Is IT a good field?

Just wondering if IT is a good career path?

A lot of people say that IT is a path that require constant upgrading in technical skills...I don't know what this means. Does it mean I will have to go back to school every couple of years? Or do I have to keep reading books? Or is it only a specific field in IT that requires updating skills liek Desktop support?

But, doesn't other fields like finance, accounting, engineering require to update their skills too? Probably not so much?

If I plan to specialize in Networking, will I have to update skills/return to school every couple of years? My goal isn't to earn a 6 digit figure salary. 50k-70k is enough as I need to balance out with life. Plan is to get up to CCNP and thats it.

I just want to know what's it like for you guys who have more than 3 years of work experience? do you get off work and constantly read news and spend your weekend catching up with IT material?

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Comments

jamesleecoleman

You will have to update you're skills when working in IT. This means that you'll have to basically learn about new things. I'll just put it like that since there are many ways to learn new things. You don't have to goto school every couple of years to stay updated but it's a choice.

I'm the same way on salary but you shouldn't limit the salary. Also you shouldn't limit the level of certification that you get either.

laptop

Thanks, I get the idea now.

But how about certifications? Even I get a Cisco Certification. It will expire in 3 years. Do you experts study every 3 years to write another test? or just call yourself 'cisco certified' on your resume even if it expired?

jsolari

your not cisco certified if its expired

mikedisd2

laptop wrote: »

But how about certifications? Even I get a Cisco Certification. It will expire in 3 years. Do you experts study every 3 years to write another test? or just call yourself 'cisco certified' on your resume even if it expired?

Once it's expired you are no longer certified. Getting the CCNP isn't a quick path and I reckon you will have more appreciation for the subject material when on the journey. It's not studying every 3x years; it's constantly staying up to date with the technology.

IT is constantly changing and like me, you'll be on the back foot for a number of years. But if you like the field, you'll enjoy learning new stuff while strengthening your resume. Start out small, build upwards and outwards. Cover system/network fundamentals first. There will always be new things to learn in IT afterwards.

chrisone

mmmm i get home and i do a little studying or some labs, most of the time i do my real studying during off hours at work where i have lab equipment as well. The only reason why i continue this way of living is because im single with no kids and i am pursuing other certification. I go out on the weekends but have no need to go out during the weekdays, so doing any studying later at home after work is not a problem. If i enjoy the topic i usually kill the subject at home and finish it off lol When i do study its no longer than an hour as i watch a lot of sports and i like to goto the gym 4 to 5 days out of the week. I also visit the movie theaters during the weekdays too

I honestly feel like in order to keep up to date on things, you do a couple things, 1. just make sure you certifications do not expire, 2. just read Yahoo and google tech reviews and updates, so you at least skimmed or read about the latest, router, switch, wireless, firewalls, laptops, memory, hard drives, video game consoles, video graphic cards, etc etc. Thats all one needs to stay active in the game. Keep your certs up to date and read IT related news, which is what ones does in their off time at work anyways....lol

I guess after i achieve all the certs i want, i wont do much studying there after, i would more than likely just lab stuff at work and do any reading at work as well. All i have to do is take one exam that i already have taken once every 3 years to keep everything active. Thats not hard at all, thats like getting a driving ticket and having to do traffic school once every three years, not a bad ratio. Probably wont be doing much studying at home after i get all the certs i want...

dynamik

No offense dude, but how are you 100+ posts in and asking this question now?

Passing one exam every three years should really not be an issue for anyone who is remotely interested in what they do. I think the most difficult part is getting up to speed on whatever technology you're interested in. Once you've achieved some level of mastery, you only need to keep up with advances and changes.

And no, you don't need to go back to school to keep current. However, you may wish to do so to earn advanced degrees and transition into higher-level positions.

This certainly isn't a field for everyone. I think it's awesome for those who are interested in this type of work, but if you're just looking to earn good money without having to apply yourself and delve deep into the material, it's probably not for you.

earweed

jsolari wrote: »

your not cisco certified if its expired

I was thinking about starting on the Cisco route after doing my MCITP:EA.
Do the lower level certs expire if you pass higher level certs or do you still need to retake the lower level certs?

RouteThisWay

dynamik wrote: »

This certainly isn't a field for everyone. I think it's awesome for those who are interested in this type of work, but if you're just looking to earn good money without having to apply yourself and delve deep into the material, it's probably not for you.

I agree with this post.

Sounds like the OP wants to settle for mediocrity. Wants to learn the material quick, then not have to study again and pull 60k-75k a year.

OP, did you catch an ITT tech commercial or something? lol

laidbackfreak

earweed wrote: »

Do the lower level certs expire if you pass higher level certs or do you still need to retake the lower level certs?

If you take and pass any of the professional or specialisation certs, they automatically renew any other certs. As long as they have not already expired.