What should I do to prepare myself?

Hello,

I am 32 years old and recently started my IT degree. My goal upon completion of this degree is to become a C#/.NET developer but my main issue right now is wondering what I should do between now and the 4 years until I get my degree.

Should I get some low level certs and take an entry level support type job? I feel like having some experience in the tech world will help me out when applying for a developer job however I'm not sure that low level support would be taken too seriously. I know I'll have to take a pretty decent pay cut but I feel like the long term outlook will offset the short term pay cut. I'm in a spot now where the pay cut won't really hurt me too much either.

Right now I'm a machinist so I do absolutely zero with IT at work however that doesn't mean I am inexperienced with IT outside of work.

Thank you for your time

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Comments

jesusriles

Hello,

In my opinion it would be great to start in any type of job related to Information Technology. IT support is a good job for starting, you learn a lot, trust me. And some jobs I saw recently (related to programming, networks, security, etc.) ask for experience in "IT support". Why? Because people who used to work in a support position should know how to analyze problems and find solutions.

Greetings!

NVLady

I agree. Support is a great way to start. I work for a state agency and we have had multiple people given opportunties to be programmers just based on the work they did in support. Good luck.

torqux

Definitely tech support as there is no way to start directly with a good/really technical job

bgold87

Do you know CNC G-code?

audio

bgold87 wrote: »

Do you know CNC G-code?

A little bit. Mazatrol is my speciality though.

audio

Thanks for the information folks. I'll go knock out my A+ and work on other certs after that. Hopefully the support market isn't too small where I live.

scaredoftests

Where do you live?

audio

scaredoftests wrote: »

Where do you live?

I live in Milwaukee.

AverageJoe

Help desk support is very different from programming; the two are not typically tied together. People do sometimes move from one to the other, but it's not necessary to do one to do the other.

It sounds obvious, but the best way to be a good programmer is to get good at programming. There are programming related certifications, but A+ is not one of them. While it certainly wouldn't be held against you when competing for a programmer job opening, it wouldn't beat out programming related experience or programming related certifications.

That's not to say A+ is bad, and it may well help broaden your understanding of computers and networks. A basic analogy might be the difference between a jet pilot and a jet plane mechanic. Both have specialized skills and know a whole lot about airplanes, but that does not make them interchangeable. An airline wouldn't hire you to fix their planes just because you have a pilot's license. Nor would an airline hire you as a pilot just because you were an expert mechanic.

Just my 2 cents.

Magmadragoon

I think Network+ or CCENT should be the one certification he should get. In programming, you actually use the OSI model when you make connections. For example, if you make an application involving send data or retrieving data from a server or database; you will need to know how to TCP handshake works and what port numbers are needed. Another example is troubleshooting a problem, is the problem from the Operating System or Program. You can do a process of elimination of the causes by going up and down the OSI model.

jmanrta

If I were in your shoes I would go to sourceforge.net and either contribute to an open source project in whatever languages you want to work with and/or create your own project and submit to sourceforge. That way you have a portfolio for yourself.

I would also recommend getting some sort of IT experience, maybe at a help desk, desktop support, junior sys admin, or even junior programmer/developer

audio

AverageJoe wrote: »

Help desk support is very different from programming; the two are not typically tied together. People do sometimes move from one to the other, but it's not necessary to do one to do the other.

It sounds obvious, but the best way to be a good programmer is to get good at programming. There are programming related certifications, but A+ is not one of them. While it certainly wouldn't be held against you when competing for a programmer job opening, it wouldn't beat out programming related experience or programming related certifications.

That's not to say A+ is bad, and it may well help broaden your understanding of computers and networks. A basic analogy might be the difference between a jet pilot and a jet plane mechanic. Both have specialized skills and know a whole lot about airplanes, but that does not make them interchangeable. An airline wouldn't hire you to fix their planes just because you have a pilot's license. Nor would an airline hire you as a pilot just because you were an expert mechanic.

Just my 2 cents.

I'd just use the A+ plus other low-level certs to get my foot in the door until I'm done with my degree. I figure it'll look better having 4 years of some type of IT job experience when I graduate vs having no IT job experience, you know? I'm not even close to being ready for an entry level programming job right now so I need something else to pad my resume while I work towards finishing my degree. That's not to say I'm clueless when it comes to programming, I just don't know enough to comfortably apply for an entry level job.

jmanrta wrote: »

If I were in your shoes I would go to sourceforge.net and either contribute to an open source project in whatever languages you want to work with and/or create your own project and submit to sourceforge. That way you have a portfolio for yourself.

I would also recommend getting some sort of IT experience, maybe at a help desk, desktop support, junior sys admin, or even junior programmer/developer

That's a good idea, not sure why I haven't thought about that before. Thanks for the suggestion!

AverageJoe

I recommend focusing on development related projects and certifications. I like the sourceforge suggestion. Also, SQL is much more relevant to programming than A+ since a lot of application and web development is database related using embedded SQL. If I were starting out as a programmer again, I'd probably be looking at Oracle SQL and Java certifications, and maybe Microsoft MCSD.

And while Magmadragoon is right that in some circumstances it might be beneficial to really know the OSI model, you'd most likely have established library routines and interfaces. If you're writing a new network protocol you may need to know down-and-dirty details of how the OSI layers work, but most programmers are not writing new network protocols.

Again, it's not that other areas like A+ and Network+ are bad things, but I would say they're more of condiments. You need to have the burger before you worry about the catsup and the mustard. As a developer, your burger is becoming a good programmer. A lot of programming can be boiled down to analyzing customer requirements, designing a software solution, and then creating that solution using development tools.

On the flip side, I will say that if you think you want to work in IT but you aren't sure you want to be a programmer then sampling different areas of IT through A+ and Network+ is a great option.

mkazi

Absolutely, go for the low level certs A+, Network+ and maybe Linux+. Then try to land an entry level position in IT. On second thoughts, definitely take Linux lol and since MAGMADRAGOON said that you'll need OSI knowledge...Network+ or CCENT would be a great choice also.

Also agree that Support would be a good place to start! You can quickly knock out A+ and Network+ exams and land a good support job. Good luck!

audio

Had a long weekend so didn't get a chance to respond.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions and advice. I definitely have a lot to consider and a lot to reflect upon now!