[relmore]

Howdy ladies and gents,

I am a geek at heart and have always loved computers-- from the commodore 64 i played as a lad to the 200mhz cyrex mb i installed in my 486 and well, the rest is history. I get so fired up when a friend says their computer is suckin' and I am able to remove tons of malware/spyware and get it runnin smooth again. I really want a career in computers. I shyed away from Comp SCI in college because i was intimidated by all the math courses. i've got an undergrad in Economics and am currently signed up for spring '06 MSBA classes in Management Information Systems. Im wondering should i forget the grad school and go straight into licensure? I am thinking longterm. All opinions and suggestions are appreciated.

Russell

I feel I should mention I am not a geek in training because I don't feel I have sufficient knowledge *yet*

Edited by relmore, 07 December 2005 - 11:06 PM.

[Advertisements]

If you feel being a geek is something you really want to do go for it. No one knows everything about computer but training is available. I find the best way for me to gain knowledge is look at a question I don't know the answer too and see how others reply.... but now back to you I would not rush your education because once you decide you don't want to do something it's hard to go back...... If your still in school you are young I would suggest explorering the geek life any many other paths .

ps. The reason I am not in training for a malware removal specialist is because i want to try to be a trusted tech someday, (i know that 04s need to be manually deleted and 10 are lsps and yadda yadda yadda)

[Ryan.]

If you feel being a geek is something you really want to do go for it. No one knows everything about computer but training is available. I find the best way for me to gain knowledge is look at a question I don't know the answer too and see how others reply.... but now back to you I would not rush your education because once you decide you don't want to do something it's hard to go back...... If your still in school you are young I would suggest explorering the geek life any many other paths .

ps. The reason I am not in training for a malware removal specialist is because i want to try to be a trusted tech someday, (i know that 04s need to be manually deleted and 10 are lsps and yadda yadda yadda)

[dsenette]

relmore....from my personal experience...most companies don't really look at certifications anymore...and honestly...alot of IT type fields...don't even care about a degree (to a point)...i got a wonderfull job as a network admin with an associates degree..and no certifications...it's all about the interview....

but...on that same note....most of the certification prep classes...are the best way to learn computer knowledge..they're great with helping you learn (as long as it's a credible institution).... check out www.insidertraining.com ...they've got some wonderfull online classes that are pretty effective......i also went to ITT...which helped alot...all the teachers there work in the industry...and there aren't really many math classes in the curriculum

[warriorscot]

Yeah, the maths is intimidating, it depends on what brabch of geekdom you want to enter, if you want to go hardcore down the software development and informatics line then you are going to need a degree and do all the horrible maths. I decided against doing a course in informatics at uni partly because the maths is worse than the stuff i allready have to do.

But it depends at what level you want to enter and what you want to do, and more importantly what your prospective employer is after. A brand new software house that specialises in high end corporate statistics and analysis is going to want a different kind of geek from your local government office looking for a new network administrator.

Its a huge field and its only getting bigger.

[relmore]

Hi ryan, Im out of school but considering furthering my education.

Dsenette, I will check that out. thanks. I 'm thinking i may hold off on grad school and get a certification or 3 first.

Warriorscot, good points. yep I don't see any shortage in IT-based jobs in the near future!

Edited by relmore, 08 December 2005 - 02:34 PM.

[warriorscot]

Depends on the job, alot of the lower end ones there has been a prediction for a shortage of jobs not due to the fact there isnt a good growth in the industry but the fact that everyone and his dog is training to work in the lower echelons of IT, its like the gold rush of the days of old.

There is alot of new fields in IT , new technologies spawn new fields of study and careers all the time and these vary to the amount of training required from the year to learn web design and hosting, to the 5 or 6 years of high end physics engine coding.

There are still going to be jobs in the more advanced sections of the industry though, because for the very reason you didnt like the look of its too much maths, and alot of hard work mst graduates come out after 5 years and are qualified to do near anything in the IT sector from network managment or the very advanced depths of software engineering.