Best way to learn and progress in technology

[Eclipse_]

Hey everyone, I appreciate you coming to look at my thread. So I've always had a love for computers and technology, but just recently have I decided it's what I want to do for the rest of my life as a career and hobby. I've been trying to find out what truly makes me happy, and I keep coming back to computers and technology. Anyway, I've begun to try to learn as much as I could, and I'm learning a ton, but I feel that just watching YouTube videos won't do the trick at all and I want to go way deeper into having knowledge about everything. Sadly, I do not know the best way to do this and I would really love to get some feedback from you guys, as I am loving the Linus Media Group community so far. Is it just a matter of hanging around forums and helping when I can while soaking up knowledge from others? If so, is there an efficient way to do this? Or am I just putting way too much thought into all of this. I'm 18 years old, and I feel like 13 year olds know so much more than me already, so I really wish to dive completely in  I'm building my first fully custom computer in a few weeks for $2050, so I'm getting hands on experience with that. Thank you for all of you're responses and I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone in the forums and hanging around here a lot more.  

[Enderman]

Get some IT certifications and get a degree in computer science.

[Guest]

That's what I do, sitting 12hrs a day on LTT, making blue pc parts at pcpartpicker.com for people and somehow they still hate me on that

 

You learn a lot in this forum within a few months of staying here

[Astonuats]

In my opinion if you want to learn more just meet new people interested in the same things, like the forums and just talk to them. It sounds as though you know a lot especially if you are diving in 2050 dollar computer. WOW. So just talk to people on the forums and get to know anything you can.

[Clanscorpia]

1 minute ago, wrathoftheturkey said:

Yup

 

I'm 13 years old, and confident I know more than most 18 year olds do. That's from four months on this forum. Don't stress it, let the knowledge flow over you. These things take time, and short of getting a degree or formal training there's nothing you can do to speed the process up, so I'd recommend taking it slow and enjoying it.

Wait, I never you were in the 13 year old club  Welcome  And yeah I'd agree. Also long 10PM Wikipedia sessions help but thats mainly because Im reading up on electromagnetism and shit like that for Engineering lol. And you cant really "learn" technology in the sense you are talking about. I think its acquired knowledge from talking to people.

[Eclipse_]

1 minute ago, Clanscorpia said:

Wait, I never you were in the 13 year old club  Welcome  And yeah I'd agree. Also long 10PM Wikipedia sessions help but thats mainly because Im reading up on electromagnetism and shit like that for Engineering lol. And you cant really "learn" technology in the sense you are talking about. I think its acquired knowledge from talking to people.

Yea, when I say learn, I really mean the nitty-gritty numbers of it all. But yea, I have learned so much from just talking to people and stuff so I think the forum will be great for me. Thank you for you're input.  

[gtx1060=value]

So just a quick action plan: 

1st identify if you want to do hardware IT (dealing with screwed up computers at a company and the hardware side of servers)

or programming (programming, software building etc. ) i recommend programming since hardware development jobs are rare and only for the very best - programming and IT jobs are common

 

2nd - Depending on which one you choose, find some online resources to learn more about that topic - for hardware - there isn't much to do - if you want to be a hardware dev, like at intel, start learning about how silicon chips and other things like that are made and how they function and communicate with the rest of the computer

 

if you want to do programming - start taking beginner html, javascript and C# courses - make sure to take lots of neat and organized notes - progress to the next level of skill once you have achieved proficiency in the beginner level - also, building websites or basic apps for fun is something you should do - if you are still in school - volunteer to help with tech or build an app that could be useful

 

3rd - after that, you should go and get some microsoft certifications when you have learned a good amount and can write a basic program - do boolean algebra - and list off all the common functions and tags in your sleep

 

4th - progressing to University/college - no idea where you live and what your grades are like - but if they are high and you've taken the prerequisite course for software engineering, computer engineering or computer science, apply to as many decent unis as you can - good luck after that - hope this little guide of my journey from 16yr old to a software engineer helps you out

[Eclipse_]

3 minutes ago, Astonuats said:

In my opinion if you want to learn more just meet new people interested in the same things, like the forums and just talk to them. It sounds as though you know a lot especially if you are diving in 2050 dollar computer. WOW. So just talk to people on the forums and get to know anything you can.

I know enough to get by somewhat  My build is mainly for gaming/video creation, since I do film stuff, so I put together components that would help me with that, also in a black/white color scheme, which I think will look amazing when I'm done tbh, but that's just me  Talking to people on the forums seems to be a pretty consistent answer, so I think I will do that, thank you for your answer  

[Eclipse_]

8 minutes ago, wrathoftheturkey said:

Yup

 

I'm 13 years old, and confident I know more than most 18 year olds do. That's from four months on this forum. Don't stress it, let the knowledge flow over you. These things take time, and short of getting a degree or formal training there's nothing you can do to speed the process up, so I'd recommend taking it slow and enjoying it.

Thanks a lot  I do tend to want to jump into stuff and learn the most as fast as possible, so that's good advice (to take it slow and enjoy it).

[Eclipse_]

16 minutes ago, Enderman said:

Get some IT certifications and get a degree in computer science.

Is there any specific field in computer science that you would recommend? Unless I'm wrong, there are many different fields within that correct? Thank you  

[Enderman]

Just now, Eclipse_ said:

Is there any specific field in computer science that you would recommend? Unless I'm wrong, there are many different fields within that correct? Thank you  

There's computer engineering, software engineering, computer science, cogs, etc...

You might want to look at the degrees your nearby universities have to offer.

[Eclipse_]

16 minutes ago, deXxterlab97 said:

That's what I do, sitting 12hrs a day on LTT, making blue pc parts at pcpartpicker.com for people and somehow they still hate me on that

 

You learn a lot in this forum within a few months of staying here

Yea I spent about 4 weeks refining my build on pcpartpicker and it was SUPER fun. I think it'll be even more fun when I can discuss it with people and get their opinions and knowledge on everything, as I don't know anyone nearby me who likes this type of stuff. Thank you for you're reply  

[Eclipse_]

2 minutes ago, wrathoftheturkey said:

 

The puns are alive and kicking I see

I love the "as fast as possible series," I have learned so much from those so far  

[Eclipse_]

1 minute ago, Enderman said:

There's computer engineering, software engineering, computer science, cogs, etc...

You might want to look at the degrees your nearby universities have to offer.

Okay thank you very much  Looking into degrees is something I've been meaning to look at recently, actually. So that helps a lot.

[Eclipse_]

7 minutes ago, gtx1060=value said:

So just a quick action plan: 

1st identify if you want to do hardware IT (dealing with screwed up computers at a company and the hardware side of servers)

or programming (programming, software building etc. ) i recommend programming since hardware development jobs are rare and only for the very best - programming and IT jobs are common

 

2nd - Depending on which one you choose, find some online resources to learn more about that topic - for hardware - there isn't much to do - if you want to be a hardware dev, like at intel, start learning about how silicon chips and other things like that are made and how they function and communicate with the rest of the computer

 

if you want to do programming - start taking beginner html, javascript and C# courses - make sure to take lots of neat and organized notes - progress to the next level of skill once you have achieved proficiency in the beginner level - also, building websites or basic apps for fun is something you should do - if you are still in school - volunteer to help with tech or build an app that could be useful

 

3rd - after that, you should go and get some microsoft certifications when you have learned a good amount and can write a basic program - do boolean algebra - and list off all the common functions and tags in your sleep

 

4th - progressing to University/college - no idea where you live and what your grades are like - but if they are high and you've taken the prerequisite course for software engineering, computer engineering or computer science, apply to as many decent unis as you can - good luck after that - hope this little guide of my journey from 16yr old to a software engineer helps you out

I'm actually in an html class right now, and I started learning some C# a year or so ago. I think hardware is more the direction I would want to go in, but I certainly do love to code and I will still continue to pursue that as well. You actually really helped out a lot, I appreciate it  

[Eclipse_]

3 minutes ago, wrathoftheturkey said:

That is the geekiest thing I've ever heard -- and I have a chessboard as my profile pic

LOL. Yea I'm not sure why, it was just really exciting and motivating  

[SLAYR]

17 minutes ago, Eclipse_ said:

I'm learning a ton, but I feel that just watching YouTube videos won't do the trick at all and I want to go way deeper into having knowledge about everything

There are a lot of different fields in "technology."

 

First you have software, you could go into computer science and learn programming, and write code, lots of logic based skills.

 

Then hardware, for this I would recommend going into electrical/computer engineering (interchangeable for the most part).

It is very math, and science heavy, if you it deals with actual circuitry designing, and you will need a bachelor's degree or equivelant along with engineering certifications to get a career out of it, but is very well paying, you could learn how to actually design your own computer components. 

 

None of these will be like what you see Linus do though, for that there really isn't too much of a career in, and it is mainly reading off a spec sheet. No real deep analysis on the componentry.

[Clanscorpia]

Are you into Engineering and the likes of that for CPU's? I might be able to give a hand in the right direction

[gtx1060=value]

2 minutes ago, Eclipse_ said:

I'm actually in an html class right now, and I started learning some C# a year or so ago. I think hardware is more the direction I would want to go in, but I certainly do love to code and I will still continue to pursue that as well. You actually really helped out a lot, I appreciate it  

i don't want to discourage you or anything, but there are no jobs in the hardware field if you want to do things like making new gpus or cpus - those all go to experienced ppl with phds and masters - software is the way to go if you want a reliable source for jobs out of university - you may not even get a decent job in hardware until you get a masters

[Eclipse_]

1 minute ago, SLAYR said:

There are a lot of different fields in "technology."

 

First you have software, you could go into computer science and learn programming, and write code, lots of logic based skills.

 

Then hardware, for this I would recommend going into electrical/computer engineering (interchangeable for the most part).

It is very math, and science heavy, if you it deals with actual circuitry designing, and you will need a bachelor's degree or equivelant along with engineering certifications to get a career out of it, but is very well paying, you could learn how to actually design your own computer components. 

 

None of these will be like what you see Linus do though, for that there really isn't too much of a career in, and it is mainly reading off a spec sheet. No real deep analysis on the componentry.

Yea I would like to do more hardware based things, I think that's where I would love to be. I would still dive into software based areas as well, though. I just kinda want to be an all around knowledge sponge, but from a career standpoint, I think hardware is where my heart lies. Thank you very much  

[Eclipse_]

2 minutes ago, gtx1060=value said:

i don't want to discourage you or anything, but there are no jobs in the hardware field if you want to do things like making new gpus or cpus - those all go to experienced ppl with phds and masters - software is the way to go if you want a reliable source for jobs out of university - you may not even get a decent job in hardware until you get a masters

I wouldn't necessarily want to do design/creation work. More like hardware as in work for a company and troubleshoot, or build custom off the shelf builds, or something along those lines. I'm still new to all the careers, so I don't know much at all, which is what I wish to get a kickstart into learning by hanging out with everyone on the forum.

[Eclipse_]

5 minutes ago, Clanscorpia said:

Are you into Engineering and the likes of that for CPU's? I might be able to give a hand in the right direction

Eh, more of troubleshooting, custom building for companies, something along those lines. I'm still not sure entirely. Honestly though, I'm not looking for the way to make the most money or whatever' I just want to be able to be around people who have the same interests and do what I love.

[gtx1060=value]

Just now, Eclipse_ said:

I wouldn't necessarily want to do design/creation work. More like hardware as in work for a company and troubleshoot, or build custom off the shelf builds, or something along those lines. I'm still new to all the careers, so I don't know much at all, which is what I wish to get a kickstart into learning by hanging out with everyone on the forum.

hardware IT isn't a bad choice - but the smart choice is to do software engineering - focuses mainly on programming - but u also learn a lot engineering wise - so once you get out of uni, you could try out a hardware job and if you don't find any or it doesn't pay well enough , having a software engineering degree is actually better than having a computer science degree in terms of finding jobs as a software developer and you could always switch to that as a safe option - i know doing what you love as a job is important - but programming is tech also and it will be a much more secure and better paying career path and you will definitely appreciate the extra security and cashflow once you get married or start a family

[Clanscorpia]

Just now, Eclipse_ said:

Eh, more of troubleshooting, custom building for companies, something along those lines. I'm still not sure entirely. Honestly though, I'm not looking for the way to make the most money or whatever' I just want to be able to be around people who have the same interests and do what I love.

Engineering is the most money but def most work lol. Custom building for companies is really reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllly hard to do though, because most companies buy from other companies

[Eclipse_]

1 minute ago, gtx1060=value said:

hardware IT isn't a bad choice - but the smart choice is to do software engineering - focuses mainly on programming - but u also learn a lot engineering wise - so once you get out of uni, you could try out a hardware job and if you don't find any or it doesn't pay well enough , having a software engineering degree is actually better than having a computer science degree in terms of finding jobs as a software developer and you could always switch to that as a safe option - i know doing what you love as a job is important - but programming is tech also and it will be a much more secure and better paying career path and you will definitely appreciate the extra security and cashflow once you get married or start a family

That doesn't sound like a bad way to go at all, honestly. I will have to think about that and start looking into it.