IT BS thread

Looking into going into the IT field. Honestly, I don't have much experience but I'm interested in it and it seems like the type of work environment I would enjoy, along with decent pay, and job security.

Could any of you guys shed some light on this?

 

Hours can suck at times, pay can be good. The biggest thing i've found is customer services is key. Be able to communicate with the "customer", and always finish the job.

 

Indeed.

Some fields you can get into pretty easily without a degree and work your way up - like a low level help desk where you're resetting passwords etc. Just work your way up and find out what you like - and figure out what you need to do it. Some require certs, some will require a 4-year degree... I don't have either right now, and trying to figure out where I want to go myself.

Depending on the cert path you go and how many certs you get, you can easily command 100k+.

 

One of the things I have found, is the best Techs seem to want to play with computers all the time, even when not working. You need to like to learn. IT is always changing and changing fast. You have to be able to keep up.

 

So very true. This is definitely me, I've always enjoyed playing with computers in my free time. If that ever stops, I'll probably stop enjoying my career in IT...

Here's to hoping the desire to learn never stops .

 

This is what I do. I started at my job the week of thanksgiving and love it. Before I worked for a software consulting company and did Operations and assisting the CEO. so Far I really like IT. I work in a Data Center that holds thousands of servers for companies

 

I've never worked "normal" hours. I used to work 60 hours a week at minimum wage, decided I needed to be in school. Enrolled in community college and I've already decided all of these gen. ed. bullshit classes are something I don't want to have to deal with. Hoping something like this can get me out of it.

I think I'm gonna try to get educated on all this through the community college I'm going to now. I'm looking to get certified and jump into a job with enough pay to finally move out.... (aka, buy a 2nd gen taco!)

100k is a number that I like very much.

 

Hahaha, no body starts at 100k. Not like I get paid anywhere near that! My point was, you don't necessairly need a 4-year college degree to get 100k. If you work your way up to say a CCIE, data or voice (which is a long and not simple cert path to take) those dudes get paid very well and again didn't need to get a 4-year degree from a college. I think there's 5 certs before the CCIE, so like I said it's not overnight that you can get to that level .

 

Going on 8 years in the field and i'm still working on that 100k mark. I've been close, but haven't hit it yet. Depending on your desire to learn and move up the ladder will determine if and when you make it to the 100k mark.

 

Haha, no. I definitely do not expect that much anywhere near "soon". If I could make 20k-30k fresh outta school I would be overjoyed. Have absolutely no prob with working my way up. That's how it's supposed to work.

The school I'm going to offers a Cert program and an AS program. I can do both with very little out of pocket. Financial aid has completely covered school thus far.

I also like CAD. Haven't really messed with it much since some engineering classes in high school but it's something I can enjoy.

 

Information Technology

 

Intercepted Turd.

 

Some days i feel like that is what it stands for

 

He's a turd burglar...

 

Most days I feel like it's nothing but damage control.

 

Zach's just here to troll.

Back to discussion:

I fought the bitter end for a CS degree. My work is constant learning, you are your own teacher. I've been in a position where I was on the road to 100k+ and I was just into my 30s, but even at that level I would be pulling ridiculous hours fighting to keep on top of it.

What I'm trying to say is don't go in to a degree simply to prove you can get it. Do something that you can enjoy. You say you love IT - do you love 40 hours a week of it, plus random critical calls at 3AM? Unpaid weekends (you are on salary, after all)? If not, that 100k - even perhaps 50k - mark isn't going to be so nice. But that's what you do. That's what you are. 30 years.

On the flip side, don't let others convince you you're taking 'an easy major'. MIS degrees make some great money and if you like it, that's the key. Laugh at them as they pull their hair out trying to graduate.

 

Talk to Jammdogg. If you are really interested, he'll give you an idea of what the job entails. Keep in mind there's many different things you can go into.

 

The communication bit, big time.

Also yeah, technology is constantly changing. When i got my A+ from CompTIA, Windows Vista/7 wasn't even on there yet as a major part of the test, but most of the basics still remain the same.

This was the book my old computer class instructor back in high school gave me (well same author, i had an older version):

$12 CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide, Seventh Edition (Exams 220-701 & 220-702)

http://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Certi...701-220-702/dp/0071701338/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1

I can definitely say hands on experience is a big thing too, not just book smart. Most of the hardware aspects I learned just from working on my own machine, kind of like our trucks, just on a smaller (and cheaper) scale, and most machines now are pretty much "idiot proof". Things like RAM, SATA cables, Power Connectors,and PCI-E cards can only go in one way.

Oh and welcome to acronyms galore There is so many
Here are some i can think of off the top of my head now
BIOS - Basic Input Output System
I/O - Input Output
IRQ - Interrupt Request(s)
CPU - Central Processing Unit
GPU - Graphics Processing Unit
RAM - Random Access Memory
ROM - Read Only Memory
All the KB/MB/GB/TB - Kilobyte/Megabyte/Gigabyte/Terabyte
OS - Operating System
USB - Universal Serial Bus
PATA - Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment, I just know it as the fat ribbon cables, but don't confuse them for SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) cables.
SATA - Serial Advanced Technology Attachment, has replaced PATA on most systems now. Its usually a red cable, skinny.
CMOS - Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor

 

What i'd recommend is finding an old computer, taking it apart and learn all the parts on the inside. Or build a really cheap machine to get a feel for the innards of a computer, and learn how they work and communicate. Like most devices on the PCI slots will communicate via the south bridge, which is a chip usually with a smallish heat sink to the right of the PCI slots on common ATX boards.

Get acquainted with installing operating systems and partitioning hard drives too.

 

I think what I'm looking into is something more like server maintenance/installation. Is it common to find people that just do that? Or is it better to be more of a do-it-all type person?