People on this board who are mature to answer me and help plz dont hes

[Winston]

Hi well im 16

in year 11 in australia

i do

english standard

information technology support

2 unit mathematics

software design and development

food technology

i was wondering i want to lead to a good career path in computers and want to make good money that's all it's the money factor i wanna at least earn $90,000 australian dollars per year

in computers

but i don't know what part i should specialise in university

i don't want to do computer engineering because i didn't choose physics so yeah

sooo any guidlines??

[EgoProwler]

How about networking? Degree in Telecommunications? Have you considered maybe looking into Cisco Certifications?

[Gator]

you might be interested in Computer Information and Sciences (C.I.S.) or Decision Information and Sciences (D.I.S.). Both involve setting up and managing computer systems and networks along with software in the business world. I'm majoring in D.I.S. right now. good luck to you.

[Winston]

not sure

i was wanting to be a IT specilist working in IBM

but i duno if u make a lot of money?

[pixelpixel]

What about a placement in a company for a day/week, thats how i found my job. Been hear 4 years now!

:ermm:

[Winston]

placement in a company????...

wat do u do??...

[Osiris]

Well considering I was in your position last year except I had the unpleasent venture of doing physics, can I make a couple of suggestions which I suggest you consider.

A - you probably have your mind set on a specific uni but few of the universites I reviewed required physics for Software Engineering, they include University Of Canberra and University of Newcastle.

So try expanding your searches with that because if you really want to do software enginerring those are both two quality universites that dont require it.

B - Also if you didnt taske up the opportunity to do workexperience I suggest you do it, I use to want a career with computers, I enjoy using them, im good with them and I got very high marks in Software Design and Dev [sD], and IT. Anyway I took up an IT job, I sat tests for it and everything considering I was only just outta school it had an above great payrate and everything, I quit it after two weeks. I could do the work easily enough, but it wasnt fun, the hours were long, and thats fdine, thats what works about but I didnt enjoy it, and I realised I didnt want a career in computers. I just changed my uni prefences and got into courses I enjoy, and will still goive me a very nice career.

My point is if you read that, I was once were it sounds you are, and theres plenty of options still, and im just saying you should try working in the industy for a bit and see if thats really what you want to do, but your in year11, you got plewnty of time to choose still, so dont sweat about it.

[mariusu]

applied computer science in bussines:D

[Jon]

Osiris I feel like that right now, I do it because I can, its not filling me with joy right now, and yeah I'm on a placement with a company as the 3rd year of my placement.

I cant think of anything else i really enjoy though, apart from playing guitar.

Bleh.

Jon

[Osiris]

Yeah you know what I mean then,

hrmm considering your in your 3rd year id probably stick it out till then end there, but yeah if ya not enjoying what you do, then it doesnt matter how much money your earning your still not going to be enjoying yourself, I hope you manage to find something you enjoy mate, because if your not really enjoying it now, think youll be able to manage a career doing the same thing for another few years?

[mortensen]

I'm 16 now and I was thinking about a job in computing [seeing as I spend SO much time using computers] but now I've decided I don't want to work in the IT industry. I've decided I'm going to study music and I'm going to use my computer knowledge to help me in that career; computing is particularly useful in composition and music editing.

Basically, if there's something you like to do and you can combine that with computers as a career then go for it.

As to what my career is going to be though, I don't have a clue. I play drums, rag-time & blues piano and I compose music, but I've decided that I don't want to be a huge pop star . I want to play music for the enjoyment, and not the money [i'm not saying I wouldn't want lots of money though].

I really need to get working though. I am SO lazy and I know it. This week [half-term] I was going to catch up on all my course work but I kept being distracted. The only thing I paid any attention to was my music [which doesn't need a lot of work]. Now I've got 4 pieces of English coursework, business studies, IT [60% of grade is coursework :(] and maths to sort out in 3 days which sucks ass. Everytime I site down to do it I just mess up.

-

Anyway, best of luck with finding a suitable job, and don't be lazy like me. Being lazy NEVER pays off, EVER.

... Work experience. Cos I skipped a year at school I haven't done any work experience. I better get looking for work experience in the music industry.

I cant think of anything else i really enjoy though, apart from playing guitar.

Try to get into a band then [if you're not already]. If you enjoy it then go for it, because I couldn't cope with a job that I didn't enjoy.

[h71y6]

Originally posted by Winston  

Hi well im 16

in year 11 in australia

i do

english standard

information technology support

2 unit mathematics

software design and development

food technology

i was wondering i want to lead to a good career path in computers and want to make good money that's all it's the money factor i wanna at least earn $90,000 australian dollars per year

in computers

but i don't know what part i should specialise in university

i don't want to do computer engineering because i didn't choose physics so yeah

sooo any guidlines??

90k Aussie ayear? well if you want 90k a year, i suggest you be patient and work hard. Even professional engineers get 90k a year after12 years of experience in the field. That's no earlier than 35 years of age. Don't think about how much you're going to get. Because if you do, and if you don't pay attention to what you really want to do, you will never go far. But you're 16. you'll see what i'm talking about soon.

[h71y6]

Originally posted by Winston  

not sure

i was wanting to be a IT specilist working in IBM

but i duno if u make a lot of money?

An IT specialist in IBM? 35k-38k a year starting salary.

A software programmer in IBM? 35k-45k a year starting salary.

[Winston]

thanks ppl!

im still devious

but yeah

software design and development is crap

becoz my school is povo

i got penitum 100s to program with trubo pascal version 1.5

its crap as

but i love IT

im smarter than the teacher lol!

how stupid is that

but yeah i'm still not so sure...

in maths im going crap

just doesnt make sense to me

[BananaMan]

Originally posted by Winston  

thanks ppl!

im still devious

but yeah

software design and development is crap

becoz my school is povo

i got penitum 100s to program with trubo pascal version 1.5

its crap as

but i love IT

im smarter than the teacher lol!

how stupid is that

but yeah i'm still not so sure...

in maths im going crap

just doesnt make sense to me

Change schools dude, that's what I've done and it's great. My old school had computer teachers who couldn't teach squat and the rooms were filled with P100's like yours, and in the careers room there was an Apple IIE! Now I'm in a school that had 6 computers full of P4's (around 30 per room) and it hosts ARIES A+ and Cisco, which are both great launch pads, well, cisco at least, you could teach a chimp to do Aries although we did get to build Athlon XP systems and use them for class which was fun. But yeah, if you can change schools and do your research and probably travel a bit, you'll find your career path begin to focus. There's my very incoherent Friday arvo response!

[Riker]

Dont go to Uni simple as that you learn nothing in uni, im telling you that right now, I work as a Network Admin for Department of Main Roads Queensland, and everyone i know reckons uni is a waste of cash and money. You want $$$$$$$ get Industry certifaction, MSCE or CNE that gets you the cash not a Degree, you look in the papers noone is asking for a Uni degree they are after MSCE's and CNE's etc, I telling you this as someone in the Industry dont go to uni youll regret it, plus alot of people dont hire uni students cause they think they know it all when they know nothing, and you have to spend 2 years reteaching them. Plus Uni always teaches old stuff that noone uses anymore.

[Winston]

yeah i agree with you

but still i dont noe

isnt getting a degree in uni gurantee u a job for sure?...

i mean if u had a degree in IT

and went to IBM and looked for a job

would they hire you??...

[Rudy]

Riker, how do u get the MSCE or CNE ?? cuz im going to uni next year (took a year off between highschool and uni) and i mean if i can get a job as good with that **** i would take that any time!! but i just need to know how to get it

[Riker]

isnt getting a degree in uni gurantee u a job for sure?... Sorry there is no such thing as a Gaurantee. IBM might hire you with it they might not, not like IBM is hiring more staff everyday. And what would you do at IBM?.

I know ppl with IT Degrees that wish they hadnt somepeople find it a help others find its a anchor that drags them down. I dont have all the answers for you, Im just going off what i know.

[lrb3000]

I've been in the IT industry (Internet and EAI developer) for several years now. Get a degree if you can. Your starting salary will be higher, and you won't be ruled out of a job for not having a degree. The company I used to work for wouldn't even interview a canidate if they didn't graduate from college. The little diploma makes a big difference to a lot of companies.

[Osiris]

lol I love the general conception of people that a degree guarentees them a job. My mate graduated with High distinction from uni with a degree in Structrual Engineering, and he's been waiting 6months to find work.

Another one did an IT course and hes only on $40K, he expected to walk out of uni with a degree and be earning $70,000+.

Just doesnt work like that.

[dARKSTAr]

With computers it just depends, and no, i don't mean the adult diapers!

It depends on where you live, if you live in podunk, iowa then any sort of experience is going to get you the job. If you live in an area that has a lot of competition in the IT industry, then no degree or certifications are going to help you because you are competing with job candidates that have much more experience than you.

I've found that the problem with university graduates is that they expect that they will get paid more because of their degree and this is why they go months without getting a job when they graduate. A company sees any certification and/or degree as basically useless because they need to teach you their way of doing things regardless of your academic qualifications. A friend in the industry who controls the hiring for his department put it this way, a degree or certification only shows that you have put in the time to get the degree or certification. Nothing more. It is certainly no guarantee that you will be able to work for that specific company.

Don't listen to anyone who tells you to get a degree or not get a degree. Follow your heart and do what you feel is best for your situation. The one thing that will give you an edge when you are looking for a job, regardless if you have a degree or a certification is experience. Do anything to get experience, even if it means taking some BS job at a local ISP. Again, i tell you, do anything to get experience. Beg, borrow or steal to get a job with a company. Even intern for free with a company if you have too. I've known people who got intern jobs you were later hired for a good salary when they graduated. The other thing you must remember is that if you want a high paying job, you have to work your way to attain that. If you think you are going to walk out of college, or walk out with a MSCE and be driving a Porsche two weeks later, then you are sadly mistaken. Most likely you'll be working a few years on a meager salary until you've proven yourself with a good firm.

The industry has changed over the last few years. It used to be if you knew how to turn a computer on then you could guarantee yourself a good job. It's not that way anymore.

Good luck to you!

[McBork]

i've always thought about doing a topic like this but never bothered :)

winston - i'm in the same situation as you (same age as well)

i'm in uk so education is different i think, anyway for those of you that know i'm in the last year of gcse's and know quite a lot about computers, i've built 5 or 6, fixed a few and made a few small apps & games in visual basic.

My school is a bit like winstons except we have celeron 500s but there all networked and all the software is one server which cant cope with the load of a full class (30ish).

Why not change school? because if i am going to work with computers then i am going to need some qualification and seeing as though i couldnt do GCSE IT i am now stuck with my school as most other places near me require the GCSE to do A level

i am looking for either a job with programming or building computers/upgrading/fixing etc.. and was wondering what the best option is and of course what the pay is like :)

currently i was thinking of doing IT, maths, business studies & physics at A level - good choice? or bad?

[dARKSTAr]

Originally posted by devildude  

i am looking for either a job with programming or building computers/upgrading/fixing etc.. and was wondering what the best option is and of course what the pay is like :)

devildude...not sure about england, but in the states a job building/upgrading/fixing computers is dead. it's not that the jobs aren't available at all, but they are definetely on the outs, unless you want to work for a smaller company. the reason is that computers are becoming easier to build and so companies aren't really hiring for those positions any more but rather passing them over to the tech/networking departments. at least that's been my experience. if you want to go to work for a company fixing computers, make sure that you are a networking whiz. fixing computers is my passion as well and this is the direction that i see us companies going.

as for programming, do you have the passion/talent required to sit in front of a keyboard for 8 hours a day and bang out code? cause that's what it really all boils down too. if you love to program, and have a talent for it, then go for programming. companies will always need talented probrammers.

so for programming make sure you love it and then go for it. if it's the tech side, make sure that you know the ins and outs of networking and sys admin.

had any salt and vinegar chips lately? god i miss those :D

[McBork]

i have a small network at home which i sorted out coz my dad didnt know how :) and i help a few people with their networks

i was thinking also maybe something where you look after the network / computers and make sure they are running smooth which is a sys admin isnt it?