Graduating Soon...feeling unprepared

[king_23]

Hello, I am a college student at Baker College. I am pursuing a degree as an Information Technology Support Specialist. I will be graduating around July or August.

For some reason I don't feel all that prepared and I feel like I will struggle to find a job.

Could anyone provide any insights or tips that could help me out? Thanks.

 

[Lexluethar]

Get a few certifications. CompTIA A+ and Net+ are a start.

 

[patonb]

Don't worry.... This is how everyone graduating from any collage or university feels....

It's a lot better once youre out and working.

 

[DistraughtSysop]

It's never too soon to start getting experience. If you can get a part time job in anything IT related, go for it. In addition to A+ and Net+, there are new entry level Microsoft certs geared for students called the Microsoft Technical Associate. It never hurts to be Microsoft certified.

 

[strollin]

Don't worry.... This is how everyone graduating from any collage or university feels....

It's a lot better once youre out and working.

Not in all cases...

In my case, for instance, I worked full-time while attending school full-time. When I graduated I didn't even change jobs so didn't feel unprepared at all.

The point is still valid that you will feel better once you're out and working. If you go into an entry level job right out of college they will expect that you will need to gain new skills for that job.

 

[king_23]

Get a few certifications. CompTIA A+ and Net+ are a start.

I already took courses on these, so wouldn't it be just spending extra money getting the certifications?

Don't worry.... This is how everyone graduating from any collage or university feels....

It's a lot better once youre out and working.

I've heard that a lot. Thank you.

It's never too soon to start getting experience. If you can get a part time job in anything IT related, go for it. In addition to A+ and Net+, there are new entry level Microsoft certs geared for students called the Microsoft Technical Associate. It never hurts to be Microsoft certified.

I do want to start pursuing some certifications. However, since my degree was geared more towards IT support I figured it would be better to start expanding on some programming languages to make myself more versatile.

Not in all cases...

In my case, for instance, I worked full-time while attending school full-time. When I graduated I didn't even change jobs so didn't feel unprepared at all.

The point is still valid that you will feel better once you're out and working. If you go into an entry level job right out of college they will expect that you will need to gain new skills for that job.

You are lucky that you didn't have to change jobs. I actually found out that I need 120 hours of Internship work somewhere as a requirement to graduate. This should help me out a lot.

 

[DistraughtSysop]

I already took courses on these, so wouldn't it be just spending extra money getting the certifications?

The certs do cost money and they are not cheap. However, think of it this way - it's like taking driver's ed but not getting your driver's license. Sure, you'll know how to drive, but the license is what people are going to look for. That being said, entry level certs are not mandatory like a driver's license is. However, they do help pad your resume when you don't have much practical experience to put on there.

I do want to start pursuing some certifications. However, since my degree was geared more towards IT support I figured it would be better to start expanding on some programming languages to make myself more versatile.

It depends on what you're going for. If you're looking for a programming or development position, then languages will help more than certs. Different employers and positions look for different things.

You are lucky that you didn't have to change jobs. I actually found out that I need 120 hours of Internship work somewhere as a requirement to graduate. This should help me out a lot.

That can be good if your school can help you find an internship. I did the same thing at my school, and my internship led to full time employment. If nothing else, that is valuable real world experience that you can put on your resume.

 

[Lexluethar]

Regarding my comment. Sure you can take all the classes you want but without that certification it doesn't mean squat. Just because i took 3 years of college courses does that mean i have my degree? No, to potential employers taking the class doesn't mean squat, what they care about is do you have the paperwork showing you have the degree / certification. I can take a course but until i pass an exam, sitting the course doesn't show i know my stuff. Passing an exam does (well as close to showing that you know your stuff as you can be).

 

[king_23]

The certs do cost money and they are not cheap. However, think of it this way - it's like taking driver's ed but not getting your driver's license. Sure, you'll know how to drive, but the license is what people are going to look for. That being said, entry level certs are not mandatory like a driver's license is. However, they do help pad your resume when you don't have much practical experience to put on there.

It depends on what you're going for. If you're looking for a programming or development position, then languages will help more than certs. Different employers and positions look for different things.

That can be good if your school can help you find an internship. I did the same thing at my school, and my internship led to full time employment. If nothing else, that is valuable real world experience that you can put on your resume.

I see what you mean as far as the driver's license example. However, when you say the languages help more than the certificates, what do you mean by this? I thought there were exams you can take for each programming language that gives you a certification.

Regarding my comment. Sure you can take all the classes you want but without that certification it doesn't mean squat. Just because i took 3 years of college courses does that mean i have my degree? No, to potential employers taking the class doesn't mean squat, what they care about is do you have the paperwork showing you have the degree / certification. I can take a course but until i pass an exam, sitting the course doesn't show i know my stuff. Passing an exam does (well as close to showing that you know your stuff as you can be).

I will have paperwork showing that I have my degree. I don't think it would really be worth it to get the certifications on things that I have already passed the classes for to get my degree.

I do think it's worth it to get the certificates for whatever programming language I want to get into though.

I actually have a cousin who took C++ in college and he was hired as a highly paid intern and he didn't have any certificates showing that he knew C++. All he had was his transcripts showing that he took the class and passed.

I'm not trying to argue with you guys. I just want to question your thoughts so that we can do more discussing so I can learn more. I greatly appreciate hearing other people's advice and opinions.

 

[Lexluethar]

I misread your post. I thought the classes you were taking were outside of college courses, which were geared just towards certifications and not a degree.

You are right - all you need is your degree / transcripts and people will hire you based off that. My point was a lot of people take these classes specifically for certifications, don't ever take the actual certification and just think because they attended a night class for a few weeks they know their stuff. My comments were directed at classes JUST for certifications, not for your degree.

I think programming is a little different than other IT fields. There are programming certifications but they aren't nearly as important as an education or experience. Reason being a good programmer is a mindset and knowing proper technique. It's using 15 lines of code efficiently instead of 50.