IT Courses

[152]

Need a bit of help please.
I want to try and get into the IT industry, but do not know where to start.
What types of courses do I need to do?
What are the job prospects like?
Whats the average pay?

You probably think I am nuts, but firstly, I need a better paid job to fund my pilot training and secondly, I would like a back up if it all goes pear shaped!

Would very much appreciate some guidance.
Thanks.


152 :)

[under_exposed]

152,

Depends what you are going to do and where. Junior programmers can be 12 -18K depending on location.
The job market is quiet at the moment, all thw whizz kids doing internet startups are out looking for jobs since the .com crash.
The biggest problem will be they want experience.
As for courses, what do you want to do ? If programming, everybody does VB. C++ is more sought after but is not easy. If you want a MCSD (microsoft certified solutions developer) ists going to take about 4 courses (about 6k worth).

Good luck


[This message has been edited by under_exposed (edited 02 July 2001).]

[CrashDive]

Have a look through the last half of either of the trade newspapers, Computer Weekly (http://www.cw360.com) or Computing, and you'll see just how many jobs are out there, i.e. (for folks with expereice) LOADS !

Now after 20 years in IT my skills set includes, applications development (in just about every language and style you can name from the early 1980's onwards), database design (in just about every database flavour you can think off), Unix (all flavours and platforms) plus NT, systems & database integration, e-commerce solutions development, WAN/LAN networks, training, project management, consultancy, etc....... (jeez this is beginning to sound like a bit of an advert ain't it !? ) and I've never been short work !

That said, it's very important to have a really good grounding in either one, or some, the above mentioned skills, i.e. the jack-of-all-trades-and-master-of-none is easily recognised (by blokes like me) nowadays, so be careful not to promise more that you can deliver.

So, and if you were hitting the market right now, and imho, a knowledge of server based solutions, e.g. MS-BackOffice / Exchange server, systems administration & integration, website development / deployment, databases and database integration would be good skills to have. As would some depth in either Unix or NT, and / or one of the industrial strength databases (Oracle / Sybase).

Now to get into the business I'd go and see you local Technical College and ask them just what courses they have available (BTEC / HTEC / BSc / MSc ), e.g. try to get a one-to-one interview with the head of the colleges IT department.

Also, much like aviation, getting your first job is hardest bit of all, but once you do it's from then on that you start to build your pedigree.

Now don't expect too much wonga to start with, but as the years roll on and as you get more and more experience in those things I've mentioned above, you will accordingly expect your salary to grow, e.g I'd have thought that a hardworking (i.e. expect regularly long hours) sharp bloke (dummies don't last long) with a good skills set (see above) working as a self-employed contractor (i.e. you live on your wits and ability) should be looking at, uhm, say, £100,000+ / year (gross).

Ps. As a final note, if I had my time again what I'd be into would be 'Networks' (LAN/WAN's), it's almost black magic and seems to pay excellent dosh - but only if you know what you're doing - that said, I'm like a pig in ***** just now as I've got both IT/Systems & flying as my regular job(s) - a truly terrific mixture - there is a God ! (maybe)

[This message has been edited by CrashDive (edited 03 July 2001).]

[Professor TailSpin]

CrashDive

You say you're doing both flying and IT as a career. Are you an airline pilot doing contracting on some of your days off?

If so, do the airlines actually allow this? This is the sort of scenario that would interest me if I ever get that far in aviation. Contracting wouldn't be a problem as I do one of the other black arts - capacity planning & unix sys admin (like you said, getting the jobs aren't really a problem if you know what you doing)

Appreciate your thoughts

[CrashDive]

Prof TS, currently I'm both an IT Manager and a B737 pilot for a UK airline (check profile), but until a few weeks ago I used to work as a fulltime pilot for Go Fly (ok, I also did a modicum of IT/Systems work for them too).
That said, whether or not you should endeavour to work as a full-time pilot but yet also become involved with IT / Systems consultancy is debatable, e.g. most airlines will have you working some serious hours (which is what you need in order to move up the rungs of the aviation ladder), and of course most IT consultancy work will make (more so) similarly high demands upon your time; So, ultimately, something has to give, e.g. either it's the flying, the IT, or your health (both physical and mental ) !

E.g. last time I had a proper holiday was, uhm, duh, err ........ I can't remember (but certainly several years ago); i.e. am I guilty of burning the candle at both ends, well, yeah - but needs must, and necessity is a hard task master.

So yes you could do it, that said most reputable airline's 'Operations Manual' will almost certainly have a clause in it that states that 'crew members must ensure that adequate pre-flight rest has been obtained to prevent the onset of fatigue', i.e. it's all suitably vague, but perhaps a word of caution that might apply is that the chap who caused the recent derailment of the express and freight trains, when his Land Rover and trailer went down the embankment, (and which resulted in the death of several of the train's occupants) is mostly being prosecuted under the premise that he caused the deaths (apparently by dangerous driving) due to having taken insufficient rest !

Ps. And before anybody gets the idea that I'm working 24/7, think again. I have a roster which is completely legal, and includes a brilliant mix of both office and flying days - that said, I do cram an awful lot into both !

[???pax]

152, crashdive is absolutely right about attaining some kind of IT qualification. We operate in an environment where your typical recruitment consultant, or HR person, will rifle through a pile of CV's stopping only when the letters under "education" look right.

In my case I went back to uni at the age of 25 to do an IT based MSc. This was after a degree in Geography and a few years working in the live production industry. The MSc cost £2600 and lasted for one fairly intense year. It has been worth every penny. Currently I am permanent at a London based consultancy. The job involves both facing clients and hands on programming (server-side Java). I also dabble in a bit of training from time to time. This tends to break things up quite nicely as it gives me a chance to meet people from other companies and stay in tune with what the market is doing.

There are a lot of different jobs to be had so you need to be in tune with where your interests lay. If you fancy youself as someone who sits in front of the screen all day churning out slick code then a development role is for you. You may be into setting up and administering networks, in which case a systems admin job may be more appropriate. In either case there are industry qualifications to be had and these are what you should be looking at once you have got your foot in the door as they will help you to progress on to bigger and better things(££).

It's a great industry which has many rewards. The market may not be as buoyant as it was a few months ago but there is still a shortage of skilled people, especially on the development (programming) side of things.

So get yourself onto a good course and keep scanning the industry press as things are changing all the time. Use sites such as www.techweb.com (http://www.techweb.com) to get a good all round picture.

Good luck