IT Certifications and Careers (Official Discussion Thread)

[FreshFromATL]

What I've gathered from my research is that with programming, it's all about trying to become the best programmer you can be. Companies want to know if you know your shyt more so than wanting you to have certs.

If you have ever tried to get good at anything (sports or whatever) you know that it's all about putting the time and work in. Eventually things will start to click.

With that being said, how important is a degree in getting your foot in the door for an interview? Do companies want to see a computer science or software engineering degree or is mastering a language good enough?

Straight out the mouth of one of my favorite professors...

"You can become a programmer and make a pretty good living without a degree, however; you will stay a programmer and will never manage anyone."

So, while you don't need a degree to be a programmer (most of the best ones are self-taught actually), if you want to move up the ladder and into a management role or higher, you will need a degree.

Edit: also being in school may makes it easier to land a internship or maybe a junior developer role in a company.

 

[FreshFromATL]

You also need to get some (complete) projects under your belt (which is VERY important). Learn how to program an ATM application that Banks use. Learn about the Tower of Hanoi. Learn about manipulating data to and from files. Just find projects and learn them. This books has some good projects in it...

I don't know how easy of a read it will be to you though....

 

[Data-Hawk]

You also need to get some (complete) projects under your belt (which is VERY important). Learn how to program an ATM application that Banks use. Learn about the Tower of Hanoi. Learn about manipulating data to and from files. Just find projects and learn them. This books has some good projects in it...

I don't know how easy of a read it will be to you though....

hah. As soon as you mention the example projects I knew exactly where you got them from. lol. only non-college books i spent over $100 on. Their C# 2008 video is pretty good.

 

[↓R↑LYB]

I appreciate all this information brehs. I'm finally getting to a stage in my life where i'm willing to put in the work. I'm just lucky that this process is happening sooner rather than later. I'm still young and ready to go get it. It's funny how life works, but I'm glad everything happened the way it did...

Stay focused and have a plan you'll be aight breh

 

[Silky Johnson]

True. I was only thinking about learning C because people say it makes learning C++ a smoother process.

Them nikkas lied to you, Jack

 

[the bossman]

True. I was only thinking about learning C because people say it makes learning C++ a smoother process.

na. just jump right into C++, it's not that bad

 

[Kid McNamara]

True. I was only thinking about learning C because people say it makes learning C++ a smoother process.

I'm not sure what field you plan on working in but C is more beneficial for security, reverse engineering, and so on. Most Operating Systems are written in C and Assembly.

Pick those two up and maybe Python, you'll be feasting.

 

[IronFist]

You also need to get some (complete) projects under your belt (which is VERY important). Learn how to program an ATM application that Banks use. Learn about the Tower of Hanoi. Learn about manipulating data to and from files. Just find projects and learn them. This books has some good projects in it...

I don't know how easy of a read it will be to you though....

going to check this out.

 

[FastEddie215]

Quick Update...been a while since I posted in here but I finally landed my first IT Job...Tier 1 Tech Support at Comcast...thanks @bdizzle and a bunch of others for helping me get my foot in the door I remember alot of you guys saying to stay in helpdesk for one year the most and then get out, if that still stands then what should be next as far as certs and career options? I already have my A+ and MCTS Windows 7 Config cert

 

[69 others]

True. I was only thinking about learning C because people say it makes learning C++ a smoother process.

usually older heads would recommend that cause that's what they first learned and in general it's a good idea cause with C you'll learn how the computer and software works below the hood and since most higher level languages abstracts most of what it does it would definitely make the transition and understanding of other languages easier. So depending on your learning style (C can seem scary to some first timers) and your time constraints, how fast you want to become proficient in a higher level language with more job prospects, then stick with C++ where you can still learn low level stuff but also abstract concepts like object oriented programming which would make you more marketable and you can still pickup C later on.


As far as beginner C++ Books i highly recommend either (or both) of these books cause unlike most C++ books out there that basically teach C with objects these teach what a lot of C++ programmers consider modern C++, they go right into the STL, templates, algorithms, iterators, etc from the start which would teach you how to be very productive with C++ quickly. Accelerated C++ is more demanding cause it's compact and basically covers what the second does in a fraction of the space and C++ primer 5th Ed go over the material in a much slower pace plus it covers the new features of C++11.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Accelerated-C-Practical-Programming-Example/dp/020170353X"]Accelerated C++: Practical Programming by Example[/ame]

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Primer-5th-Edition-Stanley-Lippman/dp/0321714113/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_z"]C++ Primer (5th Edition)[/ame]

the first one like the name

 

[↓R↑LYB]

Quick Update...been a while since I posted in here but I finally landed my first IT Job...Tier 1 Tech Support at Comcast...thanks @bdizzle and a bunch of others for helping me get my foot in the door I remember alot of you guys saying to stay in helpdesk for one year the most and then get out, if that still stands then what should be next as far as certs and career options? I already have my A+ and MCTS Windows 7 Config cert

breh

Learn all you can while you there. It's more than just getting experience, get used to going around and talking to the cats in the other departments. Make friends with guys that do networking, unix, wintel, security, database, programming, analysts, PMs, etc. Get in close with them and ask em if there's anything you can do to help because you're just trying to learn. They'll probably give you a bunch of bytch work, but typically if they know you're good at what you do, they'll continue to throw work your way.

That way you'll know which area of IT you like the most. Once you figure that out, get the certs that line up with what you wanna do.

Hustle hard, hustle fast, and in 5-7 years you can be part of the 6 figure, 6 cert, 6 foot, 6 pack, 6 series IT coli club

 

[GoogleMe]

Hustle hard, hustle fast, and in 5-7 years you can be part of the 6 figure, 6 cert, 6 foot, 6 pack, 6 series IT coli club

 

[FastEddie215]

Hustle hard, hustle fast, and in 5-7 years you can be part of the 6 figure, 6 cert, 6 foot, 6 pack, 6 series IT coli club

damn, are you serious when you say within 5-7 yrs in IT someone can makes 6 figures? if thats the case I will be grinding like my life depended on it

 

[yo moms]

breh
Hustle hard, hustle fast, and in 5-7 years you can be part of the 6 figure, 6 cert, 6 foot, 6 pack, 6 series IT coli club

what if i'm not 6 foot

 

[↓R↑LYB]

what if i'm not 6 foot

Stand on your 6 certs, you'll be taller