Should I study information technology in college?

[CowboysFromHell]

Guys, help me with my future career please. I'm 25 years old and the decision I make now will affect me for the rest of my life.I'm a college graduate with a foreign language degree. Now, I want to change my careers in computers because I really love them. And computer related jobs are growing rapidly. I can only afford to go to community college because I don't have enough cash for another B.A. This is my first option. My other option is going to the military and get a job there as an IT specialist. What should I do? College again or the military? If I go to college, I'd have my 2 year degree at 27 but the down side of this is that I will be spending lots of cash and still might not be able to find a job since 2 year degree doesn't give you a good job. Lots of IT jobs require 4 year degree with a few years of experience. Or I can just join the army as a IT specialist and get trained for free, guarantee job, ton of experience and get paid. But I'm not too sure about the army because it will be a totally different life style.

[Sasquatch]

Don't join the military unless you want to join the military. It's about much more than getting some job training. Going into the military for job training alone would be like attending college just to say you've gone to classes, or attending a sporting event and watching it on your phone. You're just taking a spot for somebody who could make use of it.

So, while 25 is a bit late to figure out what you want to do in life, I would recommend college again. Work your way through it, like so many other people do, get a degree, and focus on more long-term than short-term. You should think "I will be interested in doing this for the next thirty years, and I can make enough to support a family", not "this would be cool".

[Unknown Entity]

So, while 25 is a bit late to figure out what you want to do in life, I would recommend college again.

It's never too late to decide what you want to do.

But yeah, I'd say go to college too - don't join the military. You won't know what you're in for. First, study IT and make sure it's something you want to go further in, and maybe one day if you want to join the army, you'll be of better use and more ahead in your job. You can easily find any kind of IT job online. Hell, even some retail outlets need IT support, and you can gain experience from using computerised tills, store servers, televisions and such working there. Not quite the experience you'll want, but it can get you closer.

[Rowan]

Short answer = Yes you should. I say this because im in I.T myself and I didnt even realise how much there is to learn and accomplish and how many opportunities there are for work. You will ALWAYS be needed by people since I.T is rapidly being implemented in all areas of work. Anywhere theres a computer, you have a job. Your skills will be required.

[CowboysFromHell]

Short answer = Yes you should. I say this because im in I.T myself and I didnt even realise how much there is to learn and accomplish and how many opportunities there are for work. You will ALWAYS be needed by people since I.T is rapidly being implemented in all areas of work. Anywhere theres a computer, you have a job. Your skills will be required.

Yea IT has so many jobs opportunities. But I'm kinda worried though because most jobs require a four year degree plus a few years of experience. Man, can I even survive with only a two-year degree in IT?

[Quistis]

I have a 4 year degree in IT (computer science) and although it is not the type of work that I want, I do not regret it. The job security is there and I am in better position financially. If I pursued my preferred field which is Art, I doubt, I'd be living comfortably right now.

My question is, can you get a 2 year degree and be credited with the class you take so once you get enough money to pursue a 4 year degree, you don't have to spend the entire 4 years. I did not study in the US so I am not sure how the educational system here works.

Look at job sites and see if you can find listings in your area that only ask for at least a 2 year degree and decide from there. (Though I am sure you already did this?)

One thing you got that has an advantage over me is your passion for this field. Use this to fuel your determination to be successful.

[Rowan]

Let it go on the record, that degrees are not necassary , but they are good to have. I scored a traineeship doing a cert IV (includes cert III also) and full time placement while I complete my training. It may not be a degree in computer science, But its training in the field of networking and all the skills I need and would have learned otherwise from doing a degree. But instead of paying money to study, im being paid AND I have a job. After im finished, ill have qualifications and 2 years work at a primary school as an I.T Technition with a job reference from the principle. This means I could basically have just as good a shot at getting a job than someone with a degree. This is because I have 2 years experience in the field as opposed to 4 years studying. Employers want people who have actually worked in the industry. Its experience>knowledge in almost every single job there is.

So my advice to you is to try and land a job and stay with it for a couple of years. Theres nothing that looks better on a resume than to say you've been employed at 'x' place for 'x' amount of time.

Degrees and university are incredibly overrated and most people who graduate will struggle just as much as others in finding a job, who havnt got 4 years at uni.

[DragonHeart]

You could possibly also look into fields that are heavily into computers but aren't necessarily IT. Don't worry, I'm actually in almost the same situation you are right now. I'm the same age as you and I didn't start going to college until a year ago, when I finally decided I didn't want to be stuck in a dead end job for the rest of my working life. I'm going to school for computer forensics, which the local community college offers a certificate in. I'm actually going to get my associate's in criminal justice and certificates in law enforcement and computer forensics and go from there. I don't think you necessarily need the associate's, just the certificate. It may be something to look into. Computer forensics is an emerging field and is expected to expand by 40% over the next 15 years, so job security isn't as much of an issue as in other fields.

There's also fields like computer security, but they do need a lot more schooling than that, my best friend actually has his master's in the field. Yes it's a lot of money, especially for high end careers like IT, but you also make a lot more money once you start working in the field. It's really a trade off, less money now with the future ability to earn more, or spend less money and lose the capability to learn as much. You can always get started and get a job then continue school on the side later. There's a lot of different ways to get to the same destination.

I agree not to go into the military unless that's what you want to do. The "free ride" may not be worth the price.

~DragonHeart~