07rdsterGT

iTrader: (7)

So pretty much I'm at my wits end with my career. I've been in the land development business as a "land surveyor" for about 8 years now. I mainly draft plats, some plans, and doing computations for construction stakeout. It's paid the bills thus far but I hate it and I want to get into something I know is growing and that I'll have a knack for...IT. There's always going to be a high demand for it and I like to work with computers. I'm just so damn tired of red necks, engineers, and surveyors!

I want to start going to school while still working full time and further my education with computer science/IT. I've read horrible reviews about ITT tech and I don't want to throw my money or time away! I'm already 25 (very soon to be 26) and what time I have left to educate myself further and make a stronger future for myself is very precious. Strayer has almost nothing but negative reviews as well. I need something this is credible, and that employers will look at seriously. Now, I know it's about how hard you apply yourself but I've heard that so many people go to ITT just for the piece of paper and just cruise by barely making it along. Thus employers look at ITT tech grads as a joke; as someone who just barely earned this worthless piece of paper and have no motivation to work. This all equals me not finding a new career very easily.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a full time employee seeking education in the Northern Virginia area?

Justin

07rdsterGT

iTrader: (7)

And before any of you ask, the girl in my avatar is Ashton Von. SO DON'T ASK

pchong154

iTrader: (1)

*waiting on Ethan to chime in*.....

I'm going for a CompSci B.S. from UMD, the careers and opportunities in this field are endless.

07rdsterGT

iTrader: (7)

Do you work fulltime as well?

jubes

iTrader: (22)

From experience with those "6 months" programs for CIS... its not worth it. You'll go $20+k for something that'll get you a $10/hr help desk job. Go to a local community college which should offer night courses in comp sci. (well atleast in California they offer this) like intro to comp sci, vis. basic, C++ prog, etc., network with the people in those classes (trust me this is essential when looking for a job later on..), transfer to a state university, attain the degree then utilize the network you established to find a position in a field of comp sci you like (MIS, soft. develop., hardware develop., etc.).

That degree will filter you from a lot of people, and allow you to earn more, either from the start or in the long run... I have lots of friends in the industry who have told me this same plan of action, and with the recent downturn of our economy, the ones who have degrees, still have their job, and the ones that don't, lost them. A friend of mine, who's an executive and in charge of network security @ NetZero, making $200k+ still has his job because he was labeled "an asset" while his brother, a system admin, who was making $100k+ @ Sun Microsystems,was seen as an "expendable" person... and was laid off, and replaced with a new college grad.

I understand everyone's situation is different, but a legitimate degree will allow you to expand your potential than one from a school such as ITT. GL with your new venture. my

jubes

iTrader: (22)

Oh and if you must know, I'm a database admin for a couple of applications used at the hospital I work at.

07rdsterGT

iTrader: (7)

There's a lot of good advice here. I wouldn't have thought about how networking would/can be so essential later on. As far as community college goes...that seems to be the only good advice I'm finding at all. Pretty much what you said to the T. Community College > ITT, Strayer, etc... It's also cheaper from what I hear.

jubes

iTrader: (22)

Well when I went to those crappy short term degree schools (this is when Win 2k Prof and Win XP were starting to emerge LOL), they were charging $24k.. did the crappy courses with crappy teachers (which I knew more than they did..) and all I got was an offer to do help desk support for some companies here in LA for like $9-11/hr...

Went back to community college & state univ, costed me about $20k, and now I make $55k, which honestly isn't much compared to some people in computer related companies, but my company is chill and my hours are flexible, and I have no worries of losing my job

And now that I've realized that computers are more of a hobby to me, I've went back to school to attain a medical degree, where in which my job has been flexible with my hours which is really cool. LOL so i'm kind of in the same situation as you are, but transferring out of the field...

Yeah, unless your daddy is Steve Jobs, or Bill Gates and you inherit their position, there is no relative short term way to attain a real prosperous position without the degree. That's just IMO...

Cheeko

iTrader: (13)

I'm pursuing a degree in Computer information systems at UMUC. I like their online classes and the teachers I've had so far have been really great to work with. I work full time and I'm a single dad yet still the classes are manageable. I'm not saying it's easy but if you have the time and the drive it's doable. I know you live in VA and classes at UMUC may be more expensive because it's in MD but check out their website and the different flavors of IT degrees they offer and see if you can find a similar college in your area offering the same sort of degrees. I totally agree with jubes... stay away from those ITT tech type schools. a college degree is the way to go! Plus if you can squeeze in a face to face evening class you will definitely run into a hottie or two. LoL

07rdsterGT

iTrader: (7)

Nice, lol

jubes

iTrader: (22)

LOL I most definitely agree!

@ ITT.. you mostly sit with this..



With some middle aged guy who has no clue how or what a computer does.

OR

You can walk through the halls and see girls like this @ the university..







LOL I know I'm probably exaggerating the girl part... but it's quite possible

rob6118

My dad runs the network operations for an ISP in Eastern Europe and used to run network security for Quest Diagnostics in the US. I did network security stuff with his company a couple years back.

Do you have a degree? If you already have a 4 year degree that is technical in anyway, plus technical/professional experience.... I would advise you to just go to a community college for any help you need to pass the major certs.

In my experience, and talking to my dad, as long as you can prove you are professional, its more about your work ethic and demonstrating your knowledge. A couple of well choosen heavy duty certs will go really really far in demonstrating that knowledge and work ethic. Much more so then a BS Comp Sci degree. In my experience the degrees aren't worth crap (you just need a degree). Much more important is demonstrating your maturity (i.e. your not another 22 yr old comp sci grad) and specific knowledge and comprehension of how high level systems work (i.e. you are more then a number pusher).

If you don't have a degree already (just a license in your field) then I would def. go to a community college or state uni and get a comp sci degree. Just realize that that isn't going to set you apart.

I was in the industry in HS just prior to the dot com burst. I got out because all of a sudden a really prosperous industry got really really crowded and I had no desire to take lower level jobs just because of my age when I had been doing network security for major corporate networks. From what I understand there are a lot of young grads right now that still make the market oversupplied (kinda like generic business majors). If that is all you've got be prepared for a desk jockey job where you are going to be used or abused.

Work for the higher level certs and start networking networking networking. And start doing stuff on your own to develop your comprehension. Stuff that helped me alot in the begining was getting ahold of specific apps and systems that I would be using in the future in the field and learning my way around. That way when I came time to argue for the promotion I could demonstrate my competance with Checkpoint firewall software start to finsih or intrusion detection software without saying "give me the promotion and then I'll go brush up".

Not sure how coherant that was, but hope it helps.

bb1314

iTrader: (62)

^ Rob is totally right. If you already have a 4 years degree, you have already proven that you are a professional AND you have the ability to learn more new things. If you do have that degree, just take some online classes from UMUC or something like others had advised. Your salary might start a little lower since it's considered your "first IT job" for the IT world, but it'll sky rock soon with your other experiences as a professional. I highly recommend going into the IT field since the field can drive you into so many different directions. And if possible, take some programming classes! The term IT is too generic. WHen you can program, you can call yourself "Software Engineer". My experience is that programmers can do what other IT people do like setting up networks, help desk, etc, etc but the other IT professionals cannot do what programmers do. It's all about job security!

07rdsterGT

iTrader: (7)

All of that was crystal clear.

That's pretty much my situation. I need the knowledge first in order to use it to set me apart.

I'm a high school grad who has busted his *** to earn the 50k a year I make now....I have no degree. No BS.

Cheeko

iTrader: (13)

Good points rob and bb1314... To add... UMUC's computer classes helped me get a couple certs. You can actually take those courses with no prerequisites. If you have no computer experience and you're just jumping in then these classes may be a little hard. Take a look at UMUC's certificate program. I think it's geared towards the beginner and experienced alike. The UMUC certificate is probably crap but the classes are good and will help you with getting the real certs and get your feet wet with IT stuff. Not only do the classes help you get certified but classes in the certificate program count towards a degree if you decide you want a degree afterward. Personally I'm taking three classes per semester. one IT related and the other two are social science and behavioral science course. I plan to take one IT class per semester to keep school interesting along with two other classes like math or science or whatever general studies class I need for my degree.

Cheeko

iTrader: (13)

Oh yeah.... Software Engineers and Web designers make BANK where I work. I'm starting with the Microsoft stuff but once that's done I'm going into programming and web design.

bb1314

iTrader: (62)

Ask yourself without Google'ing, how many bits are in a byte?

bigslim350Z

iTrader: (3)

isn't it something like 8 bits in a byte?

abui01

iTrader: (68)

IT schools r a POS. You can learn more in a library or through Google. Most of the points that have been covered are true, in the end it's just a piece of paper. From my experience, its how you present yourself in the interview and if you can convince your employer that you can do the job + be profitable. Portfolio of your work goes a long way. Who can say "NO" when you have proof sitting right there staring at them in the face?

bb1314

iTrader: (62)

You know what really gives you mad money? When you're really good at a specific software technology and you become an independent consultant.

I used to attend a lot of Microsoft related conferences at my last job. All the speakers for the new Microsoft products were somehow consultants instead of Microsoft employees. I got curious and started to ask around. Turned out those speakers were the original developers of that specific Microsoft product. Once they were done with the product, they quit the company and become independent consultants knowing that Microsoft will NEED them since no one else knows it better than them. Their income would double or even triple instantly!