Medical IT / Medical Coding good mix for IT skills?

Moon Child

I been thinking about for years... adding sometime of medical certification with my IT degree certs. At one extreme there is the option of going to Nursing school for two years and becoming a Registered Nurse in addition to my IT skills. I knew a director of the IT department at a hospital who was first a nurse and then later got her masters in Management Information Systems along with a lot of technical certifications.

There also is maybe the option of doing medical coding or medical IT program online. It's something probably should of done years ago... since my age is now *sigh* 39 lol. I got bachelors in CIS and lots of certs, Masters in Education w/ teaching license, CDL Class A. Worked in Education sector, a couple IT jobs, and for a little bit as a truck driver... Now I'm thinking going back... again to school for something medical to add to resume. I am currently in in IT job now, but job offers from other companies are awful and slim. Most good paying job offers I get are for OTR Truck Driving jobs. Companies email me and call me up on the phone every week to come work for them as an OTR Truck Driver... Since I am Married wife says she is leaving me if I am away from home on a truck

I kind don't know if the medical IT or coding would do any good... maybe. From doing searches on job sites all listings are under Register Nurse or LPN... So almost thinking about trying some nursing either LPN or RN.

Thoughts?

TheFORCE

Seems like you don't know what you want to do.
Seems like you start something and expect to hit it big right away.


You have lots of certs but those IT certs are low entry level certs suitable for Helpdesk jobs.
Seems like you get certs and degrees in different sectors but just like in IT you need time to improve and grow your salary and your experience.
I'm not saying it's not good to have a diverse background in many areas, but sometimes being too diverse is not good.
It's like that old saying goes... Jack of all trades, master of none. You take this to another extreme of trying to know different fields in hopes it will help you with IT?

Figure out what you want to do first. Try to find out what is the next step to improve on your entry level certs.

You have N+, have you considered going for CCNA? Thats the next step higher.
You have MTA server administrator, have you comsidered going for MCSA? Thats another step higher.
Just improving on those 2 areas, networking and Windows adminstration will improve your skills and knowledge and experience and salary in half the time it will take you doing anything else.

Figure out what you want to do and focus on it,

nisti2

Thats right whats @TheFORCE says you have a diverse curriculum with a lots certs.

You can try to specialize and focus in one area.

Hope this helps and good luck!!

LarryTR

Healthcare is everywhere. And if you live in an area like me where there are a lot of seniors, welfare recipients and drug addicts, healthcare takes on a VERY broad scope and there are plenty of jobs. Likewise, everything is computerized. Even small private practices (becoming really rare) with over X amount of employees are required, by law, to be computerized by now.

IT Healthcare was REALLY booming just a few years back as computerization was taking place on a massive scale. It's not the same anymore, but it's still booming to a degree.

As with all industries, when things are booming, schools push students into that industry. Then, the industry gets saturated with people with degrees and skills in that industry, and things level out or even tank. But there will always be jobs in Healthcare. But you have to keep your finger on the pulse and keep learning the latest and move with the tides or you will find yourself labeled "obsolete".

Moon Child

LarryTR wrote: »

Healthcare is everywhere. And if you live in an area like me where there are a lot of seniors, welfare recipients and drug addicts, healthcare takes on a VERY broad scope and there are plenty of jobs. Likewise, everything is computerized. Even small private practices (becoming really rare) with over X amount of employees are required, by law, to be computerized by now.

IT Healthcare was REALLY booming just a few years back as computerization was taking place on a massive scale. It's not the same anymore, but it's still booming to a degree.

As with all industries, when things are booming, schools push students into that industry. Then, the industry gets saturated with people with degrees and skills in that industry, and things level out or even tank. But there will always be jobs in Healthcare. But you have to keep your finger on the pulse and keep learning the latest and move with the tides or you will find yourself labeled "obsolete".

I just see my computer experience and what they want even for decent paying computer jobs. I see job posts 5+ years of previous experience preferable in help desk role just for a job that pays 30k-40k max. I only have like 2 years of actual work experience in field, not even 2 years. 1 year doing php/ website development, and another year as a laptop technician. I could get a few more years experience in help desk roles and hope that leads to maybe a 40k year ... job. Or can go into get a healthcare degree, maybe accelerated RN nursing that takes just 2 years. I know from family members who are nurses I have talked to no problem getting a 40k year job straight out of nursing school with jobs everywhere. I can get a 40k job now easily if I hop on a truck and do OTR trucking with my CDL but wife will leave me for that. Right out of trucking school got hired and was making 800/wk right away, got excellent benefits right away, 401k, etc... but I left that job to return back to work doing computers for a lot less pay well because I really wanted be home with my wife.

Maybe can do an online medical coding/ IT medical degree while I work. Don't know it is a tough decision to make. I am 39 and not getting any younger lol.

Welly_59

Just decide what you want to do. You can't be a nurse without passion. You cant be successful in IT without passion.

LarryTR

It's an "employeR's market" out there. Chasing a certain pay scale is not as fruitful as it is when it's an "employeE's market".

Tighten that belt! It's not gonna get any better, despite what some "experts" might be leading people to believe. The baby-boomers left us with a mess and we are going to pay for it (DEARLY!) for many decades to come. Hunker-down and start looking at how the WW2 generation behaved. That's the way you will have to behave in order to survive.

Also, forget what the ad for the job says. Just apply!

LarryTR

Welly_59 wrote: »

You can't be a nurse without passion.

Most nurses have no passion. I have been in the healthcare system as a patient for the last 11 years in an dout of doctors offices, hospitals from local to regional to metro---

---and I can tell you 90% of the nurses out there have no business being a nurse. An RN only needs a 2-year degree. Most of them merely got into the profession due to demand...for the money for "a job". Most being single-moms who got pushed into it by state govt programs. They suck...period.

Anytime I come across a 10%er, a great nurse, I tell her him/her how much I appreciate it. The rest can go to he--. Sadly, those 10%ers never stick around and go on to higher areas or even out of Healthcare completely. The industry simply does not reward you for being good or passionate. It rewards you for doing things by the book, which most of the time is terrible for the patient.

One major key to being a good nurse is to be both physically and mentally organized. That is the one main quality I have seen in all the good nurses I have had experience with. When you are organized, you can get things done, you learn and you can adapt and not get overwhelmed. This isn't easy, but since it's not rewarded, there is no incentive to even try.

The only reason why you want to graduate with honors as an RN is to get a higher pay to start. Otherwise, you'll still get a nursing job even if you are a hack. It's the truth.

As for healthcare workers in general, that's even worse. Office staff are terrible for the most part. And that is the same, no organization. Another thing is they have no idea how to use a PC. They have their hand on that mouse like it's gonna fly away if they don't. Screw the mouse! Learn keyboard shortcuts and learn how to navigate the programs with the keyboard. That's how you get things done. The mouse is good, but only goes so far. It slows you down and causes a bottleneck in the system as a whole when you have an office of 10 workers and only one is efficient in using a PC. When I see a medical office staffer rocking through a program/form on their PC, I tell them how refreshing and rare it is to see someone in this field who actually knows how to use a PC.

Rant over!

yoba222

I had this multi-paragraph reply typed up and then . . .the forum screwed up and my post disappeared. But I hit ctrl-a ctrl-c before clicking submit. Ha ha I win. So here it is

I've worked in health IT as desktop support and also as a systems analyst. Medical coding--yuck. More power to you though.

The way I see it is you already have the degrees--no need for any more. Might be enriching to learn more from college courses, but from a bang-for-your-buck point of view it will be a very wasteful path.

I remember seriously considering a second bachelors aside from my CIS degree, but instead in graphic design/web design. I'm so glad I abandoned that idea and instead went for a masters. Since then, I've learned that nobody really cares much what kind of bachelors degree you have and a second associate/bachelors/whatever degree definitely does not improve the salary offer in any way.

You have a few entry level certs and entry level work experience. The next best ROI step in my opinion will be mid level certs and consider picking a specialty direction. You could go down the paths of Linux/Windows sys admin, network admin, systems analyst, or even business analyst. After some time in those areas security/project management role paths will open as well.

Moon Child

LarryTR wrote: »

Most nurses have no passion. I have been in the healthcare system as a patient for the last 11 years in an dout of doctors offices, hospitals from local to regional to metro---

---and I can tell you 90% of the nurses out there have no business being a nurse. An RN only needs a 2-year degree. Most of them merely got into the profession due to demand...for the money for "a job". Most being single-moms who got pushed into it by state govt programs. They suck...period.

Anytime I come across a 10%er, a great nurse, I tell her him/her how much I appreciate it. The rest can go to he--. Sadly, those 10%ers never stick around and go on to higher areas or even out of Healthcare completely. The industry simply does not reward you for being good or passionate. It rewards you for doing things by the book, which most of the time is terrible for the patient.

One major key to being a good nurse is to be both physically and mentally organized. That is the one main quality I have seen in all the good nurses I have had experience with. When you are organized, you can get things done, you learn and you can adapt and not get overwhelmed. This isn't easy, but since it's not rewarded, there is no incentive to even try.

The only reason why you want to graduate with honors as an RN is to get a higher pay to start. Otherwise, you'll still get a nursing job even if you are a hack. It's the truth.

As for healthcare workers in general, that's even worse. Office staff are terrible for the most part. And that is the same, no organization. Another thing is they have no idea how to use a PC. They have their hand on that mouse like it's gonna fly away if they don't. Screw the mouse! Learn keyboard shortcuts and learn how to navigate the programs with the keyboard. That's how you get things done. The mouse is good, but only goes so far. It slows you down and causes a bottleneck in the system as a whole when you have an office of 10 workers and only one is efficient in using a PC. When I see a medical office staffer rocking through a program/form on their PC, I tell them how refreshing and rare it is to see someone in this field who actually knows how to use a PC.

Rant over!

I guess sometimes I question if I got the brains for some of the higher pay jobs in IT, I mean I'm talking only about 40-50k year jobs. I got the Masters in Education w/ teaching license, bachelors in CIS degree, A+, N+, S+, MCTS win 7, MTA's, Apple Certified Associate and I am sure if put effort into it I would have no problem passing the CCNA or MCSA. Which is all great to pass all those certs and have degrees.

I just look at my cousin who has been in IT for over 15 years is a system adminstrator makes great money... but my cousin scored as a kid in the 130's on IQ tests and like a 1350 on his SAT. He was a gifted kid in school, teachers called him a brain.

I only scored like a 110 on IQ tests as a kid and got like what I want say a 24 on ACT and like 1050 or so If I remember on SAT. I just look at my cousin sometimes and think no matter how many higher level certs I can pass I would never be able to get an IT job like he has just because I don't have his brains for that job.

I know a lot of Nurses and Truck drivers with just average ability who make great salaries. My mother got her Masters in Nursing was a Nurse Practioner she scored like a 950 on SAT and made 80k a year as a nurse toward the end of her career. I know one truck driver who said in high school his grades were awful yet he makes over 100k a year as an owner/ operator... It just makes me wonder sometimes.

I guess I can get very negative sometimes and think even if I got a CCNA, MCSA, MBA with concentration in IS it wouldn't matter. I don't have the brains my cousin has so I could never measure up to him and be able to get a good salary in IT even with high level certs. Maybe I just overthink things.

cyberguypr

I read your first post and got extremely confused by the switch around between so many careers and fields. Reading the latest post makes me realize you have a serious inferiority complex. I have no idea why you need to compare yourself to anyone in this world. Would it be nice to have the athletic ability of Michael Jordan? Heck yeah! Would it be nice to have the science knowledge of Neil deGrasse Tyson? Absolutely. Am I going to let the fact that I have none of those stop me from learning and improving? Hell no!

YOU are the one who is obstructing your progress by setting artificial limits that make ZERO sense. I of course have no idea of the underlying factors here, but the point is that if you want to progress and move forward you need a major mindset shift. Only then will your perception change and you will be able to focus in what you would like to achieve. It just doesn't work any other way.

LarryTR

ACT, SAT and especially IQ scores have very little practical value in the real world. If you want to look at scores that are more practical, EQ (Emotional Quotient) would be better. But no one talks about that much. We, silly humans, put too much emphasis on these silly scores that essentially mean nothing. We look at people who have tese high scores as gods and it's extremely silly to do that.

Conversely, my brother in law is a dumb as a rock and might even make more than you cousin. He makes somewhere between 70 and 85K/year. I know because I used to work for the same company he works for. Everyone makes fun of him because he holds that position but has no idea what he's doing - even after doing it for a couple decades. He has that job because he's buddy-buddy with his boss. Been working there since he was 18 yo.

That said, your cousin should be able to help you map a career path and get a job in IT. At least 50% of the time, getting a job is about who you know. If we, as family members, cannot help each other, that says very little about us as humans. Have you asked your cousin for guidance?

Moon Child wrote: »

I guess sometimes I question if I got the brains for some of the higher pay jobs in IT, I mean I'm talking only about 40-50k year jobs. I got the Masters in Education w/ teaching license, bachelors in CIS degree, A+, N+, S+, MCTS win 7, MTA's, Apple Certified Associate and I am sure if put effort into it I would have no problem passing the CCNA or MCSA. Which is all great to pass all those certs and have degrees.

I just look at my cousin who has been in IT for over 15 years is a system adminstrator makes great money... but my cousin scored as a kid in the 130's on IQ tests and like a 1350 on his SAT. He was a gifted kid in school, teachers called him a brain.

I only scored like a 110 on IQ tests as a kid and got like what I want say a 24 on ACT and like 1050 or so If I remember on SAT. I just look at my cousin sometimes and think no matter how many higher level certs I can pass I would never be able to get an IT job like he has just because I don't have his brains for that job.

I know a lot of Nurses and Truck drivers with just average ability who make great salaries. My mother got her Masters in Nursing was a Nurse Practioner she scored like a 950 on SAT and made 80k a year as a nurse toward the end of her career. I know one truck driver who said in high school his grades were awful yet he makes over 100k a year as an owner/ operator... It just makes me wonder sometimes.

I guess I can get very negative sometimes and think even if I got a CCNA, MCSA, MBA with concentration in IS it wouldn't matter. I don't have the brains my cousin has so I could never measure up to him and be able to get a good salary in IT even with high level certs. Maybe I just overthink things.

TechGuru80

Moon Child wrote: »

1. I guess sometimes I question if I got the brains for some of the higher pay jobs in IT, I mean I'm talking only about 40-50k year jobs. I got the Masters in Education w/ teaching license, bachelors in CIS degree, A+, N+, S+, MCTS win 7, MTA's, Apple Certified Associate and I am sure if put effort into it I would have no problem passing the CCNA or MCSA. Which is all great to pass all those certs and have degrees.

2. I just look at my cousin who has been in IT for over 15 years is a system adminstrator makes great money... but my cousin scored as a kid in the 130's on IQ tests and like a 1350 on his SAT. He was a gifted kid in school, teachers called him a brain.

3. I guess I can get very negative sometimes and think even if I got a CCNA, MCSA, MBA with concentration in IS it wouldn't matter. I don't have the brains my cousin has so I could never measure up to him and be able to get a good salary in IT even with high level certs. Maybe I just overthink things.

1. Your Masters in Education might help if you become a trainer, but it doesn't really translate into IT...not a big deal and hopefully you got it BEFORE you started into IT. It looks like you have 'the basic' certifications, and you should keep pursuing higher level certifications to increase your knowledge.

2. Nobody cares about an IQ / SAT / ACT / GRE / GMAT test, don't let it be an excuse.

3. Again, don't think negatively...you are ASSUMING things about higher level certifications when you don't actually have the experience to back up the claims.

Additional Points:
-It sounds like you bounce from one thing to another quite quickly...you don't even have 2 years experience and you are already saying its hopeless.
-Getting a Nursing degree isn't going to all of a sudden make you very attractive to a hospital IT department...if anything they probably would be like "not important"...and would wonder why you bounce around so much.
-You should be less focused on the specific industry right now and work on getting experience. Jobs can be competitive, and if you are limiting yourself to one sector, you will have a lot more difficulty getting your foot in the door. Once you get the experience, then you can start being more selective.
-Technology is not a sector that you can become complacent and expect to keep advancing. You have to study, and learn new things...otherwise you are not useful when everything in the department changes.

Moon Child

Well thanks everyone for the advice appreciate it. I might while I work at current job get a certificate in medical coding online while I work... It is only 1 year of courses. The only bottleneck would be paying for it... but it would be worth it. Indiana University has a nice medical coding certificate online I can get. Got my Bachelors in CIS and Masters in Education from Indiana University.

I thought through the years of doing a weekend MBA at IU ... I was just a few classes away from completing a post bachelor certificate in Accounting that I never finished and thought about maybe just converting that to an MBA. Between the MBA or a Medical Coding or medical something, I think anything Medical would open up more jobs for me than an MBA would.

I have slowly been working on/off on the CCENT. I got the CISCO routers and switches at home I have been practicing on. I will complete that cert in next few months, just got get off lazy butt and do it

Right now working on paying off CDL from trucking school. That was pretty cheap compared to college and did open up a lot doors and job glad I did it.. The CDL should be paid off in just a couple months.

TheFORCE

You know there are 24 hours in day, you could do nursing or medical coding from 12am to 8am, then do your trucking from 8am to 4pm, then do your Warehouse IT job from 4pm to 12am. On your spare time you can do some accounting since the tax season is approaching. While doing that you can also do some MBA courses since that will increase your IT chances for a better job.

If the MBA doesnt work out, you are still on the right track with your Cisco CCENT that will only take a few minutes per day, you can do labs while truck driving, and then VPN from the Hospital and even offer remote accounting services while practicing the ccent. In the end you will have a killer IT resume, i think you could apply to become a CISO or even a CFO probably at a tucking company or at a hospital with the MBA. Sky is the limit after that, you could even teach at UI and probably make 100K, then your cousin will come work for you.

Moon Child

lol I know I got pick a path and stick with it lol. Luckily the Medical coding does mesh well with IT though and it is all online.

With all this Education all I want is a 30-40k year job with benefits that is secure employment not temporary work. IT recruiters call saying do I want to work part-time for $10 / hr for only a month or 2 contract... I say no thanks staying at warehouse job. I want eventually to be making 30-40k year thats all I want out of life. Always have a job, a living wage to take care of myself and wife. Right now barely making above 20k yr

TheFORCE

Moon Child wrote: »

lol I know I got pick a path and stick with it lol. Luckily the Medical coding does mesh well with IT though and it is all online.

With all this Education all I want is a 30-40k year job with benefits that is secure employment not temporary work. IT recruiters call saying do I want to work part-time for $10 / hr for only a month or 2 contract... I say no thanks staying at warehouse job. I want eventually to be making 30-40k year thats all I want out of life. Always have a job, a living wage to take care of myself and wife. Right now barely making above 20k yr

Ok seriously this dude is trolling now. 20k a year? Go work at McDonald's, you will make more. All you want is 30-40k a year? Where in the world do you live, i dont think anyone in IT is making less than $20 per hour. I was making that 15 years ago. You have spend more in education and certs, where is the ROI on all yout education?
Seriously on a second thought, maybe truck driving would be better for you.

LarryTR

I doubt he/she's a *****. Not everywhere in the country (or world) is like California. I live in a depressed are in a state labeled as a "rust belt" state. 40K is a comfortable living if you don't have kids and especially if you are single and live very modestly.

Making 40K where I live, single, living modestly, staying out of any kind of debt at all you can save for a good retirement over 30 years.

But if you want a new car all the time, a big house in a great neighborhood, a $700 cell phone with a $60/mo plan and you always want to "keep up with the Jones'" then you will be poor, living paycheck to paycheck, and in debt up to your ears.

LarryTR

Moon Child wrote: »

lol I know I got pick a path and stick with it lol. Luckily the Medical coding does mesh well with IT though and it is all online.

With all this Education all I want is a 30-40k year job with benefits that is secure employment not temporary work. IT recruiters call saying do I want to work part-time for $10 / hr for only a month or 2 contract... I say no thanks staying at warehouse job. I want eventually to be making 30-40k year thats all I want out of life. Always have a job, a living wage to take care of myself and wife. Right now barely making above 20k yr

If you're serious about medical coding, I used to know a medical coder a few years ago who worked from home. I was kinda sorta interested in taking up the profession at the time and she directed me to a legit site where I can get info on the industry and get signed up for certification classes and tests and whatnot.

www.ahima.org

The company she worked for from home is...

www.uasi-qc.com

Just be careful. There are a lot of scams centered around medical coding as well as medical transcription.

Also, get as much info about medical coding that you can. It's not glamorous nor is it fun. It boring, tedious and can really be stressful. It's not for everyone.

Medical coding is like anything else anymore. Lots of folks went to school for it so there is a surplus of coders and it's not as easy to find a job as it once was without experience, just like IT. So try not to spend do much on certifications and exams. It may not land you the income you are looking for.

Also, one word of advice if I may. If you live in a depressed area like me, I would not put your Masters degrees on your resumes. It can bite you in the ass because it makes you look overqualified. Only put it on resumes for jobs that require it. Otherwise, your masters tell employers you are overqualified and therefore you will eventually start asking for higher pay, and, since they can't pay it, you may leave. They don't care if you tell them you just want a job. they figure eventually you'll keep looking for a better job and leave soon.

There area lot of crappy jobs in my area and sometimes I have to take them when I need just any job. I don't have a Master's degree, but I have a BS and I leave it off my resume/application if I think I will be passed up due to "over-qualification" for a specific crappy job.

Moon Child

Ok thanks... yeah I do live in more a depressed area. I am not gun hole about the medical coding... still deciding. A lot of it is my age and wasted years just turned 39 in November. My wife is a little older than me in her 40's and her 22 year old daughter is making over 40k a year now straight out of IVY tech's Mortician Program. Jobs as embalmers and Morticians are not oversaturated with applicants ... because not many people want to work with dead bodies for a living... Unfortunately at my age going back to get a mortician's license would probably not be possible. Probably best just to stick with strengthening IT skills and hope for the best.

I am glad I got some good advice on here, appreciate it.

TheFORCE

Another profession now?

Danielm7

Moon Child wrote: »

lol I know I got pick a path and stick with it lol. Luckily the Medical coding does mesh well with IT though and it is all online.

With all this Education all I want is a 30-40k year job with benefits that is secure employment not temporary work. IT recruiters call saying do I want to work part-time for $10 / hr for only a month or 2 contract... I say no thanks staying at warehouse job. I want eventually to be making 30-40k year thats all I want out of life. Always have a job, a living wage to take care of myself and wife. Right now barely making above 20k yr

I don't even know where to start with all this. First, I echo everything everyone else said, you need to stop jumping around. Get over the IQ BS, no one cares. You know who does well in jobs... people who work hard and have a good attitude and make good connections. You already have an above average IQ and did a master's degree, you're just being silly. I have a friend who I would be sure has a lower IQ than you do, just bought a 7 figure house and makes hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, he works hard and takes risks, unless there is seriously something wrong in your brain everything else is just an excuse.

So you have a degree in tech, a bunch of certs, can't make more than 10 dollar an hour contract with a few years experience because you're afraid to apply somewhere that wants 4 years of helpdesk? That makes no sense at all. Post your resume here and people will help you, thinking you need even more education is silly.

You went back after a technical degree for a MS in education, which I doubt you ever used, then your CDL, now you're talking about medical coding going along with IT? I realize you seem to have no confidence in your abilities and can't make up your mind but if you were in front of me I'd literally want to grab your shoulders and shake sense into you.

kiki162

STOP FLIP FLOPPING! This is why you are making $20K per year. It sounds to me like you are hitting the proverbial "brick wall" and have no clue what to do.

Stop trying to go after the $$ and instead go after something you enjoy doing FIRST! Also...DO NOT go into nursing!!! I want to steer you in a different direction for a minute.

You have enough certs and skills to venture into work as a sysadmin, or better yet, start looking into AWS certifications. If you really want to stay in the medical field, look at hospital IT jobs instead. First, figure out what type of jobs are hot in your area. Do they want an MCSE? Do they want cloud certifications/experience?

In order for you to really move ahead you will need to put a lot of work into it. Have an end goal in mind to get yourself a better job. Then once you have that job, set goals for yourself yearly. For example, you'd work on 1 or 2 certifications per year. The idea is to keep your skills up to date, so even if you did get laid off, you could easily move into a new job within a short period of time. Using this method = Happy Life = Happy Wife

Based on your certs, if you put more work into that it will help turn things around. You just need to commit and do the work. Remember, this field is constantly changing, and if you don't change with it, then you will be left behind.

McxRisley

WOW.......just.......wow... First off, you need to stop jumping around and just pick a god damned field that you like and stick with it. Second, what is all of the medical coding nonsense you are talking about? I used to do IT for a massive hospital and the IT department literally never even touched a medical device, that was all handled by the Biomed people. which if youve ever worked for a hopsital you know that Biomed is just another word mover/handyman/guy who sets up/fixes medical equipment. Now some more words that you may or may not appreciate, you are 39 years old man.....39, and you sound like a kid who just got out of high school and doesnt know what to do with his life. GET YOUR **** TOGETHER, pick a field, spend some real time in it learning and building experience and be damn man who is confident in his abilities. I'm much younger than you, I also have a family and have a better handle on my life than you do at this point. For god sakes man, dig yourself out of this rut and push forward.

cyberguypr

Wow, what an interesting case.

I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt, but the "Unfortunately at my age going back to get a mortician's license would probably not be possible" comments clearly demonstrates that there's ZERO commitment despite the great advice given here and you are just thrown random stuff against the wall to see what sticks. I hate to be blunt but if you are making $20k with all those credentials you are doing something VERY WRONG. Heck, my first IT job in 1998 paid $17k with zero experience, and that was in a place where everyone is severely underpaid. I don't know, maybe you live in McMullen, AL (population 10) or something like that that seriously limits your options, bu still. I've come across people who life gave them really bad cards and they still prevailed. Why? Because they really wanted it.

I had to go back and look at your posts. You've been toying with IT for years but keep mentioned random jobs:
- Accounting
- Comcast installer
- Call center as a debt collector
- Corrections officer
- Working on the oil fields

Quick examples of what is hurting you:
- "It is an easy 45k a year job that is pretty much a guaranteed job for life an requires very little brain power to do your job right"
- "My heart has always been in IT, it's just a matter of survival."
- "I am at the age where I have to accept something not in my chosen field in order to be able to pay the rent, have healthcare, and survive"
- "Money and being able to survive are my primary concerns in this stage of my life."
- Thinking dyslexia is a job killer

My friend, accept that IT is not for you. It's obvious that you DON'T want it. You have been given solid advice here since 2013 and you haven't taken action. Either fully commit or just cut your losses and get whatever job checks whatever boxes you come up with.

beads

There are a few organizations out there doing coding if you look. Search for Optum, Intelligent Medical Objects, IBM Health and Meditech to name a few off the top of my head.

There are occasionally some remote work opportunities but IMO and Optum are both in the North suburbs of Chicago, Allscripts is in the St. Louis area, etc. It all depends on what you want to do and where you want to work.

You need to be very proactive in IT, period. If your looking for a job I hear McDonald's is always hiring. Looking for a lifetime career with an interesting position then by all means commit to an IT field but an IT career requires considerable commitment.

Hope that helps.

- b/eads

TechGuru80

Op’s very first post on a thread said he had a job as a computer programmer.

I am now confident this is not real.

Moon Child

I work as a laptop technician been almost year in job. Previously 10 years ago I worked as a Php/ apprentice programmer. It probably was a mistake to leave that job and go get a teaching license and degree... but I discouraged with being paid just $10/hr and I felt very inferior to other programmers. They were a lot smarter than me. They had Computer Science and Engineering degrees and I just had a CIS degree. They did have though 5-20 years of experience as developers. I just compared myself to them and thought if I couldn't do what they could then I was no good.

I made a lot mistakes and got yelled at a few times, felt bad about it, felt stupid. I also had a doomsday outlook. I saw on news about H1b visa workers taking jobs away from programmers and they said in news all jobs in IT were going overseas. So I figured better get trained in something else, my job will eventually go to Asia. My prediction was wrong and I listened too much to the news back then.

LarryTR

Sounds like you put more energy into comparing yourself to others instead of improving yourself. Instead of worrying about getting paid $10/hour (which you admitted you were worth only that much being not so great at programming), you should have been improving yourself.

Degrees don't make you smarter. They might give you more knowledge, but that doesn't make you smarter nor does it mean you will be able to do something better. You have to actually do it for a while to get better at it and actually put the effort into learning to get better.

Given what you have told us, it sounds like no matter how many degrees you have, no matter what line of work you get into, you will always just compare yourself to others, see yourself as inferior and then lay down and cry about it.

This is a psychological problem and no amount of schooling or crying will fix it. The only solution is therapy and that is not going to be quick or cheap. Stop sinking money into education that gets you nowhere and get a therapist.

Moon Child

Danielm7 wrote: »

You went back after a technical degree for a MS in education, which I doubt you ever used, then your CDL, now you're talking about medical coding going along with IT? I realize you seem to have no confidence in your abilities and can't make up your mind but if you were in front of me I'd literally want to grab your shoulders and shake sense into you.

I do tend to have a negative personality, but I think the MS in Education has actually helped me a lot. I have gotten many interviews for teaching jobs just never landed a teaching job. Landed subbing jobs and a job as a paraprofessional. I got more interviews for teaching jobs then I did for computer jobs until I landed my current job as a laptop technician.

What criticism I have heard on here is actually the exact same thing my wife tells me. Stay at one job, don't be bouncing around, pick a field and stick with it, have more self confidence in yourself ... lol.

I think I will work on getting my CCENT while I am laptop tech and also work on getting licensed in middle school math or middle school science. In my state to get licensed in another subject is easy once you get a teaching license, all you have to do is pass the test. I have looked at the licensing tests for both middle school science and middle school math and both tests look not too hard to pass, besides I wouldn't mind refreshing my memory on Algebra, Geometry, and Trigonometry. That would qualify me for a lot more teaching jobs besides what I am already licensed for, SPED.

I always had a game plan of combining tech jobs with something else anyway, since many are contract jobs although my current job as laptop technician is a permanent position with pretty good benefits, 401k and overtime offered.

My plan was to teach during school year and then over summer to take a temp computer job for extra cash. I could always do truck driving and then take time off from truck driving and work temp computer jobs for a few months when not truck driving. That is an idea, only thing blocking me from doing that is wife she doesn't want me away from home.

I always wanted something medical not just for more job options for the fun of it, I like being diverse. In my state you can become an EMT over the course of summer, a couple months I think. Other states require more school to become an EMT, but in my state you can do it in a very short period of time. It cost's very little to go through the training and I knew a buddy who was going to help me get an EMT license a while back.

TechGuru80

Moon Child wrote: »

1. I think I will work on getting my CCENT while I am laptop tech and also work on getting licensed in middle school math or middle school science.

2. I could always do truck driving and then take time off from truck driving and work temp computer jobs for a few months when not truck driving.

3. In my state you can become an EMT over the course of summer, a couple months I think. Other states require more school to become an EMT, but in my state you can do it in a very short period of time. It cost's very little to go through the training and I knew a buddy who was going to help me get an EMT license a while back.

Here we go again.

Just for the record, what state do you live in? If something happened to me and you were my EMT, I would run to the hospital for fear of you deciding to become a stand-up comedian instead of providing me medical treatment.