Is a Degree in the Computer Field Still a Good Option? (1 Viewer)

[SteveA]

With all due respect Jeff, Business 2.0 is an IT industry publication. Their main purpose is to sell magazines and advertisments. It wouldn't be good for their business if people started leaving the IT industry in droves, now would it?

 

[Mike Graham]

Edwin C:

In the healthcare industry, you're NOT guaranteed a job either.

In my area, the Atlantic provinces of Canada, if you became a doctor or nurse you're absolutely guaranteed a job. However, doctors are paid so low here by the government that they rarely stay around for long; nurses, however, are paid very well all around, and if they don't like it here they can find employment anywhere around the world if they have the proper certifications.

Concerning engineering, after suffering through that god awful introductory course in Applied Mechanics : Dynamics, the thought that it wont help me get a job in the future makes me a very sad man.:frowning:

 

[Mike Wladyka]

but your willingness to learn is a given and won't make a difference. Everybody who wants a job has to be willing to learn

i don't know about this, i have seen a great many people, mainly people that have been working for many years and think they know it all, who aren't willing to learn new technology related stuff

 

[Kirk Gunn]

I believe the IBEW and other Electric-oriented unions will cover some of the lower-level IT folks paid hourly. Problem is, most IT positions are salaried and wouldn't be effected by a union. Considering the small IT staff most firms have, unions are not interested unless there are bigger departments at the firm with a potential to be union-ized.

One of the power plants my employer owns is a union shop and it makes common tasks very cumbersome. Want to move a monitor or server, union guy has to do it. Want to unplug a PC, union guy has to do it. And the list goes on... While it may be great for the union worker getting paid by the hour, it's a nightmare when upper-level techs are trying to fix an urgent issue.

 

[MikeAlletto]

Well, I really enjoy the hardware side of things. Building computers, setting up networks, fixing problems, that kind of thing. I'm usually the first person friends and family call when they screw up their computers. I've also taught myself some basic HTML programming.

Don't take this as a negative...but folks like you are a dime a dozen. Really, they are. It takes a certain personality to get into this field. A lot people say they like computers and want to try it out but really don't know what it is they want to try out. You need to take some hardware and software classes and see if its for you or not. Thats the only way to know.

Don't put on your resume that you know how to program HTML. HTML is not a programming language (as others have stated). When we see that on resumes we know that the person really doesn't know what they are talking about no matter how good the rest of it may be and immediately reject them.

The market pretty much sucks now. They cut through the herd of people really dramatically and pretty much everyone who has a job now are those that really know their stuff or can contribute to the company (although their are exceptions still). There are so many people out of work that want to be in computers but really shouldn't be. They just selected that path because of all the money during the dotcom rise, but the bubble popped and they are now out of work and really don't qualify for the few jobs that are out there. Do NOT choose your path because of money available or because you'd think it would be cool. Choose it because you like it and are good at it (good at it part being important).