Don't know what to do

I'm currently doing the Cisco Academy program at my High School, it will net me the CCNA at the end(if I choose to take the exam). I'm currently in the second semester out of 4. I also did AP CompSci last year and got a 4 on the exam.
Next year would be my last in High School, so I'm getting worried about college. I don't know if I should continue cisco or do programming. Should I do a Bachelors in CompSci while also studying for cisco? Reading other peoples experiences, it looks like its really hard to find a job without experience, and I don't know where to get it. But on the bright side my Cisco teacher said we are lucky since this year we can use REAL equipment, and messing it up is no problem since the senior class can fix it. They have around 30 1841 toaster routers, which I learned how to setup including IOS, and 30 WRT-300 wireless ISRs. We also have like 7 racks full of switches which the teacher says she'll make us configure next year. What I'm wondering is, will this count as experience? How will I get a job to help pay for my college also. I'm so confused

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Comments

weaponmaster

Cisco academy is considered a training, just like any high school or college course, but network and Compsci are 2 very different class majors.

I tried programming classes, it is not for me. Since you are in high school, you need to experience both of them, then you can decide which one to follow.

Yes, job market is poor, but you have time explore it, unless you want to go to work force after high school. If you like programming, go major in compsci, once you completed the degree then go back to Cisco. I know many people done it in this path. Take a look at some of the Cisco book authors. Most of them have a compsci, Math, or engineering degree.

jsolari

I had similar experiance when I was in highschool (by similar i mean the same, but after the academy i past the CCNA EXAM). Once I had the ccna I was a junior in high school. I then did basic break fix computer repair until I went to college.

In college I wanted to get into something to help me pay some bills but build some level or experiance. I decided to go with telecommunications in a NOC. While NOCs can suck - it was a great way to establish my career and while focusing on college.

In the right NOC you can get your basic skills down and open some doors.

any ideas on what college yet?

AliShaikh

jsolari wrote: »

I had similar experiance when I was in highschool (by similar i mean the same, but after the academy i past the CCNA EXAM). Once I had the ccna I was a junior in high school. I then did basic break fix computer repair until I went to college.

In college I wanted to get into something to help me pay some bills but build some level or experiance. I decided to go with telecommunications in a NOC. While NOCs can suck - it was a great way to establish my career and while focusing on college.

In the right NOC you can get your basic skills down and open some doors.

any ideas on what college yet?

I was thinking Virginia Poly-technical Institute(an engineering school) or George Mason(VERY good Programming department). I enjoy both Programming and Networking, so I'm leaning towards GM. But my Parents want me to go to VT for an electrical engineering degree or Aerospace degree.

CiskHo

AliShaikh wrote: »

What I'm wondering is, will this count as experience? How will I get a job to help pay for my college also. I'm so confused

That would depend on who is looking at your resume. Personally I do not think that configuring anything in a practice lab enviroment comes off as experience. That is just learning/training. Experience is usually gained on the job. I would agree that most employers want experience for new hires now. So don't expect to go straight into a job that requires you to configure production equipment. I would be looking for a job that works near/with those people who ARE configuring/designing the production network. That may mean you spend a good amount of time racking gear or patching cables. But that is how you get your foot in the door...

I believe people get hired based on a combination of: Experience + certifications + eagerness to learn + proven reliability. That or you "know somebody".

I know 2 compsci interns with great GPAs, CCNAs (one may have CCNP) who do nothing but rack and stack all day long. Nobody wants to let a "noob" start configuring their gear.

fieldmonkey

CiskHo wrote: »

Nobody wants to let a "noob" start configuring their gear.

As a fieldmonkey, we get scripts sent to us in an email. They don't trust you to even type when they replace a router or switch.

In a nutshell, the scripts contains basic configurations where one can access the equipment remotely. From there they upload the rest...