The school I'm looking at has a program influenced b local employers who twice Annually discuss the curriculum.
Based on this the course includes A+, N+, CCNA, VM...I believe those are them.
Since I don't have it in front of me I'm not on a by name basis with the certs yet.
I just don't want to find myself trapped in entry level $10 an hour jobs anymore.
For fuchk sake...I have been a fire fighter for 3 years ame laid off I have 6 years fine dining experience (server during college) and can't even get a ******ned server job because 50 retarded college students with no where else to go apply for the same job.
The last server jobI applied for had 2 other firefighters in the area applying for the same position.
That is 3 out of work firefighters for the same $80/day crap job.
WTF?
I'm really burned out by this because I spent the last 2 years working as a seasonal firefighter which amounts to $10/hr annualized. IN hopes I get a full time position.
I need a real skill, that can earn a real living, in a real job that is growing and in demand that no one else can do. .
I love computers and tinkering and building things and making them work.
But I'm so burned out...I'm not just some 18 year olds...I made my mistakes and used up my 9 lives.
I really need to get the next 30 years correct or my kids will grow up poor as dirt.
I'd go for the Associates, then transfer to a bachellors, but the Associates alone, at least in Silicon Valley here in WA, that Associates with A+, and CCNA, will land a lot of entry level $16-22 an hour (starting pay) Network Tech jobs. I"m not finding many who finished the program at the college I'm attending, for instance, who have not obtain "entry level" IT jobs for those wages rather soon from graduation.
The other college further south? same deal. But The region I live in WA, is an IT land. Hundreds of fortune 500, and 100 companies all over the immediate region that I live in, that all take in, and need IT guys. DOminantly network, and network security.
"Entry level" pay here in my region is $18 average. Unless you get a gig in Seattle, which is $23 average from what I"m told by program graduates. With the HUGE surge of IT infrastructure, and mobile development, even Microsoft and Amazon are reducing their requirements of a bachelors in favor of an Associates.
Guys who graduated from my same college, only he did the Digital Graphics (Digital Multimedia) program, he got a job working at a major game developer in California, a couple in his class after this quarter is over, are gaining employment on a developing team for arguably the largest OS Developer in world.
My friend going to Cali is gaining an entry level job fresh out of college with a $28 an hour starting rate. On top of the games he is now selling off of the Google Play Store and STEAM that he created while in class as a joint project with students from the Information Technology program (program I"m going into).
Just the game and programming development he did in school is generating substantial money for him in the paid apps section. He only got his associates and he is very well off.
I'd shoot for the stars dude, get your associates, same deal I am doing. When you graduate, like me, you'll have training and experience to back up your abilities.
I don't know the kind of companies that do internships with your college, but considering the internships for the companies in my region, even internships pay pretty dang good.
As corny as it sounds, I'm really twisting fingers I get an internship with a major school district in the area. 3,300 system network, with 8,000 end users. That's excluding tablets, cellphones issued out, and student use laptops issued out for high school students taking certain classes.
And that's not including the internships they have dealing with he computer networks of a major aerospace manufacturer that is here.
Universities also, have "reverse Bachelors" programs beginning to role out now. Because of what is taught in community colleges, is becoming the same as what they teach in upper level courses of the bachelor degree programs.
And a lot of companies are looking at that fact.
but aside from this gigantic post, do what I"m doing, get your Associates, get formal schooling in A+ and CCNA, A+ for your Orientation of computer hardware and software, and your CCNA for your core networking. AFter that, if your school is like mine, you'll have C++, Java, Javascript, and MCA certs apart of the curriculum.
jctech4u - make your own thread for that
InfoTechNetworking - i think that's a slipper slope. Reason being a lot of those colleges you described are extremely expensive. We have a few like Centriq here in the midwest and it will cost like over 60k to complete the courses. Yes you walk away with certifications IF you pass, but you leave with no experience and literally just the ability to pass the exams. You have to find that good balance of certifications and getting quality experience. Employers back in the day used to just hire you if you had certifications - now people cheat, get brain dumps and go to schools that just train you to pass the exam. Yet these very same people have no real skills to speak of. I've always advised people to go for a standard associates from an accredited school, and to get a few certifications on their own. This way they walk away with quality schooling and the ability to pass exams.
IDNeon - sorry to hear that man, but most people have to start at the bottom. That's like and IT is no different. Your best bet is to get a few certifications and try to land an entry level position. i had a BS in Human Resources and realized i wanted to go into IT (always was IT driven before). I passed my A+, Net+ and got my MCP in Vista then landed my first IT job. I was there for 2 years before moving onto a higher level position. Nothing is easy.
What i look for in a resume is quality experience and certifications. I want to see you are a driven individual and you are someone who gets sh!t done. Someone that if given a large project wouldn't want a vendor to come in and do the work for them, they want to do the work themselves.
Colleges aren't expensive at all, they are just public community colleges. In total I"m only paying $8,000 a year after books and fees. If you would like I can send you the links via private e-mail the types of community colleges in the area and further south if you'd like to get into contact with their faculty?
I would heavily encourage looking at community college graduates, as well if you aren't already.
