Curious... Qualifications or Experience?

Defo not too interested in own business... would never know where to start! :P

So its looking like a degree and experience... so the course im looking at with the years paid placement should be exactly what i need :)

Thanks guys... kinda needed someone to speak to tonight!
 
If you want to do systems/network admin stuff then I would say experience is the way forward and getting some cisco/RHCE/M$ crap/whatever certs under your belt.

Personally I did a degree in Computer Science, worked my placement at a big software company as a programmer then ended up getting my current job hunting for comp security companies and applying. I also have a CCNA and some other random quals no one ever asks me about :p What I do is very cross discipline, need both programming, systems and network knowledge.. my degree alone is far from enough.

A good computing/cs degree wont teach you crap about network/systems admin and you learn that stuff from experience and playing around... I don't think vocational courses are any good. Just read ****loads about networking/systems and play around in your own time. I started a web hosting company when I was still at school, taught me a load of practical techy skills I would never have learned on my course.
 
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Una said:
If you want to do systems/network admin stuff then I would say experience is the way forward and getting some cisco/RHCE/M$ crap/whatever certs under your belt.

Personally I did a degree in Computer Science, worked my placement at a big software company as a programmer then ended up getting my current job hunting for comp security companies and applying. I also have a CCNA and some other random quals no one ever asks me about :p What I do is very cross discipline, need both programming, systems and network knowledge.. my degree alone is far from enough.

A good computing/cs degree wont teach you crap about network/systems admin and you learn that stuff from experience and playing around... I don't think vocational courses are any good. Just read ****loads about networking/systems and play around in your own time. I started a web hosting company when I was still at school, taught me a load of practical techy skills I would never have learned on my course.
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Thanks... some good advice there :)

Never really thought about doing the wee ms/cisco courses as well as uni... might have a look into that, get as many skills as i can!

Luckily i am generally quite interested in computing, for example we done visual basic during the hnc, i ended up learning a lot more through teaching myself in spare time and implemented that into my project. Have also got a mild grasp of java, and improving my html skills at the moment :) Quite fancy a bit of C+ (C++ or whatever is best lol)
 
Zefan said:
Join the armed forces and you can do both at the same time.
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I must say... i have never been interested in the forces :( So thats a non starter really

Going to Cali... Yeah im thinkin the degree with placement is the best idea... as i know too many people stuck without experiance after their degree :(
 
craig_kennedy83 said:
Thanks... some good advice there :)

Never really thought about doing the wee ms/cisco courses as well as uni... might have a look into that, get as many skills as i can!

Luckily i am generally quite interested in computing, for example we done visual basic during the hnc, i ended up learning a lot more through teaching myself in spare time and implemented that into my project. Have also got a mild grasp of java, and improving my html skills at the moment :) Quite fancy a bit of C+ (C++ or whatever is best lol)
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Then if you enjoy programming it is probably worth doing a degree.. Most software developer jobs require them. All depends on what you want to do at the end of the day. I have a lot of friends who are good developers and don't have a cs degrees but they lack some theoretical/mathmatical knowledge they would have gained at uni.... Im not saying you can't learn it in your own time.. but lets face it most people don't teach themselves computational complexity theory (for example) out of fun.

Programming is a whole different beast from systems/network admin. Degree with a placement is prolly your best bet. You have the rest of your life to work fulltime.
 
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craig_kennedy83 said:
I must say... i have never been interested in the forces :(
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Travel the world, gain qualifications for free whilst gaining experience, have stories to tell your children, help getting on the property ladder, basically the best pension you can find? If you're still not interested then alrighty :p
 
Una said:
Then if you enjoy programming it is probably worth doing a degree.. Most software developer jobs require them. All depends on what you want to do at the end of the day. I have a lot of friends who are good developers and don't have a cs degrees but they lack some theoretical/mathmatical knowledge they would have gained at uni.... Im not saying you can't learn it in your own time.. but lets face it most people don't teach themselves computational complexity theory (for example) out of fun.

Programming is a whole different beast from systems/network admin. Degree with a placement is prolly your best bet. You have the rest of your life to work fulltime.
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I do enjoy programming, but its more just a minor past time! Dont want to know everything about the mentioned languages, but i feel having a small grasp is a good idea :)

Must say i more want to get into systems and network admin as i know you can be good and succeed in a job... whereas programming you need to be fantastic...! Oh and im shocking at maths! Don think i could get on a comp science course! :P

Think im back on track to the get the HND college/uni, then jump to 3rd year uni, placement year, then 4th year uni :)
 
Zefan said:
Travel the world, gain qualifications for free whilst gaining experience, have stories to tell your children, help getting on the property ladder, basically the best pension you can find? If you're still not interested then alrighty :p
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Yeah my gf is really wanting to join the raf as a nurse or something... all that appeals to her :P Constant stories about her dads time in the raf... thats what got her hooked!

I just dont... dunno... doesnt appeal to me! :( Only good thing in my eyes is the pension thing, maybe the property ladder thing too, but meh...! Suppose everyone is different!

You in the services then?
 
craig_kennedy83 said:
You in the services then?
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Nope, give me a year and I hope to be.

It's just a job like any other really, if you've never considered it or looked at the options available then my advice would be to take a look at the websites and see what appeals. Most people find things they know nothing about pretty uninteresting!
 
Zefan said:
Nope, give me a year and I hope to be.

It's just a job like any other really, if you've never considered it or looked at the options available then my advice would be to take a look at the websites and see what appeals. Most people find things they know nothing about pretty uninteresting!
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Ahh kewls... what do you want to do? What service?

I have never investigated it fully... thinking 'right, thats what im going to do!' But i went with a mate as moral suppost on his fact finding mission to one of the centers and sat throught a few vids and read up lots!

The training actually seems quite interesting... ill give you that! Im quite up for a challenge, and as you will know, it seems to be quite a challenge! :P Like to find out what my body can do sometimes!
 
My view is that ability and enthusiasm are the most important factors. Personally, I would try to avoid losing time gaining qualifications if it's possible for you to get a job without them. The only purpose of qualifications is that if not having them is not getting you past the intial sorting of CVs. I actually think that long courses spent studying for IT qualifications are slightly pointless, mainly because it's such a big subject and the technology moves so quickly that you are almost certain to find your qualifications aren't that related to what the job will involve. So, I would try applying for some jobs and get on with earning cash, show ability and enthusiasm and you'll get through. If you find you aren't being offered interviews then I guess that's the time to seek more qualifications. Or perhaps if you can afford it you can ask for some low paid work experience - if you're good enough they'll take you on IMO.

Rgds
 
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I'm going to apply for RAF Air Traffic Control Officer in a few weeks time, been planning it quite a while really (wanted to be a pilot for years but hay fever ditched that :p). There are some positions that are very techy and you have the option of doing a degree with the open university later during service which you'd get help funding.
 
Zefan said:
I'm going to apply for RAF Air Traffic Control Officer in a few weeks time, been planning it quite a while really (wanted to be a pilot for years but hay fever ditched that :p). There are some positions that are very techy and you have the option of doing a degree with the open university later during service which you'd get help funding.
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Aww awesome :D Sounds like something you really want to do! Thats rubbish about Hay Fever! :(

Ahh... suppose with options like that there it can be easy to further yourself as obviously you can study whilst still in the raf! Help with funding is always good too... nothing is cheap! :P
 
radderfire said:
My view is that ability and enthusiasm are the most important factors. Personally, I would try to avoid losing time gaining qualifications if it's possible for you to get a job without them. The only purpose of qualifications is that if not having them is not getting you past the intial sorting of CVs. I actually think that long courses spent studying for IT qualifications are slightly pointless, mainly because it's such a big subject and the technology moves so quickly that you are almost certain to find your qualifications aren't that related to what the job will involve. So, I would try applying for some jobs and get on with earning cash, show ability and enthusiasm and you'll get through. If you find you aren't being offered interviews then I guess that's the time to seek more qualifications. Or perhaps if you can afford it you can ask for some low paid work experience - if you're good enough they'll take you on IMO.

Rgds
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Money is a bit of an issue to be honest... i kind need to keep making as much as i can :(

About gettin jobs at the moment, i find it a bit hard to bulk up the cv and cover letters etc, as the vast majority of my experience is private! As mush as i can ramble on for ages about what i know, when it comes to it i have 1 years worth of HNC as experience/education... and there is only so much i can spin on each of the units in that :P
 
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