technology career with a psych degree?

bigmac155

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hello all, this is my first post so please if i do something wrong u can correct me. ok here we go.

i started my college career in a community college. my goal then was to get into a better school obv. so i got into binghamton university 2 years later. i had to choose a major, so i chose econ bc i took 2 econ courses in cc and i thought it was cool. as i went into binghamton, econ was WAY too hard for me. i couldnt do it. i was failing. so i had to make a decision, i decided to withdraw from those courses and switch my major to psychology. the reason why i picked this was bc i took 3 psych courses in cc and i thought it was really interesting. also being the fact that i was behind in credits due to half of them being transfered. i chose psych so i wouldnt be WAY behind. fast forward to this coming year, my last year.

im 22 years old, going to graduate with a B.A. in psych in spring 2016. unfortunately, i dont want to continue studying psych after i graduate. my real passion is technology. i love everything about it. the advancements, app developing, softwares. more of hands on kind of stuff since i have very poor reading skills. my resume sucks cause every summer since i started college i had to have knee surgery due to a torn ACL. i have no internships cause of my knee. when i graduate the only thing i will have is a psych degree, and i wanna do technology? i feel like im in a bit of a pickle. ive been talking to people, guidance counselors, but still i need more guidance.

i guess what im asking here is did anyone have the same situation as me or graduated with a psych degree and did something completely different and how? the one thing i want to do for the rest of my life is working with technology, i know thats very broad but thats also why im posting this. i need ideas, in depth advice on technology and how to pursue it with a psych degree. ive been researching a lot so please dont say that. this post is part of me researching IMO.

i dont know where to start at all. i have to have another surgery in december so i cant intern during the winter. my hands r tied and i really need some guidance/experience with this.

sorry for the long post, and thank you for your help :)
 
Well a few options, can you make it through on self-study with the basics such as CompTIA A+?

The CompTIA A+ has gotten me a great deal of decomp work which is basically allowing a certified technician to come into a store, remove the equipment and tag it in a bag.

CompTIA will also allow some low-end networking configuration, but mainly you'd be in a help desk support role. with a psychologist degree, I do see more managerial role or supervisory. If so, maybe a reporting language will be helpful with some familiarity with microsoft excel.
 
Well a few options, can you make it through on self-study with the basics such as CompTIA A+?

The CompTIA A+ has gotten me a great deal of decomp work which is basically allowing a certified technician to come into a store, remove the equipment and tag it in a bag.

CompTIA will also allow some low-end networking configuration, but mainly you'd be in a help desk support role. with a psychologist degree, I do see more managerial role or supervisory. If so, maybe a reporting language will be helpful with some familiarity with microsoft excel.

i have been speaking to some friends and some of them mentioned to me to look into mobile software bootcamps. there i could learn the software of ios or android.
do u think i would have a nice career if i go along that way?
 
As a product developer for iOS and Android is pretty popular. If we're talking large software development, it would be best if you take some courses that encourage proper coding structure and rules. The bootcamps are great for a flash course on learning the software language specifically then following up with education.

Most companies who are looking for programmers of any kind look at traditional education (college degree, certification) and experience. If you take up on the software developer route, I encourage a certification some where then a few companies that offer temp positions along with some other work.
 
I have a BS in Human Resources and I've been in IT ever since i graduated. I held a managementish job during college but I graduated in the summer and the following spring I landed my first IT job.

I've now been in IT for about 8 years and moved up from help desk to a sys admin role.

Since it sounds like you are unsure where you want to go in IT (IT is VERY broad) I would suggest studying a group of items first and find what you are passionate about. I would suggest getting your A+ and Net+ certifications which will give you a very basic / broad hardware and networking foundation. From there I would suggest getting a Microsoft Certification in Windows 7 or Windows 10 (Not sure if the Windows 10 one is out yet). From there you will have a broad foundation of hardware, networking and OS.

Once you complete those three (or it might occur during your studies) you will have a better understanding of where you want to go.

For me I did the above and found after the Net+ I didn't like networking so i steered away from it. While studying for my Microsoft Certification I found i really enjoyed the OS side of things and started looking into Server OS's. From there I went and got my MCSA in server 2008 (MCSA is a title given if you pass three specific Microsoft exams).

Enough about me, that's what I would suggest for you to do. Get your feet wet and along the way you'll find what you enjoy doing. Realize it may change too, I was doing server administration then started getting into virtualization now i'm studying VMWare stuff - your passions and interests will change over time. You just need to go about it logically and get a foundation and land your first IT job.
 
Actually BA in Psych is not too bad a start for an IT Career. I myself have similar degree & have had successful IT career. And I have worked with many others with similar degrees that have had successful IT careers.

Of course if you had it to do all over again, BS in computer science would have been better, but having ANY 4 year degree sets you apart from similar IT candidates with no degree.

What you need to do next learn all you can about specific area of IT you are interested in, thru self study, to allow you to get your first entry level job in IT. Just remember that your specific IT skills & experience are what is important
 
Actually BA in Psych is not too bad a start for an IT Career. I myself have similar degree & have had successful IT career. And I have worked with many others with similar degrees that have had successful IT careers.

Of course if you had it to do all over again, BS in computer science would have been better, but having ANY 4 year degree sets you apart from similar IT candidates with no degree.

What you need to do next learn all you can about specific area of IT you are interested in, thru self study, to allow you to get your first entry level job in IT. Just remember that your specific IT skills & experience are what is important
hi, thanks for the response. going back to what you were saying. i honestly dont know what specific IT career i want to go towards. thats probably because i dont know anything about the career world in technology. all i do know is the fascinating stuff in the tech world that wants me to do it. for example, i love different softwares on different phones, comparing them. im a very hands on person. thats the only strength i know about my self. i can learn very quickly when it comes to something that is hands on and im passionate about.

an example of what im saying is back in 10th grade of high school i took 1 class of guitar lessons, went on youtube and learned how to play by myself just after one session. if im passionate about it i know i will put the time and effort, it just has to be hands on. i will not succeed in my life if i have to continue to study for exams that i feel will be pointless because i forget everything almost the next day after an exam.
 
At the point you are at in your career, first thing you need to do it educate yourself about the specific job categories in IT, like like Network Engineer, Security Analyst, Programmer, Windows Admin, Linux Admin, Database, Web Master, etc.

Then choose one or two job categories & try to learn as much as you can about it thru hands-on self study at home.

For example if you are interested in Network Engineering, you could buy a couple of used routers and switches to make a small lab. Then learn to configure the equipment and learn everything you can about it.

So how do you know exactly what to study? A good place to start in Networking would be study for Cisco CCNA certification. If you buy a CCNA Cert Guide book, it takes you thru the basics of what you would need to know to begin to work in the field in the real world. Remember the key here is NOT obtaining the CCNA Cert (although that certainly won't hurt your career) but on learning the basic concepts required for the cert.

Taking the time to do this in a serious way will help you decide if you are cut out for this type of work
 
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