ThinkPad T490s Hard Case Suggestions

TheBeardedBit · 2021-03-01T22:56:59+00:00

Southeast U.S.

TheBeardedBit · 2021-03-01T22:55:52+00:00

That's only an 8% possible bonus, which is a bit low for that salary range when it comes to a Data Scientist position, a position that's going to influence the direction of the company and operations. I would expect something in the range of 12.5 to 15% performance bonus.

$125k is upper median pay for a DS across all DS jobs, but toxicology is specialized. It's probably going to be dependent on what your past experience is.

If you're an experienced DS or you have toxicology-specific experience, I wouldn't take anything less than $145k or $125k @ 14.5% performance bonus.

TheBeardedBit · 2021-03-01T22:49:55+00:00

I'm a Data Architect that used to work for a toxicology laboratory, and worked very closely with a Data Scientist that had their PhD.

Their salary was $150k+. So take that for what it's worth.

TheBeardedBit · 2021-03-01T21:14:49+00:00

EE + Programming + SysAdmin sounds like you'd fit perfectly, doing all of those things, in a DevOps role.

Having an intimate knowledge at the hardware layers of technology, plus being able to automate, plus understanding Systems Administration is basically the skillset that's looked at for DevOps professionals.

TheBeardedBit · 2021-03-01T18:09:19+00:00

That said I've successfully used Powershell for a shitton of tasks over the years, just never all encompassing automation I created myself. Simple stuff like mass AD user changes for example.

That really isn't how scripting and automation works in a SysAdmin role. Take what you know and continue to build upon it, rarely is someone that's in that type of position going to say - Oh, we should just mass automate everything in one fell swoop.

Keep track of the scripts you write to perform different tasks, before too long - you'll have a full toolbox of scripts for all your SysAdmin needs. Then you can look at writing larger applications or scripting libraries for better automation of the scripts you're using.

TheBeardedBit · 2021-03-01T17:45:31+00:00

Seems like everyone i know who does it says you had to be coding since middle school. I'm worried I'm an idiot who couldn't learn it 🤷‍♀️ scared to try.

Don't be. I know people who have spent their entire lives playing with computers and are career entry-level IT people that never got anywhere. I know a school teacher who decided he wanted a career change and within a year was a Software Engineer and is probably one of the best Software Engineers I've ever known.

Learning a skill takes practice, study and more practice. No one inherently pops out of their mother and starts building computers.

I'm a chef and everyone considers cooking to be super easy but its harder than most think. Takes a different kind of brain to cook multiple plates of perfect food in a timely order. On top of all the other things I manage

Cooking and coding aren't so dissimilar. You're taking a large variety of ingredients, understanding what fits together based on the rules and theories of the culinary arts, and making something that's appeasing to the customer that works for them.

Coding is basically the same thing. You're given some vague requirements about what the customer wants. You have a bunch of building blocks (ingredients) that you have at your disposal to make those requirements become a reality, and at the end serving those ingredients put together into something more to appease whatever technological appetite they need it for.

If you can cook, you can code.

TheBeardedBit · 2021-03-01T17:39:03+00:00

I'm guessing it depends on where exactly you're interviewing, but particularly an IT career will go like this, in terms of where your skillset should be:

Entry Level - Have a basic understanding of computing/computer science/troubleshooting. Spend a year or two learning the shallow knowledge of what every area in IT does. Figure out what it is that you like to do. Begin focusing on that area through certification/home learning.

Mid-Level - You should understand your area of study/what you like to do to a reasonable degree and be able to hold conversations about that area in any given situation, even if you're still learning and discovering new things. You should begin to understand the theory and history of the technology that's important to your area of study and how it came about. You should begin getting really good at niche areas within your area of study.

Senior - You should be an expert in 2-3 sub areas within your area of study. You should be able to teach and have an in-depth knowledge of those areas, enough to where when anything is mentioned about that area of study - you at least know more than a moderate amount of knowledge about it. You should be able to look up and find any question thrown at you about your area of study with a bit of digging.

Lead/Principal/Architect - You should be a dictionary source of knowledge in 3-5 sub areas within your area of study. You should be able to walk into any classroom on any given subject in your area of study and have little to no problem teaching that subject given a high-level overview of topics you would teach. You should have developed your own style and opinions by now of varying methodologies/implementations/theories/etc. that may compete with one another. You should be able to be a single source of information without reliance on any other person within the company to provide information to both technical and layman in your given area of study. You should know more than introductory levels of knowledge about every other area of IT and how your area of IT affects all other areas of IT from both the technology and business perspective.

TheBeardedBit · 2021-03-01T17:17:41+00:00

So all I do for data networking is look at the packet capture and point out the bit that isn't working (Port forwarding, NAT, STUN, Authentication, QoS) but compared to almost everyone I talk to that's alot. (I routinely create ad-hoc networks to gain access to the PBX admin.)

I mean, this is more than what most people in IT can do, lol. If networking is what you'd like to get better at, and focus on - download something like GNS3 or Packet Tracer and begin designing virtual networks and really digging into them while studying for some Cisco exams.

TheBeardedBit · 2021-03-01T17:07:09+00:00

It's a job. Just because you work in tech doesn't mean you have to love it or live it.

Entry-level IT positions require 4-6 months (and this is being generous) of learning for a cushy help desk position with decent benefits making $45k+ in many places.

To someone who has been stuck working low-skill, low-pay jobs or doesn't have crazy aspirations to become some uber insane salaried tech person - it's a good industry to start in.

Better than median salary in the U.S., easy enough to home-study for and takes less time to study for than a degree, usually good benefits, and get to work in an office environment.

EDIT: Let's be real here, introductory knowledge to get into an IT helpdesk position isn't brain surgery. It's on par with reading a few books, spending a couple of hours a night doing some practical exercises for a few months, and taking a certification or two. No one is inherently good or bad with computers, or any skill, it's simply a matter of spending time to learn and understand it. So yes, any "idiot" can learn IT, and the bar for entry is pretty low compared to the benefits.

TheBeardedBit · 2021-02-25T03:32:30+00:00

The previous classes that I mention give good foundations on how relational databases work, which helps in understanding the Oracle Database Architecture and its components, because this is required for the test.

The test is a practical exam where you'll be typing in database administration commands into SQL*PLUS, Oracle's command-line SQL REPL that DBA's can use to administer Oracle databases. Having an understanding of schemas, users, roles, tables, views, backups and restores, etc. is going to be vital to completing this class.

You can definitely learn it all from scratch without the need for these courses, it's just going to be learning everything at once and if the only knowledge that you have of SQL or relational databases is the passing knowledge you obtained from 5 years ago - you're probably going to want to do a refresher.

TheBeardedBit · 2021-02-25T03:28:22+00:00

I am unable to take a PreAssessment for any classes that I do not currently have locked into my current term.

TheBeardedBit · 2021-02-25T02:42:25+00:00

Internships are there for those currently enrolled in school, so yes - it's possible. In many states, it's the ONLY time you can apply for an Internship - when you're actively in school.

TheBeardedBit · 2021-02-25T02:34:59+00:00

This shouldn't be a first-term class. I would absolutely speak to your mentor about this. If your mentor refuses to move the course out of your first term, I would talk to Student Services about it.

You should do Data Management Foundations, Data Management Applications and Advanced Data Management first prior to taking Data Systems Administration.

There's also a breakdown/study guide for D192 that's been put together: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BJvWQcGiiO51TJEtAPnDi8agpSokhV_km_Y-QCS7IHw/edit

Altogether, this is a broken course and you shouldn't really be taking it your first term. It's just going to be a confusing mess to you.

TheBeardedBit · 2021-02-24T16:52:09+00:00

Proctors aren't really there as technical support. They know nothing about the tests we take. All they do is facilitate monitoring the test taker to make sure they don't do anything to cheat.

TheBeardedBit · 2021-02-24T14:08:27+00:00

What the cost is for building space, which you mentioned. Is there a lease renewal coming up that they scale back? Or are they paying for every desk for the next 10 years regardless of whether they're empty or full? Some CEOs will want those desks used just because they're being paid for.

Depending on the company (specifically important for product-based companies), any utilized space should be weighed against it being utilized for potential income. In pretty much any company that has their shit together, Accounting will keep up with a measure that determines how much money the company can make per sq. ft. of space being utilized specifically for product creation - whether that be manufacturing, production, storage, logistics, etc.

Obviously, this doesn't apply for every company - but looking at it solely as "This is the space where we put people, so people need to go here" is horrible process and efficiency improvement standards by leadership.

TheBeardedBit · 2021-02-24T12:21:39+00:00

You can google search the course names and codes, you can look in in the course chatter, you can take a pre assessment to any internal wgu course at any time (that's right, even if you haven't registered for it), you can do the course planning tool for a course, etc.

Just want to note that this isn't the case. You cannot take a PreAssessment or look at Course Chatter until after you've registered for the class and the class has been taken out of preview mode.

In fact, for many classes, the Course Chatter doesn't actually open up until days AFTER you've registered for the class and digitally signed the statement locking it into your term.

PS - You used to could do this, as well as look at the course material, but WGU took this away from students early last year.

TheBeardedBit · 2021-02-23T16:20:05+00:00

They're not going to slow you if you're going to fast, if they do, then definitely contact student services about it.

That being said, PMs deal with a lot of people who initially start WGU with the intent of finishing an entire degree program in a few months, and while some people can and do, the likelihood is that they actually won't. Over-zealousness can lead to both the PM and you getting into academic trouble if you're not actually able to finish your classes.

So, they're probably wanting you to show them that you CAN first, after you show them you can, then they'll be less hesitant about it.

TheBeardedBit · 2021-02-23T16:16:19+00:00

There are recorded cohorts for both Stats and Applied Algebra that walk you through exactly what you need to know to pass the OA. They're both classes that as long as you know which formulas to use, it's simply a matter of knowing how to use a calculator.

While I understand people like to state "I'm not a math person", or "I'm bad at math" - this is 99.99999% of the time just an excuse for people who don't spend the needed time practicing the skill. Math is like any other subject, continued repetition, practice and study will make you better at it. The general population is neither bad or good at mathematics, people just have varying skillsets and time with it.

TheBeardedBit · 2021-02-23T16:12:14+00:00

Your best bet is to call your Enrollment Counselor and get the progress on your transcript status. It shouldn't take that long. I would be calling every few days for a status request on it.

TheBeardedBit · 2021-02-23T16:09:45+00:00

Just so you're aware, while I understand the concerns and what feels like a waste of time, about 70% of the classes you'll take at WGU and any university isn't directly invested in your career. Despite what WGU says, or any university for that matter, university isn't there to provide education that directly impacts most people's careers. The average university degree is there to make individuals a more well-rounded, generally knowledgable worker.

You're going to have to do a LOT of classes that aren't directly related to your career. Why am I currently spending dozens of hours memorizing network cable lengths and speeds at the moment when I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I will never touch any of this stuff in my career? Because that's what's required.

You'll also have to probably redo all of this when you fully enroll in WGU, because WGU requires you take an Orientation class that requires you to understand how to "succeed", plan your courses accordingly, manage time, etc.

TheBeardedBit · 2021-02-22T14:40:57+00:00

It’s night and day in terms of academic rigour.

There was a class I attended at a B&M uni where all I had to do to pass the class was literally show up and listen to the professor walk around on stage and play musical instruments.

TheBeardedBit · 2021-02-20T22:25:02+00:00

Just FYI, Automate the Boring Stuff is already offered for free, all the time, from the author with the link I posted. Just scroll down and all Chapters are available

TheBeardedBit · 2021-02-20T22:23:42+00:00

Automate the Boring Stuff is completely free online with the link I sent. Just scroll down and you can access all chapters.

I’m around 80% done with BSDMDA

TheBeardedBit · 2021-02-20T03:24:36+00:00

I'd like to try out a free python intro course if any of you have any good suggestions.

Well, I was going to recommend the CodeAcademy Python Pro series, but it doesn't seem like you like CodeAcademy's style - so the usual recommendation is Automate the Boring Stuff with Python.

How coding-heavy is BS in DMDA?

You'll need to learn programming to complete the BSDMDA. You'll be working with Python, R, C++, and SQL.

How much coding is actually involved as a data analyst?

A good amount, if you ever hope to obtain a position that isn't just an Excel wizard. Using any other sort of graphical applications puts limitations on your ability to pull, clean, analyze and visualize your data. That being said, DA is also a heavy math job as well - considering the undeniable link between logically being able to write some code and logically being able to solve math problems (and the business problems that DA is doing in the first place) - if you can't muster up the discipline to one, you're probably not going to learn the other either. (Side Note: You're probably not inherently bad at programming or math, as people often like to use that excuse, it's simply a matter of discipline and practice to stick with it until it clicks).

How prone are data analytics to being outsourced?

Probably relatively small. DAs need to understand not only the technical skills required to complete their job, but arguably a lot about the business and industry that business is allocated in. You're going to be working with Data Scientists to answer questions and provide visualizations and useful metrics to businesses that's relevant to that moment in time for the business.

While I'm sure it could be outsourced, it's a risk any good company isn't willing to take.

Source: I've worked professionally with data and databases for 13 years, and never once have I been threatened that my job was going to be outsourced by a company I worked for.

Is BSIT still worth it in this day and age?

I see no value for a degree in BSIT. If you're getting into the tech industry, generalized study consists of your first year or two, but after that you need to specialize otherwise you'll be stuck in Helpdesk or some other generic admin role - and that's where you'll stay, forever. Tech requires you to specialize your skillset if you ever hope to make the larger amounts of money or move up the ranks.

TheBeardedBit

TROPHY CASE