Career changer seeks advice on these 5 areas of IT 1

[dstrain]

Hello all.

I've decided it's time for a career change. I have a BA in Government, and will be going back to get a second BA in Computer Science. I'd like to focus on programming, but am a bit unsure of where to focus my attention on. I was wondering if you guys might be able to provide some advice on what technologies/languages I might focus on with respect to the following areas. Also, any insight as to long-term employment prospects for these areas would be appreciated as well.

game development
internet development
artificial intelligence
wireless technologies
security

The above four are the first things that come to mind when I think of areas that really interest me. But of course, I'm starting fresh with all of this so I'm sure I'll find others along the way that intrigue me.

Tahnks in advance.

 

[IT4EVR]

There will always be a market for all 5 of the technologies you just listed, however Game Development and Artificial Intelligence are more of the "niche programming". If you are going to major in CS then courses in these two will be available but not the norm. There are schools that would allow you to concentrate on these two technologies more than another.

However for a bachelor's degree, I think you are much better served by being a generalist and taking courses that would expose you to a broad range of technologies.

What happened if all you took were game programming classes and then 5 years down the road you don't want to be a game programmer? Also, remember that game programming is not easy to get into as a profession.

If programming is your cup of tea, learn to be a good programmer first, master the skills needed to be a programmer, THEN it will be that much easier to master the niche technologies.

That's just the way I look at it.

The wisest people are those who are smart enough to realize they don't know it all.

 

[chiph]

Game Development:
Long hours & low pay, but it's high prestige in the software community. Languages used: C, Assembly, some C++. Very little .NET or Java

Internet Development:
Not really an area of specialization, unless you're writing firmware for Cisco routers. Then, it's more Embedded Systems than internet development.

Artificial Intelligence:
Very few businesses use AI, but those that do, really do. We're talking large companies, such as Google, IBM, UPS, & the drug companies. You'll want at least a Masters to be taken seriously.

Wireless Technologies:
Much like Internet Development. People generally use wireless technologies. Very few actually develop them, and they fall into the sphere of Embedded Systems.

Security:
There is some software development done here, and it's possible to get a degree with an emphasis in security at some universities. Most of the money, however, is in security consulting services.

Best of luck.
Chip H.


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[MDXer]

one IT area you may want to look into is Business Intelligence. There are many areas within the BI Community and not all are DB related. There are many companies that design and build the ETL, Reporting, And OLAP Engines that exist in the market today. BI is an area that for the past couple years has been growing both in companies adopting bi applications as-well-as those building them. The key to BI is that while you need to know the technologies you also need a good handle on business concepts and how business Analysts look at and interact with things. If you enjoy the DB side of things then there is the DW aspect that many including myself find enjoyable.

Shoot Me! Shoot Me NOW!!!
- Daffy Duck

 

[IT4EVR]

Don't you need or it is recommended you have some sort of business degree to really get far in BI? I'm noticing more and more college students taking the double major of comsci and business.

The wisest people are those who are smart enough to realize they don't know it all.

 

[chelseatech]

I've done many things in the IT industry over the last 30 years, and currently specialise in BI training, consulting and application development. It is a fun area, with challenging problems to solve.

Watch out for trends, and avoid them. I can remember GIS, and then AI being the next exciting area to move into, and while they haven't disappeared, they have lost a lot of their lustre. Similarly, my old university created a Batchelor of E-Commerce degree a few years ago. Not sure if that got very far.

While programming and BI just keep rolling along. There will always be new problems to write programs to solve, and the data they collect needs some analysis and reporting. In addition, all that old data we've been collecting for the last few years is an extreemly valuable resource. New ways of looking at it can really help an organisation move forward.

My vote is for BI as a place with a future.

Editor and Publisher of Crystal Clear

http://www.chelseatech.co.nz/pubs.htm

 

[jshurst]

I'm pretty fresh out of college and I got a degree in MIS. I would certainly recommend this as you get both business and programming courses. You won't be strickly focused on programming, however you will get a good basis for it (and DB development). With this degree I've moved up very quickly and the employers that I've had have all been very happy with my performance.

I've found that web developers are in pretty high demand and have had no problems finding a job. I also use the .NET framework for programming, and I'm convinced that it's here to stay.

I recommend going to a career site and searching through some job areas to see if you will be satisfied in a certain area.

Also, you might consider being a programmer for the government. They pay just as much as the private industry and offer awesome benefits (I know because I work for the government ;-).

 

[lapptopp]

I'm posting here because this thread is the same subject matter that I have questions about.

I just graduated with a BS in CIS. I don't really have an area of specialization. Very much an IT Generalist. In fact, I'm embarrased to tell people what my degee is. My last position was an Accounting Systems Manager. I do have a somewhat unique background of accounting and IT, so the BI might be my path. I was able to perform any accounting function so I would understand how the system worked. Because of budget restraints. I had to solve problems as much as possible before outsourcing the issue. I trouble shooted errors and was pretty good at it, but I probably took me some much longer to do than a "real professional." I have very spotty experience of networking. I hated programming (took 3 courses). I like databases and web-authoring, but I'm not proficient in either.

The problem is that with my accounting background, I get stuck in that role and can't focus on my IT. With me, if I don't use it, I lose it. I want to more of a true IT professional, but I don't know what the next step is. I'm very resourceful and can learn of lot by myself. It would be nice to be an "IT apprentice" or some kind of entry level position.

Is certification that route to go? I've looked at A+.

 

[jshurst]

Do you want to go into more of a hardware role? A+ certification is more of that. A lot of computer techs have that (although I'm not saying that you don't want to have it).

Kinda depends on what you want to do. There are a bunch of certs out there...MCDBA, MCSE, RHCE. Also, if you just graduated your not going to be an expert at anything, it takes time.

Just don't settle for a job that you are not going to be happy doing. Keep looking. Someone will give you an opportunity to get started. Alot of places are looking for a person who can learn what they want, not someone already stuck in their ways.

 

[lapptopp]

Thanks for your reply jshurst.

I don't think I want to go into hardware. I like helping end users in person, but not so much over the phone. I was in technical support for 6 months for a software company (accounting software). I quit because the software was buggy, half ran in GUI, half ran in DOS. Tech support wasn't supported by the team leads and the knowledgebase was useless. Lots of frantic, unpleasant end users.

With my Accounting Systems Manager position, I tested a lot of procedures in a dummy company and was able to figure out a lot of errors and come up with workarounds. It was always a thrill to find a solution on my own.

You are absolutely right on the money about being happy at a job. I guess I just have to keep looking. I feel like my new degree is sort of worthless and that I should have taken a more vocational type of education.

 

[langleymass]

Game development, Internet development, and artifical intelligence will likely be offshored. In many cases, they already have been. I don't really know where there is much work in wireless.

Security is a good area. It is unlikely that it will be shipped to foreign countries.