Careers in IT

[thecoroner]

I'm a freshman in high school and am thinking about a good career. I'm very good computers and I think a career in IT would be fun and exciting. Below is my experience in the field:
1. Know HTML and can work with CMSs
2. Basic Visual Basic 2005 Skills (I'm learning it right now)
3. Can build and troubleshoot computers.
4. Planning on getting A+ certification soon.
5. Basic networking skills

I am also a good writer and have a 4.0 grade average.

Basically, I am having trouble deciding whether or not I want to work in the IT field. I really don't know anyone who is in the IT field who can give me career advice. Below are some qustions I have.

What are some good places to look for information and advice on IT careers?
What are pros and cons of the field?
Is the salary/work ratio good or bad?
What different fields in IT can I go into and which are best?
What would be good things to learn over the next four years?

Thanks!

 

[BriGy86]

try getting a job at a service center like compusa, microcenter, etc. to get at least a little experience

i don't know how good the geek squad is

 

[RichUK]

CISCO, nuf said.

 

[T3C]

Right now, .net developers are hot. And programming will always be a good way to go.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Try and get job shadows with people who are doing what you'd like to do, if you do well at those you might be able to get an internship of some sort out of it in the future.

 

[MiniDoom]

Don?t do it, save yourself before its too late. but if you do get into security.

 

[T3C]

And dont stick around at a level 1 support job for long. If you get into IT, no doubt like the rest of us you will have to go through it at one point. But make sure you advance quickly.

 

[jaybert]

a very important question is....are you planning on attending a 4 year college for IT/IS/CS, or are you planning on trying to find a job coming directly out of high school?

 

[thecoroner]

Is there anything I should be learning right now to help me? How hard is CISCO and what should I learn about it? What will learning CISCO let me do exactly (I know it has to do with large networking).

Being an IT manager for a mid size company sounds interesting. Can anyone comment on what it's like?

I plan on going to college.

 

[RichUK]

If you become CISCO certified, it will open a lot of doors for you, if you have any interest in networking that is, but this is just one avenue. I?m currently studying for my CCNA/CCNE?s at the moment, paid for by the company I work for. The thing with MCSA/MSCE qualifications these days, is they aren?t the hardest thing to obtain thus it doesn?t hold the same weight in the industry anymore. Although they are still handy to have when painting the bigger picture on your education.

There are a lot of other things you can get into, I.T as you most probably know is a vast industry, its all about finding an area/feild of work suitable for yourself and one that you enjoy of course.

Programming is a good field to get into if you get on with it. People say .NET is supposed to be the future, so maybe it would be advantageous to study .NET development. I have a few work colleagues that are .NET developers, and they earn good money, personally I don?t really know much about .NET etc.

P.S CISCO exams are very very hard, thus it is extremely beneficial qualification to own, and makes you stand out.

 

[classy]

Originally posted by: RichUK
If you become CISCO certified, it will open a lot of doors for you, if you have any interest in networking that is, but this is just one avenue. I?m currently studying for my CCNA/CCNE?s at the moment, paid for by the company I work for. The thing with MCSA/MSCE qualifications these days, is they aren?t the hardest thing to obtain thus it doesn?t hold the same weight in the industry anymore. Although they are still handy to have when painting the bigger picture on your education.

There are a lot of other things you can get into, I.T as you most probably know is a vast industry, its all about finding an area/feild of work suitable for yourself and one that you enjoy of course.

Programming is a good field to get into if you get on with it. People say .NET is supposed to be the future, so maybe it would be advantageous to study .NET development. I have a few work colleagues that are .NET developers, and they earn good money, personally I don?t really know much about .NET etc.

P.S CISCO exams are very very hard, thus it is extremely beneficial qualification to own, and makes you stand out.

sigh.
Been in the industry 3 years now. A MCSE will open far more doors than a CCNA. Its not even close. 2003 certs from Microsoft are among the hardest to obtain and all now have sims to boot. A MCSE is the only cert in the entire IT world that many employers will accept in place of a college degree. Go to any job site and do any search, you'll see exactly what I am saying. Cisco certs are very good, but you'll have to have CCNP or higher to be on the same level of a MCSE. A mcsa/mcse will know significantly more than a CCNA. But once again they are all excellent certs and microsft certs are gaining serious strength. There are very few job ads that don't require them or want their people to have.

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: classy

Originally posted by: RichUK
If you become CISCO certified, it will open a lot of doors for you, if you have any interest in networking that is, but this is just one avenue. I?m currently studying for my CCNA/CCNE?s at the moment, paid for by the company I work for. The thing with MCSA/MSCE qualifications these days, is they aren?t the hardest thing to obtain thus it doesn?t hold the same weight in the industry anymore. Although they are still handy to have when painting the bigger picture on your education.

There are a lot of other things you can get into, I.T as you most probably know is a vast industry, its all about finding an area/feild of work suitable for yourself and one that you enjoy of course.

Programming is a good field to get into if you get on with it. People say .NET is supposed to be the future, so maybe it would be advantageous to study .NET development. I have a few work colleagues that are .NET developers, and they earn good money, personally I don?t really know much about .NET etc.

P.S CISCO exams are very very hard, thus it is extremely beneficial qualification to own, and makes you stand out.

sigh.
Been in the industry 3 years now. A MCSE will open far more doors than a CCNA. Its not even close. 2003 certs from Microsoft are among the hardest to obtain and all now have sims to boot. A MCSE is the only cert in the entire IT world that many employers will accept in place of a college degree. Go to any job site and do any search, you'll see exactly what I am saying. Cisco certs are very good, but you'll have to have CCNP or higher to be on the same level of a MCSE. A mcsa/mcse will know significantly more than a CCNA. But once again they are all excellent certs and microsft certs are gaining serious strength. There are very few job ads that don't require them or want their people to have.

I have personally seen MCSEs that cant set up network printers or map network drives.

You can just get those stupid study guide CDs and beat the tests by brute forcing the material without knowing anything.

CCNE CCNA CCIE are MUCH harder.

MCSE doesnt mean much anymore... 2 year schools are cranking out MCSEs like candy, using those stupid study guides.

 

[cw42]

Originally posted by: RichUK
The thing with MCSA/MSCE qualifications these days, is they aren?t the hardest thing to obtain thus it doesn?t hold the same weight in the industry anymore. Although they are still handy to have when painting the bigger picture on your education.

I remember reading an article somewhere saying that the MCSE exam has changed to a much more hands-on approach with less actual paper-testing. Therefore, its become more difficult than in the past. Maybe others will recognize this soon, and give it more respect.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: classy

Originally posted by: RichUK
If you become CISCO certified, it will open a lot of doors for you, if you have any interest in networking that is, but this is just one avenue. I?m currently studying for my CCNA/CCNE?s at the moment, paid for by the company I work for. The thing with MCSA/MSCE qualifications these days, is they aren?t the hardest thing to obtain thus it doesn?t hold the same weight in the industry anymore. Although they are still handy to have when painting the bigger picture on your education.

There are a lot of other things you can get into, I.T as you most probably know is a vast industry, its all about finding an area/feild of work suitable for yourself and one that you enjoy of course.

Programming is a good field to get into if you get on with it. People say .NET is supposed to be the future, so maybe it would be advantageous to study .NET development. I have a few work colleagues that are .NET developers, and they earn good money, personally I don?t really know much about .NET etc.

P.S CISCO exams are very very hard, thus it is extremely beneficial qualification to own, and makes you stand out.

sigh.
Been in the industry 3 years now. A MCSE will open far more doors than a CCNA. Its not even close. 2003 certs from Microsoft are among the hardest to obtain and all now have sims to boot. A MCSE is the only cert in the entire IT world that many employers will accept in place of a college degree. Go to any job site and do any search, you'll see exactly what I am saying. Cisco certs are very good, but you'll have to have CCNP or higher to be on the same level of a MCSE. A mcsa/mcse will know significantly more than a CCNA. But once again they are all excellent certs and microsft certs are gaining serious strength. There are very few job ads that don't require them or want their people to have.

bwahahhahhhhahhahaha

<deep breath>

bwahahahhahahahhaahhahhah

Haven't been in the industry long, eh?

 

[thirdlegstump]

Get Macintosh Certification if you want to work with the best.

 

[classy]

Originally posted by: Acanthus

Originally posted by: classy

Originally posted by: RichUK
If you become CISCO certified, it will open a lot of doors for you, if you have any interest in networking that is, but this is just one avenue. I?m currently studying for my CCNA/CCNE?s at the moment, paid for by the company I work for. The thing with MCSA/MSCE qualifications these days, is they aren?t the hardest thing to obtain thus it doesn?t hold the same weight in the industry anymore. Although they are still handy to have when painting the bigger picture on your education.

There are a lot of other things you can get into, I.T as you most probably know is a vast industry, its all about finding an area/feild of work suitable for yourself and one that you enjoy of course.

Programming is a good field to get into if you get on with it. People say .NET is supposed to be the future, so maybe it would be advantageous to study .NET development. I have a few work colleagues that are .NET developers, and they earn good money, personally I don?t really know much about .NET etc.

P.S CISCO exams are very very hard, thus it is extremely beneficial qualification to own, and makes you stand out.

sigh.
Been in the industry 3 years now. A MCSE will open far more doors than a CCNA. Its not even close. 2003 certs from Microsoft are among the hardest to obtain and all now have sims to boot. A MCSE is the only cert in the entire IT world that many employers will accept in place of a college degree. Go to any job site and do any search, you'll see exactly what I am saying. Cisco certs are very good, but you'll have to have CCNP or higher to be on the same level of a MCSE. A mcsa/mcse will know significantly more than a CCNA. But once again they are all excellent certs and microsft certs are gaining serious strength. There are very few job ads that don't require them or want their people to have.

I have personally seen MCSEs that cant set up network printers or map network drives.

You can just get those stupid study guide CDs and beat the tests by brute forcing the material without knowing anything.

CCNE CCNA CCIE are MUCH harder.

MCSE doesnt mean much anymore... 2 year schools are cranking out MCSEs like candy, using those stupid study guides.

LOL thats with any cert in IT outside of CCIE. CCNA harder than a MCSE, lol. Yea right. CCNA is a one book, one test. MCSE 7 books, if your lucky, 7 tests. And personal experience doen't mean anything, I have seen people with 4 year college IS degrees that couldn't install a simple video card. Cranking out mcses like candy huh? Hmmm.....here are some facts. The combined number of NT, 2000, 2003 MCSES certs given out in the entire world are about 1 million. Dude there are about 10 million plus IT people in the US alone. I'll lay any amount of money a person just breaking into IT with a MCSE will get a job faster and make more money than a person with a CCNA. I have met several people with CCNAs who got no job. A lot of places are moving from cisco equipment as well. Where I work right now we use 3 com.

 

[thirdlegstump]

Like I said, get certified in Macintosh systems. Macs are already starting to gain incredible marketshare and will dominate all business sectors in just a matter of a few years as more and more people realize how long they've been in the stone ages. Mac IT my friend.

 

[classy]

And let me say this as well. Like stated before they are all good. I personally don't believe any piece of paper that is an achievement is worthless, all knowledge is good. Experience always will play a factor even if you graduate from MIT. Being that your only in HS you should concentrate on your basic education first and start career tracking when your a junior. And never ask for advice on a career. That is one subject that you have to follow your heart on, no one can't direct you in that descision but you. Good luck, young buck

 

[thecoroner]

Hmm....

I took at career quiz (if those are ever worth taking) and two of the careers it recommended were systems analyst and systems administrator. Can anyone comment on what it's like to be a systems administrator?

The IT field looks very promising. It's something I enjoy, huge growth is expected soon, and the number of people entering the field is actually decreasing!

One concern I have is IT people don't seem to be very respected sometimes. People just view them as their "computer bitch" to fix their computer problems instantly and not as a professional (which they are). Is working in IT really like this or is it just me?

What are the work hours like for IT related jobs, specifically system analysts and system administrators?

 

[imported_Aelius]

Originally posted by: thecoroner
Hmm....

I took at career quiz (if those are ever worth taking) and two of the careers it recommended were systems analyst and systems administrator. Can anyone comment on what it's like to be a systems administrator?

The IT field looks very promising. It's something I enjoy, huge growth is expected soon, and the number of people entering the field is actually decreasing!

One concern I have is IT people don't seem to be very respected sometimes. People just view them as their "computer bitch" to fix their computer problems instantly and not as a professional (which they are). Is working in IT really like this or is it just me?

What are the work hours like for IT related jobs, specifically system analysts and system administrators?

Depends on the job description but there are a few obvious points. You will need to know Active Directory front and back. You will be living with that handy little tool for years. I can't stress that enough. You don't neccessarily need hands on experience with servers but it's a plus. It's more important to have hands on experience troubleshooting a variety of problems and being good at it.

Generally you have several tiers of support from Tier 1 (call taker or first point of contact), Tier 2 (tech that runs out fixing computers, ordering parts and installing servers in conjunction with Tier 3 which could be bundled up with Tier 1 in a smaller company), Tier 3 which is your sys admin. Sys admin handles accounts (Creation, Modification (Change, Disable), Deletion, all the servers and basicly looking after the domain. Tier 1 would handle basic networking issues that can be fixed over the phone but Tier 2 handles switches and hubs and most likely the running of cables or the supervision of a Telecom tech who does it and Tier 3 would also likely look after the routers but hands on would likely be with Tier 2 unless it's a small company and everything is centralized for ease of hands on for Tier 3.

Hope that helps.

Oh and if you ever want to work for a big company you will eventually need to know ITIL. It is a super hard test and has a roughly 70% failure rate. ITIL Masters has something like a 95% failure rate and that's among people who work with ITIL on a daily basis but ITIL Masters is generally for managers and not sys admins. However ITIL is a Need To Know item. Even if you just study it and don't take a test it could make you look good in an interview if they are looking for someone with ITIL experience. It won't outright win you a competition but when it comes down a deciding factor and you tie with someone and it comes to the ITIL question you will get that job you wanted over the other person. Good luck getting it. The exam is roughly $1000.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: classy

LOL thats with any cert in IT outside of CCIE. CCNA harder than a MCSE, lol. Yea right. CCNA is a one book, one test. MCSE 7 books, if your lucky, 7 tests. And personal experience doen't mean anything, I have seen people with 4 year college IS degrees that couldn't install a simple video card. Cranking out mcses like candy huh? Hmmm.....here are some facts. The combined number of NT, 2000, 2003 MCSES certs given out in the entire world are about 1 million. Dude there are about 10 million plus IT people in the US alone. I'll lay any amount of money a person just breaking into IT with a MCSE will get a job faster and make more money than a person with a CCNA. I have met several people with CCNAs who got no job. A lot of places are moving from cisco equipment as well. Where I work right now we use 3 com.

1million people with a MCSE cert eh?

We are proud to announce that Cisco currently has over 500,000 certified individuals in its growing Career Certification Program. This number includes all individuals worldwide certified at the CCNA, CCDA, CCNP, CCDP, CCSP and CCIP levels of Certification, as well as Cisco Qualified Specialist focused certifications.

Cisco Link

 

[thecoroner]

Thanks for the information Aelius.

I've already know some networking skills and know how to run wire. Running network cable through the ceiling at school is one the things I've been helping out with there. I've been getting a lot of hands on experience. But a lot of it I don't think I'll get until I get my first job.

 

[AmigaMan]

If I had to do it all over again, I'd probably still be in software development, but with a Linux background rather than a Windows background. Right after college, I started out in VB, gradually migrated to Java on a Windows platform, and now Java on a Linux platform. I also think systems administration with a concentration in security will be a hot field for some time to come.
As others have said, don't worry too much now about getting certified or even working in retail (CompUSA or Best Buy, etc). That does NOTHING for your experience when you want a real job several years down the road. I would do my hardest to get good grades (B or higher at least) and get to know people in the industry. When you get to be a junior or senior in college, THEN start looking at internships in the field you want to be in. The good grades make you stand out against the others as well. Stay far away from retail or helpdesk work unless you can't help it. I'd hate to be pigeonholed in that field by prospective employers.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: AmigaMan
If I had to do it all over again, I'd probably still be in software development, but with a Linux background rather than a Windows background. Right after college, I started out in VB, gradually migrated to Java on a Windows platform, and now Java on a Linux platform. I also think systems administration with a concentration in security will be a hot field for some time to come.
As others have said, don't worry too much now about getting certified or even working in retail (CompUSA or Best Buy, etc). That does NOTHING for your experience when you want a real job several years down the road. I would do my hardest to get good grades (B or higher at least) and get to know people in the industry. When you get to be a junior or senior in college, THEN start looking at internships in the field you want to be in. The good grades make you stand out against the others as well. Stay far away from retail or helpdesk work unless you can't help it. I'd hate to be pigeonholed in that field by prospective employers.

I'm going to have to disagree with a few points. Doing Helpdesk or GeekSquad/CompUSA work during HS will be a good stepping stone to get into his College's IT department. Him getting experience in his school's IT department, along with acheiving good grades will be an advantage over others with no experience.

And don't wait until Junior year of college to go for an internship. Start of early in the fall or spring of your sophmore year. Hell, even the spring of your freshmen year. Sure, you may not get one, but if you do wind up landing one, that's even more experience come the later years.

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: classy

Originally posted by: Acanthus

Originally posted by: classy

Originally posted by: RichUK
If you become CISCO certified, it will open a lot of doors for you, if you have any interest in networking that is, but this is just one avenue. I?m currently studying for my CCNA/CCNE?s at the moment, paid for by the company I work for. The thing with MCSA/MSCE qualifications these days, is they aren?t the hardest thing to obtain thus it doesn?t hold the same weight in the industry anymore. Although they are still handy to have when painting the bigger picture on your education.

There are a lot of other things you can get into, I.T as you most probably know is a vast industry, its all about finding an area/feild of work suitable for yourself and one that you enjoy of course.

Programming is a good field to get into if you get on with it. People say .NET is supposed to be the future, so maybe it would be advantageous to study .NET development. I have a few work colleagues that are .NET developers, and they earn good money, personally I don?t really know much about .NET etc.

P.S CISCO exams are very very hard, thus it is extremely beneficial qualification to own, and makes you stand out.

sigh.
Been in the industry 3 years now. A MCSE will open far more doors than a CCNA. Its not even close. 2003 certs from Microsoft are among the hardest to obtain and all now have sims to boot. A MCSE is the only cert in the entire IT world that many employers will accept in place of a college degree. Go to any job site and do any search, you'll see exactly what I am saying. Cisco certs are very good, but you'll have to have CCNP or higher to be on the same level of a MCSE. A mcsa/mcse will know significantly more than a CCNA. But once again they are all excellent certs and microsft certs are gaining serious strength. There are very few job ads that don't require them or want their people to have.

I have personally seen MCSEs that cant set up network printers or map network drives.

You can just get those stupid study guide CDs and beat the tests by brute forcing the material without knowing anything.

CCNE CCNA CCIE are MUCH harder.

MCSE doesnt mean much anymore... 2 year schools are cranking out MCSEs like candy, using those stupid study guides.

LOL thats with any cert in IT outside of CCIE. CCNA harder than a MCSE, lol. Yea right. CCNA is a one book, one test. MCSE 7 books, if your lucky, 7 tests. And personal experience doen't mean anything, I have seen people with 4 year college IS degrees that couldn't install a simple video card. Cranking out mcses like candy huh? Hmmm.....here are some facts. The combined number of NT, 2000, 2003 MCSES certs given out in the entire world are about 1 million. Dude there are about 10 million plus IT people in the US alone. I'll lay any amount of money a person just breaking into IT with a MCSE will get a job faster and make more money than a person with a CCNA. I have met several people with CCNAs who got no job. A lot of places are moving from cisco equipment as well. Where I work right now we use 3 com.

Oh yeah, networking essentials, win2k pro, win2k active directory, and win2k server were blindingly hard. I passed all 4 of those tests and did nothing more than read the MS book.

They do have applied test now? that would be a step in the right direction from the multiple choice crap they had when i took them.

I still stand by my statement that an MCSE is near worthless for a high level IT position.