starting over in life, want to get into computer-related job

[IvyGreen]

Hello. I'm new to this forum. Bear with me if my topic and my questions seem a bit simplistic but I'm having a difficult time finding an appropriate forum online in which to ask this question so I hope this one's okay.

I'm looking to change careers and I'm not in an IT related field at all. I'm also 40 years old with not a lot of college education. I love using my home computer, have good computing aptitude, and think I'd like to do something computer related. I am willing to go back to school to achieve my goal, but I am not sure at all what specialty or positions to go after.

Where can I find the simplest, "user friendly" (that is, not dry reading) information about the duties of typical IT jobs (including entry level), e.g. jobs' duties, training needed, job outlook and wages info. Any good books that you know of, or, websites/online discussion groups with this kind of information ? I am possibly/partially interested in pursuing more info about jobs related to Data Privacy and Security as well.

Please don't recommend the government's Occupational Handbook online as that site is TOTALLY dry to the bone reading when it comes to job descriptions.

Thanks for your help.
Ivy

 

[jaeusm]

You could start by searching this forum. Many people have posted questions similar to yours. Afterward, use Google to find more.

 

[IvyGreen]

Thanks for your suggestions, jaeusm. Actually I was reading this forum section quite a bit before I posted my question. But I didn't actually find a question similar to mine, asking for the kind of details that I am.

Googling led me to this forum. :classic:

 

[jaeusm]

If you don't want to read the government's Occupational Handbook (I think it's your best bet -- job descriptions are going to be dry no matter who writes them), then we can start from the top. At the highest level, I think computer-related jobs can be broken down into two groups - those that are concerned with software development and those that aren't.

Software developers create applications and programs using programming languages like Java, C#, C++, C, and many more. Typically, these people work as programmers or software engineers. In terms of education, they usually have degrees in computer science, software engineering, or computer engineering.

Non-software development jobs deal with technical support, network design, IT management, and other jobs that are concerned with supporting, maintaining, and upgrading a company's infrastructure. Many of these jobs require certifications and possibly degrees in areas like management information systems and information technology.

Each of these areas can be further subdivided into more specific groups. I'm a software developer, so if you have any specific questions about that line of work, I can try to answer them. As for the non-software development jobs, someone else working in that position could probably give you a much better description. Maybe you should have asked forum members to describe their own jobs -- that might be more beneficial to you.

 

[elitesoldier]

If you don't want to read the government's Occupational Handbook (I think it's your best bet -- job descriptions are going to be dry no matter who writes them), then we can start from the top. At the highest level, I think computer-related jobs can be broken down into two groups - those that are concerned with software development and those that aren't.

Software developers create applications and programs using programming languages like Java, C#, C++, C, and many more. Typically, these people work as programmers or software engineers. In terms of education, they usually have degrees in computer science, software engineering, or computer engineering.

Non-software development jobs deal with technical support, network design, IT management, and other jobs that are concerned with supporting, maintaining, and upgrading a company's infrastructure. Many of these jobs require certifications and possibly degrees in areas like management information systems and information technology.

Each of these areas can be further subdivided into more specific groups. I'm a software developer, so if you have any specific questions about that line of work, I can try to answer them. As for the non-software development jobs, someone else working in that position could probably give you a much better description. Maybe you should have asked forum members to describe their own jobs -- that might be more beneficial to you.

Yup that pretty much sums it up, except you forgot computer engineering (or EECS at some schools, but they pretty much teach the same thing as computer engineering). Computer engineers work on building curcuit boards and programming them. They usually build embedded devices like the operating system running in your IPOD or the computers in your cars. They will usually use low level programming languages to program for those devices such as assembly or C.

 

[FrankLDS]

Right now a growing field is computer forensics. If you ever watched CSI or NCIS you have an idea of the type of work they do. Also, I am starting over because of a spinal injury and I am over fifty. I started with www.Kaplan.edu. I am learning alot. Also, people here are extremely knowledgeable. If I am able to understand what they are talking about in a year, my education will be worthwhile.

 

[Aspirin]

If it were fifteen years ago, I would recommend a helpdesk or tech support job. They were easy to get back then, paid a good starting wage, and often led into information systems, networking, and programming careers.

Today there are far fewer due to the mass outsourcing of these jobs overseas to places like India and Ireland. Many programmers have complained of the outsourcing trend in their areas as well to me. Some are still around though. What's hot right now for entry level people is accounting. Tell me how are you at accounting?

 

[jaeusm]

Today there are far fewer due to the mass outsourcing of these jobs overseas to places like India and Ireland.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that there are more IT jobs available today than at the height of the dot-com boom. "The computer systems design and related services industry is expected to experience rapid growth, adding 453,000 jobs between 2004 and 2014."

 

[Aspirin]

That's true but software programmers and call centers are being hit hard. So are some IS jobs. And those numbers DO include a lot of fairly new job categories that don't require a lot of skill such as Verizon DSL installers.

Mass layoff statistics (MLS) at the Bureau only cover thru 2004 and do assert jobs being lost do to relocation.

"A recent report in CIO magazine recounts a successful of software offshore outsourincg in India. The use of cheaper labor in the developing world has been happening for years. However, offshore outsourcing is now becoming the standard for many North American companies. As more and more companies make use of this process, certain best practices are becoming established."

69% of companies outsource now. Check the graph at this site to see what's being outsourced:
http://www.bellsoftinc.com/outsourcing_s_method.asp

Cognizant 13,000; Hewlett-Packard 10,000; Oracle 6,000; IBM 6,000; and General Electric 2,500. Even Perot-founded EDS employs 1,500 there in India just as a sample. Picking up the phone today and looking for support anymore in the tech sector usually means talking to someone overseas.

Currently India and China combined crank out five times more engineering graduates every year than the United States, a seemingly endless supply.

This article gets it right I think: Information Week http://www.informationweek.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=186500843

Despite the growth of outsourcing and a consolidating tech industry, more Americans were employed in IT last quarter than at any other time in the nation's history.

IT employment in the United States reached a record high of 3.472 million in the 12 months ended March 31, surpassing the 3.455 million IT workers employed the previous quarter and at the end of third quarter of 2001, the height of the dot-com employment boom, according to InformationWeek's analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

The number of employed and unemployed Americans calling themselves IT professionals--the IT labor force--stood at 3.56 million at the end of the first quarter, the highest number since the end of 2001, when some 3.574 million people held or sought IT jobs.

In the past quarter, the IT unemployment rate stood at 2.5%, the lowest level since early 2001, when the jobless rate held at 2.3%. At the end of the first quarter of 2005, 3.7% of IT pros found themselves out of work.

The news isn't all positive. The number of Americans developing and managing software--an amalgamation of four job categories--declined from the previous high, no doubt affected in part by the hiring of foreign workers, whether here on H-1B visas or through offshore outsourcing. The overall software category includes computer programmers, scientists and analysts, software engineers, and database administrators.

Since late 2001, the number of computer and IS managers grew by 91,000, or 31%, to 373,000 last quarter, at a time when the overall IT workforce increased by only 7,000 people. "IT management occupations appear to thrive in a global economy and appear to be increasing at a very healthy rate," says Roy Lawson, a software developer and board member of the Programmers Guild, an IT workers' advocacy group. "Unfortunately for the overall IT occupation, management jobs are a small percentage of total IT jobs." IT managers made up 11% of the IT workforce last quarter, up from 8% in late 2001.

Not surprisingly, data shows a 20% decrease in the number of computer programmers--programming is perceived as a commodity skill that can be outsourced offshore--while the percentage of software engineers, a job usually recognized as requiring greater expertise, increased by 15% between fall 2001 and early 2006.

 

[IvyGreen]

"Maybe you should have asked forum members to describe their own jobs -- that might be more beneficial to you."

Thanks for all your suggestions, *everybody.* Jaeusm , you had a great thought with that quote above. So now then, I'll post a little questionaire like that on this thread. Anybody who's interested in helping, please reply, thanks.

About Your IT Job
(1) What is your official job title ?
(2) What are your actual job duties on a daily basis, and hours weekly?
(3) What kind of company do you work for in this capacity or are you self-employed, freelance or the boss ?
(4) What amount of education/ training do you have in general ?
(5) What education, training do you have that got you employed in your current job ?
(6) What's your work environment like ? Do you work in an office or travel around to do your job ?
(7) Are your details typical of people with your job title/ specialty or is your position unusual or different from the norm and how ?
(8) (If you wish to divulge) Approximately what is your salary ?
(9) Are there positions in your company (or elsewhere) to which you could advance with your current skills and some tenure ? Or would you need more training in your field to advance to what you aspire ?

I guess I'll think up more questions as I get a few more details from you. Ivy