I need a good job, one that involves computers. What career should I go to school for, I need a steady job!?

Question

Im about to enroll into Los Angeles Trade Tech College. Im going to be taking a career planing class so that it will help me narrow my choices down. But I know I want my career to have something to do with computers. Maybe a technician, or a video game maker, or a field in graphic arts? I just dont know. What jobs are out there, that will always be hiring, that will always be running? I need a job, one that I can retire from. Im 25 years old, and Ive reached a point in my life where I need a better job and I know the only way toget that is to go to school. But I dont want to go to school and invest my time in something that when Im done wont get me a job, or would be hard to find one. Know what I mean? Well, there it is, I hope you get my question. To all who answer, I seriously thank you for your time and any words of advice your able to give me. Take care.

Seriously, all of YOU...THANK YOU SO MUCH. You have no idea how much I appreciate your help ALL OF YOU.

Answer 1

you could try being a graphic artist. They make good enoug h money.

Answer 2

If you want to program, look at platform- and device-independent languages like C and Java. Learn an assembly language, too, so that you have an idea of what's happening underneath the compiler! And most applications these days employ databases, so get up to speed on them, too. A Bachelor's in Computer Science (BS-CS) or Computer Information Systems (BS-CIS) might get you started there.

If programming doesn't "float your boat", and you'd rather get your hands into your work, look into networking and telecommunications. Sun Microsystems has it exactly right when they say "The Network is the Computer." The BS-CS or BS-CIS would help there, too.

Once you get your foot in the door somewhere, you'll want to get as much training as you can on various vendors' products. Be a generalist!

There are always niche areas, too: designing storage devices, chips, and other components -- you'd probably start with a Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering there.

Find people in the areas that interest you, and ask them questions -- buy 'em a slice of pizza and pick their brains for awhile. Talk to a counselor at the community college to get some ideas, too. If you know someone in the field, ask if you can shadow them for awhile.

Hey, the options are endless and there's always something fun to do. I've been at it for about 20 years and I'm still having fun!

Best of luck to you!

Answer 3

Be wary of trade schools, they promise the world but fail to deliver.. Here's how the jobs market breaks down:

Geographically: The hot beds for computing are places like CA, Silicon Valley (greater SF area ), Seattle, Houston TX, New York NY, Boston and Florida...

-Software Development: Requires execellent analytical skills, motivation to solve problems, knowledge of 2-4 modern laguages, a good overal understanding of all types of systems, hardware and software. You need to be good, cause Indian programmer's make $6-$15/hr , and those ar ethe talented ones. US Salary (ranges form $45k~$120K/year)

-Networking: Requires detailed knowledge of networking and communications systems, with a focus on modern technoogies, SANS, WIFI, etc. Certifications are a plus Because there's a network everywhere demand is consistently high. You'll come to hate end users..
US Salary (ranges form $35k~$160K/year)

-Graphics Design: You really need to have a creative bent, this is something that you either have or not, its not taught. Any design work is like any kind of art, or fashion or music, its very subjective, if you don't have what it takes creatively than skip it...
US Salary (ranges form $20k~$90K/year)

-Hardware: Technicans are kind of the lowest and most basic entry level type of computing work, that's why you'll see 18-20 year olds running with geek squad mobiles . Its not a long term career, unless you stay in management ... Anything else with hardware is probably at the engineering levels, which requires some sort of engineering degree.
US Salary (Geek Squad starts you off at: 15)

-Marketing/Sales: Yes, there's a lot of opportunity for people who are tech saavy and have good presentation skills, If you like being in front of people marketing computer hardware/software is a great way to make a name and career for yourself.

At the end of the day techies, need to be precise, always willing to learn new technologies and understand that the rest of the world doesn't care about the details, just that it works.

Answer 4

There are a limited number of jobs specifically in games and video but LA is one of the centers for that. There are many more jobs in user interface, flash and general website design. I would take a course with some hands on development using web technologies. It might be titled computer science but you will have to look at the courses offered. You want some programming background if you are good at problem solving and fairly analytical. Alternatively you could do a graphic design course and add computing skills to that if you want to be more flash and animation based. I think there will be a lot of jobs in that area needed for many years and it is very creative. Only go that way if you are fairly innovative and artistic.

Answer 5

The most high paying definitely are computer programmers. In order to be one you must know the rudiments of computer programming by learning the computer languages.

Computer languages range from high level to low and the minimum requirement is to be knowledgeable in C/C++ programming. The ultimate requirement which is a big factor in gaining success in this field is being able to be well-versed in assembly and machine language which are the languages in which computers communicate (most especially machine language which is in binary).

So what do you need to be well versed in machine language? You must hexadecimal, octal and binary number systems and eventually head into programming using these number systems. But the first/ basic step is start from C/C++, Java, or Matlab. Then slowly work your way into those higher echelons of programming.

Good luck!

Answer 6

well the first thing you want to do is to make sure that the credits that you earn at that school will be transferable.

once you take some classes and get a feel of the technology. right now you can't make any kind of decision regarding which direction in the field you want to follow.

I am a big fan of getting involved in a career where you can also utilize those skills on your own time to further increase your income.

Answer 7

Every kid over 8 can build a PC, so there's no money in hardware. I do software development and there's lots of jobs in Tampa, Florida where I live. I see a lot of companies looking for web people, but they expect the person to know hardware, software, and graphic design.

Good Luck!

Answer 8

Go for System Analyst or Network Analyst. You can later open a computer security company. Nowadays, security is one of the major focus on computing.

Answer 9

You might find these resources handy:

http://technology.monster.com/
http://certcities.com/