# Career change from RN to CompSci?!



## rRooks (Mar 12, 2011)

Hey guys,

This will be my first post here at this site. I stumbled across this site and have found it to be very useful and the users appear to be helpful. I am currently a Registered Nurse and I basically hate my job (I am a 26y/o male). I have a strong passion for computers, video games, web design, and other cliches. That being said, I don't have a very thorough knowledge of any of the above. I am a quick learner and have no qualms putting in the hours to learn whatever is necessary. Anyways, on to my point: I am looking for advice on the general career paths that someone with a CS Bachelor's degree might take and what they entail. Another question I have been wondering is how important is the 'reputation' of school? I live in Georgia and would love to attend Georgia Tech, as I feel they have a stronger CS reputation, but I feel there are other acceptable options in this area if I'm not up to par for that university. 

I realize that I should do 'whatever makes you happy' and other cliches, and I feel that this is the right direction, but I want some real information and solid advice. I would prefer a CS degree focusing in an area that would both make me very flexible and appealing to prospective employers and give myself the best opportunities for both good income and job variety (for example, I realize that programming is a good choice, but is this something I could learn on my own time and focus my degree towards another area?). I hope this has made sense and thanks everyone for reading.

-rRooks


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## rRooks (Mar 12, 2011)

Anyone?


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

first of all you need to decide what you want to do in the IT filed.

Do you want to fix problems and work on networks?
Do you want to design websites?

If you want to work in IT support (fix problems, networking) then you should go for some entry level certifications such as compTIA A+, compTIA Network + and MCTS windows 7

If you want to design websites the best advice would be to design some and create your own portfolio to show employers.

Despite what some people will tell a degree is not neccesary to work in IT. I know plenty of people who work in IT who have either no degree or a degree in a totally unrelated area (mainly chemistry and science).

IT managers like people who have experience more than qualifications so if you really want to work in support then I would suggest you volunteer your services for free with a charity or local pc shop whilst you are studying the certs I mentioned.

What also I will tell you is that you do not need a course or class to learn those subjects, if you have half a brain and determined you can study them on your own and take the exams when you are ready. There are two main advantages to self study one is that its cheaper than a class and second is that you can study at your own pace.


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