Any tips on how to transition into an IT field as a newcomer?

Not sure if this is the right section. If it is, I do apologize in advance!

I'm looking to transition from a completely unrelated field into IT, possibly IT security/consulting. I don't have a degree in compsci or anything closely related, so I'm practically starting from scratch. What tips would you guys have for a complete noob starting afresh?

I'm going to guess that my past major being completely unrelated means I'm going to have to work toward a BS, compsci being one of the popular starting ones for IT entrants. Online school programs for BSes seem to be becoming a thing. Any thoughts on those? I've been contemplating working part-time and working toward my BS and looking into certifications afterward.

Any/all academic or career advice would be welcome.

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Comments

10Linefigure

There are people in IT with unrelated Bachelor degrees. Your first step may be to explore fields and companies and ideas. See if you find yourself pulled to specialties such as software/networking/programming/virtualization/database/etc and then once you have one you like, find an entry level course or certification on it and jump in. There are a lot of great online schools especially for IT. But you may need a cert for quick ROI to get your foot in the door while you pursue a degree and higher certs later. -Good luck!

NetworkingStudent

Do you have a BS degree?

jack99

NetworkingStudent wrote: »

Do you have a BS degree?

Nope. Completely unrelated BA. I'm going to guess there's no way to transfer any of that over and my best bet is to get my compsci BS via an online school or a city college course and use those credits to transfer to a 4-year school?

srabiee

Just throwing this out there, but another option would be to get your MS in IT. With an MS in IT, your unrelated BA would be a null issue. I think that might be time and money better spent than to obtain two bachelors degrees.

jack99

srabiee wrote: »

Just throwing this out there, but another option would be to get your MS in IT. With an MS in IT, your unrelated BA would be a null issue. I think that might be time and money better spent than to obtain two bachelors degrees.

MS? Is that a 2-year degree I can get at a school diff from where I got my BA?

srabiee

Master of Science degree, usually a 2-year program. Depending on a particular school's entrance requirements, you may be able to transfer the BA degree in. It will more than likely depend on the school and the particular MS program. It's definitely something to consider though.

jack99

srabiee wrote: »

Master of Science degree, usually a 2-year program. Depending on a particular school's entrance requirements, you may be able to transfer the BA degree in. It will more than likely depend on the school and the particular MS program. It's definitely something to consider though.

Would it be obtainable from a city college or an online course? Would be nice if I could save on tuition!

Jon_Cisco

If time and money are issues for you maybe start with self study and get an entry level cert or two.
This should help you decide if IT is for you and might be enough to land an entry level or part time job in IT.

Good Luck!

arrogantbastard

Your lack of understanding of a graduate level degree makes me wonder how you obtained a bachelors to begin with..