|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/19/2009
Posts: 2,513
Points: -2,057
|
Ok you all know my situation. Im 22, still live with my parents, and make very little money, blah blah blah, you guys know the story. I cant afford to go to college right now and I cant get loans or anything ether. I sure as hell don't make enough money to live on my own. I have been looking for a better paying job but I cant find anything despite spamming my resume for OVER 9000 positions I might be remotely qualified for(mostly positions in store management). I need a lot of procedures and this job is not gonna be able to pay for everything I need before I am 25...thats for damn sure. So I need to get a job making decent money...enough to support myself and for me to save up for the procedures I need. Easier said than done considering my situation. So basically here's my options: 1) I can keep the job I have and wait until I am 24 (the age when I can fill out the FAFSA on my own) and go to college then. The drawback to that is I would also have to work full time to pay for college (I am sure financial aid will not cover it all and I cant get loans without credit or a co-signer). I dont think I can handle being a full time student and holding a full time job...so I would probably only be a part time student...which means I wont get my degree till I am 30 (since I would be 24 when I start and only going part time) 2) I can keep the job I have now and wait until the economy improves and try to find a job in store management as I already have experience in that field. The drawback to that is I hate store management and really cant imagine doing that for the rest of my life, and it takes forever to go from assistant manager to general manager. Like back at burger king and Wawa I knew many assistant managers who were assistant managers for like 10+ years. Plus the hours are long (I often worked 55-60+ hour weeks at Wawa). 3) I can join Job Corps. Its this no-cost residential vocational training program. They offer networking and I can get my CCNA certification through it. Now I can study and get my CCNA on my own but they also offer on the job training and job placement. Now...job placement is not a guarentee but they do have connections with a lot of companies so the chances are fairly good I could get a job through the program but its not a guarantee. The drawback to this is I would have to go through a 4 month prerequisite class, also its a residential program and they have all sorts of crazy rules, like they have a 9pm cerfew. Plus theres a bunch of other stupid rules. So I would have to live with about as much freedom as I had when I was like 13 for like a year. Plus like i said, job placement is not a guarantee. 4) I can study and get my CCNA certification on my own and then move to an area where there's a lot of IT jobs. I would HAVE to re-locate to another area because there isnt jack in my area as far as IT jobs go. My friend who lives in northern virginia (close to D.C.) says theres lots of IT jobs there, so I would probably try there. The drawback to this is it requires me to re-locate with very little cash and no guarantee of finding a job and it would still be hard since I have no real experience in the IT field....and if i didnt find something QUICKLY after re-locating I would run out of cash and be completely assed out. Not the best choices in the world....but thats pretty much all I got. Which option would you pick if you were me?
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 9/18/2008
Posts: 7,082
Points: 17,072
|
#3 or #4. #4 seems better because once you get a good job most companies offer education reimbursement for going to school to get a degree in your job field if you maintain a certain grade (usually C or B, minimum). You pay, they reimburse or some even pay it for you. It's a win/win. I know a fellow with his CCNA in the DC area and he was making over $100K a year and had no college degree, just got his Cisco certification and hit the ground running. He studied at night, took the test (test is VERY hard, makes grown men sink to their knees and cry, I've heard)twice, passed it, got a job offer in DC after floating his resume for a month and moved there. So, #4 is do-able if you set your mind to it, don't give up, don't let crap/life get in your way, and JUST DO IT!
DCNGA has left the board and is no longer taking PMs. She requests that if you wish to e-mail her to use her direct e-mail address which is: laserandiplsupport@gmail.com
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/19/2009
Posts: 2,513
Points: -2,057
|
DCNGA wrote:#3 or #4. #4 seems better because once you get a good job most companies offer education reimbursement for going to school to get a degree in your job field if you maintain a certain grade (usually C or B, minimum). You pay, they reimburse or some even pay it for you. It's a win/win.
I know a fellow with his CCNA in the DC area and he was making over $100K a year and had no college degree, just got his Cisco certification and hit the ground running. He studied at night, took the test (test is VERY hard, makes grown men sink to their knees and cry, I've heard)twice, passed it, got a job offer in DC after floating his resume for a month and moved there.
So, #4 is do-able if you set your mind to it, don't give up, don't let crap/life get in your way, and JUST DO IT! 100k with no degree?!...just CCNA? With that kind of money who needs college?
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 6/5/2008
Posts: 372
Points: 1,128
|
I also like options 3 or 4. You might also want to check out the offerings of the various community colleges in your state to see if they offer CCNA courses. Going to an in-state community college is a lot cheaper than 4 year colleges, and if you ever want to transfer to a 4 year school, a lot of the credits will transfer.
A lot of people look down on community colleges, but personally I have found the faculty/teaching quality to be quite good compared to the "highly selective" private institutions I attended in my youth. There are lots of slacker students in community college, so if you apply yourself and don't skip classes, it will be very easy to be a standout student. Community college faculty are not under the same pressure to publish or get research grants, so they take a lot more personal interest in their students and really want to see them succeed.
Also look into finding some roommates so you can move out of your parents' house. It may be cheap to live there, but it's holding you back and costing in other ways.
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 9/21/2008
Posts: 1,516
Points: 4,559
Location: At home, ruining this forum
|
#3 and #4 are most reasonable.
Applying for college is a lot easier than you think. Staying there is the hard part.
USE WHAT IS DOMINANT IN A CULTURE TO CHANGE IT QUICKLY. - Jenny Holzer
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 5/15/2008
Posts: 612
Points: 1,981
Location: Bar, Restaurant at the End of the Universe
|
Yes...3 or 4, Yatt. Go for something, even if it's painful for a while. I went back to school at 34 during a really bad marriage. It was gut-wrenching at that point. Stuck out some really hard years, but it was worth it. Do this while you're young. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Pay no attention to Caesar. Caesar doesn’t have the slightest idea what’s really going on. Kurt Vonnegut
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 9/18/2008
Posts: 7,082
Points: 17,072
|
Hi, Shaz! Yes, my (actually husband's) friend did very well with his CCNA--Cisco is one of the top companies in the country and growing.
DCNGA has left the board and is no longer taking PMs. She requests that if you wish to e-mail her to use her direct e-mail address which is: laserandiplsupport@gmail.com
|
|
Rank: Administration
Groups: Administration
Joined: 5/14/2008
Posts: 17,669
Points: 45,092
|
Sorry if I'm looking outside of the boxed in options here but will give a try.
Maybe something along the lines of how computers work and how to address common screw ups or problems people have with them. Something that you might be able to study on your own or 'master' on your own without a formal paid for education. Then you set yourself up as a 'traveling COMPUTER GEEK' who makes house calls when people have computer problems.
For example, I have A LOT of computer problems that I just don't understand and I've paid those computer 'house call GEEKS' like $50/hour and one time, all the guy did was press some BUTTON on my computer and it worked after that.
What I'm saying is that there are a LOT of COMPUTER PROBLEMS that people have (I have them) where the person using the computer has no idea what they are and they could be SIMPLE. So maybe something like that.
Basically; 'creative self employment' in the venue of something YOU understand BUT other people DON'T.
Other option is being private tutor like if you are GOOD at one subject, you could be private tutor.
Can hardly walk. Need hip replacement.
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 9/18/2008
Posts: 7,082
Points: 17,072
|
Thing is about being a self-employed computer geek is it is not as easy as it sounds. I've known several of those as well and it's the getting started that is the most difficult. They all struggled at first, no many had a steady (dependable) income. You have to be able to market yourself or be good enough at it when you first start out, that you are recommended by your friends, family, customers. Sometimes it means starting out doing it for free/favor/very little to show how good you are and then get recommended to others who are willing to pay you based on the personal recommendation. I used to do a little of it myself when I was an IT manager. People at work would ask me to take their computers home and work on them. I would do it, but hated desktop work so my husband would do it for me (LOL). They would offer to pay but I rarely took the money. However, when they gave my name/number to a friend or family member I (we) would charge for it. That still happens for my husband through his work, people call him at home all the time to ask questions or bring them their PCs at work to "fix". You just need to 'know your stuff' and build up a rep for being good. Getting an A+ certification along with a Microsoft certification in networking or the like would be extremely useful. If you can get Apple certified, even better. They are very much in demand because there are fewer. Why not shoot for a job at a local Apple store? You could learn a lot. The CCNA is something you can do at home. Invest $200 or so, buy the books and study like hell. You can take practice tests on line. It's the quickest and cheapest way, but not easiest. If you're willing to spend as much time to master Cisco as you are your video games, you can do it. It only takes determination and setting the goals, then attaining them. You just have to be willing to do the work. Our local technical school teaches these types of courses also, just for certification. However, do not go to a certification "boot camp". They are purely there to teach you what is on a test and how to get you certified, they rarely "teach" you anything about becoming proficient at the discipline itself. I did that for Lotus Notes, my company spent $5000 for the courses and all they amounted to was teaching me how to take the exams, not about developing in Lotus Notes. It was pretty much a waste.
DCNGA has left the board and is no longer taking PMs. She requests that if you wish to e-mail her to use her direct e-mail address which is: laserandiplsupport@gmail.com
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/19/2009
Posts: 2,513
Points: -2,057
|
DCNGA wrote:Thing is about being a self-employed computer geek is it is not as easy as it sounds. I've known several of those as well and it's the getting started that is the most difficult. They all struggled at first, no many had a steady (dependable) income. You have to be able to market yourself or be good enough at it when you first start out, that you are recommended by your friends, family, customers. Sometimes it means starting out doing it for free/favor/very little to show how good you are and then get recommended to others who are willing to pay you based on the personal recommendation. I used to do a little of it myself when I was an IT manager. People at work would ask me to take their computers home and work on them. I would do it, but hated desktop work so my husband would do it for me (LOL). They would offer to pay but I rarely took the money. However, when they gave my name/number to a friend or family member I (we) would charge for it. That still happens for my husband through his work, people call him at home all the time to ask questions or bring them their PCs at work to "fix". You just need to 'know your stuff' and build up a rep for being good. Getting an A+ certification along with a Microsoft certification in networking or the like would be extremely useful. If you can get Apple certified, even better. They are very much in demand because there are fewer.
Why not shoot for a job at a local Apple store? You could learn a lot.
The CCNA is something you can do at home. Invest $200 or so, buy the books and study like hell. You can take practice tests on line. It's the quickest and cheapest way, but not easiest. If you're willing to spend as much time to master Cisco as you are your video games, you can do it. It only takes determination and setting the goals, then attaining them. You just have to be willing to do the work.
Our local technical school teaches these types of courses also, just for certification. However, do not go to a certification "boot camp". They are purely there to teach you what is on a test and how to get you certified, they rarely "teach" you anything about becoming proficient at the discipline itself. I did that for Lotus Notes, my company spent $5000 for the courses and all they amounted to was teaching me how to take the exams, not about developing in Lotus Notes. It was pretty much a waste. Yeah it is extremely hard to start your own business like that and I too know friends that have tried it and could not make enough to even live on their own. And I already have have my A+ certification, that got me nothing...but again the area i live in sucks....but from what I hear A+ certification is a fairly low tier certification in the IT field...at least thats what guys in the IT field say. They say all it means is you took a test on basic stuff you should already know anyway, like how to change a hard drive. Its also damn easy to get and they're a dime a dozen. But from what I hear CCNA is x2309582390 times harder to get than A+ but its also a MUCH more "in demand" certification..like A+ alone is not enough to get you anything good, but CCNA is a good start for something entry level at least.
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 9/21/2008
Posts: 1,516
Points: 4,559
Location: At home, ruining this forum
|
IT jobs are good because you're constantly learning new technologies, and when you're working in the field, your employer might pay for your education. A lot of successful programmers have only an AA.
USE WHAT IS DOMINANT IN A CULTURE TO CHANGE IT QUICKLY. - Jenny Holzer
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 9/18/2008
Posts: 7,082
Points: 17,072
|
You can get a lot more than just 'entry level' with your CCNA. I agree, A+ is just an adjunct to any certification and won't get you much in the way of pay. Cisco info: http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/learning_career_certifications_and_learning_paths_home.htmlMicrosoft info (easier to hash out on Wiki): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Certified_ProfessionalI'm not even sure that A+ is still offered. I think it may be called something else now. I hired A+ people to do my desk top work when I was in IT because I hated it so much. Network engineers make a butt load of money if they have their CCNA in addition to being network certified. The IT guy at my work makes close to 6 figures and he does not have his degree. He says he has one room full of nothing but self-study books where he's taught himself everything about networking, programming, DBA (database administration--also hugely growing, lucrative field). .net is another HUGELY growing field. If you have an aptitude for this stuff you are 75% of the way there.
DCNGA has left the board and is no longer taking PMs. She requests that if you wish to e-mail her to use her direct e-mail address which is: laserandiplsupport@gmail.com
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 9/21/2008
Posts: 1,516
Points: 4,559
Location: At home, ruining this forum
|
Can I blabber about something?
Cloud computing and smartphones are going to revolutionize business and education. For businesses, it's simply more economical to use cloud computing for many services. More and more schools are switching to Google Apps, sending text messages, and using social networking to disseminate information. My target school is requiring all incoming pharm students and med students to have an iPhone.
Another thing that is going to be crucial to health care reform is electronic medical records.
You have the advantage of coming of age in all this technology, which makes you even more experienced and marketable.
USE WHAT IS DOMINANT IN A CULTURE TO CHANGE IT QUICKLY. - Jenny Holzer
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 9/18/2008
Posts: 7,082
Points: 17,072
|
EMR is going to be huge. I trained EMR for two years (my last job where I traveled so much) and loved it. It is a very large, and growing sector of the IT field too--but unless you are a programmer, it may not be optimal for making money. I did not make a very good salary as an EMR trainer and I had to travel three weeks a month. I just took it to get out of purely IT.
DCNGA has left the board and is no longer taking PMs. She requests that if you wish to e-mail her to use her direct e-mail address which is: laserandiplsupport@gmail.com
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 5/15/2008
Posts: 612
Points: 1,981
Location: Bar, Restaurant at the End of the Universe
|
Hey, you!! Wow...been busy lately. I wish I had training in some of this, just to keep up. There are times I'd love to get out of dentistry, but the money's too good. Dang. HideMe, interesting followup on cloud computing and smart phones. Exciting times....gotta get more caught up. You guys are so savvy. I'm still chipping out text messages on my stone tablet phone. ;-) *Loser* DCNGA wrote:Hi, Shaz!
Yes, my (actually husband's) friend did very well with his CCNA--Cisco is one of the top companies in the country and growing.
Pay no attention to Caesar. Caesar doesn’t have the slightest idea what’s really going on. Kurt Vonnegut
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 6/29/2009
Posts: 2,493
Points: 7,736
Location: The leaf I am sitting on
|
GOD SAKES YATTS! GET OUTTA the house first and foremost. You are too old and way too unhappy to live there any more. You seem to be a bright guy. Now prove it! Go the community college route. It's cheap and it can segue nicely into a 4-year college where you could perhaps get financial aid. I worked my way through CC (30 hours a week, pulled straight A's); then took several years off before going back to finish up with BA and MBA once I knew what I wanted to do. I got financial aid, worked, and my husband supported me through the final stretch. I was 35 by the time I launched into my career. So don't get discouraged. Set your priorities. Now I don't know you much, but I'm guessing a rough list could be: 1. GET OUT of the house and be independent 2. Apply yourself. Stop playing midnight games on the net and go to school 3. Try for financial aid or some work-study program to help pay for things 4. Realize that this is your life. It is a process that takes years. 5. Surgery. If you can accomplish something with your brain, you may stop obsessing about your face. So this should NOT be driving your angst. As far as what's hot: learn Hindi, Mandarin PLUS computer software development or data admin. You could travel to India and manage a team of developers. THINK BIG! (beyond your nose) All the big companies are outsourcing and sending development projects to countries outside the U.S. Now what are you waiting for?
I Bug U
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/19/2009
Posts: 2,513
Points: -2,057
|
DCNGA I forgot to ask you...are you sure it was just CCNA that your friend had and not CCNP or CCIE?
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 9/18/2008
Posts: 7,082
Points: 17,072
|
He started out CCNA, got the job after his certification in DC making enough money to live there and support a family of 4, then went on to get further Cisco certification making mucho $$$ (over $100K). Now, he did get laid off earlier this year from that job, but was able to get another good paying job. I don't know how much he's making now, in this economy, though.
DCNGA has left the board and is no longer taking PMs. She requests that if you wish to e-mail her to use her direct e-mail address which is: laserandiplsupport@gmail.com
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 9/3/2008
Posts: 1,071
Points: 3,270
Location: On earth
|
E, stick with 4. no short cuts. you'll make better dollars and you can constantly upgrade your knowledge and be ahead of the curve and stay in demand.
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 9/18/2008
Posts: 7,082
Points: 17,072
|
http://www.semsim.com/ccna/ccna-study-guide.htmlhttp://www.semsim.com/ccna/learn.htmlThis chart does not reflect such a high salary, but remember he went to DC for his job and he had other IT experience that probably affected how much he was paid. Also, it was during the boon of IT before the IPO failures so likely he was paid more than most start out at now. That's not to say it is not possible to make that much as a CCNA your first day, but maybe not as likely now. Still, it's a lot more than you would make at a retail store. Plus, you build on that to get other positions and certification. Thing is Cisco certification is difficult to get, so jobs come at premium salaries compared to many other IT jobs. This is on "average" as of June 2009: 
DCNGA has left the board and is no longer taking PMs. She requests that if you wish to e-mail her to use her direct e-mail address which is: laserandiplsupport@gmail.com
|
|
|
Guest |
