I want to start a new career in computer field. For a begginer which route would I take for a decent salary?

Question

I also would love to know,which fields are in high demand right now, the ones most coveted and job placements are not hard to achieve. Thanks

Answer 1

I know people who do the same job and get paid drastically differing wages. There are ISP Linux admins working for $7 an hour while AIX unix operators doing the same thing get $165,000 a year.

U.S. Department of Labor
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Bureau of Labor Statistics Data
Will provide the pay rate for industries and occupations.


Occupation: Computer Software Engineers, Applications (SOC code 151031)
Period: May 2006 Industry (NAICS Code) Hourly mean wage
Sector 52 - Finance and Insurance (52--53)
39.05
Monetary Authorities - Central Bank (521000)
39.43
Monetary Authorities - Central Bank (521100)
39.43
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (522000)
38.39
Depository Credit Intermediation (522100)
40.61
Nondepository Credit Intermediation (522200)
37.68
Other Nondepository Credit Intermediation (522290)
36.51
Activities Related to Credit Intermediation (522300)
35.57
Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities (523000)
43.02
Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation and Brokerage (523100)
42.79
Other Financial Investment Activities (523900)
43.86
Insurance Carriers and Related Activities (524000)
36.38
Insurance Carriers (524100)
36.40
Direct Insurance (except Life, Health, and Medical) Carriers (524120)
35.30
Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (524200)
36.20
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210)
36.72
Other Insurance Related Activities (524290)
35.83
Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525000)
39.69
Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds (525100)
40.00
Other Investment Pools and Funds (525900)
38.16
SOC code: Standard Occupational Classification code -- see http://www.bls.gov/soc/home.htm
NAICS code: North American Industry Classification System code -- see http://www.bls.gov/bls/naics.htm

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Steve F - I had my IBM PSS and then got my MCSE and all the MCSE jobs paid less than half what a PSS got.
The best way to lower your pay is to get a certification.
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University education get the best jobs, Certifications get the worst jobs. Check it out on the BLS site I linked.

The unemployment rate among System and Network is over %30. Those people are not out of work, they are working at starbucks. Ask your barrista about Cisco cert. He probably has one. The BLS federal Labor Stats do not lie look at them.


gstorms8626 - At the top of the unemployment list is Web development. The automated page generating systems are putting thousands out of work. I know people doing web pages for less than 5 bucks and hour.
READ THE BLS Reports I linked to. Get a REAL JOB.

Job service will no longer pay for networking and Web development classes. The students can not find jobs.
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Answer 2

I am just visiting this group and have enjoyed it so far. I would like to offer up this advice:

The question you should be pondering is what do you want to do in the computer field? I would encourage you to not think so much about salary right now. You should explore a variety of computer or IT jobs and see which one you gravitate towards. There is programming, admin, sales and more. Everyone takes a different route in careers and get different results. Asking others right now what you should do is probably the wrong idea.

Find your way by trying out a variety of options. Find people who do different jobs and talk with them about what they do every day. You would hate to get certified or a degree in an area and wake up a couple of years from now wondering why you chose the direction you did. It happens, just don't let it happen to you.

I wish you well.

Answer 3

First off - Do you WANT to work on electronics/computers? Is it a job that would interest you? Job Selection has a lot to do with how well you adapt to Military Life. If you are unhappy with your job, you will be miserable in the Navy. It has to be something that YOU personally find interesting, not the rest of us. What you lucked into is one of the most sought after slots that the Navy has (well excluding the video game commandos that want to be SEALs or FMF Corpsmen because they think life is a big ole Call of Duty game anyway...). Look down the road - you are not going to be in there forever (although at your age, staying for Retirement may seem like forever now, it DOES have a way of sneaking up on you). You are going to need some marketable skills when you return to Civilian Life and Electronics and Computers are not going away anytime soon... Good Luck to you and Welcome Aboard....

Answer 4

Unfortunately, you will have to get some certifications to get really decent paying jobs. One area which is not that highly technical, but is related to technology is to be a CISA certified auditor. These auditors ensure that companies are following guidelines, rules, and regulations. They basically manage IT governance and best practices where security and recovery are concerned. The only problem with computer/technology related careers is that you will either have to have several years experience, or you will have to have some certifications. After about 4 - 5 years, a CISA certified auditor can earn anywhere from $60,000 to $120,000 annually.

If you are going to go with networking...stick with Cisco certifications. You might want to get one or two certifications on your own and then try to find an employer that will pay for any additional certifications.

Answer 5

For a beginner i would start at being a webmaster for a site after learning basic languages such as html,css, and javascript. Put a few good looking sites together that show off your skills for a resume. Companies are always looking for webmasters in all positions from entry level to top level, just take a look on craigslist. The pay is decent, I would say starting entry level at $15/hr. Good programs to master are dreamweaver, photoshop and flash. When you get more advanced you should master php and mysql. Also look into languages such as unix, linux, and C++, for higher level jobs.

The good thing is that there is alot of other jobs and higher level positions that can branch out from this such as IT security or server admin

Answer 6

Hi,

Systems and networking have thousands of openings. Try the field. You can check out http://careerguide.careerdirection.info for some useful info and tips. Good luck!

Answer 7

You will want to get certified with Microsoft Networks or Cisco Networks. Anything else would be a waste of your time.