40 and going back to college for Networking

[lonestar31]

As the title says I am heading back to college this fall to finally pursue a degree. Aviation has unfortunately not worked out too well for me and I believe it is time for a shift. My local CC has some good looking two year CS degrees and the networking is looking particularly interesting. With this in mind I am sure some kind of mobile computing system would be very helpful going forward. Thus I turn to you to help me find a good path forward. I currently have no laptop or tablet that is exclusively mine at this time, and I know the CC uses a program called Blackboard for assignments and other things. My wife has an 8 year old HP that is due for a refurbishment that I am thinking of replacing and taking it over for my use, though its troubles has me worried it may be on its last legs. So if anyone can give me some hints/tips and helpful remarks I would appreciate it. I would especially enjoy any helpful information from anyone who has gone through this before around my age. I am more than a little bit nervous obviously.  TIA for all your help.  

 

Edit :  Houston TX. Have a Micro Center close by and trying to keep it under 1000$

[zeusthemoose]

It’s probably not worth it to spend money and upgrade the old one, so I would recommend a new one. What’s your country and budget?

[The_russian]

See if you can find a good deal on a used Dell or HP business series laptop on craigslist, Facebook marketplace, or a liquidation sale. You can usually find a good deal on one when companies or schools upgrade and get rid of their old ones, or in my case I bought an HP Elitebook from someone that got broken ones from work, refurbished them, then sold them on craigslist. 

[kelvinhall05]

Used/refurb Thinkpad.

[lonestar31]

Per the title and my post in Laptop's I am going to start this fall at my local CC on a networking program. I was hoping I could ask anyone who has restarted their lives like this and/or taken these types of courses what I should expect. I am going to try to take as much online as possible, however I am sure I will be in classes quite a bit. Any tips or helpful information will be gladly accepted. 

[SansVarnic]

-= Topics Merged =-

 

One topic per subject is enough.

[lonestar31]

ok

 

[Bombastinator]

I can talk a little bit about IT in general.  I’m not sure how true this was of aviation, but in IT everything changes, and it does it fast.   You’ve got to keep on reading and keep on learning and never stop.  Paper books are nearly worthless as they’re out of date months after they’re printed.   You’ve got to start with them generally, but it’s all about keeping up.

[dalekphalm]

In terms of a college laptop - literally anything will do. Depends on what you want. That 8 year old HP with a new battery and an SSD (and maybe RAM) upgrade would probably do the trick just fine. 

[lonestar31]

22 hours ago, Bombastinator said:

I can talk a little bit about IT in general.  I’m not sure how true this was of aviation, but in IT everything changes, and it does it fast.   You’ve got to keep on reading and keep on learning and never stop.  Paper books are nearly worthless as they’re out of date months after they’re printed.   You’ve got to start with them generally, but it’s all about keeping up.

Thanks for the information, this seems to be the common theme with IT in general I have found. I don't believe this will be a problem for me as I enjoy learning new things. I am on of those people who watches PBS and NOVA rather than sitcoms. 

[lonestar31]

On 6/7/2020 at 4:07 PM, kelvinhall05 said:

Used/refurb Thinkpad.

I have been looking at these, and it seems I am being pushed to the higher end. Is there anything in particular I should look for in a laptop for classes? Or is it more that skimping will just mean a slower less responsive system? 

[Guest]

I’ve seen many older people entering college. It’s never too late for education and many people are a little stubborn, so it’s very lovely to hear taking your life in a new and exciting direction. It’s quite intimidating. Myself I’m considering Medical School. If I do when I finish I’ll be 30. (May seem young but I want to finish university!)

 

Few tips: (For any students)

- Don’t overthink assignments. Everything has a simple and logical solution. 
- Always be concise and clear

- Always do assignments then and there and always do the recommended readings. 
- Class discussion is always appreciated. There are no stupid question.

- Do not hesitate to contact your tutor. Worst thing they can do is not reply. Best thing they can do is offer a sound perspective from experience.

 

 

[Bombastinator]

5 hours ago, lonestar31 said:

I have been looking at these, and it seems I am being pushed to the higher end. Is there anything in particular I should look for in a laptop for classes? Or is it more that skimping will just mean a slower less responsive system? 

One advantage you will have (and you will need what few there are) with age is a better ability to take care of your things so you might be able o get by with a more fragile machine than is usually suggested to freshmen.   Skimping will mean loss of some feature or other, but one of those features is ruggedness.  

[cereal_port]

I have not changed careers, but I have changed positions and countries (usually at the same time), each job being very very different from the last, even if technically within the same industry. Yes, it can be daunting, frustrating, and sometimes demoralising, but also exciting and fun, especially if you'll be doing something that you are interested in, or indeed, passionate about.

 

Ultimately, I believe there is no need to be any more nervous than we all normally get when faced with new challenges - changing careers means you have experiences and a perspective that others do not, and there are no doubt a lot of 'transferrable' skills that you have, but maybe haven't recognised yet.