27 and lost lol

faceman123

faceman123

faceman123

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27 years old doing a distance learning mba, my passion had beencomputers but never got the chance to study at university level, is there any distance learning universities that do computing degrees with good employment prospects? I'm I too old for a career by graduating at 31 say?
 
Sure, mate, more distance learning options are appearing every year. Off the top off my head:
http://www.open.ac.uk/courses/qualifications/q62
http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/courses/search/?solrsort=sort_title asc&filters=tid:546
http://www.herts.ac.uk/courses/computer-science-online2

For broader reading and self-study, you can get syllabuses, exams and even some lecture notes and problem sheets from other unis:
http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/teaching/1516/
http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/

Note: Some Computing and CS courses have recently become exempt from the ELQ funding rule; you might be able to get another fees loan/other support, even if you've got a degree. Do chat to the SFE/course provider. Can't recall if it's only for pt/online courses. But it'd be worthwhile to look into it.

Career change into computing at that age shouldn't be a problem overall. Do get some career advice before you commit to a specialism/industry, though. Whilst getting experience and qualifications, start working on a few projects. Open source is always good. Doing something for money is better still. A few personal things as a backup would be nice too.

But if you simply wish to do some specific area of IT or programming on its own, it may be worthwhile exploring professional qualifications from Microsoft, Oracle, Red Hat, Cisco and the like instead. Some of their routes are quicker. There are also programming, web dev and app hacking boot camps in big cities (London, Edinburgh); again, cheaper and more focused on one area.
 
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What area are you looking to work in? If you have an interest in programming I can offer some advice.

Programmers are currently very high in demand and a good programmer will most likely have a career for life.
 
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Trucamo said:
What area are you looking to work in? If you have an interest in programming I can offer some advice.

Programmers are currently very high in demand and a good programmer will most likely have a career for life.
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Yeah man, I love programming but have zero experience, please do, I'm grateful
 
With CISCO the main focus would hover around networks, infrastructure and security. It leans more towards the IT side of things. There's some theory [and by that I mean everything you need to know to pass their tests + know what you're doing with their kit] and domain specific programming thrown about their certifications too. Decent career. Some certifications may expire and are certainly more fast-paced than degree modules, but the skills you pick up and then industry experience will start to matter more as you grow in your role/move up. People I know, who ended up as self-employed consultants in the end, never complained about the money. We aren't talking banker's bonuses, but it's competitive against other technology roles, and as for future proof, the backbone of tech -- networks, systems, communication - will always be around.

The following thread maybe useful too:
https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18713733
 
Trucamo said:
What area are you looking to work in? If you have an interest in programming I can offer some advice.

Programmers are currently very high in demand and a good programmer will most likely have a career for life.
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How is programming vs cisco for employment prospects? Anyone know where I should head for either of these? Online courses?
 
Sorry I haven't been able to make a proper response, busy house-hunting at the moment :)

For programming I would advise to pick any reasonably modern language, I would personally advise C# as being a good first language but Java and Python are also good choices.

Then I would simply google tutorial after tutorial, if you don't understand something in one tutorial, google it, if two tutorials tell you to do something in a different way, google a vs b and see what people say. Then once you have the basics, attempt things on your own, if you get stuck simply google it in a variety of different wordings until you have the answer you are after.

You can make excellent progress in programming without paying a single penny.
 
You're doing a distance learning MBA but you don't have an undergrad degree yet? Do you have lots of management experience or something?
 
Trucamo said:
Sorry I haven't been able to make a proper response, busy house-hunting at the moment :)

For programming I would advise to pick any reasonably modern language, I would personally advise C# as being a good first language but Java and Python are also good choices.

Then I would simply google tutorial after tutorial, if you don't understand something in one tutorial, google it, if two tutorials tell you to do something in a different way, google a vs b and see what people say. Then once you have the basics, attempt things on your own, if you get stuck simply google it in a variety of different wordings until you have the answer you are after.

You can make excellent progress in programming without paying a single penny.
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He can start now, from the comfort of his fav browser: http://www.tutorialspoint.com/csharp/ :)

I believe they have tuts on theory and algorithms too. Not at a bad pick, really. Certainly more than I've ever had available to me back in sixth-form -- time flies.:(:D
 
Trucamo said:
Sorry I haven't been able to make a proper response, busy house-hunting at the moment :)

For programming I would advise to pick any reasonably modern language, I would personally advise C# as being a good first language but Java and Python are also good choices.

Then I would simply google tutorial after tutorial, if you don't understand something in one tutorial, google it, if two tutorials tell you to do something in a different way, google a vs b and see what people say. Then once you have the basics, attempt things on your own, if you get stuck simply google it in a variety of different wordings until you have the answer you are after.

You can make excellent progress in programming without paying a single penny.
Click to expand...

As an occasional hobbyist programmer, dating back years, having flirted with many languages, from Pascal/Delphi through C to Javascript and assembler, the idea of getting into software development proper has sometimes seemed like a possibility.

But... as a hobbyist programmer I'm very slow to do anything, make lots of mistakes, and never knowingly adhere to "best practice" :p But a hobbyist can take their time, never feeling under any pressure.

I always hear/read that software dev as a career is very pressurised. You have deadlines for all your code and often work long hours to get it done in time.

How true is that in your experience? Sounds to me like it would suck all the fun out of coding...
 
I turn up to work at 9.30 and leave at 5.30 three days a week, the other two I work from home, obviously it's going to vary dramatically based upon who your employer is but I have only ever worked overtime once (my old employer had half days on a friday and we stayed the full friday).

If something has a concrete, tight deadline it's because someone knows exactly how it should be done so shouldn't be anything dramatically new. For new stuff a lot of software companies have the philosophy of making an estimate and doubling it.

I work at a small startup (5 people) which has the atmosphere, trust and flexibility I like, I don't enjoy working for large software houses as they tend to be very rigid and often stuck in their narrow backwards ways.
 
No problem op, i'm the same. Did biological sciences at uni but realised I just hate working in a lab. Debated medicine but decided meh 5 years of uni with even more loans, Worked as van driver for ages (chill AF but not what I wanted to do).

But I've been debating computing / programming route too, very motivated and can teach myself.

I wanted to do it when I was younger but back then it was still kind of up and coming / niche. Now days it's just everywhere and so many types yada yada.

you've also got tonnes of resources now like code academy etc.
 
CREATIVE!11 said:
No problem op, i'm the same. Did biological sciences at uni but realised I just hate working in a lab. Debated medicine but decided meh 5 years of uni with even more loans, Worked as van driver for ages (chill AF but not what I wanted to do).

But I've been debating computing / programming route too, very motivated and can teach myself.

I wanted to do it when I was younger but back then it was still kind of up and coming / niche. Now days it's just everywhere and so many types yada yada.

you've also got tonnes of resources now like code academy etc.
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So in your opinions guys what's the best route for a future career, without a degree? Will I get a job if say I learn everything on codemasters? Will I be at a disadvantage compared to people with degrees? Networking or programming?
 
How patient are you? Bit of a strange suggestion but ever thought of teaching?

The industry is in desperate need of good quality computing teachers who actually know the topic rather than your typical ICT teachers who can teach you Microsoft Apps!

Starting salary is around £22-£23k nowadays and you can quickly progress if you are good enough!

I am 28 this year and am in my 5th year of teaching. Got made Head of Department in 2014 so I can vouch personally for the quick progression! If you want any info feel free to drop me a trust. Or completely ignore this if teaching isnt for you! :D
 
faceman123 said:
So in your opinions guys what's the best route for a future career, without a degree?
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entry level role and work your way up

and/or

contribute to open source projects or publish your own projects in the area you'd like to work

Will I get a job if say I learn everything on codemasters?
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nope just saying you've learnt something isn't much use, showing you have is better

Will I be at a disadvantage compared to people with degrees?
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yes

Networking or programming?
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that is up to you, pick something you're interested in - maybe take a look at both initially then decide... no point pursuing something for the sake of work if you're not really interested in it
 
I'm going to be honest, at 27 you are wasting your time looking at computing based degrees for job prospects.

Get meaningful certification, qualifications and/or experience.
 
I don't think most programmer employers care where you learned to program only that you are good and can do it, a lot of stuff taught at universities isn't very applicable in industry.

The best way is to demonstrate what you can do, either through open source projects (which you can list on your CV) or some personal projects you can show at interviews. I even put a link to my StackOverflow profile on my CV, my last 2 employers both looked up my profile and at my various answers, it demonstrated I had a good understanding and could explain myself well.
 
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