Monkeyspank111 Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 I have a dilemma. My wife is currently 17 weeks pregnant. We are very excited.The baby is due March 2013. Although we are worried too because she is high risk pregnancy. Long story with that. Both my wife and I work.We live in Utah by the way. She is a childcare teacher and I'm a warehouse worker. I plan on attending community college in January 2013. I'm excited for that too. We both don't make that much money. We are both worried that the doctor will tell her to stop working and be on bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy. I know I should get a part-time job delivering pizzas or something similar. I've waited too long for my education and I want to have a better quality of life for my growing family. I don't want to put off my education any longer. I'm really interested in both computers/technology and mathematics. But these two degree options will take four years. Is there a better quicker way to a higher paying job? Should I just teach myself programming or attend just programming classes at the community college? Should I attend those schools they advertise on television commercials? Although I'm very leery on those kind of schools. Any parents here that were in a similar situation to mine and if you were what did you do to improve your quality of life? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pes2013 Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 I've waited too long for my education This means? I'm really interested in both computers/technology and mathematics Are you intrested or do you know both computers/technology and mathematics? But these two degree options will take four years There are a couple of certificates (which you have to study for anyways) that can get you a better lifestyle. But no, there pretty much isnt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pack34 Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 You could always step up your education in increments. You could get a two year tech degree and certificates and work as a tech for a couple years and once the little guy is in grade school you could always go for a full on bachelors. If you've worked as a tech in a related field it'll put you at the front of the line of newly minted engineers. If you're into computers and technology, one really hot field right now is programming, so you could always give that a try pretty easily and see if you like it or not. There's also an abundance of free online courses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick H. Supervisor Posted October 21, 2012 Supervisor Share Posted October 21, 2012 Qualifications = better chance of a better job. If I.T. is something you would want to get in to, you can find loads of evening courses that will give you an officially recognised qualification (Microsoft, Cisco, etc.) in a few months. I took one on Windows Server 2008 sometime last year (or was it the year before? Meh, it's irrelevant) in the evenings after work. Sure it was a grind, but it was two nights a week for about 6 months. If time is something of an issue, you should be able to talk with the professor about fast-tracking through the course. There's no way to get a better job without working for it. If there were a way, every man and his dog would be doing it instead of improving themselves. Having covered the main point, the next question is "what kind of computers/technology interests you?" There are different qualifications for different areas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pes2013 Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 If you're into computers and technology, one really hot field right now is programming Programming, as in sitting on a computer and typing code to represent the logic that someone else thought up of, is one of not only the ********* but lowest paid jobs in IT. Qualifications = better chance of a better job. If I.T. is something you would want to get in to, you can find loads of evening courses that will give you an officially recognised qualification (Microsoft, Cisco, etc.) in a few months. Exactly. Thats pretty much your best bet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pack34 Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 Programming, as in sitting on a computer and typing code to represent the logic that someone else thought up of, is one of not only the ********* but lowest paid jobs in IT. Exactly. Thats pretty much your best bet. There's a big difference between IT programming and CS programming. Just like there's a huge difference between IT and electrical and computer engineering. The point is to find out what you enjoy doing, what you're good at, and then find a way to get paid to do it. If you enjoy programming, Then get a quick two year degree with it and get some experience while working on a bachelor's degree in CS. You can get a good paying job if you have significant experience with a good degree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mulrian Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 is one of not only the ********* but lowest paid jobs in IT. Dunno where you are mate but where I live programming is one of the best paying jobs out there. Of course at lower levels it pays badly, but that's like anything. Once you prove that you know what you're doing and have experience, you can start going for more senior positions. Some of them pay some serious amounts. If you do a job search in my local area, at least a third have something to do with IT or programming. It's huge. pack34 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Dick Montage Subscriber² Posted October 21, 2012 Subscriber² Share Posted October 21, 2012 Programming, as in sitting on a computer and typing code to represent the logic that someone else thought up of, is one of not only the ********* but lowest paid jobs in IT. If you are "typing in code to represent logic that someone else thought up" is not programming, it's typing. Sorry, but as a well paid programmer, I find your post to be nonsense! pack34 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakem1 Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 This is slightly off topic but is your wife entitled to any maternity pay, either from her employer or the state? If so she might be able to access this from the point that she stops working if your doctor insists that she stop working early. Sorry, I have no idea about the maternity arrangements in Utah but it might be worth looking into. If you are "typing in code to represent logic that someone else thought up" is not programming, it's typing. Sorry, but as a well paid programmer, I find your post to be nonsense! That's not necessarily true. An analyst might be responsible for documenting the business logic for a developer to implement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkeyspank111 Posted October 21, 2012 Author Share Posted October 21, 2012 By the way I am 31 years old. I wish I took school seriously even five years ago. I took a personality test a bunch of them actually and all pointed to a career in computer programming. I also like fixing computers, building them. I have never done networking in a professional environment. But I think I would enjoy it. I'm actually leaning more towards computer programming in the I.T. field. For those that said they took evening classes or went to a tech school. How did you pick the school and how did you like it? I ask because there are a few tech schools in the area I live at. I'm a bit skeptic on those schools. They are not well known and I wonder if they will provide a good solid education. If I contact those schools of course they will be biased. Has anyone here gone to a community college and gotten a better paying computer job out of it after two years? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moloko Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Go back to school and get a degree. It never to late. Go get a certifcation. I am 36 and still working on completing school I only have 1 year left. but I am also going and getting my CCNA and CCNP to help boost my pay .by around 20%. By the way I am 31 years old. I wish I took school seriously even five years ago. I took a personality test a bunch of them actually and all pointed to a career in computer programming. I also like fixing computers, building them. I have never done networking in a professional environment. But I think I would enjoy it. I'm actually leaning more towards computer programming in the I.T. field. For those that said they took evening classes or went to a tech school. How did you pick the school and how did you like it? I ask because there are a few tech schools in the area I live at. I'm a bit skeptic on those schools. They are not well known and I wonder if they will provide a good solid education. If I contact those schools of course they will be biased. Has anyone here gone to a community college and gotten a better paying computer job out of it after two years? I know someone that went to ITT and now is a director. He got his BS then his Masters. he making big bucks now. While he was going to school he was just a low level manager. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chconline Veteran Posted October 23, 2012 Veteran Share Posted October 23, 2012 How much programming have you done before? I know a lot of people of whom I've attended university with chose software engineering after first year, because first year programming is fun and easy. Well, it really takes off from there, and you'll sit there writing algorithms and figuring out why crap doesn't work. I know people who are really into it as well, but make sure you know what is your true passio nfirst. (For your interest, I am in electrical engineering, and I work at a large electronics company developing hardware as a design engineer -- but most of the guys here are in software and it looks like their stuff is freaking hell to me :p ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shakey Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Suck Dick... Oh wait, you said a good way :p Umm, college and networking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dashel Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Cook meth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suprNOVA Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Education = eveything in life. Not to say you can't find a better paying job, but its much harder because the system is focused on education! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyrion12 Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 This topic is similar to my situation in life (well I'm 26 and not married :)) Soon I'll have a bachelors in Art History and English language (which in my country almost always leads to being a teacher). But I feel that maybe this is not the right path for me, and its kinda too late to change my mind and change school. I've been long interested in tech and have also considered various courses. I would say that I'm interested in photography, but could also see myself in programming... But, all in all, what would you guys recommend, what should I do in order to have a well payed job? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caleo Global Moderator Posted October 31, 2012 Global Moderator Share Posted October 31, 2012 I'd recommend trying to get into the Air Force or Navy in a computer/technical capacity if you weren't expecting a kid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nelsona Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Get a security clearance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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