Question for computer techs

[strollin]

What company?

What company, when? I worked for a number of companies over my career. The company I just retired from was Oracle. The company I worked the longest for was IBM.

 

[pete.i]

I also got my electronics training in the military but it's not for everyone. After I got out I went on to school and got an AA degree in Electronics and a BS in Management. I probably could have done as well had I skipped the stint in the military and went straight to school.

As pointed out, computer techs don't make that good of a living but you can use your technical background to leapfrog into other areas. I spent my early career as a tech but then switched to software and just retired after working 30 years as a programmer/software engineer.

That's certainly where the money is. I did try to leapfrog from teching to programming but, to me, it was mind numbingly boring. I did okay as a tech but only just. I'm now retired but I still dabble and whilst it doesn't pay much it's the side of computers and electronics that interests me.

 

[cb600fshornet]

In the UK we have excellent apprenticeship schemes which result in you getting a degree for free. (and being paid by the sponsoring company). Might be worth looking into something equivalent to that in the US.

I'm currently 3 years into mine and enjoying it. On a good wage doing work I enjoy doing for a company with an excellent reputation. (Software Engineering)

 

[Technician1]

Working at anything that pays well even if you hate it will not work out in the end, do what you like best and are best at doing and invest any extra money you make, all your tax refunds, etc. and in time your unearned income will exceed your earned income and then you can decide if you want to keep working in that field or do something else or just retire.
It's what I did.

 

[setishock]

Doing what you like best doesn't always work out. Those life lesson get learned when you can take a job you hate and turn it in to a love affair with the job and the company. I worked a few jobs I really didn't care for. But they put a roof over my head, food on the table, and paid the bills. Once I got some time on the job I figured out what I hated and made personal adjustments. Smooth sailing after that.