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Thread ID: 14883	2002-01-21 23:51:00	Computers for a career?	Guest (0)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
32282	2002-01-21 23:51:00	I'm 7th form this year *bites nails and shakes as she braces herself for bursary* and I want to get in to computers after school, and hopefully make a career of it. I'm intrested in web & multimedia design and pc systems. I've pretty much self-taught everything I know on my own 'puter (oh and the help from the pplz @ pressf1 sometimes!:)) from making a few websites, designing images and having to go fix all me mates comps software probs. I really wanted to be a PE teacher, but that went down the gurgler when my knee's gave up the ghost... so if anyone could give me any suggestions it would be much appreciated, Girl power! tones :Op~~	Guest (0)
32283	2002-01-22 01:19:00	Okay, here goes, sorry about length but I can feel a lot of data trying to get out. 1. Don't do it. You'll be a geek the rest of your life and those who don't know better will think that makes you a nerd as well. 1a. Okay, maybe do it. Depends on 2. 2. There are people out there with no aptitude (sorry, there are, and if someone out there reading this is one then get over it and go get a job as a hairdresser). These people will be useless even after training. They shouldn't be allowed near a microwave, let alone a PC. Doing the course and passing as an MSCE is pointless, don't wreck it for everyone else. 3. If you have some other skill, then consider combining the two. I am a qualified accountant and a geek. They go together nicely. When jobs dry up in one area, I can fall back on the other. Computer skills work like that with heaps of other skillsets. One day I might even combine my computer knowledge with writing. 4. Choosing a career is almost impossible. How is someone who has only been to school supposed to know that they would excell as an air traffic controller or a lawyer? 5. If you get to do something you enjoy, for a living, and you make a good living at it, then you are really lucky. It sometimes has the drawback of destroying the hobby or pastime for leisure purposes, but it is better to be doing something you like than something you hate. You'll still hate it sometimes. 6. Consider tertiary education, proper stuff with a degree. It's probably the last chance you'll get while the rent is cheap (sorry parents, it's true). 7. On the PE thing, are your knees beyond help? Are there other options? Teaching at primary level with a small amount of PE and coaching local kids soccer, netball, cricket, or whatever? I coach a soccer and a cricket team, and that has given me some of the most rewarding moments in my life (apart from being a parent and being married (had to put that second bit in, just in case the wife reads this)). Also, what about physiotherapy or similar? Or even working with rehabilitating people hurt in accidents and stuff? 8. Remember, whatever you do now does not tie you down for life, but it would be good if it provided a good grounding for everything else that comes later. Hope this diatribe helps. robo.	Guest (0)
32284	2002-01-22 03:13:00	i dont know what the hell #2 is talking about (GEEK?!!?) the IT industry is the fastest moving industry there has ever been, there is a HUGE demand for programmers especially in the UK (i know people who make upto 120 pound an hour in the UK in programming) design probaly isnt the safest route since there is so many of them around and anyone without any experiance can make a half decent job with photoshop, and to make good money in webdesign you gotta be good (really good) because there is also heaps of them out there too and also the WWW wont be around forever so you could be screwed if the supanet (or whatever its called) is made public because the languages it uses will be completely different. good luck :P	Guest (0)
32285	2002-01-22 03:56:00	...from the perspective of having raised five children - and now with a gaggle of grandchildren - i would endorse much of the advice on offer from the Board's Moderator. That was Robo, your first response. I would just add one small thing: If serious about entering the Computer/IT Industry - lose the 'mantra'. Keep in mind the Industry is 'dominated' (sic) by males. This is not a sexist thing; it simply reflects the reality of what computers are, how they work and the relationship or appeal that has to the different way in which the female/male brain of a human functions. Yes, boys *are* different from us. My point (??) One of the characteristics of a happy working environment is co-operation and - to put it bluntly - the 'majority' of one's co-workers might be offended by it (or regard it as being silly because computers don't care what gender you are). Viva Difference!!! e_ P.S. Well documented, Robo. i hope you won't mind that i have kept a 'copy'. Cheers!!!	Guest (0)
32286	2002-01-22 05:40:00	All that without drawing a breath, 'The King'? I guess that most of the jobs in the computer industry are dead boring. Not just data entry. The interesting bits are where the second best incomes are (after 'marketing' and management) and probably require a degree now. Those are the ones where you are programming. Not clicking on code generation buttons in huge packages written by somenone else. Where you get the chance to make your own bugs. Have a talk to a Computer Science lecturer at the nearest university. Just call the university, ask for that department, and the departmental secretaries will put you on to someone who will be pleased to talk to you. I've always done programming -- bit level (literally: I have punched holes in paper tape to make patches to programmes) -- making computers DO things. I don't suggest taking courses in COBOL (although there's still a lot of that code about), but there is a lot more to computing than HTML and Windows.	Guest (0)
32287	2002-01-22 06:11:00	Suggestion: See your Network Supervisor at school and ask if you can do some volunteer work for work experience. Things like cleaning the keyboards and monitors (teachers don't know how). By the end of the year you may be helping with re-imaging disks (after some idiot has reinfected a computer lab for the 3rd time with their virus infected floppy), helping to wire up a new lab etc, etc. All Real World stuff (even for programmers and web designers). I ran a database in a school for 4 years. One of our students spent his study breaks on the above and was employed the following year as a Technician. He then went on to study (and knew by then what he wanted to do - software!).	Guest (0)
32288	2002-01-22 06:37:00	Hi Tones I think the advice so far has been pretty good. Here's what I agree with: Forget a programming career if you haven't got 'the knack'. You should get a feel for whether you do or not at university. Forget it without a degree. That's the minimum starting point now. A second speciality really will help A LOT. Conversely, computer knowledge won't hurt whatever you end up doing. For instance for communicating your needs to IT people and in using products that have macro languages and so on. I agree with The King about Web Design - it's a gold rush and most of the gold is gone. Unless you live and breathe design, forget it - anyone can do their own web page without paying you. What I disagree with: Sorry e_, but you are mistaken in this instance. I've worked for a lot of computer companies, from IBM with 100+ programmers, down to little shops with half a dozen. The sex ratio is about 50/50. There is ABSOLUTELY NO disadvantage to women. She'll drop the 'girl power' thing soon enough because it will seem pointless when she finds that half her colleagues and team leaders are women. The maths thing is a red herring. There is next to no maths in programming on business computers. Besides which, once you're established, working from home is not impossible, and breaks for kids can be accommodated better than most careers. The only thing of my own that I have to add is this: Try to learn as many computer languages as possible - they come and go rapidly and you want to be as versatile as possible. While you're young and your brain is 'plastic' is the best chance you'll get. Cheers John.	Guest (0)
32289	2002-01-22 07:26:00	...thank you John, i stand corrected!!! e_	Guest (0)
32290	2002-01-22 09:13:00	Here's my 2 cents worth, At the ripe old age of (Im not telling) I decided to flag away my trade and get a degree. So here I am in my 3rd year at UNI, doing a business degree majoring in Information Systems. This is what I have learnt, there are 3 ways to go at UNI: Information Systems (databases and project management) Computer Sciences (programming) E-Business (e-commerce and the web) Info sys can be boring, databases followed by more databases topped off with more databases and a sprinkling of programming to implement...you guessed it databases. Most people drop out because it's not what they thought it would be. Computer Sciences, you really have to have a talent for programming and the papers can be really hard. E-Business, a whole lot of theory, finance and a little bit of web stuff. I know at Massey they really don't cover Web Design as such because every man and thier dog is doing it now and it is a lot more involved than most people think, more than just HTML, we had to learn Java, Javascript, Oracle & Access Databases, SQL, Perl, PHP and the list goes on, and at the end of the day basic web design pays sweet FA these days. The glamour days of the web have long gone.	Guest (0)
32291	2002-01-22 10:02:00	I have been floating around the computer industry since 8 years old. I know lots of smart people that have all the knowledge in the world, but no ablity to practice. The thing is get the right mix and the right boss. No need to get a boss or a job where you wont learn, you will get board real quick. First thing to do is go and see a careers councilor, not one of the ones in the school, one of the ones at one of the techs or uni's. If you need name i know a few good ones. Even some HOD's in AITS can be helpful if you know who to talk to. Most are pricks that will try and look up your skirt and could not make in the industry as a cleaner. The big one is START TALKING TO YOUR PERENTS FREINDS. Sounds stupid and dumb but that is where you will get your first job. Networking. the more people you know the more jobs you will get. I have had serveral jobs in all areas, you will not get a job straight of school unless you are real cleaver and come near top in you education, and stand out. Next make freinds with your IT guy that services your computer, hopefully he is small owner operator. He (it will be a he) he will provide you with all the help in the world. Do a comunications cource at tech, requirement of nzce by the way. AIT used to call it comunications skills, it will teach you what you need to know, how to write the cv, how to deal with people, (engineers as a role cant comunicate eg look at the spelling mistake in this note). And most of all talk to you perants freinds.	Guest (0)
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