IT guys: Learn me on training for an IT position.

Long story short, I hate what I do, and might as well retrain for a career that pays somewhat well. The problem is, I don't really even know what questions to ask right now or where I should look to for training.

Is it possible to get the certificates or degree I would need entirely online without attending classes? If you IT folks had to start all over again, what would you do? I really need to talk to the local community colleges and get an idea of what I can do there, too.

My goals aren't that lofty, I would love to start making 35-45k a year and possibly telecommute. That's it.

Any thoughts?

Most important question - which part of IT?

Although I see some "on shoring," after getting monkey hammered by the Indians, I can't say as I would really recommend a career in IT. However, if you really want to pursue it and given your goals, well, I suppose it is mostly do-able (don't know about the telecommute part.) Is there some aspect of 'puters that you like/are good at? Business (sales guys) seem to put a lot of energy into Power Point presentations. Photochop is another sub specialty. Java development is either coming or going, I can't tell. Databases Hab Bean Berry Gud 2 Me.

What do they do where you live? Look around in the local job listings and see what is being asked for.

It's really going to depend a lot on your area and the company you are trying to work for. I see you are in MD which has a pretty bloated IT load already.

I'm probably the last person in my company's IT department to get hired without a degree. It used to be IT was where you could go if you had skills degree be damned but that's changing rapidly. Plan on at least an associates to get even a help desk position these days.

Also IT is a VERY general term these days, what do you want to do? Desktop support, application development, network operations, database management? So many options. My saving grace has been in specializing in the development of a very specific software suite. While not every company needs my skills the ones that do pay me well and have limited options on who they can hire as its not an overloaded field.

It all depends on what area of IT you want to go into. Do you want to be a loner database admin, an a-hole help desk guy, a programmer, a security specialist, an ethical hacker, networking, etc?

I've got Security+ and a CEH for certs with a A.A.S. in Information Systems Security (but also have another A.A. and B.A. to go along with it) and I'm doing incident response/handling/analysis. I had to relocate to land a job in this field because there really is no need for that type of IT specialty there unless you know the right people.

I'd say look into all the different aspects of IT. Find one you think will fit your lifestyle and most importantly ones that are available in the location you want to live. I saw what I'm doing as the only real "fun" IT job out there and was willing to relocate.

With that being said. I'd still rather turn wrenches for a living. The large increase in pay isn't worth being miserable in a state/region that neither my wife or I enjoy and already trying to plan ahead for a move back to Florida by years end if I can find a job.

Great questions, all. I just started research, so I'm not really sure if I can answer them all.

I suppose coming from a security background, that would interest me as well in IT work, but I am not sure about employment opportunities. Being willing to commute anywhere around the DC area is a plus, I'm sure, but I don't really know what is out there.

Agreed with all posted above. Also don't forget the business side of IT as well.

• Project Mgmt
• Business Analysis
• Problem and Incident Mgmt
• Etc etc etc

You can still get into IT without being an all out tech.

In IT if you don't have a degree you're at the very bottom of the food chain - not like the plants, but like the E36 M3 that the plants feed on. You'll have to build yourself a rockstar reputation just to get by - the most you could aspire to would be finding a generous employer willing to throw you a bone by paying you like your better certified, if less skilled co-workers. You could still do well starting your own business if you're skilled, but you have to get the money to do that first.

If I were doing it all over again I might look into some kind of engineering degree instead, or get a joke major and party with the cool kids.

I agree with Gameboy on the engineering degree.

I did some IT training in high school and strayed away from it because of my passion for being outside. Somehow I got back into it and it's letting me live comfortably but I'd much rather be doing something else. I have great co-workers, a flexible work schedule, and get to tell people of higher rank than me what to do because of my experience and background of the field.

Oh one other thing I meant to say is look for a degree program that will offer some certifications with it. They are tough to find but honestly if you can find one like that you are killing two birds with one stone.

I got a BS degree (as in bull sheet) and it hurt me in the long run and I had to go back to school and get these certs just to fluff up my resume and compliment my experience in the IT field.

Cyber security is getting all of the hype right now because of all these "cyber attacks." Great for those of us who specialize in that sector of IT for now and should be for the foreseeable future as it's our new war.

They are giving out combat medals for cyber warriors now, they are coming out with rules of engagement for cyber warfare, etc....see where I'm going with this?

The best part is that the real cyber security experts know it's all bullE36 M3. Not that these things aren't happening and aren't damaging, but the whole war metaphor is silly and just an excuse to get IT hooked up to the US war machine gravy train.

Now we are getting somewhere! My local community college has listings for degrees and certifications, but I have no idea what I need, yet.

I suppose I need to look at bit harder at all the different aspects of the field, but living somewhat near the DC area, the security thing seems like a better bet.

Maybe I can get really lucky and my associate's will knock out a lot of the general studies stuff.

FWIW I made the career jump into IT last summer. I was fortunate to have some somewhat IT-related experience through the office-equipment world(I was the guy who installed the big multifunction networked printer/copier/scanner/faxes...and then had to fix them when their IT department screwed things up. ). However, that really isn't saying much, because I ended up with a position as a Data Analyst/programmer - with a bunch of help and advice from several people here on GRM!

I did have to take a pretty significant pay cut with this job, but I also have much lower work-related expenses: no 50-mile commute + another 200-miles per day, so less wear & tear(I was paid mileage, but not anywhere near the full IRS allowance). Also, the stress is MUCH lower, I can work from home whenever I need/want to, the schedule is somewhat flexible, and I will almost be back at my previous pay level when I hit my 1-year anniversary.

It's certainly been a steep learning curve, but the company is very supportive - and I've been working my ass off as well.

I agree with the comments above - security, programming, or database specific training/certifications seem to have potential right now. OTOH, I've known several people to land general helpdesk positions without any specific knowledge/training beyond being more advanced PC users. Those positions certainly don't pay as well though.

Nick Burns

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ETYThmhPLRc

BullE36 M3 or not I'm taking advantage of it for myself and my family haha. But hey you don't see buildings burning down everyday yet there are still tons of redundant things in place to prevent fires from happening, stop them from spreading, etc. You have fire retardant materials in the building construction, you have sprinklers in place, you have fire exits and escapes, and a fire department.

With the high value of electronic information in these days there is a need for the cyber security warrior but maybe not to the extent that they are blowing it up to be. There are attackers/crackers out there trying to exploit private and gov't sites everyday. It's all fun and games until your financial institution goes down!

Know anything about IT?

It might be worth considering.