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Life of an IT consultant
tysonrss
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So I've grown up with computers, I know how to build them and take them apart, I know how to fix certain problems. I've kinda worked with programming a few times in many forms, such as scripting, programming itself..using hex editors and looking at data and modifying it, it's all fun--to me that is.
So here's my dilemma, I'm having a hard time choosing between IT consultant and Software Development. Both seem fun, the problems is that IT consulting, while has its adventages such as traveling, helping other companies fix their tech problems and so on, it has the downside of keeping you away from home, when you want to spend time with family. Software Development on the other hand, if done right, you can stay home any time and work on projects and assist others with programming. The con I think is the inability of traveling. I think anyways.
What is the best option to go with?
So here's my dilemma, I'm having a hard time choosing between IT consultant and Software Development. Both seem fun, the problems is that IT consulting, while has its adventages such as traveling, helping other companies fix their tech problems and so on, it has the downside of keeping you away from home, when you want to spend time with family. Software Development on the other hand, if done right, you can stay home any time and work on projects and assist others with programming. The con I think is the inability of traveling. I think anyways.
What is the best option to go with?
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fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
Me, I haven't begun school yet. I'm 20 years old, I should have started sooner but I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do. I dwindled it down to these two things. I plan to go to Columbus State for two years an trasnfer to Franklin University. The problem is figuring out for which one. I don't have much time left though, I have until August. It would be great if the two could be bridged.
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
So that's why I have a problem deciding which one to go to.
Detail - Software Dev or NetSec
General - MIS/PM
Form or Function?
Form - Web Dev
Function - Software Dev/NetSec/PM MIS
These are just generalities. If you're aiming to transfer into CS, go Software Dev.
Since it seems like you don't really know, you'd probably be best served trying to take courses from the disciplines which appeal to you the most to help you decide.
I don't mind doing programming things, but I also don't mind helping people with computers. I like getting technical and messing with computer parts. It's why I can't decide. I've talked to some people that say you don't need college, that you can just get at it right away and work your ass off, mediating between both IT and softweare developing.
You can always part-time/temp as an IT guy during college, see how much you truly like it, and decide your path from there. College is a time for exploration, and you will have four entire years to dip your hands into a variety of fields and decide what path you really want to follow.
As much as you love helping people with computers, how much tolerance for bullshit and stupidity do you have?
Because in the IT field you'll be dealing with people who put a book on their keyboard and have no idea why their computer is all of the sudden possessed, or who wonder why their computer won't turn on during a power outage. Not all the time, of course. But it will happen.
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It's not that far fetched, but they'd probably expect someone degree'd or with some experience. Also consider that 80k doesn't buy that much (in the bay area at least) here. If you enjoy messing around with programming but also want to help people, you may want to explore DBA/Sysadmin route, as it can be incredibly interesting and every company is always short of them.
I having experienced this personally with ITT Tech.
Of all those tracks, I'd probably recommend the MIS / Project Management Track. That's probably going to give you the broadest range of marketable skills, and those skills will be pretty portable between different jobs or job types. Being able to manage projects is useful everywhere.
If you get your degree in that field, with a little experience that should open you up to the general IT world. Transitioning from there to software development is much easier than the other way around. As long as you round yourself off with some web, programming, and network stuff, you should be able to move into other roles without much trouble - once you know the basics most of what you'll need to know or figure out is going to be job-specific anyway.
I'd definitely recommend avoiding the 'game developer' track. It's a niche field that's very competitive, and compared to general applications, game developers tend to get treated like shit because it's something a lot of people WANT to do. There are some people on here who can provide more advice, but in general if you know how to develop software in general, transitioning to games is just a matter of picking up the new tools and a little experience.
Network stuff is like DBA stuff. You can do it, and make decent money doing it, but it tends to either be grunt work or very specialized. Take a few classes so you understand the basics on it.
Avoid "game only" degree programs. Do general IT programs like zagdrob mentions, tack on a math minor if you're interested in games in the future.
Oh your college doesn't do minors? Well you're in a for-profit school son, jump ship (really, honestly, trust me on that).
That's good! That's where you should be going for what you're trying to do.
For-Profit is a scam, and for the stuff you're looking at...a major university is usually $TEXAS more for almost no gain. Especially at the associates / undergrad level.
Being well rounded is very good. If you don't already have a job and aren't taking courses to improve down a specific track, try to get as broad a range of knowledge as possible. Work with Windows, Linux and Macs. Setup a MySQL DB and play around with some ODBC drivers. Build some reports in Crystal Reports. Setup a web server. Play with hardware. Take a networking class so you understand the theory behind small / medium sized business networks. Learn to write a small program in C# and Java. Learn a little Visual Basic. Understand how to debug HTML and all the website jazz. Implement a small Sharepoint / PWA site. Setup a few virtual machines and break them, etc.
Try to have enough experience that when you are sitting in an interview, if your potential future boss asks if you know how to do X, you can honestly say 'I've never used X, but I am familiar with Y and Z which are similar to X.' Having the ability to manage time / projects, and the foundation of knowledge to quickly pick up new applications / skills is key to moving up in the IT world.
You can also look at at very specialized and in-depth skills. Those can be good jobs and good money, but can also be less portable and more work to maintain. Sure, you can make a lot of money as a Cisco Certified XYZ Administrator, but realistically those sorts of things are stuff you get after you have your foot in the door and are already advancing in your career. And your job is paying for the certs.
So, the thing I've found about the IT world is they *love* throwing around fancy promises, and then not delivering. Most of the ones that sound too good are too good to be true. 80k might not seem so great when you're working mandatory 60 hours weeks for no overtime.
Oh, what's that, you're hourly? Too bad, you're exempt from overtime pay anyway.
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
So if you were making the $27 an hour minimum for your exempt status, at 60 hour weeks, that's still $1620 a week, not $1080. Unless you were salary, then you can go as far down as that $433 ($11/hr).
I never understood that, but it is what it is.
True. Though they're just going to put you on salary anyway.
(Personally, I think the concept of exempt employees in in capacity or profession is bullshit, but that's a whole different thread...)
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
- you will not be an "IT consultant" out of college, especially not community college. you'll be helpdesk at best
- I would never trust any software oriented course out of a community college
- why is your CC even forcing you to choose a major anyway? why don't you just take GenED while you learn more about these fields before comitting
we also talk about other random shit and clown upon each other
I think you could approach this goal from a Computer Science perspective, or a Business perspective if you wanted to be more of an analyst. You could maybe also get there by doing Network Administration, Security, Systems Architecture, or something like that. Some of those guys travel. I have to say, though, that I'm not aware of anyone who "takes apart computers" in this sort of career. Usually those are low-paid (relatively speaking) dudes who work directly for the client or are assigned 100% for a specific client in an outsourcing arrangement.
Edit: Actually, I know some guys who work as regional service technicians for companies that make servers (IBM, Oracle, HP, etc.). Those guys do get to take apart machines and they do travel, so there's that. But they're not usually called consultants.