Please Help!!!

Lefty007

Hi!
I am 32 years old from Chicago and have been in accounting for 6 years and absolutely hate it! I have a bachelor degree in Business administration with a concentration in Management. I love computers and technology and think I am some what technically sound. I am thinking about going back to school and getting an associates degree in Computer Networking and Systems. I need some advice from IT professionals on a couple questions that are stressing me out.

1.) Will my bachelors degree hold any weight with an associates in IT with certifications in landing a job? How hard will it be to find a job?

2.) Can I make enough money to live starting out with no experience? I could live on 35-40k starting out.

3.) What would be the best direction in IT to go in for a decent wage with work life balance and stability?

Any help would be greatly appreciated and if anyone would like to be a mentor that would be absolutely be appreciated!

Below is the list of classes for the associates I am thinking about taking, please let me know if that is a pretty good foundation or look at something else.

CIS 101 Introduction to Computer Information Systems


3



CNS 105 Networking Essentials**


3



CNS 110 Microsoft Windows Desktop Operating System

3



CNS 111 Microsoft Windows Server Operating System

3



CNS 116 Microsoft Implementing and Maintaining Windows Network Infrastructure

4



CNS 117 Microsoft Planning and Optimizing Windows Network Infrastructure

3



CNS 120 Microsoft Planning, Implementing and Maintaining Windows Active Directory

3



CNS 141 Cisco Networking Basics Competencies

4



CNS 142 Cisco Network Routing Protocols and Concepts

4



CNS 150 Microsoft Windows Desktop Technician

4



CNS 170 Principles of Information Security

3




Thank you,

stryder144

IT is a huge meta-career field. As such, advise given will need to be taken with a grain of salt...your mileage will likely vary.

To answer your questions:

1. You probably don't need the associate degree. Experience is king. I would start looking for a place to volunteer my time while studying for certifications. Now, having said that, if you can afford the classes, they might help you make an informed decision as to which facet of IT you find most appealing.

How long do you have before you go stark raving mad in accounting? Subtract six months from that number and you have the approximate number of months/years you have to build your experience and education/certification base. The six month block is for finding/landing a job.

2. That number seems fair, as a starter. Of course, if you get some experience volunteering while you study, you could end up starting a bit higher than that. It really depends on the local job market and your ability to wow future hiring managers with your knowledge.

3. This question has no tidy answer, unfortunately. Some companies will have decent M-F hours, bankers hours, if you will. Some, like mine, are shift based and go from Saturday night to Wednesday morning. So, work/life balance is up to you.

As to the classes you've written down, they look interesting and appear to give a pretty solid introduction to a wide range of topics that should give you a nice base of knowledge. They might spark an interest for future specialization.

Lastly, welcome to TE! It will be a long, strange trip that you will be undertaking. Enjoy the ride. IT is a blast.