IT Certifications and Careers (Official Discussion Thread)

kevm3

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Anyone use teamtreehouse.com to teach themselves code?

are you trying to do web development or standalone applications? A site like teamtreehouse would be solid for the basics. Do codecademy first though. It's free and immediately responsive. But the best way is to buy books and to work through them. It's hard to put all the details in about a language in relatively short videos. Videos will give you a nice overview, but if you really want to dig deep, you'll have to start buying books. Let me know what language you want to learn and I'll point you towards a book.
 

RubioTheCruel

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are you trying to do web development or standalone applications? A site like teamtreehouse would be solid for the basics. Do codecademy first though. It's free and immediately responsive. But the best way is to buy books and to work through them. It's hard to put all the details in about a language in relatively short videos. Videos will give you a nice overview, but if you really want to dig deep, you'll have to start buying books. Let me know what language you want to learn and I'll point you towards a book.

What's a good book for getting good with Python? I'm OK with one-off scripts to do simple sysadmin stuff(file backup, user creation), but I wanna get really good with it.
 

kevm3

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What's a good book for getting good with Python? I'm OK with one-off scripts to do simple sysadmin stuff(file backup, user creation), but I wanna get really good with it.

Go through the track at codecademy.com first

then, look at a book like this:
amazon.com/Python-Programming-Absolute-Beginner-Edition/dp/1435455002

then get more advanced:
amazon.com/Python-Programming-Introduction-Computer-Science/dp/1590282418

and then eventually you will want to work through one of the big reference books on python
amazon.com/Learning-Python-Edition-Mark-Lutz/dp/1449355730

Also, in regards to Python, it is used in a lot of computer science courses nowadays, so you can find a ton of free resources online... check out coursera and other such sites for free video courses
 
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DIMES

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Go through the track at codecademy.com first

then, look at a book like this:
amazon.com/Python-Programming-Absolute-Beginner-Edition/dp/1435455002

then get more advanced:
amazon.com/Python-Programming-Introduction-Computer-Science/dp/1590282418

and then eventually you will want to work through one of the big reference books on python
amazon.com/Learning-Python-Edition-Mark-Lutz/dp/1449355730

Also, in regards to Python, it is used in a lot of computer science courses nowadays, so you can find a ton of free resources online... check out coursera and other such sites for free video courses

As a entry level helpdesk support would I need knowledge of programming? Also how hard is it to jump from helpdesk to systems admin? Would I be in helpdesk purgatory for years before I get higher?
 

kevm3

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As a entry level helpdesk support would I need knowledge of programming? Also how hard is it to jump from helpdesk to systems admin? Would I be in helpdesk purgatory for years before I get higher?

I'm not in help desk so I'm sure a lot more of these other guys can help you, but I'm sure you don't need programming knowledge for help desk. You need to know more along the lines of how to fix problems regarding computers. you'll need to read a book like this:

Also, browse IT related forums like spiceworks if you are looking for more about IT
http://community.spiceworks.com/group
 

Soundbwoy

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sql gawds I need some serious help, daps and rep will be provided;
mysql> desc staff;
+---------------+--------------+------+-----+---------+-------
| Field | Type | Null | Key | Default | Extra
+---------------+--------------+------+-----+---------+-------
| Staff_no | varchar(6) | NO | PRI | NULL |
| Lastname | varchar(30) | YES | | NULL |
| Firstname | varchar(25) | YES | | NULL |
| Hire_date | date | YES | | NULL |
| Location | varchar(30) | YES | | NULL |
| Supervisor_no | varchar(6) | YES | | NULL |
| Salary | decimal(8,2) | YES | | NULL |
| Commission | decimal(4,2) | YES | | NULL |
+---------------+--------------+------+-----+---------+-------
8 rows in set (0.00 sec)

mysql> desc sales;
+-----------+--------------+------+-----+---------+-------+
| Field | Type | Null | Key | Default | Extra |
+-----------+--------------+------+-----+---------+-------+
| Order_no | varchar(6) | NO | PRI | NULL | |
| Sale_date | date | YES | | NULL | |
| Staff_no | varchar(6) | YES | | NULL | |
| Cust_no | varchar(6) | YES | | NULL | |
| Invoiced | decimal(2,0) | YES | | NULL | |
+-----------+--------------+------+-----+---------+-------+
Using the tables STAFF and SALES find all order numbers and sales date by staff member 000008. Include staff number, name and commission.
Can anybody help ive been getting error messages for an hour and a half trying to get this right :to:
 

acri1

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As a entry level helpdesk support would I need knowledge of programming? Also how hard is it to jump from helpdesk to systems admin? Would I be in helpdesk purgatory for years before I get higher?

No, you don't need to know anything about programming to work on helpdesk, you basically need to know how to fix computer issues. Like if somebody comes up to you saying their computer isn't working, you need to be able to quickly figure out what the issue is and fix it.

How to remove viruses, how to install printers, how to fix common computer problems, install hard drives/RAM/psus, troubleshoot Internet issues, etc. Like I always tell people, take your computer apart completely and put it back together. If you can do that easily then you can probably do helpdesk. How long you're there really depends on where you work.
 

DIMES

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No, you don't need to know anything about programming to work on helpdesk, you basically need to know how to fix computer issues. Like if somebody comes up to you saying their computer isn't working, you need to be able to quickly figure out what the issue is and fix it.

How to remove viruses, how to install printers, how to fix common computer problems, install hard drives/RAM/psus, troubleshoot Internet issues, etc. Like I always tell people, take your computer apart completely and put it back together. If you can do that easily then you can probably do helpdesk. How long you're there really depends on where you work.

What certs would I need for systems admin? I would need high programming by then right?
 

kevm3

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What certs would I need for systems admin? I would need high programming by then right?

IT jobs like sys admin, network admin, help desk, etc., and programming are two separate fields
You won't need to know programming as a system admin. At most, you'll probably learn some scripting on your own time to automate certain tasks, but that isn't a requirement.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_administrator

System administrators are not software engineers or developers. It is not usually within their duties to design or write new application software. However, sysadmins must understand the behavior of software in order to deploy it and to troubleshoot problems, and generally know several programming languages used for scripting or automation of routine tasks.
 

DIMES

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IT jobs like sys admin, network admin, help desk, etc., and programming are two separate fields
You won't need to know programming as a system admin. At most, you'll probably learn some scripting on your own time to automate certain tasks, but that isn't a requirement.

What is your title if you don't mind?

I don't think I can stomach becoming a programmer but the IT jobs interest me. What is the job hierarchy for IT ?

My plan is to get a 2 year degree in information systems and get A+ , security + ... Is this this respectable in your opinion?

Thanks for the insight i really appreciate it
 

kevm3

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What is your title if you don't mind?

I don't think I can stomach becoming a programmer but the IT jobs interest me. What is the job hierarchy for IT ?

My plan is to get a 2 year degree in information systems and get A+ , security + ... Is this this respectable in your opinion?

Thanks for the insight i really appreciate it

there are guys who will be able to give you a much better answer in regards to the path you are pursuing since they are in those fields.. krexzen, bdizzle, duckbutta, and others. I'm sure they'll chime in, or you can read their replies earlier on in the thread from answering people who have asked similar questions.

Read the early thread for more information on what you're trying to do. As far as I know, A+ and those other comptia certificates are helpful for getting an entry level position, but you will need more specific certificates depending on which path you take.

I'm more on working to enter the web development side of the equation, aka html/css, javascript and possibly SQL...
 

Maddmike

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Brehs, I have an associates in Electrical/Mechanical enginnering right now. I dont really like it so ive been thinking about coming into the IT field. I ran into a guy that said I should just leave IT alone as its difficult to get jobs, pay, etc...

The question i have:

- Should i just not worry about getting a degree in IT and just get certified and continue on with my E/M degree?

- what is the most lucrative field?
 

Data-Hawk

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What is your title if you don't mind?

I don't think I can stomach becoming a programmer but the IT jobs interest me. What is the job hierarchy for IT ?

My plan is to get a 2 year degree in information systems and get A+ , security + ... Is this this respectable in your opinion?

Thanks for the insight i really appreciate it

Im a Sr. programmer. yes both are respectable. You can never have tooo much education. I dont really recommend going past a B.S degree unless you want to go into research tho. I have some links to other forums that are more active then this one. I'll drop them later.

Also if you plan on being in IT. Google is your best friend:
 

Data-Hawk

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Brehs, I have an associates in Electrical/Mechanical enginnering right now. I dont really like it so ive been thinking about coming into the IT field. I ran into a guy that said I should just leave IT alone as its difficult to get jobs, pay, etc...

The question i have:

- Should i just not worry about getting a degree in IT and just get certified and continue on with my E/M degree?

- what is the most lucrative field?


Continue with your E/M degree. The most lucrative really depends on the person and the company .But on average its probably programming and security. With your background you should aim for programming, anything else and you'll most likely start at the help desk and work your way up.
 

flipn50

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I failed my rackspace interview today, I've been installing LAMP on Ubuntu and learning some basic stuff about it. They asked me questions like "in Red Hat, where do you go to see how many connections are active?, what's the two boot sequence of Red Hat, where in Red Hat do you go to see the system log?"

Basically anything to do with Red Hat.
 
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