Honeybee1999
Beta member
- Messages
- 2
- Location
- California
Hello everyone. I've been a lurker for a while and decided to jump in to ask a few questions.
I am interested in changing careers to the IT field. However, I'm not sure what specific area I am most interested in. I can see myself as possibly a system administrator at some point in the future, but I know I need to work my way up to that. I briefly (for a year) worked as an in-house help desk technician for a private company installing, maintaining, and troubleshooting their PCs under supervision of their IT manager. They sent me to a couple of one-day training classes for basic networking, hardware, etc. I transferred into that job from being a filing clerk, and they weren't actively recruiting for it as an open position, so I didn't have to really sell myself as a computer whiz to get it. But that was over 12 years ago and the IT world is almost unrecognizable from those days.
From that point, 9/11 happened and I realized how fleeting life can be, so I made the idealistic choice of pursuing my passion, and left that job to earn a BS degree in Animal Science. Then my particular branch of Animal Science was hit hard by the economic downturn (my specialization is the equine industry, and horses are a luxury that many can't afford in the best of times...even more so now).
So now I find myself cycling back around to thinking of a career in IT again. It is a steadily growing career field and pay is still decent. It seems like competition for jobs is pretty high now, though.
So my questions are these: Seeing as I already have a BS, would it be most beneficial for me to go back to school to earn a second BS in Computer Science? Or how about a BS in Information Technology? Or would I be better off starting up the certification ladder, starting with A+ and working up from there? From what I've seen online, most non-entry level jobs require a BS in Computer Science, and I can understand that as it is important to know the theories behind it all. But if I don't necessarily have to go back through school for another degree (and add more debt), then I would like to avoid that. But if I do need that degree to get anywhere past entry-level, then I am willing to go that route eventually.
Also, I enjoy science and technology and problem solving, but math has never been my strongest subject. I believe I have a mild form of dyscalculia, but I haven't been diagnosed. How crippling would that be to a career in IT? I understand computer science is heavily math-based. I can do math, I am just slower at it than most. I passed my college algebra and statistics classes with Bs. Am I setting myself up for a life of frustration by even considering a career in IT? Or are there career options within IT that are light on the math? In that case, would a degree in Information Technology rather than Computer Science be a better fit?
I know, so many questions. I have been saving these up for a while, and the time is coming for me to make a decision on my future career plans. Thanks in advance for any help or insight you can give me.
-Melissa
I am interested in changing careers to the IT field. However, I'm not sure what specific area I am most interested in. I can see myself as possibly a system administrator at some point in the future, but I know I need to work my way up to that. I briefly (for a year) worked as an in-house help desk technician for a private company installing, maintaining, and troubleshooting their PCs under supervision of their IT manager. They sent me to a couple of one-day training classes for basic networking, hardware, etc. I transferred into that job from being a filing clerk, and they weren't actively recruiting for it as an open position, so I didn't have to really sell myself as a computer whiz to get it. But that was over 12 years ago and the IT world is almost unrecognizable from those days.
From that point, 9/11 happened and I realized how fleeting life can be, so I made the idealistic choice of pursuing my passion, and left that job to earn a BS degree in Animal Science. Then my particular branch of Animal Science was hit hard by the economic downturn (my specialization is the equine industry, and horses are a luxury that many can't afford in the best of times...even more so now).
So now I find myself cycling back around to thinking of a career in IT again. It is a steadily growing career field and pay is still decent. It seems like competition for jobs is pretty high now, though.
So my questions are these: Seeing as I already have a BS, would it be most beneficial for me to go back to school to earn a second BS in Computer Science? Or how about a BS in Information Technology? Or would I be better off starting up the certification ladder, starting with A+ and working up from there? From what I've seen online, most non-entry level jobs require a BS in Computer Science, and I can understand that as it is important to know the theories behind it all. But if I don't necessarily have to go back through school for another degree (and add more debt), then I would like to avoid that. But if I do need that degree to get anywhere past entry-level, then I am willing to go that route eventually.
Also, I enjoy science and technology and problem solving, but math has never been my strongest subject. I believe I have a mild form of dyscalculia, but I haven't been diagnosed. How crippling would that be to a career in IT? I understand computer science is heavily math-based. I can do math, I am just slower at it than most. I passed my college algebra and statistics classes with Bs. Am I setting myself up for a life of frustration by even considering a career in IT? Or are there career options within IT that are light on the math? In that case, would a degree in Information Technology rather than Computer Science be a better fit?
I know, so many questions. I have been saving these up for a while, and the time is coming for me to make a decision on my future career plans. Thanks in advance for any help or insight you can give me.
-Melissa