Getting into the IT career field via school

gallagherak

Hi all,

I'm new here and found this site through a search similar to the name of this thread.

So, I live in Alaska and the University of Alaska Anchorage has a technology bachelor's degree. Basically, it's an umbrella and you take the courses you want to get out of it what you want. There are requirements you have to meet in order to obtain the actual degree but there are a number of associates degrees you can get along the way as well as certifications.

So here's my story, I have no experience in the IT field. Yeah I've had jobs where I've built excel spreadsheets and some that were heavy in data entry, but nothing long term IT related or specific.

I desperately want to bust into this field because I not only believe I'd love it but also to provide for my family. I have a wife and two kids and my goal is to land a career I love all the while providing for my family. I know this field is never going anywhere, it's worldwide, and I'm fascinated with technology. I haven't had time to really dive into that subject in any real way with a full time job and school but I am so ready to now.

I have an associates in Fire and Emergency Services Administration...pretty much a nothing degree right now. It could be worth a lot if I went on for the bachelors and happened to find a job in management in that field, but that's highly unlikely.

Anyway, UAA is based on CISCO, that's their foundation and what I will be learning a great deal about. By fall of 2013 they are going to have a CISCO security course as well.

My question is this, how in the world do I get into the IT field with the little experience I do have before finishing my degree path? I really want to start racking up experience now so when I do graduate I have a lot to put forth in getting a good job to continue to climb that ladder.

Thank you all for making it through that and for your help.

Dan

matt333

internships, that how I did it. ask around at any tech companies in your area. You may have to volunteer but that's normally how to start out

gallagherak

Thanks Matt333, I'll keep that in mind as soon as I get done with this first semester and have some knowledge/certification(s) under my belt. I don't know if doing that during the semester will be possible, but doing so over the summer time and maybe once I get comfortable enough with it doing stuff on the side for pay will help too.

Thanks again!

Roguetadhg

Matt said is true. You gotta prove to someone every step. Just like any career move. Unless you have help from friends, or have recommendations most of what I've seen (myself including) went about it with internships - Free, Paid, Part-time, Full-time. You'll need to be persistant about it as you'll be a risk and as entry-level (Experience wise, which matters), don't expect much pay. Expect to prove yourself, and to improve yourself. As you should know, Tech doesn't stay still long. That said, the foundations tend to stay the same.

gallagherak

Thanks for the input Roguetadhg. I don't know how much I can do, with a wife and two kids, but I can see really doing all I can to get as much experience as I can.

Thanks again.

erpadmin

What I always advise people with wife and kids (I have a perpetual fiancee...and no kids at the moment) is to always work with the wife. While I don't have a wife, I work with my fiancee to tell her that I need to do "x" so that we can have "y." If your wife is willing to work with you, then you are already half way there.

The reasons why marriages fail is because of a lack of communication at home, which leads into other problems. You gotta find a work-life balance, for sure, but if that's not there, all the work you want to do may be for naught. I was able to complete a Bachelor's in a year and a half with a 60+ hour work-week AND living with my gal. She was 100% supportive of me and now wants to pursue her own college degree. I'm now working toward my MBA.

Talk to your wife and make sure she's on board with whatever you need to do, then YOU have to go out and do what may be required. If it's an internship that's unpaid, then go do it. If you have to leave that icebox and lose out on being paid to live in Alaska (for the benefit of TEers who have never heard of the Permanent Fund), then go do it. But whatever you want to do, if your marriage is that important (and I trust that it is), talk to the wife. While I may not be married, I've been with my fiancee for 9 years, and my own parents are going to celebrate 50 years of marriage to each other the year after next. I kind of have an idea of what works and what doesn't.

Best of luck.

gallagherak

Haha, thanks erpadmin, we're actually thinking of moving out of the state once we graduate, it's only a matter of time and with the cost of living and travel what it is here...well, the PFD does not go very far at all, it's nice, but we can definitely live without it.

That being said, I do appreciate your point of view. While I think it's awesome you were able to accomplish so much, I definitely don't have the want to finish my degree that quickly on top of work, I can't imagine you had any kind of social life during that time unless you're an uber genius who already knew the material and only wanted that peice of paper

We are working together on the situation. We're both attending school however I'm the bread winner and she's stays at home with our kids. Until she gets her degree it's unlikely she'll find something that will pay enough to cover daycare and still bring in some money to the household.

Thanks again!

lhietpas

+1 to interships. I would look to this first even if you have to go the unpaid route. I would also look towards getting some cheap hardware on Ebay and a Technet subscription if you can afford it.