IT Certifications and Careers (Official Discussion Thread)

[FreshFromATL]

Something I'm finding important while doing this studying is to get out of the notion that you are 'studying for a test'. Focus on understanding what is happening on a fundamental level and try to get an idea in your head of what exactly is going on. If you focus on 'test taking', you start getting in 'memorization-mode', and there are so many facts in these books that you can get discouraged when you realize your brain isn't storing every single thing that you are reading.

Repetition, my brother, repetition. When I first started out programming, I was like no way in hell will I ever remember all of this but the more and more I programmed, the more stuff I eventually remembered and the more things started to "click" to me. When starting out it will be hard to remember anything because you have never really trained your brain in this manner before. That's why practice, time, and repetition is of the up-most importance in tech-related fields. People get paid a lot for a reason.

 

[Chris.B]

Something I'm finding important while doing this studying is to get out of the notion that you are 'studying for a test'. Focus on understanding what is happening on a fundamental level and try to get an idea in your head of what exactly is going on. If you focus on 'test taking', you start getting in 'memorization-mode', and there are so many facts in these books that you can get discouraged when you realize your brain isn't storing every single thing that you are reading.

repeat everything you learn so many times till you can't stand it..
Also find a way to make this your hobby me,meaning find a way to make this part of your life instead of just a job.

 

[kevm3]

Nice knowledge that ya'll are kicking. Keep it up.

 

[selam]

Repetition, my brother, repetition. When I first started out programming, I was like no way in hell will I ever remember all of this but the more and more I programmed, the more stuff I eventually remembered and the more things started to "click" to me. When starting out it will be hard to remember anything because you have never really trained your brain in this manner before. That's why practice, time, and repetition is of the up-most importance in tech-related fields. People get paid a lot for a reason.

you probably have no idea how helpful your posts in this thread have been, but I'm on my way to a new career that I actually care about...and it's thanks in part to this thread and especially some of your posts.

 

[JT-Money]

@patscorpio hey breh since I see you're online right now and off of IT got a quick question..

I'm getting my school registration stuff set up right now at a 2 year college..picked IT and they give me a few options for concentration

Which is the best to start off with?

How much is tuition at this school? Besides programming I don't see anything on this list you couldn't learn through self-study. In my opinion technology degrees aren't worth it because half of what you learn will be obsolete a year or two after you graduate. Why go deep into debt paying for something that has such a limited return on investment? If I had to do it all over again I would've just saved my money and not gotten one of those worthless IT degrees.

 

[acri1]

How much is tuition at this school? Besides programming I don't see anything on this list you couldn't learn through self-study. In my opinion technology degrees aren't worth it because half of what you learn will be obsolete a year or two after you graduate. Why go deep into debt paying for something that has such a limited return on investment? If I had to do it all over again I would've just saved my money and not gotten one of those worthless IT degrees.

I don't know, in IT it's not really that you can't learn the stuff through self-study, it's more about not getting your resume tossed out.

Last couple of IT support jobs I've had, they wouldn't even interview anybody without at least a two-year/associates degree just off GP. You could have all the skills in the world but it won't help if your resume gets tossed in the bushes because the HR dept only wants people w/degrees. Once you already have experience it doesn't matter as much because most places will substitute years of experience for education, but I feel that a degree will make it a much easier to get your foot in the door.

That said, I definitely don't advocate putting yourself in a bunch of debt.

 

[JT-Money]

I don't know, in IT it's not really that you can't learn the stuff through self-study, it's more about not getting your resume tossed out.

Last couple of IT support jobs I've had, they wouldn't even interview anybody without at least a two-year/associates degree just off GP. You could have all the skills in the world but it won't help if your resume gets tossed in the bushes because the HR dept only wants people w/degrees. Once you already have experience it doesn't matter as much because most places will substitute years of experience for education, but I feel that a degree will make it a much easier to get your foot in the door.

That said, I definitely don't advocate putting yourself in a bunch of debt.

When companies have such stringent job requirements it's usually because the HR people can't or won't properly screen candidates. Networking is your best chance for getting an entry level job or moving up the ranks over everything else. The goal should be to get your resume past the HR drones into the IT Managers hands at all costs.

 

[Polofresh4]

A quick scenario for my older IT vets.....
Your in ur mid 20s, no kids, just grabbed your bachelors in computer networks and starting your first help desk job...good company with growth potential.....u have the basic certs....A/N/S +...ccna..a few windows....What do you study next??

 

[T-K-G]

When companies have such stringent job requirements it's usually because the HR people can't or won't properly screen candidates. Networking is your best chance for getting an entry level job or moving up the ranks over everything else. The goal should be to get your resume past the HR drones into the IT Managers hands at all costs.

word i remember a nikka sayin that instead of going through the online application stuff he would go directly to a companies website and find email of whoever was head in the department he wanted to be in and would just email them directly with resume and all. that way you atleast know that a higher up saw your shyt

 

[JT-Money]

A quick scenario for my older IT vets.....
Your in ur mid 20s, no kids, just grabbed your bachelors in computer networks and starting your first help desk job...good company with growth potential.....u have the basic certs....A/N/S +...ccna..a few windows....What do you study next??

It depends on the type of technology projects the company plans on implementing. I've quit jobs just because the IT Manager picked a technology I thought wouldn't further my career. At this one company I was in charge of the VOIP implementation and the IT Manager picked Avaya over Cisco despite my objections. After the project was finished and I had enough experience with Avaya to understand it I quit to work someplace else. I wasn't going to get stuck working on technology I viewed as inferior which would limit my career prospects.

Believe it or not most companies only buy from leading vendors in those Gartner Quadrant Reports. If you can't gain access to those reports just look at job boards to see which technologies are the most in demand. If you get stuck working on technology nobody else in the market uses you'll end up at the mercy of your employer. But if they know you can easily jump ship somewhere else they won't take you for granted.

 

[JT-Money]

word i remember a nikka sayin that instead of going through the online application stuff he would go directly to a companies website and find email of whoever was head in the department he wanted to be in and would just email them directly with resume and all. that way you atleast know that a higher up saw your shyt

Private sector companies can sometimes get around HR Department demands. But if your applying for government jobs those HR Departments hold lots of power. Plenty of state and federal government jobs go unfilled because HR disqualifies almost applicants for any reason. You end up with only the people already working for the government able to interview for these jobs. The IT Manager has almost zero say on which resumes get put in front of them.

 

[FreshFromATL]

It depends on the type of technology projects the company plans on implementing. I've quit jobs just because the IT Manager picked a technology I thought wouldn't further my career. At this one company I was in charge of the VOIP implementation and the IT Manager picked Avaya over Cisco despite my objections. After the project was finished and I had enough experience with Avaya to understand it I quit to work someplace else. I wasn't going to get stuck working on technology I viewed as inferior which would limit my career prospects.

Believe it or not most companies only buy from leading vendors in those Gartner Quadrant Reports. If you can't gain access to those reports just look at job boards to see which technologies are the most in demand. If you get stuck working on technology nobody else in the market uses you'll end up at the mercy of your employer. But if they know you can easily jump ship somewhere else they won't take you for granted.

 

[thaKEAF]

How much is tuition at this school? Besides programming I don't see anything on this list you couldn't learn through self-study. In my opinion technology degrees aren't worth it because half of what you learn will be obsolete a year or two after you graduate. Why go deep into debt paying for something that has such a limited return on investment? If I had to do it all over again I would've just saved my money and not gotten one of those worthless IT degrees.

I won't be paying anything. He'll Ill get back money each semester just for going.

 

[JT-Money]

I won't be paying anything. He'll Ill get back money each semester just for going.

You'll definitely be ahead of the game then.

 

[Polofresh4]

It depends on the type of technology projects the company plans on implementing. I've quit jobs just because the IT Manager picked a technology I thought wouldn't further my career. At this one company I was in charge of the VOIP implementation and the IT Manager picked Avaya over Cisco despite my objections. After the project was finished and I had enough experience with Avaya to understand it I quit to work someplace else. I wasn't going to get stuck working on technology I viewed as inferior which would limit my career prospects.

Believe it or not most companies only buy from leading vendors in those Gartner Quadrant Reports. If you can't gain access to those reports just look at job boards to see which technologies are the most in demand. If you get stuck working on technology nobody else in the market uses you'll end up at the mercy of your employer. But if they know you can easily jump ship somewhere else they won't take you for granted.

Thanks for the advice....thats kinda how ive ended up in the situation playing the job board requirements. Thank for the name drop on the GQR...ive never heard of that before