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Advice for someone going into tech. (discuss.tchncs.de)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I recently decided to go back to school and get a job in the tech industry. I'm looking at cyber security but I'm not looked into that decision.

What degree would you recommend someone to pursue?
What field would you recommend after graduating?
What would you tell someone to avoid at all cost?

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

It all depends on where you want to go. I used to work in an IT department where most of my coworkers had non-tech degrees. Heck I only have a 2 year degree in software development. I also know people with computer science degrees that can't find jobs in the field. There really isn't a best path here. Heck, a lot of folks in low level IT support roles are just people without much training, but an interest in computers.
It all depends on you. If you aren't sure about something, maybe watch a few videos on a platform like PluralSight or Lynda.com. There are often labs or projects for you to start getting your hands dirty. Depending on where you live there might be places like FreeGeek that take volunteers to do support work, which in and of itself could get you a foot in the door of the tech industry. There are also a number of games on Steam that give you a rough idea of the work that each field entails.
Again, it depends on you. At this point in my life I'd avoid working for a FAANG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google) style company or a start-up. However, that's not because there is anything inherently wrong with working for those types of companies, I just value my time outside of work.

The most important advice I can give is to try to meet people in the field. Locally you will likely have events called User Groups (you can look on Facebook or Meetup.com) where people who are interested in different technologies will share what they know. Get to know people. Ask questions even if you think they're obvious or dumb. Tech skills will help you keep a job, soft skills will help you get a job.