what would any of you suggest for an occupation?

i think im planning on going to college for computer science or something of the like. or else going to a computer tech school

what types of occupations are best to study for? im sort of uneducated on what types of jobs are available.

how does being a unix system admin for some company pay somone was telling me that you just set everything up and it should run good and you are just on call for when it messes up otherwise you dont have to do any work.. this type of job would be nice =)...or how do other types of jobs pay
gimmie some ideas of what some good things are to study for...
any help woud be appreciated eh?
thanks alot

A degree and ten years of experience will maybe get you a unix system admin position. And it's not as easy as your friend made it out to be...

Where do you live? IT jobs in the USA are very very hard to come by due to the economy and it'll probably be this way for a few more years.

yeah basically you're looking at or until someone retires or quit or get fired :(

im thinking about going to st. paul technical college
i dont know then cause they say that they have 90 to 100 % placement.... odd hmm well what subjucts does anyone suggest or what is the best. by the best i mean most fun so to speak also with good pay

Assuming you are computer literate to a decent degree (do you build your own PC's?, does your family use you as tech support?) you might want to try looking at some contracting jobs, something like desktop rollouts or desktop support (not phone support unless you like the idea or being a desk jockey, as it's not too varied, and can get boring quickly). You will find a lot of variety in your work and most probably will fall into the kind of role you fit well in.

It really is no good to be earning $80k in a job you hate, you wouldn't last too long in it, even with good money.

get your foot in the door and sniff around until you find something you like, then work your way up the ladder, you'll end up earning similar amounts of cash, but hopefully if you followed what you enjoyed you'll be happier with it.

I went from working in a computer retail store on less than $15k to having my own company and contracting, pulling in about $65k before tax (only 20% tax though:D ) in less than 2 years, and that 64k contract was the worst one I ever had, and it made me miserable, and I couldn't make myself happy, even with all that money (I was almost glad it all went down the toilet. almost). I hate to sound like your father, but it's true, make sure you find something that you like and stick to it, you'll thank yourself in the long run.

***viBe***
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yes i am computer literate and i have done lots of work on my own pc taking it all apart putting in new parts etc etc fixed pc's for friends and for family with hardware and software probs so i know a fair amount ive had quit a bit of experience

yah and i do know what you mean by doing something you like and doing something that just makes alot of money ive had jobs where i do something thats not really stressful to me but the pay is less

where ive had a job that is very stressful but there is alot more pay.. but by the end of the day im beat dead and hating the job and grumpy etc etc...



well i hope this helps me decide what i want to study in school




anyone went through a tech school or did most of you go to a 4+ year college??

and thanks for all the help

ive always wanted to develope games.........probobly sounds stupid, huh:rolleyes:

yah that'd be fun to do if you could be like the designer and write the plot and everything have a game just the way you want it

you gotta get quite an education to do that im pretty sure though... maybe not heh maybe you just need $$ for it

If you like getting up to go to work, you've already won half the battle.
Finding a job you like is 50%, finding one that pays well is the other 50%.
A good balance of the 2 is whats needed.

I started out studying computer science+electronics, physics and maths (A-Level) and French (??)

I soon discovered which ones I hated and which I liked and was naturally good at, computers.

So I left and worked in a paper companies sales office (??!!)
Then in a Finance office (???!!!) where my IT skills showed through, and finally got a job for the same company in the IT dept.
Over the last 3 years since joining the company, my salary has tripled (I'm only 22 and own a house worth double my parents' house)

Moral of the story:
1.Get your foot in the door and have clear goals/aims (V.important - never be content with where you are, strive for more)
2.Any job is better than none because it shows willing and gets you experience. I went from being at the bottom of the ladder to where I am now and the management love it, it shows I'm not afraid to graft and that I DO have ambition.
3.Good luck, theres thousands just like you out there, set yourself apart from them.

thanks for the inspiration cheeky

how long did you go to school for?
im thinking of studying networking type of things
ive done some programming but its not really what im interested in it gets boring for me sort of

well thanks

I went to a temp agency, although they'd call it a contracting company...they got me a nice job as Tech Support for one of the top 3 banks in the country...I did not go to school nor do I have any certificates...but I do know my way around computers and I take orders and directions and I am a self starter.

Elevator Engineer!!!!! :cool:

Decent money, good perks, allways required,
I did it for 9 years. (United Technologies) Heard of them?

If any young ones are interested...we desperately need automotive electronic techs in the industry.

It's not far from PC's anymore, with multiplexed (servers), clients, 9-17 node networks on board, flashable EEPROMS (think BIOS).

The pay is good IF you are good at it, and the hours aren't bad either. it only takes a couple of years to get certified, but the on-going training is continuous!

P.S.-I'm not a headhunter, but as a (good) automotive electrical tech, I'm backlogged with vehicles sent from wholesalers, dealers, etc..and the industry could use some serious help!:eek:

All sound advice, I'm getting visions of my old careers teacher waffling on and on and on and on . . . . .aaaargh

In reply to your question, I went:
High school 5 years aged 11-16 (GCSE's)
College for 2 Years aged 16-18 (A-levels)
Part time degree (1 day at college rest in work) aged 18-20
then got into the job/company I'm in now.

For the sort of jobs I'm looking at doing next I have all the relevant qualifications, I just need 4 years experience or more, so I know where I'm going, it also gives me a good idea of what my salary will be if I get those sorts of jobs in 2 to 3 years and I can't wait !!

You've plenty of options and at the end of the day, if you don't like it, move/change while you're still young and it doesn't matter so much. It's harder later when you have more responsibilities and huge bills to pay (I'm told !)

wow cheeky you graduated very early you were only 16
thats quite impressive

well all of these responses helped me out quite a bit

I just started Law school and I have to say that it is an interesting field. It is also quite profitable. Several grads of my school were hired right out of school into private firms in the 120K range last year. Thats more than the professors with years of experience make. You don't have to chase the dollar though, there are many other ways to make a satidfying living. Help the poor. Prosecute criminals. Teach. Work immigration law to help people come into the country. Work intellectual property law and be a player in the tech industry (very big area in law right now). Many options are available to you with a law degree. One of the best parts, I think, is that law is something you can do as long as you still have a good head on your shoulders - and once you start to go senile then you can teach. Hahahha. It is quite expensive though so that also may be a factor to you. I will graduate with around 120k in debt. That is no small change. When you are paying so much for school you have to do good which makes it very stressful. Oh well I am rambling now.

El_Brio

You might consider integrating your computer education aspirations into the medical field! There are several medical based jobs (sometimes referred to as Allied Health) which are optimized with a strong computer science background. I work in Radiology and combine the medical knowledge with recent advances applicable to the use of computers in the Radiology Field. The pay is good and job security seemingly without end.
:r

actually if you've ever taken business courses.. then the first thing you learn is that you have 2 options..

1 is to play it safe and work for someone the rest of your life earning less than the person above you

or

play it risky and take a chance opening your own business and perhaps be one of those millionaires over night


if you study a lot of people who are very sucessful.. you will notice that once their companies start up.. they sell it within the first 2-5 months and move on to create a new business