Just Spoke to an Out-of-Work IT Friend

[NashVegas]

3 years ouf of college, and loans up the ying-yang.

I'm just wondering how long its going to be before those in similar circumstances - those who swalled the IT/engineering degree dream, only to find themselves at the mercy of outsourcing & visas - are going to realize what rubes they were to the libertarian & RW anti-unionist crap, high school guidance counselors who pushed them into the programs at the behest of corporate America's push for programmers, and the colleges' who they owe these now-worthless notes to.

[Deja Q]

1. Angering, isn't it?

I've decided not to further my education in IT.

Once I lose my job, I start again and pray I can climb up somewhere else.

I'll be optimistic for once...

[frylock]

2. i'm gonna continue with my certs..

but I sure am glad I kept all my nailers, and other equipment. If I absolutely had to, I could go back to construction.

[Liberal Veteran]

3. I'm retraining to be a pharmacy tech....

IT just sucks as a field right now. Either there are no jobs or the jobs that do open are things like:

Wanted: Network Administrator with MCSE in 2000, NT, Cisco Certification, BA in Computer Science, 5-10 years of programming experience required in C and Java, must have 5 years experience in Unix, Windows, Linux, and anything else we thing sounds techie. Need to be able to take care of workstations and do major database overhaul in SQL. 25k starting.

[velocity]

5. LOL you forgot Visual Basic on a Unix system requirement.

:evilgrin:

[Deja Q]

11. Sounds right. And it's appalling , especially if one's responsible for

safeguarding data!

I was looking at the want-ads as my current job is proving to be a dead end, nearing its end (3 years if I'm lucky). It's amazing what they want in certs and training, and how little they'll pay in return for such responsibility. It's sickening.

Even the basic entry level jobs pay zilch.

I can't even get a job at compusa, best buy, or elsewhere to do basic computer repair because of their psychological profile tests (gee, looking at my employment history might be a better indicator of how I'd do, duh...). And those people are killing small businesses that do the same thing. x( Electronic wal-marts, they are.

I even told my now ex-shrink about switching careers and he thought it was a bad idea, thinking I should stay in my current career and expand my horizons. Of course, with shrinks, once they diagnose you, it's "sane man vs nutter" meaning they won't listen or take you seriously with credibility or, worse, treat you less than human. That's a pattern I've seen consistently. That's also why I prefer to live without meds. After all, if I lose my job, I couldn't afford to stay on them and then go through withdrawl effects, which can be very nasty I can assure you... Why bother with them? They're all overpaid incompetents who are slaves to their guidebooks.

So, in the end, when I lose my job I live life as a derelict, assuming I choose to live (like that)... Cool, huh?

[Rick Myers]

4. I think you are correct, HT

I question getting further education at this point. I have an Associates in Advertising Technology (there's a load!), and could do a BA or BS in CompSci or Design or something, but I do NOT think there is any value in it.

Actually, if I wanted to make money, I'd do a nursing degree. Health care is only going to get stronger...

But what I REALLY want to do is direct...

:beer:

[velocity]

7. Bush is trying to FIX that.... The no overtime pay is

mainly directed that the nursing field.....

What happens to the shortage of nurses, if the "professional week" turns out to be 50 hours without OT.

[Rick Myers]

10. Good point!!!

:toast:

[liberalhistorian]

9. Sheesh, there's even

such a thing as "advertising technology?" Just what the hell is that, anyway, if you don't mind my asking?

[Rick Myers]

13. It was just a business program

With emphasis on art, broadcasting and business core... Considering I learned to edit video on a pair of refrigerator-sized 2-inch quad tape machines with an accuracy of + or - 3 frames!!! Now we cut nonlinear at the sub-frame level. Ack!!!

Of course, when I studied electronics, they taught analog FIRST, then digital. I think more of today's ET students need more understanding of the principals represented in analog to better comprehend what is represented by digital data.

[JaySherman]

6. A couple years ago I was looking at the IT field.

After I discovered my degree in anthropology would get me nothing. I still have the books I used to prepare for my A+ exams. Never did take 'em though. Good thing I didn't invest any more time or money in it than that. It's worth about as much as my anthro degree now.

[Liberal Veteran]

8. You know IT is in trouble though when the philosophy major more in demand.

...than a BA in Computer Science.

[NashVegas]

15. Your Anthropology Degree Is Better Than You Think

You know who's hiring people with those? Advertising/marketing firms.

https://sitemason.vanderbilt.edu/site/eeuvGE/anthropologistsinthenews


Kind of evil, though.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

12. I'm doing pretty good

I went Sole Proprietor and now do nothing but PC repair work now. My 'office' is a corner of my bedroom. My client list is small but growing-- I do regular maintenance for several small companies, as well as many home clients. (One thing I've found fascinating-- I'd estimate about 95% of the private homes I've gone to have set up home businesses of some sort! It's an absolute trend!)

It's funny-- although I took the evening A+ cert courses I never took the tests (a mid-summer operation put me out of action, and meantime they changed the test requirements), not one person has ever asked about my qualifications. No biggie-- I've been building computers since DOS was king, and I was actually helping to teach some of the courses I was taking for the certs!

[GregW]

14. I've been doing IT my whole life

I'm successful, and yes, was out of work for 8 months ending last year, but wouldn't trade it for anything.

Not only did I swallow the "IT/engineering degree dream" ... but I live it every day. Tell your friend to hang in there ... it WILL get better.

[NashVegas]

17. Will Do

..

[WindRavenX]

16. My boyfriend is in the IT sector

...and is now doing cab driving on the side until he can get back into IT. It's really hard to do nowadays, and with the jobs being moved overseas, I just hope everyone gets picked up real soon..