Need career counseling/advice. Just graduated High School

Hello, i overheard my cousin talking about IT certifications and decided to research them when i ran across this website. After browsing the forums i was excited to see a lot of knowledgeable members and decided to register and ask questions of my own about the technology world. Bear with me on my bio please.:)

I just graduated HS and knew i wanted to work with computers. I wasn't opening them up or programming but i feel like it was what i wanted to study and know more about. I applied to several schools and have committed to University of Houston because it offered a variety of majors(i wasn't sure of what i wanted to major in), the city, and contrary to belief, i see it as a very good school. I have chosen Computer Information Systems because after looking at the degree plan it appeared to offer the most flexibility. (Major Core)...

COSC 1304 C Language Programming CIS 1301 Computer Appl in Technology
CIS 2332 Info Tech Hdwr and Sys Sftwr
CIS 2334 Info Systems Applications
CIS 2336 Internet Applications Dev
CIS 2348 Info Sys Appl Development
CIS 3343 Info Sys **** & Design
CIS 3347 Principles of Info Mgt
CIS 3355 Integrated Info Systems
CIS 3365 Database Management
CIS 4338 Database Admin & Implement
CIS 4339 Enterprise Applications Dev
CIS 4375 Project Mgmt and Practice

Computer Science degree was literally ALL math and programming even though i know it carries a lot of respect or so it seems but nah. Computer engineering was pretty much a electrician but with computers so nah. I wanted to work more with the application of computers than actually building them. Hopefully i chose the right one. Paying my classes already so kinda late to switch lol.

So any advice would be appreciated on my major and i would love all feedback on what i can do to make myself more marketable. From doing a quick search i understand that these IT certifications are helpful in landing jobs? If so which certifications should i start with? I understand school is the priority but can i get some of these certifications during school? I just turned 18 last week but since i did all my college core at a community college during high school, it transferred over and now the college is classifying me as a junior

. If everything goes okay ill graduate with my Bachelors in CIS at 19. I dont know that i wanted that because now my time to network is split in half and i was looking forward to have time to adapt to the "IT scene" since i know little about it (my friends went into business and my graduating class had like 70 people so yea). What are the employers looking for? How do i start these certifications. (I need a mentor lol)

Sorry for the long post guys. Just curious and im all ears to all incoming info. Thanks a lot.

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Comments

nhan.ng

have you ever work in IT before? or at least any computer-related job?

tacm

Are you saying you're not sure if you want to do what you chose above now? Security is pretty big right now. CEH, SHFI, Cloud Security, Security+, etc... Here's a post on Darril's site who's pretty popular around here about possibilities in security Possibilities in the World of Security+ | Get Certified Get Ahead

kgb

You're going to be 19 with a marketable 4yr degree... Want some advice... Get that degree and then: Go live life, don't get a bunch of women pregnant, don't get into credit card debt, and don't go commit any crimes...

Being so young, you just need to go and experience what you think you'd like to do.

the_Grinch

I work at a college and don't believe just because you paid you can't change your major. Other then the school maybe having some other type of requirement, you should be able to switch majors at any point in time (easier if you haven't started yet, but doable regardless). Course load looks good to me and as far as certs go I would start with A+ given your current lack of experience. As you go through your courses, think about which ones you enjoy the most and which ones you don't. This will help to guide you towards the career you would like to pursue. Look to see if your college offers internships or perhaps allows students to work on campus fixing pcs. That will get you some experience and further guide you on the IT journey.

Congrats on getting all those credits completed while in high school. But I have to agree you need to live life a little bit. I myself waited way too long to finally decide to do that and it is much harder to do when you are working 40 hours a week and factoring in a commute time you have. I agree too to stay out of debt because once you start it is rigged to keep you in. Finally, make sure you enjoy what you are doing. IT is a meat grinder on the best day and you will see the worst in people. If you can't take that, it will make going to work hell each day and will lead to all types of issues (mental and physical). Get a routine of studying, exercising, and enjoying the little things now so that when you start fulltime you can have a personal life separate from work. Good luck!

instant000

unit80 wrote: »

So any advice would be appreciated on my major

You said it right. The other majors are more respected, but it seems you're not interested in what they have to offer.

and i would love all feedback on what i can do to make myself more marketable.

Get some work experience NOW

From doing a quick search i understand that these IT certifications are helpful in landing jobs?

In my experience, certifications are helpful in landing INTERVIEWS, which can lead to job offers.

If so which certifications should i start with?

At this time, I have no idea of what you really like to do. This will have a big part to do with whatever you wind up doing. It is more important that you get work experience than anything else right now. As you're already a Junior, now is the time to get some work experience. Even if it is the lowly paid (or even volunteer work) in the computer lab, the experience will be very valuable. Some people say that you shouldn't work for free, and my only counter-argument is that you PAY to do school work, and the whole reason you do that is to get a job later on, so why not do volunteer work experience, if the purpose is so that you can get paid for it later on? Gotta start somewhere.

I understand school is the priority but can i get some of these certifications during school?

Yes, you can. More important is to get some work experience on your resume. Once you get hired on, the certs will make more sense, because you'll have a much clearer idea of what you want to do, once you start working.

What are the employers looking for?

Honestly, employers want experience. They want a proven commodity.

How do i start these certifications. (I need a mentor lol)

I'd recommend getting employed first. After that, cert to your heart's content. If you cannot get employed, then volunteer somewhere. You need the experience.

You want recommendations on certs, but consider where you could be after two years, depending on the course you take from this point, whether you get the degree, certs, or experience.

Know this starting out in the field:
Experience is most important
After that, comes certs.
And after that, comes the degree.

Here's my ranking of where you could be, after two years, from high grade to low grade prospect:
Bachelor's degree, CERTS, and two years of work experience
No degree, CERTS, and two years of work experience
Bachelor's degree, no certs, and two years of work experience
No degree, no certs, and two years of work experience
Bachelor's degree, CERTS, and zero work experience
No degree, CERTS, and zero work experience
Bachelor's degree, no certs, and zero work experience
No degree, no certs, and zero work experience

The degree will matter more later on in your career, but initially, the experience and certs will matter more. Once you're looking at a pool of experienced candidates, then the degree can be used as a separator. For most people, they will assure you that they don't get many questions about their degree during a job interview. The employer is more concerned about what you can bring to the table for them. If you're expecting the degree to help significantly in the job hunt, you basically need to get one from a select set of high-prestige schools. Other than that, you're relying on your experience.

Hope this helps.

dmoore44

One of the first things you should do is try and determine what subset of IT you're interested in - do you like networking, sys admin, database management, security, or something else? Once you determine your interests, read up on what it's like to work in that career and determine which certifications will help you get those jobs. The military is also an option - they have lots of great IT related career fields that will get you experience and certs pretty quickly.

drkat

Honestly? OP Should abandon IT.

You're 19 years old, go to college for something that's respected, party it up and live your life and dont worry about IT Certifications - If I was 19 again I'd switch in a heart beat.

Devilry

Don't listen to DRKat, this is a good industry to be in.

Get your degree while taking as many certs you can in your spare time.

Work part time for anything IT (preferably not geek squad and such) or full time if you are going to school online/evenings.

One thing of advice though, try not to drag out the degree, get it as fast and cheaply as possible. Your college years matter than some will admit, having a great time is good and all but so is balance.

tprice5

unit80 wrote: »

How do i start these certifications. (I need a mentor lol)

Choosing a certification path is like choosing a major. You have to know what you want, or at least have an idea, before you start.

unit80 wrote: »

I just turned 18 last week but since i did all my college core at a community college during high school, it transferred over and now the college is classifying me as a junior . If everything goes okay ill graduate with my Bachelors in CIS at 19. I dont know that i wanted that because now my time to network is split in half and i was looking forward to have time to adapt to the "IT scene" since i know little about it (my friends went into business and my graduating class had like 70 people so yea).

Are you sure you will be able to graduate in 2 years? Most of the upper level classes have prerequesite courses that you most likely didn't take in community college. Basically, your transcript may read 'Junior' but you still may have more than 2 years ahead of you. Also, some colleges only offer courses once every other semester, or every other year. This could also delay your graduation date.
A lot of programs require an internship and/or a summer project. These will be very valuable experiences. It will give you something tangible besides your degree to show to future employers. Your internship will also establish contacts that will make a great reference or parlay into a full-time gig.

My two cents ...
A lot of people are saying "relax", "live life". While I do agree you should, now is not the time for that. You still have a minimum of two years of college left. Bust your ass. You are ahead and you should work hard to keep it that way. I would say avoid the certifications as senior level college classes aren't easy. If you are in fact eligibile for graduation after two years, stretch it out for a third with easy, low time requirement classes. Use this last year to gain certifications, network, and live life. While you can always go back to college, you will learn that their is a huge difference between undergraduate and graduate life. The former you really only get one go at.
As someone who graduated in 3 years in 2011, it sucks to watch all of your friends continue to get to live the college life style while you are stuck in the office at your 9-5.

ptilsen

I would recommend you really take a long look at what you want to do. Both the CIS and CS programs at Houston look good, but you should be fairly sure of what you really want to do. If you want to implement, maintain, monitor, manage, administrate, etc. existing software and hardware, the CIS program will be fine. You'll want to get started on basic CompTIA certs -- A+ and Net+. As everyone else has said, start looking for part-time, even full-time jobs. That experience is critical, and the sooner you get it, the better off you'll be in your career. I started my career before I finished high school and started college, and I can tell you that has paid off. I would actually advise you do your degree at a slower pace if that's what it takes for you to get relevant work experience and certifications. The truth is, the degree is much more useful later in your career than at the beginning. Most entry-level IT jobs will hire based on skills, certifications, presentation, and aptitude, rather than education.

If you want to design or build software, computer science is the way to go. That said, computer science is more flexible in that you can do a lot. That's not to say you'll need a degree to do anything, but I'd say the computer science degree is both more reputable and provides skills that are harder to self-teach than CIS. If you really dislike and are not good with math, stick with CIS. If you're just turned off by the amount of math, I'd say suck it up and do CS anyway. The biggest and possibly only regret of my career is that I went into a CIS-like program instead of going into a CS program, simply because I was turned off by the amount of math and focus on programming. Six years later, I realize programming and math are, for the most part, the only topics most of us ever really need education on.

Akaricloud

You're in a good position(similar to what I did myself), and the best advice I can give is to get some work experience ASAP. Check with the university you're attending for part time IT jobs if they offer them. Most are very flexible, provide great experience and understand the life of a student.

A cert or two would be useful but don't stress too much over them at this point. With a degree and a couple of certs what is going to be holding you back is experience, especially at such a young age. It can be difficult to be taken seriously while so young without having a good amount of experience on your side.

blargoe

1) I have to repeat what what many others are saying here... if you are sure that you want to work in IT, try as hard as you can to get some kind of IT related work experience before you are finished with your degree. The more, the better, even if you have to volunteer or take a low-wage or unpaid internship, or something like Geek Squad. Search far and wide. If you do not find anything in IT, at least find a position in a professional "office" type work environment ... there might be something at the university, or a local company, that you can do part-time. IT experience is a huge differentiator, but just having verifiable employment history is better than nothing.

2) While #1 is going to set you apart, make sure don't let your progress toward your degree suffer. You are making a committment that you should take seriously.

unit80

I see that work experience is very important. I don't mind volunteering or taking a low paying job at all. So you guys are basically telling me to apply to "IT" jobs all around Houston? What are some "IT " jobs? Also, can anyone chime in on the different fields of IT like networking, sys admin, database management, security? Thanks

dmoore44

If you're looking for IT jobs, Help Desk is usually the place to start. Or Geek Squad. Or as someone else has mentioned: check with the university - they usually have jobs/internships available to work in their network support section or computer lab. If you're especially high speed and have a good relationship with some of the professors in your major, they might have some pointers for you as well (i.e. job leads).

psenior

I will be the second person on here to encourage this young person NOT to go into the IT field. If you really love computers then suck it up, overcome the math requirements, major in Computer Science route and become a software developer. If I could hop in a time machine, this is exactly what I'd tell my 19 year old self (among other things).

There are many other more stable, high paying careers out there for young people to pursue.

NetworkVeteran

unit80 wrote: »

What are the employers looking for? How do i start these certifications.

From a degree perspective: CS or EE is desireable, from a well-ranked school, with a good GPA.
As for certifications: Something entry-level. Microsoft/Cisco preferred. CompTIA will do in a pinch.

To start the certifications, pick which direction you like, and buy a self-study book on it. You only need one. Employers will care more about the quality of your college degree.

kgb

psenior wrote: »

I will be the second person on here to encourage this young person NOT to go into the IT field. If you really love computers then suck it up, overcome the math requirements, major in Computer Science route and become a software developer. If I could hop in a time machine, this is exactly what I'd tell my 19 year old self (among other things).

There are many other more stable, high paying careers out there for young people to pursue.

That is what I would tell the 19yr old myself as well.

However, I don't think it applies to everyone. Money is definitely not everything (ya, I'm not rich). I wish I had more of it, but it definitely should not be the deciding factor, if it was, go be a lawyer/doctor. You'll make a lot more.

I really don't understand the whole post on internet forums to find out what I should do with my life threads. I can see asking specific questions, (Anyone think getting a degree is worth it? etc, etc)

Especially in the OP's case... He's 18yrs old... I'll be frank, to the point here. He would have to just screw up to not do something positive with his life. He already knows the overall field he wants to be in. Now, it's just taking the time/classes/school to figure out exactly where he wants to end up.

I'm not suggesting he goof off. He should work hard. But....once again... he's 18... He has the next 40+ years of working to go (assuming a regular joe working career length).

petedude

Go to community college. Get as much general ed done as you can stand, especially since most general ed is transferable into other programs even years later. Put the courses you have trouble with (math? science? art?) as early in the program as you can possibly get yourself to, because you will really hate doing them later if/when you're doing these in your off hours or online and you're working (and have an SO, have kids, etc.).

If you decide to leave school for whatever crazy urge (to make money for cool clothes, parties, gadgets, etc.), you will hate yourself less later if you at least have a bunch of transferable general ed under your belt.

Some schools give three years' college credit (in actual terms, they waive your junior year) if you have an associate's degree. If you get some sort of associate's, even a lightweight one such as liberal arts (basically, nothing but general ed and some random classes), you can transfer that associate's into one of these "third-year waived" programs later.

Also, consider CLEP, DSST exams. These will help you accumulate general ed much, much faster and save you time/money.

ptilsen

Petedude, OP already has first two years done from PSEO. Unlikely he can do anything more at CC because his requirements will be upper division + degree specific.

Psenior, I'm going to agree with you here. I wasn't very strong in my post's recommendation, but I probably should be. CS is just the way to go. I wish I had gone this route out of high school. I don't think I'd make any more money right now, but in a few years perhaps, and I would probably be happier. Even if I'd stuck in IT infrastructure, the CS degree would have helped me.

unit80

Im going to go ahead and switch to computer science. I was really put off by the math but screw it, its only like 3 more math classes anyway. Time to register for classes. Damn.