# Career change



## careerchanger1 (Jul 13, 2010)

For anybody who can add relevance and or guidance:

I'm in my late 30's and making a career change from Business/sales environment into computers, as i understand the value and necessity computers do and will bring in the future. My question is, for somebody who's more of a critical, left brain, creative thinker, which area of computers would one recommend to get started in the field? I'm college educated, looking to get my start with an associates, just trying to pinpoint which area to study. Obviously i want financial rewards, but it's not everything. Also does anybody have any input on getting a degree from maybe a Penn Foster, or Devry versus something more traditional? I appreciate any input.


----------



## Armymanis (Feb 19, 2010)

I would look and see what Tech classes your local community college offers and take some to see if that's what you really want to do. There are many area's of Computers like Engineering, Programming, Technical Support, or Networking. If you like creating things then I would say a bachelors in Computer Science is the way to go, but that also requires a lot of math. 

The first step is to take a couple of Tech classes at your local community college. Doesn't have to be a full quarter, maybe one or two. That way you get the gist of what the classes are going to be like. I would also talk to instructors at your local community college, they should point you the right way.


----------



## blackbeagle (Aug 8, 2008)

careerchanger1 said:


> For anybody who can add relevance and or guidance:
> 
> I'm in my late 30's and making a career change from Business/sales environment into computers, as i understand the value and necessity computers do and will bring in the future. My question is, for somebody who's more of a critical, left brain, creative thinker, which area of computers would one recommend to get started in the field? I'm college educated, looking to get my start with an associates, just trying to pinpoint which area to study. Obviously i want financial rewards, but it's not everything. Also does anybody have any input on getting a degree from maybe a Penn Foster, or Devry versus something more traditional? I appreciate any input.


I would NOT recommend any of those schools. See this post: http://www.techsupportforum.com/f30/having-a-hard-time-finding-a-job-494952.html

Take Armymanis' advice. Get your AAS at a community college. Learn a few languages (VB, C++, .Net). Web languages are the most in demand since everything is web based these days.


----------



## careerchanger1 (Jul 13, 2010)

Army, 

Very informative thread on Public "for profit" versus cc. I was bombarded with phone calls for weeks after requesting info. I did some checking at my local Community college and comparing the credit hour costs, it's a no brainer. So that's what i'm going to do. I'm trying to work out logistically how i can make a somewhat seamless transition. I have a 4 year old to support so taking a job for $9/hr to get my feet wet would prove dismal. I make a decent salary now and will need to continue that or really close to it to provide. So what about associates versus bachelor? obviously bachelor is prefered, but will hiring managers take an associates plus certs to get in door? Thanks again.


----------



## careerchanger1 (Jul 13, 2010)

Anybody have experience, or know how viable to market is and or will be for Web/Graphic designers versus say programming/networking?


----------



## Armymanis (Feb 19, 2010)

Right now the market in Washington State is very demanding in jobs for IT. However, in order to get your foot in the door up here at any job higher then minimum wage pay even if its an Entry Level Position you have to have a Bachelors degree. It all depends on where you live though. I've applied to four places and letting them know I have my A+ certification and that I am halfway through my AA in Technical Support.

No body has called me back yet!  So I decided that in order for me to get a job would be to get my Bachelors degree in Technology, which is basically going to lead me into being a Manager of IT, once I have had some years of experience. That way I will be making 100,000+ dollars a year. 

As far as your situation goes, start out getting your AAS and then your AA if you can afford it, in either Technical Support or Networking. Finally, get some certificates at your local community college on the side that deal with Web/Graphic Design, and programming. After you've gotten those, look into seeing what your college "recommends" you do about transferring to university's. 

One thing I would recommend is taking a Tech class and then take some of your pre-requisites classes that you need in order to get into other classes. If your going for your AAS you can use some of your Tech classes as what are called Electives, which are classes you choose to do for fun. Each degree from my experience lets you do 5-10 credit electives. Classes at my college are 5 credits a piece. 

I would also start applying for jobs that are entry level and if you get interviews, you can go to the interview and ask them what they recommend in terms of education. Most employers know what they are looking for so they usually are nice enough to tell you. Some people will hire you even if you don't have any certifications or AA's because they want someone who is not experienced and wants to learn about the field. They will still pay you minimum wage, but it will be worth it in the end.

More Education = Higher pay. Don't let people tell you otherwise, they are just jealous of your ambitions and want to bring you down. I've got a friend who does that to me, but I just ignore it. The only reason he does that is because he is very bad at school and since we've been out of high school in the last two years, he has got nothing! For me however, by the fall I will have 77 credits out of 90 towards an AA in Technical Support. So don't let anyone tell you that you cannot do it because you can!  We believe in you!


----------



## blackbeagle (Aug 8, 2008)

careerchanger1 said:


> Army,
> 
> Very informative thread on Public "for profit" versus cc. I was bombarded with phone calls for weeks after requesting info. I did some checking at my local Community college and comparing the credit hour costs, it's a no brainer. So that's what i'm going to do. I'm trying to work out logistically how i can make a somewhat seamless transition. I have a 4 year old to support so taking a job for $9/hr to get my feet wet would prove dismal. I make a decent salary now and will need to continue that or really close to it to provide. So what about associates versus bachelor? obviously bachelor is prefered, but will hiring managers take an associates plus certs to get in door? Thanks again.


I would like to add one thing about certification. Certification doesn't guarantee you anything. A lot of people I know have A+. Personally, I've taken the course myself. However, employer look at A+ like they look at someone that has Microsoft Office experience. Big deal. 

Certification is usually good for updating your skills. If you have a IT degree from the 80s, it wouldn't make sense to get another degree now. It would be wise to get yourself certified (MCSE, MCSD, OCP, CCIE, MCDBA, etc.). 

Get your BS degree. It's a requirement. Right now for every job that is open, you're going to have 50-100 people applying. You're competing against those. If they browse over your resume and see business degree and business background, you go into the shredder :grin:.

Good luck.


----------



## careerchanger1 (Jul 13, 2010)

Thanks Blackbeagle;

I think what you're saying holds true in any industry/sector, especially now. Hiring managers have their picks due to saturated work force all toggling for few jobs. I know in my business, insurance restoration/sales, it's what i call a "block dancer's choice"...My thought is this; get my AA to start. (A), i have to continue working full time at my current ( or above) salary to provide for my family and repair loans etc...I obviously can't just drop everything and live on an "entry level" job to get my feet wet. But last night i was brainstorming and thought what i can afford to do while earning my AA in networking/tech support is to offer to work for free in a small ma and pa shop on weekends to garner experience. I think people just have to be more on the side of ingenious when it comes to "skinning cats"...however; im poised to make this work and so shall it be done.


----------

