I'm not sure if this should be in here or the College forum but anyway...

I was thinking about being a Computer technician... like fixing and programming and other things i guess and i was wondering about school... like how long you have to go to college for it, how many courses and if its a good job...i'd also like to know what exactly you do

i can't usually focus on stuff but i can withcomputer stuff and i want to know how it works and stuff and a lot of the time i can look at a program and know how to use it... or look at a mechanical thing and know how to use it but i want to know how to work it... if that makes sense ...


~Megg

I never really went to school for it.

I just learned on my own. I do not learn well is school environments, I tend to get bored and doze off.

I have a few certifications, but to me they mean jack**** (to me atleast, needed one just to maintain current employment.)

Take a computer, take it apart, put it back together, break it and fix it.

What aspects interest you? Programing, building/repairing, networking, etc..

There are many differrent fileds.

The only advice I can give you that is very important to remember, is that a computer is a tool, like a hammer, or screw driver, just has many capabilities, so don't limit yourself. I am 32 now, and I have to work really hard to change things, as now what I have available to me is limited.

I'm not sure if this should be in here or the College forum but anyway...

I was thinking about being a Computer technician... like fixing and programming and other things i guess and i was wondering about school... like how long you have to go to college for it, how many courses and if its a good job...i'd also like to know what exactly you do

i can't usually focus on stuff but i can withcomputer stuff and i want to know how it works and stuff and a lot of the time i can look at a program and know how to use it... or look at a mechanical thing and know how to use it but i want to know how to work it... if that makes sense ...


~MeggDepends. I'm at the University of Arkansas right now getting a computer degree (Information Systems).

Generally, for college degrees, there are three major programs nowadays.

Computer Science - this is generally programming. These are the people that go on to work at Microsoft and write the code for Word and Excel and Vista, etc. or people who manage big databases or etc. Anything that has to do with programming - they do it.

Computer Engineering - these are the people that design hardware. They people who design circuit boards, processors, graphics cards, etc. These people go to work for companies like Dell, Intel, Nvidia, etc. Also, a lot of them get jobs with defense contractors like Lockheed Martin and end up designing missile guidance systems and radar/computer systems in jet fighters and other aeronautic stuff. These are the highest paying jobs for any four year degree usually - as in, starting salaries are usually in the $60,000+ range:eek:. But these are HARD degrees - lots of advanced math and Calculus.

Information Systems - This is a business degree usually. These are people that are network administrators, people that run company servers/websites, etc. These are the 'IT guys';)

Outside of college there are votech schools where you can become a technician - these are the guys that build computers and fix computers (for home use mainly). Also, some of them get jobs with the cable/phone companies and end up installing internet (cable/dsl/etc.)

I'm not sure if this should be in here or the College forum but anyway...

I was thinking about being a Computer technician... like fixing and programming and other things i guess and i was wondering about school... like how long you have to go to college for it, how many courses and if its a good job...i'd also like to know what exactly you do

i can't usually focus on stuff but i can withcomputer stuff and i want to know how it works and stuff and a lot of the time i can look at a program and know how to use it... or look at a mechanical thing and know how to use it but i want to know how to work it... if that makes sense ...


~Meggfirst things first.

Tell us what you want to do.

There are generally 4 or 5 it types.

Managers - as an adder you don't want this.

Programmer - You will have to sit still for long periods of time working by yourself on stupid problems that really could care less about, or worse yet you will be fixing the code that some tard wrote five years ago with no comments.

Helpdesk Jockey/Toner Fetcher - You dont want this job period, it is underpaid, generally overworked, and you are just another cost center. In terms of the corporate heirarchy you are just about as important as the U.P.S guy. When you leave lots of people might care except the people who pay you.

Network Guy - In a typical company this will consist of building servers, patching servers, ensuring a secure environment... yadda yadda yadda, in my estimation a cool job. Even better if you work for a systems integrator you can be the guy thats sets up networks, forgets them and never comes back again. Very cool.


First you have to choose which one you want.

the network guy and helpdesk guy role truly requires nothing more than common sense and some certs. A degree helps you get through the door but most likely will have little bearing on your day to day work.

Thanks for your help...though I still have a while before i'm done high school but I'd say right now i'd chose either technician or network guy but i will continue to research about them :)

I don't have a computer degree ("only" an electronic). Started on the bottom and worked my way up, taking courses and certifications along the way.

For 6 years I was a technical director at Panda Software Norway. Working with designing security/antivirus solutions for larger networks. After 6 years I start looking for a new job. It was to much paperwork and organizing, and that was a problem for me with my ADD and dyslexia :rolleyes: Now I work as an network technician on a network with prox. 3000 computers + servers and really love it! I'm more a technical guy than a theoretical one.

Try to find out what suites you best, and choose that direction (that's logical...) Good luck! :)

I don't mean to be contrary, but there are a lot more than 5 disciplines in the field of IT and computer related careers. There is a cornucopia of disciplines and titles to choose from, and chances are you probably won't stick with your first choice. A lot of these descriptions also intermix. For example, on any given day I am a Systems Administrator, Analyst, and Architect. This list should give you an idea of which focus you think might interest you though. :)

-- There are the bottom rung entry level support jobs. Many folks with no education or vocational education start off here.

* Tech Support: Low Pay, Low Skill
These are the folks making $8 an hour with Geek Squad or on the telephone at your internet provider reading from scripts and fixing basic problems. What they do is important, but it's also dead simple and a ton of people can do it. Lots of people interaction, but its all scripted. No creativity opportunities. These jobs are almost never salary and usually have limited or no benefits.

* Help Desk or Corporate Support: Low to mid-level pay, Low to Mid skill
Here you start talking about salaries, but there still isn't much room for creativity. These folks take calls from end users at corporations about why Word won't save a file in the recycle bin and do the grunt work of running around fiixing broken computers. Lots of people interaction.

-- Now we get to the real hands on technical stuff. These positions have all the folks that make things to and keep things running. All of these can be Junior to Senior level and Supervisory positions.

* Systems Adminstrators: Mid to High pay, Mid to High skill
These folks manage Windows, Linux, BSD, Solaris, HP-UX, AIX, and more, using a slew of tools and a lot of in-depth knowledge. Knowledge is also very broad, ranging from backup systems to email to DNS to disk tuning and more. They are typically responsible for anywhere from a dozen to many thousands of servers. The job varies from company to company, but typically larger corporations want sysadmins who focus on small niche areas such as the operating system or backups, while smaller internet oriented corporations want sysadmins who have a broader knowledge and can be expert on many technologies at once. Lots of room for creativity. It takes many years of real world experience to develop the skills required to succeed at this job.

* Database Administrators: Mid to Very High pay, Mid to Very High skill
These guys are very specialized systems administrators. Their sole focus is maintaining Database systems. They are usually so specialized that they are experts on just one or two common database products, such as Oracle, MSSQL, or DB2. They have a lot of very detailed and in-depth knowledge about configuring, designing, and supporting these systems and they get paid very well to do it. Plenty of room for creativity. It takes many years of real world experience to develop the skills required to succeed at this job.

* Provisioner: Low to Mid Pay, Low to Mid Skill

These folks take care of setting up network and telephone lines. Not a bad position for someone right out of college. LOTS of paperwork. Not much direct room for advancement. No room for creativity.

* Network Engineers: Low to High Pay, Low to High Skill

These are the systems administrators of the network world. They manage networks and the protocols that drive them. They are also the tech support of the network world, running cables through buildings and installing switches. Junior positions, obviously, are the lower paying. Better paying positions require a few years of experience to step in to. Room for creativity in senior positions.

* Security Engineers: Mid to High Pay, Mid to High Skill

These folks are usually tied in with the network group. They manage corporate security, watch for suspicious activity, analyze computers after they have had a security breach, and design methods to both break and protect computers. Generally you have to step in to this position once you have experience as a Systems Administrator or Network Engineer. Room for creativity, but also lots of dull boring work.

* Systems Analysts and Application Engineers: Mid to High Pay, Mid to High Skill

These folks are very similar to Systems Administrators, except that their focus is on the applications that run on the servers themselves. Typically, they become experts at managing and troubleshooting these applications. They often come from the Systems Administrator world and the position is often mixed with classic Systems Administration.

-- Development related positions. All of these can be Junior to Senior level and Supervisory positions.

* Systems and Application Architects: Mid to High Pay, Mid to High Skill

These folks actually design how things will work. Choosing which components to use, how to lay them out, and how to manage them. Typically these folks come from a Systems Administrator or Programming background.

* QA Engineer, Testers: Low to Mid Pay, Low to Mid Skill

This is often where programmers end up out of college. These folks test applications for bugs and write reports about it. Fun, huh? It's more creative than I describe it as, but there is usually lots of procedure too.

* Release Manager: Mid Pay, Mid Skill

Folks from QA and Programming can generally take this position. This person is responsible for managing the source code of projects, and preparing it to be released on to production servers.

* Software Engineer, Programmer, Developer: Low to High Pay, Low to Very High Skill

Everyone thinks they'll graduate college and become a high paid programmer. Truth is, the first work you get is often low pay and painfully boring. The smarter folks get by with writing interesting and creative software on the side. Programming really deserves a good dozen categories all to itself. There are lots of specialties. Some programmers will never write anything more interesting than some boring mindless code to drive a window in Excel. Some programmers are intimately familiar with nearly every aspect of the computer, right down to interfacing with the hardware. A lot of programmers are somewhere in between. And a very special few are highly mathmatically capable and will write the software that does the hard and special stuff that everybody else uses but doesn't think about.

-- Upper Management! ADDers can totally do these with the right support systems behind them. They are challenging, can require a lot of creativity, and

* Director: High to Very High Pay, High Skill

Directors generally graduate up from positions as Administration or Analysts. They orchestrate the activities of one or more technology groups and ensure that the entire operation runs smoothly. This one takes a while to earn the experience and people management skills required, but pays well for the effort.

* CTO, CIO - Chief Technology Officer, Chief Information Officer

These are the folks who decide what direction to take the technology in their company. They decide what products to build, how to build them, how to manage their teams, what resources are required, and often what technologies to buy. They have a lot of power to make or break a company. This is an executive position and comes with executive pay and executive responsibility. Yes, you can break 7 figures a year in salary, stock options, and bonuses but your stock holders can break you if your decisions cause the company to free-fall.

Good post Blueroo.

One thing I would add is that though programmers and analysts have deadlines which may be tight/insanely tight the time pressure is constant.

With network/sysadmins the situation is different, with prioritisation issues and time pressures that can change by the minute if the system goes down. that is why these guys often get big money.

For example outsourced system technichians tested a patch on an office in the UK's Department of Employment, unfortunately lack of understanding of the (appalling)domain structure pushed the patch onto the whole department network shutting it down and requiring technicians to visit every jobcentre and office across the whole country to roll back the change. Stuff of nightmares, and an illustration of why good network and system design is important and why your technical guys should be good quality. Payment of income support and employment allowance stopped...now thats pressure.

I used to work in the finance sector and there's noting like the silence of a call centre of 2500 people when the systems down to stress the hell out of the guy trying to fix it!

* Tech Support: Low Pay, Low Skill
These are the folks making $8 an hour with Geek Squad or on the telephone at your internet provider reading from scripts and fixing basic problems. What they do is important, but it's also dead simple and a ton of people can do it. Lots of people interaction, but its all scripted. No creativity opportunities. These jobs are almost never salary and usually have limited or no benefits.

* Help Desk or Corporate Support: Low to mid-level pay, Low to Mid skill
Here you start talking about salaries, but there still isn't much room for creativity. These folks take calls from end users at corporations about why Word won't save a file in the recycle bin and do the grunt work of running around fiixing broken computers. Lots of people interaction.
Not being nit-picky but I would like to point out that not ALL Tech support jobs rely on scripts and require low-level technical ability. I work on a helpdesk for an internet provider and NOTHING at all is scripted; in fact for the most part it's real seat-of-the-pants stuff which can bring a fair bit of stress/pressure.

To be fair my role would probably be in between those two described above as most (if not all) of our customers are corporate users (hence the pressure as they need the net working NOW, NOW, NOW!) who have had their own IT support do basic checks before they call us.

In terms of technical abilities, there were no formal qualifications needed for my job, although I did have a degree in software engineering with a bit of networking. I've learned a fair bit on the job in a year though and there's room for progression in the field - the top level support guys are very technical indeed.

Just my 2p ;)

Hi Megg,

I live on the east coast and come from a wall street bakground. I've worked on the crazy trading floors and at some of the big banks. What I have seen over the years and this trend is just getting stronger is the need for programmers. Not sure if you are interested in this but if you have a degree in comp sci and know some programming languages you can almost guarantee your self a job at an investment bank, trading firm, or hedge fund. Best of all...they pay ridiculously wll. Especially the hedge funds, your bonus alone is what many people make in a year. Either way, good luck to you! I hade no direction at all until I turned 25 or 26.