Starting a Career in IT

[Since1984]

SAIT 2 year diploma's are great. I was in the CT diploma with a Information Systems Major 17 years ago mainly due to being able to choose if I wanted to complete the degree after or hop into work right away.

I ended up choosing the later and don't regret it one bit. It turns out, especially in Canada, that years of experience in the field end up washing out those 2 years of university, plus I saved that money in tuition and was making money. I know Uni grads get higher initial wages and in many cases higher top end wages. But after 17 years in the business I make a very comfortable wage which pales in comparison to some of the Richie Rich's of CP. But it works for me!

I would also like to add that second those that have said Dev OPs and security. There will always be a need. IT is a lifelong learning journey and is a ton of fun!

[Buff]

Originally Posted by Crazy Flamer

Any recommendations on where my son could get access to some of these free courses?

Through the library you could have access to free courses on Udemy. A person can take courses that prep them for certification exams but you'd still have to pay for the exams and update them regularly.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Buff

Through the library you could have access to free courses on Udemy. A person can take courses that prep them for certification exams but you'd still have to pay for the exams and update them regularly.

Through the library, they have access to LinkedIn Learning which is owned by Microsoft and has every entry to medium level IT certification training course material under the sun.

[shermanator]

Originally Posted by Bill Bumface

I know 2 years seems like a long time now, but a 4 year degree will open a LOT more doors. Even if he's the best at what he's doing with 2 years of education, he will get filtered out a lot of places. Recruiting practices are really rigid and often nonsensical, unfortunately.

Agree with this. The industry is so competitive right now that a lot of places will filter out anyone who took the "easy route" and got a shorter degree.

As well, there is a great community out there called Careers in Technology and Innovation where they focus on pivoting into tech. Worth it to network and get their name out there.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Crazy Flamer

Hey Everyone,

My oldest son, who is in his early 20's, is looking at making a career change into an IT related field. He's pretty good with technology and is looking to get into the field, but is wondering what the best route is in terms of upgrading his education.

Currently, he's looking into programs at SAIT and Bow Valley College. Are there any other schools or programs he should be looking in to? Any one option that seems better than the other?

Are there any particular areas he should concentrate on, ie: Information Systems, cybersecurity, network admin? Anything that is more likely to land him a job once he's finished?

Any insight would be helpful!

As mentioned, IT is a huge field with major differences but also lots of random bits of overlap. It's really hard to explain. It's like the differences around cars in terms of car design, race car driver, mechanic and detailing. Strong in one category doesn't immediately suggest you'd be strong in other categories even though what you're working on is a little piece of the same bigger thing. I would not suggest he go to school unless he knows the exact field he wants to enter when exiting school. IMO you can't really just choose the most lucrative IT field and study it. You have to have some interest and intrigue into the top on top of raw aptitude.

Being good with technology could mean a variety of different things once broken down into components and skills.

When hiring, you want the guy who knows his stuff the best in that specific category for that specific need and less emphasis on whether they know the other categories as long not knowing in the other categories doesn't hinder them doing a good job in their specific category (ie: opening up a car to do a deeper clean without breaking the parts that were opened).

It might be best to do this in reverse. What jobs did you son really want to get, but wasn't qualified for? Getting the certification to be qualified to get the job he wants is the best approach. The one to focus on is the one he likes AND has interest in it. But if he's even a little tepid on the idea of an IT career or category, I'd hold off on pushing all the chips in. It moves way too fast and is constantly full of SNAFU. You have to love that type of environment to survive or you'll burn out within a few months.

Consider asking the following questions:

- Is he more interested in creating, maintaining or both?
- Is he more interested in hardware, software or both?
- Is he more interested in following or leading?

Depending on the answers, it can help to differentiate where he wants to go.

For that last question though, you sometimes don't want to be the guy leading when the #### is going sideways like those situations in the news. You'd want to be a follower where the gun is pointed in a slightly different direction. There is seriously nothing wrong with being someone who just follows instructions well in IT.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Through the library, they have access to LinkedIn Learning which is owned by Microsoft and has every entry to medium level IT certification training course material under the sun.

Interesting. Almost like people could just start doing these courses, see their aptitude and then apply for the one they did the best on or had most interest in.

In real world applications you'd often be doing something similar when you first start out. Looking up the issue at times, figuring out what the question you need answered/another instance when someone had the same issue, then following the guides/step by step instructions if you haven't already memorized them. Maybe I'll poke into it here and there so that I can continue asking better questions as time goes on. Thanks for pointing it out!

Lacking natural aptitude isn't a good thing in IT. It's like trying to grab something on the top shelf when you're 4 ft tall. It's such an annoying waste of time and effort to run back to grab a ladder and reach it every time. Don't try to be something you aren't in IT. For those doing a career switch, sometimes it's not a full career switch. It's just a change in angle. Don't discard what you've learned so far in your career due to the switch. Consider it as an adding of it.

I know someone who got a BComm finance, hated finance and went SAIT for IT. Now he codes financial products because he can "naturally" (vs the rest of the industry) reach the financial understanding stuff on the top shelf without the use of tools or asking someone to help. He still hates finance, but likes his work and knows that's his niche that no one can kick him out of easily.

I know of another who was the reverse. Started in IT/Engineering, went back for law and now is an intellectual property lawyer. Doesn't like IT and engineering, but loves breaking it down in a different language (law).

[fotze2]

Does your kid at least resemble Bill Skarsgard?