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Thread ID: 50322	2004-10-17 06:55:00	OT: PC Course	Prescott (11)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
281986	2004-10-17 06:55:00	hey there, this week we are choosing what subjects to take at school for ncea level 3. We have the opportunity to do a course with the polytech in Invercargill. i want to do a computer course but im not sure what type, i would like to do a course based around computer hardware. any one got any suggestions on what course or comments of computer course they have done. thanks for the help in advance	Prescott (11)
281987	2004-10-17 07:00:00	Invercargill Polytech I have no idea, though basic advice applies. If you have strong knowledge in a field already, talk to people that have already done the course and try to work out what they gained from it, and from that decide if you think you'll gain from it. If you can already assemble and troubleshoot a basic PC then a hardware course probably isn't going to give you a huge insight, where as improving networking skills might be more advantageous. *shrugs*	whtafo (156)
281988	2004-10-17 07:17:00	Definitly make sure you learn some networking.	metla (154)
281989	2004-10-17 07:39:00	My vote is also for some networking experience or OS classes. Any one can undo screws, plug cards in, hook up drives etc & it's the sort of thing you can grab an old PC & practice on. And you would probably learn a lot more hanging around forums such as this or scouring the net. Most of the Poly based hardware courses spend a huge amount of time on old redundant equipment with almost no relevance to todays hardware or standards. Although it's essential to have a good grasp of hardware (old & new) & how it works for troubleshooting/repairs & PC building etc. it's something you can teach yourself. There is also no money to be made in PC Hardware as a career, it's all plug & play & throw away these days. If you're looking at a future career move then networking, OS, Linux, programming etc would be the way to go Have a look at some of the IT job listings & where the money is being paid. If I had my time again I'd be concentrating on becoming a RHCE as Linux in the business place has huge potential & more & more business are either converting or looking at it seriously and there will be a shortage of experts in this field in the years to come IMO	45South (4769)
281990	2004-10-17 07:46:00	Sorry, I meant to add if PC's are going to be your thing & you have a spare $120 or a birthday coming up, get your folks to buy you the holy grail of computing, a book called "Upgrading & Repairing PC's" by Scott Mueller. www.quepublishing.com	45South (4769)
281991	2004-10-17 07:47:00	ok i see where you are going with this, so there is really no point in learning a hardware course because its too basic?? what about programming, ive never done this before so what would i need to know to do this sort of course, and what about this networking thing, is this just like making LANS?	Prescott (11)
281992	2004-10-17 07:49:00	> Sorry, I meant to add if PC's are going to be your > thing & you have a spare $120 or a birthday coming > up, get your folks to buy you the holy grail of > computing, a book called "Upgrading & Repairing PC's" > by Scott Mueller. > www.quepublishing.com wow 120 bucks for a book??	Prescott (11)
281993	2004-10-17 08:01:00	>what about programming You'll probably start off on QBasic, Pascal, Python or such like at Poly which is good as it teaches the basics of good programming techniques & it's fun too. You'll then head on to something like VB.Net, C++ & more A good programmer can make hundreds of thousands a year overseas If you do decide on networking as a career then some programming skills are essential. >is this just like making LANS Basically, yes but on a much grander scale & the fields of expertise are varied & huge. A LAN with 2,500 PC's? A WAN with 5,000 PC's? And you're in charge of them all (what a rush) & it's your butt on the line if one goes down for more than 5mins Networking methods are growing fast & once again a shortage of good engineers is likely	45South (4769)
281994	2004-10-17 08:04:00	>wow 120 bucks for a book?? It will be the best $120 you ever spent Most of the Poly reading & notes you will get come straight out of it anyway. And the DVD that comes with it is worth a look too	45South (4769)
281995	2004-10-17 08:09:00	thanks for all the help, the teacher in charge of the school-poly is going to get back to me with some courses available, with the programming course is there much written work or is it all/most of it practicle [ie] on a pc programming?	Prescott (11)
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