michael dolan wrote: > A few things: > 1. Classes - I'm at LSU, and I'm set to graduate in a little over a > year. I'm actually an English major, but I don't know if that will have > any effect on my job prospects. I've taken the first computer science > class (which is just basics and MS office applications), and I'm taking > two ISDS classes right now. I'm set to take another ISDS class on > network security this summer. I would really like to take some > interesting computer science classes, there is one on e-commerce, 2 on > networks, etc. To take the interesting classes, you have to take more > programming classes than I have time to take before I graduate. I don't > really want to take any more programming classes, but I don't know if > that will have any affect on my job prospects either.
Ray speaks the truth. Consider a double major if at all possible. You should take the opportunity you have now to get these courses. If you don't, you'll be qualified to work for a help desk at somewhere just north of minimum wage. It may cost you more to make this investment now, but it will help in the long run. Having a double major in divergent fields will look good too on a resume. I don't have a relevant degree (journalism) and I've done fine, but it's not an easy road. Keep in mind that I got of school in '93. And if I had it to do over again, I would do it differently especially if I was still in school. You should also know that back in 97-98 is when I felt comfortable enough with my skills to start looking for a job in the field. It took me well over a year to get that first shot. I worked outside the field for a long time and did "rent-a-geek" type work on the side for friends and friends of friends. The job I had at the time was just to make a living, everything else I did was focused on building up my skills, knowledge, and experience. > 2. Certs - I'm thinking about both A+ and Network+ to start, but maybe > MS certs would get me a better job. Or, should I not waste my time and > money and jump straight to something harder? Why? Do you want to work with MS products? Figure out some idea of what you want to do first before you go getting certs. And the certs will matter far less to potential employers than your experience and your college coursework. Later on, certs may benefit you, but not right now. What you need to figure out is what you want to do beyond "work with computers". Do you want to be a Unix/Linux Sysadmin? a DBA? a Network Engineer/Admin? A security consultant? What do you enjoy doing? If you're just worried about making money, that's not enough of a reason. You actually have to have some passion for it. > 3. BR - I think I might be in this area for awhile, just what is the > job market here like? I've done a little browsing on monster, and there > are some jobs, but they seem so specialized. What do you mean by "they seem so specialized"? I'm just curious. Consider moving if someone wants you to move. Or be willing to travel heavily. You're coming out of school so I'm thinking you probably don't have much to tie you down right now. Now's the time to be extremely flexible and bust your __s to get experience. That is also a way to build up your network of colleagues. One of the most important things you need to do is build up your network. Cultivate it. As you move from job to job, keep in touch with friends with common interests. And don't ever burn a bridge -- always take the high road and use negative experiences as a learning tool for yourself. In a state as small as LA, you will encounter people again. As you become more specialized, you'll keep encoutering names and people you've met along the way. Even if those people have fleeting knowledge of you, you don't want that knowledge to be negative. I have _never_ gotten a job from a classified ad (not even the first one). Of the people I've hired in the past, only one crossed my path cold from a classified ad listing. The listings on monster, careerbuilder, etc are a good way to get a feel for the job market but not necessarily a good way to actually get a job. If I were you and I saw a job on Monster that I wanted, I would be asking friends and colleagues (and perhaps this list) if they knew anyone at the job site, who the hiring manager is, etc. Yes, apply to the job, but look for another avenue to land the interview. Every recommendation helps. Eventually what you'll find is that the job is often filled before the listing ever hits those sites. Those postings are merely a legal, HR department obligation. You want to be the person who already had the job before it ever gets posted. The only way to do that is through personal contacts. > 4. Internship - one of the classes you can take at LSU in ISDS is > basically an internship class, which I would like to do, but A) I work > full time during the day and B) I wouldn't know where to find a local > company that might use linux, would want an intern, and would want an > intern at night. Do it if you can. You may or may not find someone using linux right now. That's okay. You may find places where Linux can help the site -- for example as a small print or file server. Maybe as a firewall. Or maybe knoppix to do a rescue or security scanning job. Right now,though, you need experience. Just remember that it's about the people as much as it is about the technology. > 5. Money - Right now I have a full time job at LSU that has nothing to > do with what I want to end up doing. I don't make very good money > (about 28+), but I'm worried I might move down the pay scale if I got a > job on the bottom rung of a field. Entirely possible. If a given job is something you really _want_ to do and you think it will really help you get a leg up as you progress, you should take it. You're at the point where you may need to sacrifice some pay to gain experience. The money will eventually come if you're good and you really enjoy what you're doing. > > Basically, if you were in my position, what would you do? If you had to > do your pre-job education over, what would you do differently? > > I would really appreciate any help any of you could give me, because > honestly I'm kind of worried about this. > -- Scott Harney <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> "Asking the wrong questions is the leading cause of wrong answers" gpg key fingerprint=7125 0BD3 8EC4 08D7 321D CEE9 F024 7DA6 0BC7 94E5
