IT job without degree

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JoeR43
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19 Feb 2011, 10:13 pm

nostromo wrote:

AardvarkGoodSwimmer wrote:

nostromo wrote:

. . . Fixing PCs is one good way to start and doesn't cost anything really to learn except time and energy. You would no doubt know plenty of people who need 'things' doing on their PC and that is good practise. . .

Basically, you are starting a business to be run out of your home or car for the cost of business cards plus a few incidentals. Two notes:
1) if you specialize in some area, it potentially makes for a good social interchange in which the client is trying to talk you into attempting something else. And you can come back, 'I will take a look at it but I want you to understand that I'm not making any promises.' And the client is okay with this.
2) a business typically costs more and takes longer to gear up than people initially estimate. Especially that time element for a business like this.

With those caveats, sure, have at it!

Yep my wife did exactly that (she's a geek too) after having our first child for some work to do part time she started a little PC repair business out of our home, before we knew it we had PCs filling the hallway and would both be working into the night working on peoples PCs. We had to stop in the end it was out of control!
But just shows the demand, small businesses are by far the better stream of work we found.

Hooray business.

I'd love to start a small business, though as a math geek, it's hard to visualize myself as anything but a right-hand man.

Dantac
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20 Feb 2011, 1:47 am

Thanks. Too bad you guys no longer doing it... i'd jump at the chance to work doing that.. i can fix any pc in my sleep. holding a job also helps with immigration lol.. . oh well.. guess ill have to start me own lil pc shop once i finish my degrees and immigrate.

woodss82
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21 Feb 2011, 2:55 am

You need the experience to have a good IT job, having a degree or diploma helps but anyone can learn on the job training.

Every person in the industry has a bright future with life and work.

Wombat
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26 Feb 2011, 12:48 am

wefunction wrote:

Wombat wrote:

wblastyn wrote:

Is it possible to get a reasonably paid job (i.e. enough to live on and afford to buy things related to special interest - i.e. computer games, etc) in IT without a degree. Say with Comptia/Microsoft certificates?

Bill Gates doesn't have a degree and doesn't care about them.

But you better believe everyone at MS has degrees and certifications up to their ears.

No they don't. Microsoft hires people on the basis of interviews and IQ tests.

Brianm
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Joined: 23 Aug 2010
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04 Mar 2011, 2:37 am

RErnest wrote:

I have a degree in Information Systems Analysis and Design. Much of what I learned in college was, more or less, useless. They make you take things like Calculus, which only remotely has anything to do with computer science and rarely is it ever needed. Much of what is taught in the computer courses, too, is often rarely employed. I found out that after getting an Associates, you're taking mostly theory courses, such as how to design virtual machines with relational expressions and other nonsense. I am extremely horrible at logic and proofing stuff, and I simply had to change my degree mid-term to IS analysis and design. It was then better, a bit more interesting, and then you begin to take on a number of courses that have to do with marketing. This isn't exactly bad, if you want to freelance and start a business. I enjoyed the design aspect of it, even more so than my years with programming. Remember: things change very quickly.

One temporary agency told me that a lack of "volunteer work" was a downside. So, I guess that means, in order to get a decent job, you're expected to gain experience by volunteering and not getting paid? Most of the entry level jobs are likely low-paying, as well.

Secondly, many of the places I have applied to require a degree and a certificate. Even the place where I currently work on a seasonal basis as a digital photographer requires a certificate and degree for their very small IT department. I'm not sure of places that will just hire with a certificate.

Also, I have heard from others in the field that the workload is sometimes very intense. Many expect you to be on call, and working overtime is said to be very common. High demands and deadlines are quite common, as well as the ability to multitask different assignments.

I think freelancing is the way to go, but I'm not certain as to the pay rate. I work seasonally, so it's only a minor issue for me. My interest has changed a bit over the years, moving towards digital video and photography, and, more recently, 3D modeling and animation. What I will be doing in the future? I can't say. But I guess it all depends on where your interests lie. But I do feel overall that high-level jobs are very demanding and can be exhausting. Freelance work is less demanding, I would assume.

I've been really annoyed by degrees too. Their courses are full of stuff that have nothing to do with subject that's being studied. All I want is something that's validates what I've learned which is pratically nothing. anyway I studied Calculus anyway because I love studying. I practically didn't pass Geography because I had to label a bunch of maps. The only thing that saved me was my report on Australia. I got a 90% on that. I'm rewriting it into a book that I'm calling a microbook. I want to do that for ever country in the world. Not that it'll be any good now. I never did figure out how to study for that test. If got a degree I'd fail misserably because of all those extra subjects the idiot that I am. I can usally fix most comlputer problems fairly quickly and I learned troubleshooting techniques when I read my A+ certification book. I thought about going for a number of certifications.

zarshmagarsh
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04 Mar 2011, 9:02 am

What I've found (at least in the US, Maryland to be specific) is that there is a large focus on having a college degree for even entry level IT jobs. That said if you're lucky and have a decent resume with experience and certs you can sometimes get your foot in the door. However, the potential for advancement is bascially nill w/o a degree in most organizations. Again this is just my personal experience. A good place to start is exploring if you want to do software design (programming) or hardware / software repair. That can at least help determine a potential degree path vs certs to start. For a degree path I'd look at colleges that offer online courses designed for working professionals as they are more up to date with what the industry is looking for. They also have a more targeted focus on the area of study allowing for bypassing a lot of the extraneous college courses. I'm currently 31, diagnosed Aspie two years ago and I'm just now looking to finish my college degree -- some of the colleges in Maryland have finally started offering majors in computer fields that are relavant.

Regarding certs, CompTIA's A+ (hardware and software troubleshooting and repair), Net+ (basic network troubleshooting and repair), Linux+ and Security+ are good places to start. All provide a really good foundation and most tech jobs (help desk, onsite work, working in a computer repair shop) will want at least A+ certification. Holding off on some of the advanced certs isn't a bad idea until you get a better idea of what you like to do in the IT field. They are expensive to get and these days (especially regarding the microsoft certs) I've found they don't carry as much weight as they used to.

Other thoughts -- helpdesk call center places can be a crummy first job -- that type environment isn't great if you're an Aspie who prefers to work methodically at a problem and doesn't like to be rushed. I'm in a modified situation like that currently and one thing that drives me up the wall is that all work done is weighed evenly, meaning that a 5 minute printer jam fix is viewed the same as a 3 day data recovery situation. Geek Squad might be an ok starter place, however there is some customer interaction and also some focus on selling things to the customer.

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