at your own pace.

 

[johnnyutah]

Have to get my A+ for a job I accepted. Anybody take the test recently? Pointers?

 

[spiderjericho]

Took it 11 years ago lol. It’s still probably two tests. One focused on hardware. The other on customer service.

I need to get off my butt and start studying Linux+.

 

[MakeNTGreatAgain]

what do you guys think of bootcamp programs?
theres one at UCLA for cyber security that i was looking into

 

[rare]

what do you guys think of bootcamp programs?
theres one at UCLA for cyber security that i was looking into

I’ve heard they’re hit or miss depending on the one you attend. Tuition for some can also be outrageous. I’ve hit a roadblock this past week and a half with teaching myself C# but I’m trying to fight it and caught myself looking at bootcamps. If others learned without them, I can too.