IT Careers

[Zer0sFamiliar]

Originally Posted by TheBlackSheep [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Not a retarded question at all. The courses don't really have a set duration unless you are taking it at technical school or organized certification course. I took most of mine after reading the books and participating in some study groups with some fellow engineers that I work with. We all took the exams on our own time, which was immediately for some, and a few months later for others.

Cisco certification paths generally expire after 3 years. MS certs expire or become inactive when Microsoft discontinues and/or significantly upgrades an aspect of their technology enough that they feel it requires a re-cert.

All you need to know about MS Certs (scroll down to the lifespan subsection):

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en...rted.aspx#tab3

Cisco:

http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le...aths_home.html

VMWare:

http://mylearn.vmware.com/portals/certification/

Azorath

Awesome, thank you

[Aenor]

If you have your CCNA or are well on your way to it and are looking for a job in Atlanta or Seattle, PM me.

[stayne]

Find an IT job at a hospital. Trust me...you don't need a degree. Go through a hiring agency.

[moklianne]

Be ready to donate a lot of time or take a job making jack for a couple of years, since the industry is mainly looking for experience first, then bachelors degrees in IT, then certs.

The only certs worth anything are the Cisco ones and VMware ones. Since network security will increasingly be a problem, the CISSP (and related) is sought after as well and will continue to be.

On another note, programmers are still pretty heavily sought after, even with all of the outsourcing to developing nations lately.

[Proven Guilty]

Originally Posted by TheBlackSheep [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Not to mention, any IT guy worth a damn wouldn't own a Linksys.

Azorath

lolwut

DD-WRT

[Proven Guilty]

Originally Posted by Klendathu [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

What everyone has said here rings true, so i won't rehash it. But I will offer this: don't get into IT unless you really like doing it. The people that I know that are good at it are people that are passionate about it. They have extensive home networks, their spouses bitch at them for always having some "project" laying around in some sordid state of disarray.

To add a lot of the advice, work on virtualization above all if you want to get your feet wet in the industry. You will learn more through virtualized servers than through any other channel right now. Also, don't stick to one technology. There are several platforms you can learn on, for free, using even a spare computer or retired business hand-me-down.

VMWare
Citrux XenCenter
Linux KVM

etc, etc

If you can get comfortable with staging, installing multiple operating systems on different levels of hardware, and learning how to harness everything they have to offer (storage, number crunching, DNS, databases, security, etc) then the sky is the limit. Find out what seems to be the most entertaining. You'll know once you find yourself working 12 hour weekend shifts for free as an intern while going to school.

I never went to school, and wish I did. With 14 years of experience, I find myself in Rogean's shoes of usually doing others' job without having the paper to back my own skills.

Also, get more into Linux and BSD than Microsoft products. The world is evolving and even Microsoft is adopting a lot of linux technologies. Apple products are based on BSD and apply very closely to Linux. Ubuntu or Mint are great desktop replacements that will allow you to get some real world exposure, and not be SO much to learn that you can't even use your computer for doing homework on. (Debian based OS), but don't let me stop you from compiling linuxfromscratch on that old Pentium2 400Mhz box you've had in the closet all these years. [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Edit: Forgot to mention, don't shy away from Microsoft products either. You can download 160+ day free trials of their latest and greatest. Install a SBS2011 server, setup a POP3 connector and a smartmail host and play around with a faux business email / etc. Register a domain and just go to town. Don't shy away from any one technology just because someone thinks one route will be better for you. Just find what you're enjoying working on, and roll with it.

Lastly, I think people that progress their development/programming/scripting background have a much better transition as well as ability to learn than those that just stick with hardware/software support.

[Brawk]

Get accounting degree
Get accounting job
Work 3-4 years
Learn financial accounting products
Move to an IT support role maintaining those products
Earn $200k+

Every company has an accounting department and most prefer support be on site. Not in some 3rd world country.

[dusk883]

If you have people skills in the IT world, there is no limit to the amount of money you can make in the field.

[Klendathu]

Ah, Information Technology: Employing the socially inept for decades.

[visage]

Originally Posted by purest [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Lets just take a look at your original quote which suggests that people can somehow discharge or be able to escape their student loans, a claim that is 100% false.



Miss a few student loans:

-Wage garnishment by a court order
-Suspension of state professional licenses
-Garnishment of social security/disability income
-Withholding IRS tax refunds

There is no statute of limitations, you WILL pay your student loans, even if it has to be deducted from your social security checks or those of your cosigner

You will never escape your student loans or be able to discharge them.

Pro-Tip: Next time spend 15 seconds and do a little research before hitting "Submit Reply". It could very easily mean the difference between a being a smart ass or looking like a dumb ass.

LOL Purest has owned you!