I am currently enrolled in our local community college. I want to get some kind of degree in that field. Can anyone who is currently in these fields, or working toward them. Heres the link for the school catalog. Its a pdf file. ignore the page numbers on the catalog, its pages 38-40 on the reader.
Thanks.

oh btw, I was leaning toward network administrator.

hehe oops, heres the link http://cbc2.org/instruction/catalog/...dcatalogv4.pdf

Hi, I'm not quite sure what exactly your question was in your last post, it looks like you finished your question too early

Quote: Can anyone who is currently in these fields, or working toward them.

...

Anyway, I got my CS degree at a university which didn't offer any options, and concentrated heavily on math. I ended up minoring in Math because of all the requirements. Looking at your school's catalog, I would go for an Associate of Applied Science in Computer Science with concentration in Network Administration. If you plan to continue possibly to a 4-year college or university I would take as many math classes as you can. If not, go for a network certification. Can't go wrong with a degree + certification. Also, keep in mind that network administration requires some knowledge of programming Best of luck with your education, it's well worth it.

My best advice I can give you right now is to try to get a helpdesk or apprentice job as a network admin to see if it's what you want to do. I used to want to be one til one day I was one. Now I'm back in school going for something else. It's a complete differnet job then one would imagine in my opinion.

oh heh heh sorry bout that. Yeah I want to know if people have these kinds of jobs what they think of them! I used to think that programming sounded boring, but the thought of creating something out of nothing actually is starting to sound kinda fun!

I can't say this for all positions, it's not like this everywhere, but I spend most of my day dealing with typical business bs rather than actual coding. There's a major line in the world of IT.. Sales vs. IT.. one side goes out and makes promises, the other is expected to deliver and make it happen. Coding was more boring in school because you had more time and were coding in more of a complex scenario because of the complexity of the assignment (e.g something easy to write in Java that you had to simulate in C). In real life there's a huge time constraint and demand for getting it done, so it's more like having to hurry. Like I said, it's not like this everywhere but every position I've been in, and for many others, it's more of rush. There is a sense of accomplishment "making something out of nothing". Unfortunatley, it's all about time time time and money money money. Go rent the movie Office Space and watch it, that will give you a good idea of the world of IT

From what I've seen in the three IT departments I've worked in, there are some plusses and minuses to either network admin or programmer positions.

On the plus side, the network admin isn't stuck sitting at a desk as much as the programmers. He also seems to have more variety in his job. There's fulfillment there too in getting things to run better, and often the people you help will be able to thank you to your face (programmers often don't meet the majority of people who use their programs).

On the minus side, a network admin often has to start out in desktop support -- which has its plusses too, but usually pays less than an entry-level programmer. Also, a network admin is often on call 24/7 and works more weekends than most of us programmers.

As Specialblend said, you may be able to get a helpdesk job to see if you'd like it. Often they'll train you on the job, provided you're somewhat technically adept. The most important thing is to like what you do of course, cause 95% of the time the pay/recognition/benefits won't be enough to offset the everyday bs for long.

OK, try this out for size.

Forget IT for now, it's a fast and changing world out there. If you told me that in 10 years there won't be a need for network admins as we see them today, I would not be able to argue with you. That entire field is dependant on the way we do business on the internet and current generations of network structures. If that changes with a sweet new bit of technology, Network Admin go bye-bye..

Go major in Mathematics, not just because you are likely to almost have a minor anyway but because it's the smart play. Mathematics is NOT about solving mathematical equations, mathematics is about solving real problems using mathematic principles. Keep your attention focused on the words "solving problems".

Employers love math majors, I mean this, they really do. Look at it this way, I have two guys applying for my software engineering position that's open in my business, (the last guy's dog ate him). Guy #1 has a software engineering degree but he is fresh out of school, Guy #2 is a math major and also just graduated. Hm, Hm, descissions, descissions, what do I do ?

Well, no matter which one I hire, I still have to train them, the software engineer guy has been tought some techniques and such, but the schools are always outa date. This other guy is a math major, he was taught how to solve problems and that is more important, techniques are nice, but knowing how to ID, quantify, and find solutions for problems is more important because ALL business is problems.

OK, I think you get the idea here, finish the BA in math, then you have a couple of options, push for the Masters, Go get a job and get on with it, or join the military and get a job that will require a Top Secret Security Clearance. That TS Clearance is worth alot, because there is an entire industry level out there that is completely closed to you if you don't have one.

Boing
Northrup Grumman
Lockhead Martin
General Dynamics
Anteon
L3 Commuications

And a whole bunch more all employ guys and gals with TS Clearances, do yourself a favor, go get one while your young, don't worry, they will feed you, clothe you, and give you spending cash, and tuition assistance while your in, and college funding after you get out. It's an option that you should at least consider. Once you finish with the military and have that clearance, get hired, don't worry you will. Then use that college money and get you additional schooling in whatever part of the IT industry works for you. You company may pay for part of that as well saving you some of your Military funds which you can still go out and use later.

In the IT industry, learning never ever stops. You stop learning and your going to stop getting pay checks.

Agreed somewhat with Icpiper Math is very important dispite what you might hear elsewhere, as far as IT, you can never go wrong with math.

Quote: Well, no matter which one I hire, I still have to train them, the software engineer guy has been tought some techniques and such, but the schools are always outa date.

What do you mean by this? If he is fresh out of college, he isn't out of date. If he graduated 10 years ago and hasn't worked since, then yes he would be out of date. How are schools out of date? I'm sorry but somebody with a Computer Science degree vs someone with just a Math degree can't compare when it comes to programming or designing software.

Four years ago I was in the same situation you are. I decided to go to the local community college and get a degree in "PC/Midrange Programming", thinking that I would learn everything there was to learn about programming. After I realized that I was completely mistaken, I switched out of the programming tract in favor of their "AA For Transfer" degree.

Basically, my school had an agreement with several of the 4-year colleges in the surrounding areas that an "AA For Transfer" degree was equivalent to completion of all general education requirements. This is ideal (and popular) for two reasons: community college is way cheaper than a 4 year university, and the classes are way easier.

Anyway, I am now working on a major in Computer Science and minor in Business at Western Illinois University, and I couldn't be happier with the quality of education. The biggest difference is that they do not teach you how to do things, they teach you why, and by teaching you that, you can figure things out for yourself.

What I am trying to get at is that if you are really serious about getting into a computer related field, you really need to think about going to a 4-year university. With the job market the way it is (saturated), you have a much better chance at getting a job if you have a BS rather than an AS. Employers know the difference between community college graduates and university graduates and obviously prefer to hire the latter.

As for the specific degree you should get, I personally feel that a "generic" Computer Science degree would be the most advantageous because you will be able to do both programming and networking (as well as any other IT related job).