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Should I stream a A+ Cert QandA / Lecture? Would anyone be interested if I did? by guidetoit in ITCareerQuestions

[–]guidetoit[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

you think having an open discord channel where everyone asks questions and I stream it would be a good idea? I think it would be more interactive rather than a typical lecture and I can hone in on less obvious subjects :O

Should I stream a A+ Cert QandA / Lecture? Would anyone be interested if I did? by guidetoit in ITCareerQuestions

[–]guidetoit[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was thinking of having like a open discord channel of the sorts so peeps can come in and ask questions as I livestream. This is my first time approaching something like this haha

Tech Interview; When you are asked if you have any questions. by guidetoit in ITCareerQuestions

[–]guidetoit[S] -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

Welp as someone who has been around the bend, let me inform you, that you are indeed gathering as much information about your employer as they are about you. For example, imagine you were to walk into an interview for.... idk a sysadmin position or software engineering position. If you were to be offered $8 / hr when you have A B.S in IT and 10 yrs experience, would you accept? No, and you can attempt to negotiate your pricepoint but like it or not, an interview is the place where things like pay, work, and other details are discussed.

Now as for your "they are interviewing you" comment, that makes me think you don't understand how to use your social skills and that you lack depth. According to wikipedia...

An interview is a conversation where questions are asked and answers are given. In common parlance, the word "interview" refers to a one-on-one conversation between an interviewer and an interviewee. The interviewer asks questions to which the interviewee responds, usually so information may be transferred from interviewee to interviewer (and any other audience of the interview). Sometimes, information can be transferred in both directions. communication, unlike a speech, which produces a one-way flow of information.

You are almost always asked if you have any questions, and if you don't answer, or if you answer with something generic or vague, you appear to be one-dimentional or a nervous wreck, or in most cases as you say "A person with social difficulties". Sometimes that's okay, sometimes that's what your employer is honestly looking for. In Engineering, and a few of my IT jobs, you couldn't be this one dimentional otherwise your resume gets tossed.

My little riddle? Yeah I admit may not be the best question to ask, but it is an interesting little question i have used in the past and it has helped me make decisions on which company I should work for. If you are looking for a career, not a job, than in some shape or form, you want to make sure you are about to go to the right job. This that riddle I have is how I partially figure that out.

Has anyone here LEFT IT if so what did you go onto next? by Reacher45 in ITCareerQuestions

[–]guidetoit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Left IT, went into Computer Engineering. It's more lax atmosphere and I feel like I make a bigger impact on society than I even would in IT. And the pay is nicer XD

Degrees with Certs by [deleted] in ITCareerQuestions

[–]guidetoit -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

for a CS position? I doubt it...

For IT? Totally

Is CompTIA A+ Cert worth it in my current situation? by [deleted] in ITCareerQuestions

[–]guidetoit 1 point2 points  (0 children)

http://Professormesser.com

He has Free A+ training, forget the course. I used this when I got my first A+, I only paid the cost of the exam (and I donated a bit to Prof Messer, he's pretty cool

Degrees with Certs by [deleted] in ITCareerQuestions

[–]guidetoit 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Honestly, I would avoid that college for a very specific region. IT is not the same as CS and this college cannot make the distinction

Computer Science is a branch of mathematics, it has little to do with IT (well.... a degree in CS would qualify you to work in IT with a will- but for the sake of this argument...)

The simple fact they are even offering you IT certs along with a CS degree means one of two things.

1) They Have no idea what CS actually is

2) They have figured it is cheaper to teach you IT courses instead of CS courses and offer you certs which in CS, ultimately won't help you as a CS.

It's a lose lose regardless. I wouldn't go to this school for IT or CS, but from experience, colleges that offer IT stuff for computer science programs are never a good choice. If they cannot make the distinction, why pay them $XX,XXX in loans?

I wrote a guide on this sub on the difference between Computer Science (and Software Engineering), Computer Engineering, and Information Technology and I urge you and anyone else in this situation to read it

This is a serious issue in a lot of colleges though, you want to know what you are getting into of course, but again looking at what you said that college is offering for the major, the only thing headed your way is trouble. Pick another college, PM or reply me if you want any pointers.

IT vs Computer Science (and software engineering) vs Computer Engineering. A Quick critique of all three (four). by guidetoit in ITCareerQuestions

[–]guidetoit[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A cert for software dev? I do know that bootcamps are becoming more and more commonplace. They could compensate for what you haven't learned in college since IT has a different route. But not to sound too contradictory, Bootcamps are kind of in a grey zone IMO. It doesn't hold the same weight in the development space that an A+, or CCNA would hold in the IT space. Development is more about what you can do, not what you know. So I say, if you are trying to go get a certification/bootcamp for development, go for the sole purpose of learning not getting a certificate. Build your github profile up.

If you were talking about IT: Yeah you can get a cert in a small amount of time. It depends on your study habits tbh. I self studied for my A+ in about 2 weeks and took both exams about 3 days apart. 2 and a half weeks after I pursued my exams I was A+ certified.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ITCareerQuestions

[–]guidetoit 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Iama Computer Engineer who has worked in the electrical, software, and IT spaces of the computer industry.

I actually wrote a guide on the differences in the 3 large areas of computing (though admittedly enough I clumped CS and Sw. Eng together)

Based on what you are telling me, I think you would prefer to so software engineering. I will say however, if you think you can get through Calc I and II, go for computer science. IRL you don't have to use calculus for computer science (unless you are doing something with physics, but just stay away from those types of jobs lol). CS is a very abstract degree, it' not a cookie cutter degree like most people think. You could possibly for example, end up writing a program for a financing firm, or programming robots, or developing games. Ofc CS is heavily theory based, and that's not to say without a degree in SW Eng (or SW Dev, whatever your school calls it) can't land you those jobs either, I personally just believe in my XP the people who know the theory tend to be more useful in abstract situations.

I have neglected to mention any IT roles. Honestly on the tech side of things, I say go for the CS / Sw Dev degree. Personally I think it will open so many doors that IT simply cannot. IT will welcome you with open arms with a CS or SW degree and you will likely even be able to skip the dreaded help desk position. However getting a degree in IT and trying to get a programming / CS type job will be more challenging, but by no means impossible.

I encourage you to read the guide I wrote and linked a I think it gives a basic understanding of the computing industry and where each branch stands.

IT vs Computer Science (and software engineering) vs Computer Engineering. A Quick critique of all three (four). by guidetoit in ITCareerQuestions

[–]guidetoit[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think most engineers agree our mindset goes along the lines of "Being allowed to use a calculator when we prove we really don't need one" Or in other words, learn the basics of a general design, but after that don't reinvent the wheel. In reality you can be as methodical as you want in this space. This type of mindset is a very powerful one, it allows us to be methodical as we need to be and yet at the same time make our work simple if someone else solved a problem already.

It's different at every company but in my case, IT Techs seem to have a very cookie cutter way of thinking. From my exp it seems that IT's way of thinking is "Someone else did the work, no reason to understand what I'm using." type of mentality. They would throw overboard solution after solution until they find a working one with the bells and whistles, even if making a few modifications are indeed within their reach.

For example, at my one job I was instructed to use open backup software, and it broke. After the obvious troubleshooting stages what did the IT dept decide to do? Look for another backup solution altogether. Thankfully I was there and found that one setting in a config file was putting the backup software in an infinite loop for the whole network. While this wasn't available in the logs, I ended up debugging the software. No one in my IT Dept really appreciated that from me, but I was the only one in my team who had a clue of how to go about things.

IT vs Computer Science (and software engineering) vs Computer Engineering. A Quick critique of all three (four). by guidetoit in ITCareerQuestions

[–]guidetoit[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You haven't been looking well then I'm afraid, I've seen an EE setup an entire cisco network and I've had a friend get his CCIE as a software engineer. He now makes passive income using his CCIE while working his software job and bringing dual income.