Advice for a soon to be Computer Information Systems graduate?

darkr166 · August 2013

Looking to get some guidance/insights since im kinda in a cross-road while having 1.5 years left til I get my degree in Computer Information Systems. Im at the point of my life where Im not sure whats gonna happen and how im gonna be able to handle life after graduation.

Ive been 2nd guessing my pursue of a CIS degree because I neglected to realize how many specialized IT jobs can be had with just certs and exp. Ive decided to stick with finishing my CIS degree since I originally switched from Biology thus ive been in school for too long while the student loan piles up. If I could re-do my college career and start at 18 again I would probably gone after a accounting/engineering degree.

Ive accumulated some technical experience such as working for broadcom as a bluetooth tester and recently working as a geeksquad repair tech for 2 1/2 years. But none of those are actual "IT" experiences in my opinion. After working geeksquad, I realized that I dont want to be working in a IT support role (helpdesk / desktop) just troubleshooting because it would make my degree useless and am driven to chase after specialist IT positions like security, networking, cloud or administrator.

Im currently unemployed and have been looking for a part-time / fall internship thats in the IT field, but having no luck as of yet here in Houston.

Should I just wait it out this fall and focus on getting certs and attend my campus job fair for internships for next summer?

What advice can be given to help me see through this unknown/dark times?

If going the cert route, what first 3-4 certs should I get in order? On top of my 18 hrs for school, how should I study for these exams?

instant000 · August 2013

I disagree with you.

Working as the bluetooth tester, and working for the Geek squad do qualify as IT experience.

If you want to move up, you might be able to find some part-time helpdesk work while still attending school. Have you pinged any local businesses? Do your professors have a relationship with any local employers who might offer part-time options (such as internships) to students?

Do you have any past coworkers from Geek squad who moved on from there? (They might offer you an inside track to opportunities in the companies they have moved on to.)

dmoore44 · August 2013

Well, honestly, the best thing to do is to start off your career at a help desk (if you want to do the sysadmin route) or a NOC (if you want go the netadmin route). Those positions will provide you with a really good entry level perspective as to the end user experience and allow you to become intimate with a technology before moving up to a position where you get to implement said technology. After a few years of help desk/NOC experience, you can move up to a junior sysadmin or network engineer role which will be your real entry in to the wider world of IT. After a few years of being a sysadmin or netadmin, then you can really broaden out in to one of the niche specialties like virtual/cloud or security.

In the short term, it might help to think about which route (sysadmin or netadmin) you want to go - not only to help you focus your job search, but also to help provide a focus for certs. If you decide that you want to go sysadmin, you'll have to make a decision on MS vs Linux certs (each have their own pros and cons). If you go netadmin, you'll want to start studying for the Cisco certs.

Edit:
Also, if you're any good at programming, there's a huge demand for data scientists. I've seen a few schools that are starting new MS programs in Data Analytics/Data Mining. If you're even vaguely interested in that, it would be worth your while to pick up a book on Python. Or, if analytics isn't interesting to you, picking up Python would still be worth your while if you're interested in pursuing the infosec route. Many open source security tools are written in Python, and it's a damn handy language to know for those times when you need to roll your own code (or need to modify somebody else's code).

CCNTrainee · August 2013

Out of my own curiosity, what College are you attending?? I'm looking for schools that have a CIS program and the colleges that I have been looking into only have Computer Science.

Just m 2 cents, I would say keep going with the College route and finish your degree, since you are already over the halfway hump and you when you do earn that degree you will be ahead of most people that are in Entry level. Second since you don't have a job, there is plenty of free material on the Internet to help you study for certs. I would recommend the CompTIA Triangle as a way to test where you are at in your own knowledge of the Career Field. Since you have some free time, picking up a programming flavor and learning the fundamentals of Linux will really help you go beyond the Entry level desk support.

DissonantData · August 2013

Your best bet is to leverage your knowledge of both business AND computers. That will be your biggest advantage against the CS/EE majors. Explain how you can use your skills to maximize (accounting) profit while reducing fixed and/or variable costs. Understand what "leverage" (total assets / total assets - total liabilities) is. Chances are, the IT job you do will have some level of impact on the business. As long as you understand this, you can use it to your advantage.

iBrokeIT · August 2013

Very understandable that you don't want to do help desk/computer repair long term. It does provide you a good foundation and experience but most people get burned out of it or sick of it since it stops being a challenge and doesn't pay very well.

At this point you need to ask yourself if you want to focus more on networking (Cisco) or server administrator (Microsoft). Its more a personal preference than one we can decide for you.

jesseou812 · August 2013

Go into the military/guard. I would recommend the Air Force. Let them pay for your certs and graduate education.

When you go to the recruiter, don't let them sell you a job as a crew chief, cop or some other knuckle dragging job. They will spoon you some line like, "We do not have any openings in the job you want, but we can get you in as ____________" <-- fill in the blank with some sucky non-IT job. Get 4-years of IT experience and a TS clearance. Check out and start earning 6-figures, get a good looking wife--that you will divorce three years later--to spend your money and have fun.

Of course, if you have tattooed your face or neck with a pot leaf and pierced your wee-wee that has a chain connected to it up to your cheek, this may not be an option. Try the Army or Marines. They tend to take most comers as long as you have completed parole.

In all seriousness...

I am not pushing the military but if you are looking for a job that will give you some real-life experience, a check, free education, and a good resume builder, take a look. You have nothing to lose. Of course, if you are anti-military, do it the hard way. No one will hold you back.

P.S. No offense to my Army & Marine brothers, people with pierced genitalia or neck/face tats.

CCNTrainee · August 2013

^^ Good luck trying to do that with current Active Duty, especially when we are cutting on personnel and benefits as well as becoming a Peace Time service.

I'm Active Duty and the AF will only pay for one cert that is required by DOD 8570, assuming that you get a "3D" job. Every cert I have earn after my first was out of my own pocket and self study. Jess statement is only true if you are lucky enough to be stationed at base that gives funding and respects their Communication Squadron. Since you are not too far from a degree, the Officer route would be best for you thou if you do become a Comms Officer you will be a "Business" Manager and not a technician.

If the Military route is an open option to you, I suggest looking into the Guard/Reserves since you will have way more control of your contract then you ever will when you are Active Duty. Being in the Military has its perks of hands-on experience (if you are lucky), free education (for now); guarantee salary, and a TS/Secret Clearance (assuming that you have a job that requires it). Thou going AD, you are giving your life up for a few years since you won't have much control on what your job is going to be like and where you are going to be stationed at.

My experience in the Air Force, I've been underutilized and spent more days doing details + additional duties then I have actually doing my AFSC. I volunteered for two Afghanistan deployments just so I can get away from home station and to enjoy the feeling of having a purpose when I am downrange. My opinion may sound biased, but that is my luck with the Air Force... everything is luck of the draw when you are Active Duty, at least when you first join.

dmoore44 · August 2013

To add to what CCNTrainee has said...

When I joined the Air Force, I told them I wanted a job with computers (thinking I would get, what was then, a 3C (Comms) AFSC). I didn't - the needs of the Air Force took precedent. I wound up as a 6C (Contracts) and spent my enlistment doing paperwork and contributing to the national debt (my job, to completely simplify it, was to spend your tax dollars). During my enlistment, I deployed and spent a little time as a security forces augmentee. I enjoyed deployed life and life as a security forces augmentee far more than I enjoyed working under my AFSC. When I was deployed, I wasn't subject to many of the regulations that you are while CONUS, so that greatly simplified my job. While I was an augmentee, I didn't even have to think about contracts, which was awesome (and in a twisted reversal of fortune, all of the security forces guys envied my job in contracts - they all wanted a nice desk job). I had planned on cross-training in to a different AFSC, but life sometimes takes precedence and I got out. I did manage to get most of my BS paid for using tuition assistance, and I still have quite a bit of my GI Bill left over (I did have to pay for a few remaining classes after I separated to complete my BS).

And as CCNTrainee mentioned, there are perks. The clearance is a boon. Some of the experiences have been invaluable. In retrospect, the Contracts training has helped a lot - I know a lot about the federal budgeting and spending process. But it did take 4 years away from my development. I was lucky enough that the squadrons I was a part of recognized that I was an IT guy at heart, so they assigned me a few additional duties that worked to our mutual benefit (INFOSEC/COMPUSEC monitor/CSA/etc...). If you go the military route, your experience is ultimately what you make of it...

Totino · August 2013

I would pass on joining the military. BUT, if you do join, definitely go Air Force. And this is coming from someone who spent 4 years in the Army. The Air Force is definitely the spot to be, I spent about 1.5 years on one of their bases in Korea. They definitely had the life haha.
The clearance of course is the only real reason to join. If I had my net+ cert before I left Korea, I would of had a civi job lined up and never would of had to leave.

jesseou812 · August 2013

Funny, my AFSC had nothing to with computers, but that is what I did.

I feel your pain about doing details and the like. Been there, done that, got a T-shirt.

Overall, the Air Force was 99.6 percent good to me and the military opened a lot of doors that I was lucky and smart enough to step though. Lord knows, there were days....

I really hope all of you have success no matter what road you take. I was just passing on a little of my wisdom and hindsight since I already toughed it out and want to warn others.

My brother went into the Air Guard. Did 6-years, got a TS and all his training. Is making 6-figures now in DC working for a contractor. You will hear no complaints from him.

Lastly, no matter what gets cut in the military, the young recruit cuts won't last long and that is a fact. The wheels of the Air Force will stop tuning without young Airmen to pack the gear and do the heavy lifting (details if you will). And don't kid yourself, the Air Force must have the best, brightest and most motivated to keep the machine running.

CCNTrainee · August 2013

dmoore44 wrote: »

To add to what CCNTrainee has said...

When I joined the Air Force, I told them I wanted a job with computers (thinking I would get, what was then, a 3C (Comms) AFSC). I didn't - the needs of the Air Force took precedent. I wound up as a 6C (Contracts) and spent my enlistment doing paperwork and contributing to the national debt (my job, to completely simplify it, was to spend your tax dollars). During my enlistment, I deployed and spent a little time as a security forces augmentee. I enjoyed deployed life and life as a security forces augmentee far more than I enjoyed working under my AFSC. When I was deployed, I wasn't subject to many of the regulations that you are while CONUS, so that greatly simplified my job. While I was an augmentee, I didn't even have to think about contracts, which was awesome (and in a twisted reversal of fortune, all of the security forces guys envied my job in contracts - they all wanted a nice desk job). I had planned on cross-training in to a different AFSC, but life sometimes takes precedence and I got out. I did manage to get most of my BS paid for using tuition assistance, and I still have quite a bit of my GI Bill left over (I did have to pay for a few remaining classes after I separated to complete my BS).

And as CCNTrainee mentioned, there are perks. The clearance is a boon. Some of the experiences have been invaluable. In retrospect, the Contracts training has helped a lot - I know a lot about the federal budgeting and spending process. But it did take 4 years away from my development. I was lucky enough that the squadrons I was a part of recognized that I was an IT guy at heart, so they assigned me a few additional duties that worked to our mutual benefit (INFOSEC/COMPUSEC monitor/CSA/etc...). If you go the military route, your experience is ultimately what you make of it...

Dmoore, you didn't do a PRT deployment did you???

Funny thing that is exactly what happened to me on my first deployment. My AFSC got over tasked so I got put into Security Augmentee with our team's Infantry counterparts for the 14 months I was attached to them. It was a great experience, did things I would of never thought I would do when I signed up with the Air Force. I did convoys, footpatrols, overwatch support during KLEs, and first responder duties. I also took contact, got shot at, blown up, indirect fire by recoilless rifles; ruck marched for 3+ miles to the nearest village carrying ammo cans for a 240B that was used for overwatched. My favorite thing during the deployment were the MEDAVACs, we would get all kinds of victims, children that were missing limbs from IEDs, ANA/ANP suffer from gun shot wounds, had one that took one in the neck, burnt victims, as well as people that came to us in pieces and passed away while trying to stabilize them. When I joined the Air Force I never thought I would be exposed to any of this, let alone picking up body parts, not showering for nearly month because of water shortage, and the worst detail of having to burn your + other people's Feces... As much as the deployment sucked, I loved every minute of it since I felt like I had a purpose and was making a real difference. I am glad to say that I walked away from that tour with my Limbs mostly intact and a proud Combat Veteran.

I love the deployment life as well, less military BS and regulations unlike when you are in garrison stateside. Majority of the officers you meet are down to earth since many are lower on the totem pole and no differ from the enlisted when they are deployed. If I could, I would stay downrange so I wouldn't have to deal with the CONUS military life, out here I have a purpose, while back a homestation it feels like we are wasting the tax payers money since we are too busy getting ready for safety inspections and additional duty binder reviews. You are right about the deployed life, and just like you I actually picked up the same additional duties that you had when I got back from my first tour. If I am going to waste my days on details I might as well volunteer for duties that actually relate to IT.

Advice for a soon to be Computer Information Systems graduate?

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