Options for employment in tech related fields.

[Watashi]

As of now, I plan on going into the drug and alcohol field as a social worker after next semester. However, I likely don't want to do just one thing for my life. The only formal experience I've had in tech-fields would be a failed computer repair start-up after highschool. I've also completed a few online courses for coding. I recall playing WoW with someone who had a business degree, but ended up fixing Macs and such for a living. I can really see myself working in some sort of tech-related field in the future given the opportunity. And I may even consider going back to school for a more formal education.

Do you guys know of any options asides from a help-desk IT person that wouldn't require a computer science degree?

[ZeouLs]

19 minutes ago, Watashi said:

As of now, I plan on going into the drug and alcohol field as a social worker after next semester. However, I likely don't want to do just one thing for my life. The only formal experience I've had in tech-fields would be a failed computer repair start-up after highschool. I've also completed a few online courses for coding. I recall playing WoW with someone who had a business degree, but ended up fixing Macs and such for a living. I can really see myself working in some sort of tech-related field in the future given the opportunity. And I may even consider going back to school for a more formal education.

Do you guys know of any options asides from a help-desk IT person that wouldn't require a computer science degree?

Help-Desk Engineer, at least over here. I had an appointment for Porsche Informatiks as an Help-Desk Engineer but wasnt really what I expected so I continued my search. I'm pretty sure you dont need a high degree for that. Another thing I've had found is IT-Supporter in companies, you wont believe how many little companies have hard and software problems they cant fix them selves. They mostly dont even know the basics in regards of Hardware and I guess everyone can install a few programms or change hardware

[Firewrath9]

29 minutes ago, Watashi said:

As of now, I plan on going into the drug and alcohol field as a social worker after next semester. However, I likely don't want to do just one thing for my life. The only formal experience I've had in tech-fields would be a failed computer repair start-up after highschool. I've also completed a few online courses for coding. I recall playing WoW with someone who had a business degree, but ended up fixing Macs and such for a living. I can really see myself working in some sort of tech-related field in the future given the opportunity. And I may even consider going back to school for a more formal education.

Do you guys know of any options asides from a help-desk IT person that wouldn't require a computer science degree?

micro center employs people who have no experience, my friend works there and gets me good deals *wink* *wink*

he gets good pay, with nice benefits.

 

(he tells me which refurbished stuff is actually worth and not a scam)

[TacoSenpai]

16 minutes ago, Firewrath9 said:

micro center employs people who have no experience, my friend works there and gets me good deals *wink* *wink*

he gets good pay, with nice benefits.

 

(he tells me which refurbished stuff is actually worth and not a scam)

actually something like that would be good on multiple levels since it is a niche technical shop its a good way to get some experience not only with tech but with customer service in general.

[Guest]

Work 10 years, get a new degree online at night when you’re getting sick of it & start a second career in 10 years. 

[AngryBeaver]

Outside of Tech Support you aren't going to have many options. You could do something more computer repair if you take the time to get your A+ (easy).

 

In general though when it comes to the IT field the money is in 3 major areas atm. Those are Devops, Ediscovery/computer forensics, and anything in the security sector. The problem is those areas require at least a 2 year degree in most cases and most prefer a 4yr. All three of them have issues finding enough people with the skills to fill the roles. So in most cases the pay jump is huge once you hit about 2 years of experience in those fields. So you might work entry level for 2 years at $22-$27/hr, but once you hit the 2 year mark and can move out of those level 1 entry level roles the pay jumps to 45/hr+. I would advise you to look in to contractor work for the first 2 years to get experience and more exposure to technologies and software used.

 

Then you can look at getting in FT somewhere, which in most cases is exempt (salary).

[Watashi]

1 hour ago, James Evens said:

Social worker don't make much money but as a unskilled tech employee you will make even less money. If you build yourself some skills this changes. But why do this if you already studyed something different?

That's a generalized statement. There are a lot of opportunities with social work as there is with IT. And I think that going back, and studying something different would be worth it simply because I have only one life.  I want to do something that I enjoy, and I know I enjoy computers.

[Watashi]

1 hour ago, AngryBeaver said:

-cut-

What do you mean by A+?

[Watashi]

1 hour ago, LordOTaco said:

actually something like that would be good on multiple levels since it is a niche technical shop its a good way to get some experience not only with tech but with customer service in general.

That reminds me of Best Buy's Geek Squad. That's all that is around me local. PC Hardware retailers are generally spare here in south Western PA.

[AngryBeaver]

14 minutes ago, Watashi said:

What do you mean by A+?

https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/A%2B_Certification

 

13 minutes ago, Watashi said:

That reminds me of Best Buy's Geek Squad. That's all that is around me local. PC Hardware retailers are generally spare here in south Western PA.

It would be similar to Geek Squad if you were doing builds/repairs. However, the rest of the store would just resemble that of a best buy employee assigned to a department, except in the way of micro-center they are often times much more knowledgeable about their department.

 

I would recommend against doing pc maintenance/repair work. It just doesn't pay well. I mean you could get a little experience and try to get into a data-center, but without more server knowledge that would be a hard sell. The truth is that technical support and Pc repair/Maintenance are low level/entry level jobs. Even a lvl 3 technical support person seems low level compared to an entry level Network Administrator. Also the pay reflects that. Some rare people can do this work as an independent and make decent money, but in general these jobs just don't pay that well.

 

If you want more growth potential and better compensation then you need to look at the more professionally geared IT jobs. Network Administrators, Infosec, Devops, Forensics, DLP, risk and compliance, etc...

[AngryBeaver]

27 minutes ago, Watashi said:

That's a generalized statement. There are a lot of opportunities with social work as there is with IT. And I think that going back, and studying something different would be worth it simply because I have only one life.  I want to do something that I enjoy, and I know I enjoy computers.

He might have made a very generalized statement, but the truth of the matter is when you look at average or median pay for that profession the numbers aren't great. They are enough to support and family and keep you above the poverty line sure, but they aren't going to make you a high roller either.

 

Now don't get me wrong there will be outliers in the way of Directors and other executive positions that would be very lucrative, but those are in a lot of professions so you generally discard them from the numbers and look at the average wages.

 

 

Also want to mention in general Analysts are low to mid level in the Infosec field.

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2017

15-1122 Information Security Analysts

Plan, implement, upgrade, or monitor security measures for the protection of computer networks and information. May ensure appropriate security controls are in place that will safeguard digital files and vital electronic infrastructure. May respond to computer security breaches and viruses. Excludes "Computer Network Architects" (15-1143).

 

---

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

 

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1)	Employment RSE (3)	Mean hourly wage	Mean annual wage (2)	Wage RSE (3)
105,250	2.2 %	$47.93	$99,690	0.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$26.71	$34.68	$45.92	$59.22	$73.60
Annual Wage (2)	$55,560	$72,130	$95,510	$123,180	$153,090

 

VS

 

 

Quick Facts: Social Workers
2017 Median Pay	$47,980 per year $23.07 per hour
Typical Entry-Level Education	See How to Become One
Work Experience in a Related Occupation	None
On-the-job Training	See How to Become One
Number of Jobs, 2016	682,100
Job Outlook, 2016-26	16% (Much faster than average)
Employment Change, 2016-26	109,700

[TacoSenpai]

A big thing too regarding pay is that its not always how much but also where.  Its going to cost you alot more to live in say DC or big urban areas than say somewhere in rural PA or Alabama consequently you might appear to be getting paid less in those areas but it kinda comes out in a wash since employers are usually paying whatever they need to so people will take those positions in those respective areas. 

 

Those that don't well don't typically last long or have serious problems

[Watashi]

1 hour ago, AngryBeaver said:

https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/A%2B_Certification

After quickly perusing that wiki page, I found an ostensibly helpful tool to help me study. Looks like this website has a free test or something of the sort. http://www.edusum.com/comptia.

 

1 hour ago, AngryBeaver said:

He might have made a very generalized statement, but the truth of the matter is when you look at average or median pay for that profession the numbers aren't great. They are enough to support and family and keep you above the poverty line sure, but they aren't going to make you a high roller either.

You're right about that. And it is something I new going into the profession. I don't dislike Social Work either, I can see myself doing that job and enjoying it to be entirely honest. Albeit, I can see myself doing work in a tech-related field and enjoying that too. There may be a point in my life where I'll want to work in a tech field; I'm just trying to gather information before going into it.

[Watashi]

1 hour ago, LordOTaco said:

A big thing too regarding pay is that its not always how much but also where.  Its going to cost you alot more to live in say DC or big urban areas than say somewhere in rural PA or Alabama consequently you might appear to be getting paid less in those areas but it kinda comes out in a wash since employers are usually paying whatever they need to so people will take those positions in those respective areas. 

 

Those that don't well don't typically last long or have serious problems

It seems as though you are alluding to the idea that you need to consider cost of living in tandem with career wages?

[TacoSenpai]

1 minute ago, Watashi said:

It seems as though you are alluding to the idea that you need to consider cost of living in tandem with career wages?

absolutely the two go hand in hand.

[Watashi]

7 minutes ago, LordOTaco said:

absolutely the two go hand in hand.

It's something that I have considered but I haven't looked at quite in depth. If I planned on moving somewhere that was really outside of the immediate area I would want to do more research though!

[dizmo]

Have you already paid off the schooling you've already gotten? Or are you thinking about taking on more debt?

That's something you seriously have to consider when it comes to your path.

As others have said, low level positions let low pay. I'm assuming you're looking for something more than $15 or $16 an hour for putting computers together.

 

While people can be successful with small repair companies, it's the exception, not the norm, as you yourself should already know

Whatever you're interested in, make sure you take a look at the career outlook, how many positions are estimated to be opening up, and how demand is.

 

 

3 hours ago, Firewrath9 said:

micro center employs people who have no experience, my friend works there and gets me good deals *wink* *wink*

he gets good pay, with nice benefits.

 

(he tells me which refurbished stuff is actually worth and not a scam)

I think he's looking for something that actually pays well, not that pays well for a retail job

1 hour ago, Watashi said:

That's a generalized statement. There are a lot of opportunities with social work as there is with IT. And I think that going back, and studying something different would be worth it simply because I have only one life.  I want to do something that I enjoy, and I know I enjoy computers.

One life, and unless you're lucky, a world of debt.

 

[Watashi]

7 minutes ago, dizmo said:

One life, and unless you're lucky, a world of debt.

I would be considered lucky.

[dizmo]

2 minutes ago, Watashi said:

I would be considered lucky.

Just remember, a jack of all trades is a master of none.

[TacoSenpai]

20 minutes ago, Watashi said:

It's something that I have considered but I haven't looked at quite in depth. If I planned on moving somewhere that was really outside of the immediate area I would want to do more research though!

Yes please do.  No use making 80-90K if you have to use all of the months paycheck on rent and utilities alone.

[AngryBeaver]

10 minutes ago, dizmo said:

Just remember, a jack of all trades is a master of none.

In some areas especially IT this isn't necessarily a bad thing.

 

9 minutes ago, LordOTaco said:

Yes please do.  No use making 80-90K if you have to use all of the months paycheck on rent and utilities alone.

Also very true, but some people forget an important part of this. CoL does make a big effect on wages, but it only affects local prices of things like housing, utilities, transportation, etc. However, things that can be obtained from online outlets are normalized. So a person spending 25k a year on living expenses, but making 55k will still have less buying power than someone making 100k a year, but spending 60k on living expenses. The proportion of living cost to wages can change drastically, but other costs are constant regardless of living expenses. So the key is to look at your take home after accounting for living expenses.

[dizmo]

1 minute ago, AngryBeaver said:

In some areas especially IT this isn't necessarily a bad thing.

 

I meant more along the lines of having several degrees in vastly different fields. You'd make more money focusing on one, and adding specializations to that.

...as long as it's not Engineering Such a saturated field.

[Techicolors]

16 minutes ago, dizmo said:

I meant more along the lines of having several degrees in vastly different fields. You'd make more money focusing on one, and adding specializations to that.

...as long as it's not Engineering Such a saturated field.

...what makes you think engineering is saturated?

[dizmo]

1 minute ago, Techicolors said:

...what makes you think engineering is saturated?

My friend is a manager at an energy company. Most of the people under him (by a fair bit) have much higher educations, most with engineering degrees.

The same company was hiring for a capital project. People with engineering degrees were taking labourers positions, because they can't find work elsewhere.

 

[Watashi]

19 hours ago, dizmo said:

Just remember, a jack of all trades is a master of none.

For me, it's not so much about being a master; It just seems more intuitive to focus on one thing for an extended period of time. I'm generalizing ofc.