IT Certifications and Careers (Official Discussion Thread)

[JT-Money]

This why you've got to make as much money in this field as you can. Companies usually layoff IT workers before everyone else when trying to cut costs.

http://it.slashdot.org/story/14/03/21/2122205/more-on-the-disposable-tech-worker

More On the Disposable Tech Worker

"At a press conference this week, in response to a question by a Science Careers reporter, Scott Corley, the Executive Director of immigration-reform group Compete America, argued that retraining workers doesn't make sense for IT companies. For the company, he argued, H-1B guest workers are a much better choice. 'It's not easy to retrain people,' Corley said. 'The further you get away from your education the less knowledge you have of the new technologies, and technology is always moving forward.'"

 

[FreshFromATL]

This why you've got to make as much money in this field as you can. Companies usually layoff IT workers before everyone else when trying to cut costs.

http://it.slashdot.org/story/14/03/21/2122205/more-on-the-disposable-tech-worker

More On the Disposable Tech Worker

"At a press conference this week, in response to a question by a Science Careers reporter, Scott Corley, the Executive Director of immigration-reform group Compete America, argued that retraining workers doesn't make sense for IT companies. For the company, he argued, H-1B guest workers are a much better choice. 'It's not easy to retrain people,' Corley said. 'The further you get away from your education the less knowledge you have of the new technologies, and technology is always moving forward.'"

As long as you're on your shyt...keeping your skills tight with the latest and greatest technologies, you'll be fine.

 

[JT-Money]

As long as you're on your shyt...keeping your skills tight with the latest and greatest technologies, you'll be fine.

All bets are off if Immigration reform passes with an unlimited number of H1-b visas available to corporations. So just in case I've hedged my bets and took less money for more job security. Besides keeping your skills up to date is totally dependent on your employer. Most people won't have a choice but to work on whatever technology their company buys.

 

[FreshFromATL]

All bets are off if Immigration reform passes with an unlimited number of H1-b visas available to corporations. So just in case I've hedged my bets and took less money for more job security. Besides keeping your skills up to date is totally dependent on your employer. Most people won't have a choice but to work on whatever technology their company buys.

Not true. As a developer/programmer you have all the opportunity in the world to keep your skills up to date with new technologies. I will never depend on an employer to keep my skills updated.

 

[kevm3]

This why you've got to make as much money in this field as you can. Companies usually layoff IT workers before everyone else when trying to cut costs.

http://it.slashdot.org/story/14/03/21/2122205/more-on-the-disposable-tech-worker

More On the Disposable Tech Worker

"At a press conference this week, in response to a question by a Science Careers reporter, Scott Corley, the Executive Director of immigration-reform group Compete America, argued that retraining workers doesn't make sense for IT companies. For the company, he argued, H-1B guest workers are a much better choice. 'It's not easy to retrain people,' Corley said. 'The further you get away from your education the less knowledge you have of the new technologies, and technology is always moving forward.'"

I also have a feeling that this is why they are pushing that 'we need more coders' movement... they want as much cheap, disposable labor as possible.

 

[King Sun]

Hey, what can a A+ as a AS degree in Networking do? I'm debating signing up for school but I already owe 30k in loans. Is Health Informatics a good field for a older guy?

did you got to devry or ITT tech

 

[you're NOT "n!ggas"]

Put me up on game, brehs. I need a full rundown. I think I have a REALLY good idea for a mobile app, something I honestly feel could help fill a void in our society, but I don't have the slightest clue where to start I'm like a damn deer in the headlights.

Now understand, this ain't a overnight/half-baked... at least it wouldn't be. For all intents and purposes, I think I'll need a few YEARS before I could make a serious attempt at a launch, so I wanna start at square one. This would be sort of a social media app, if that helps.

What maths do I need to understand first? From there, WHERE THE HELL DO I START??? I'm aware of a few coding languages out there like python, java, javascript, etc, but is it wise to just jump into those or do I need to know computer science??? I also know about websites like codeacademy, coursera, etc. but what about forums/websites for programmers to exchange info? Maybe even link up for a project? I was tempted to make this my own thread, but I'm helping somebody will help me here... thanks

 

[kevm3]

Put me up on game, brehs. I need a full rundown. I think I have a REALLY good idea for a mobile app, something I honestly feel could help fill a void in our society, but I don't have the slightest clue where to start I'm like a damn deer in the headlights.

Now understand, this ain't a overnight/half-baked... at least it wouldn't be. For all intents and purposes, I think I'll need a few YEARS before I could make a serious attempt at a launch, so I wanna start at square one. This would be sort of a social media app, if that helps.

What maths do I need to understand first? From there, WHERE THE HELL DO I START??? I'm aware of a few coding languages out there like python, java, javascript, etc, but is it wise to just jump into those or do I need to know computer science??? I also know about websites like codeacademy, coursera, etc. but what about forums/websites for programmers to exchange info? Maybe even link up for a project? I was tempted to make this my own thread, but I'm helping somebody will help me here... thanks

What are you trying to do exactly? Make android apps? Apple apps? websites? The language you learn initially will depend on what you want to do.

 

[you're NOT "n!ggas"]

What are you trying to do exactly? Make android apps? Apple apps? websites? The language you learn initially will depend on what you want to do.

Thanks for reaching out breh I'm trying to make apps for apple and android. Maybe a website later? That'll be determined way later than I can say for now. I'm assuming I'd use python though, right? I fooled around with it for a quick minute on codeacademy a while back but not enough to actually pick up anything. I was never sure if I needed to start somewhere else first.

 

[kevm3]

Thanks for reaching out breh I'm trying to make apps for apple and android. Maybe a website later? That'll be determined way later than I can say for now. I'm assuming I'd use python though, right? I fooled around with it for a quick minute on codeacademy a while back but not enough to actually pick up anything. I was never sure if I needed to start somewhere else first.

Iphone uses Objective C. Android uses Java. Websites use HTML/CSS and Javascript for the front-end, and a language like Javascript, PHP, Ruby (on Rails), Python(Django), etc., on the back-end. If you're making mobile apps as your focus, you have to choose which ecosystem you want to focus on (IOS or Android) and then choose the corresponding language.

To be honest, programming takes time to learn and I would go as far as to say it's something you will have to see if you have a love for it. Get it out of your mind that you'll be making some awesome app in the next 6 months that will net you a ton of money and be prepared to learn. The thing about programming is if you learn one language, other languages are a lot easier to pick up since a lot of languages share similar concepts. A language often recommended to first-time programmers is Python. That might be a great language for you to understand the fundamental concepts of programming, and as you get that base under you, you can then pick another language for more specific purposes.

 

[you're NOT "n!ggas"]

Iphone uses Objective C. Android uses Java. Websites use HTML/CSS and Javascript for the front-end, and a language like Javascript, PHP, Ruby (on Rails), Python(Django), etc., on the back-end. If you're making mobile apps as your focus, you have to choose which ecosystem you want to focus on (IOS or Android) and then choose the corresponding language.

To be honest, programming takes time to learn and I would go as far as to say it's something you will have to see if you have a love for it. Get it out of your mind that you'll be making some awesome app in the next 6 months that will net you a ton of money and be prepared to learn. The thing about programming is if you learn one language, other languages are a lot easier to pick up since a lot of languages share similar concepts. A language often recommended to first-time programmers is Python. That might be a great language for you to understand the fundamental concepts of programming, and as you get that base under you, you can then pick another language for more specific purposes.

I'm on 24s right now, but I'll rep you when I can . I'm already on record saying this isn't something I'm trying to do overnight, and I'm not looking to make an impact, not money, so I feel you. Please believe, I'm patient and focused enough for what I'm trying to do. So python is the best place to start? I don't need any particular math skills or computer science background?

 

[kevm3]

I'm on 24s right now, but I'll rep you when I can . I'm already on record saying this isn't something I'm trying to do overnight, and I'm not looking to make an impact, not money, so I feel you. Please believe, I'm patient and focused enough for what I'm trying to do. So python is the best place to start? I don't need any particular math skills or computer science background?

All you need is focus and determination to learn. When you have a love for what you're doing, you'll pick up the necessary skills along the way. If you're asking me whether you need to go to school and get a computer science degree to learn programming, the answer is no. What you WILL have to do is get in these books and practice, practice, practice. For other concepts you don't understand, all you will have to do is google them and read up on that particular concepts on sites like wikipedia or stackoverflow

Python will be a very solid place to start since it's an interpreted language and you can see nearly instantly whether your program works or not and you can get everything you need for free. If I was you, I'd get a Kindle Paperwhite and purchase some books and work through them. Make sure you put the Paperwhite in landscape mode. I find learning through books the best because it's structured, as opposed to looking at random tutorials online. To see if you like it, go through the Python course at codecademy.com first though.

For math skills, it will largely depend on what you want to do, but for the most part, if you know algebra, you should be fine. If you're planning on doing 3d graphics, that's when you'll need to get into all of that advanced math.

 

[ryda518]

brehs at what point in learning programming did out figure out "this is what I want to do"

I see the ' depends on what you want to do 'phrase used a lot, but i'm not sure what I want to do with programming.

 

[kevm3]

Deal with a couple of language and see which one sticks. There will be one that you just sort of gravitate to, but you won't know until you dip your foot into the pool.

 

[JayStarwind]

Say I wanted to hack a computer, not that I do , what language would I have to learn? Hacking has always been a mystery to me.