What are the most Practical Fields to Study?

[sammichoffate]

In terms of broadening your job prospects that'll pay decent salary? Discuss

[KevinNYC]

In terms of broadening your job prospects that'll pay decent salary? Discuss

Learn to code.
http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/blogs/moneybox/2014/07/08/silicon_valley_intern_pay_it_s_high_and_it_s_justi fied/screen_shot_20140708_at_10.21.18_am.png.CROP.promo var-medium2.21.18_am.png

[code green]

I can speak for Network Engineering.

No degree (just my CCNA) or experience and walked into a $50,000/yr job. Since then I've graduated and gotten more certs, and every time I do, the pay goes even higher.

[sammichoffate]

Learn to code.
http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/blogs/moneybox/2014/07/08/silicon_valley_intern_pay_it_s_high_and_it_s_justi fied/screen_shot_20140708_at_10.21.18_am.png.CROP.promo var-medium2.21.18_am.pngGonna take C++ next semester, might try to learn Python in my spare time as well :cheers:

[oarabbus]

Computer science, engineering, medicine, nursing, architecture, or if you are a 'work with your hands' kind of person then plumbing or electrician

[sammichoffate]

I can speak for Network Engineering.

No degree (just my CCNA) or experience and walked into a $50,000/yr job. Since then I've graduated and gotten more certs, and every time I do, the pay goes even higher.Is the certification difficult to get?

[DeuceWallaces]

Any computer related or programming, all medical fields from MD's all the way down to trade jobs like radiology, environmental science, waste management, and most engineering fields.

[KevinNYC]

Gonna take C++ next semester, might try to learn Python in my spare time as well :cheers:

If you're still in school, do not neglect learning how to write clearly.
It will help you in any job you're in. Even in technical positions, you can communicate well, you're more likely to be asked to manage the other techies.

[sammichoffate]

Computer science, engineering, medicine, nursing, architecture, or if you are a 'work with your hands' kind of person then plumbing or electricianSo STEM programs with some interdisciplinary? Plumbing or electrician will always be a good job imo

[sammichoffate]

If you're still in school, do not neglect learning how to write clearly.
It will help you in any job you're in. Even in technical positions, you can communicate well, you're more likely to be asked to manage the other techies.Yeah, definitely. I'm actually a Political Science major atm, so it does help my writing a bit.

[outbreak]

I'm a network administrator. Pay is good and there's a bunch of jobs around, lots of job security too as you are very vital to a company if you are the sole admin. In terms of programming it isn't as lucrative as it appears any more unless you are very talented or lucky, there's a lot of programmers around these days which makes it harder to get work especially if you don't live in certain areas. You hear stories about so and so making a shit load working for google or making their own app that makes them a shitload but you don't hear about all the other guys who can't get real work and go broke trying to make their own app. If you are going down the programming road you should do a project management degree on top of it.

[code green]

Is the certification difficult to get?

It's not easy, but it's not ridiculously hard.

You can get study guides, reading material, etc. I chose to go the community college route and took the Cisco classes, which gave me hands on experience with routers, switches, firewalls, access points, etc. Made it much easier.

I personally love the job, but it's not for everyone. I work for a company that places engineers at client sites for short-medium length time periods for staff augmentation or project management. Trying to troubleshoot outages while the CIO is in your ear telling you about all the money they're losing each second can be both incredibly stressful and rewarding at the same time.

[sammichoffate]

Any computer related or programming, all medical fields from MD's all the way down to trade jobs like radiology, environmental science, waste management, and most engineering fields.Wow, didn't know those trade jobs were so high in value. I have been told finance, IT, and economics are also pretty good.

[Akrazotile]

Take out a six figure loan to get your masters in French poetry, and then complain that the government isn't paying off your loans for you with other peoples money when you can't find a decent job.


That's as practical as it gets brother.

[sammichoffate]

It's not easy, but it's not ridiculously hard.

You can get study guides, reading material, etc. I chose to go the community college route and took the Cisco classes, which gave me hands on experience with routers, switches, firewalls, access points, etc. Made it much easier.

I personally love the job, but it's not for everyone. I work for a company that places engineers at client sites for short-medium length time periods for staff augmentation or project management. Trying to troubleshoot outages while the CIO is in your ear telling you about all the money they're losing each second can be both incredibly stressful and rewarding at the same time.Oh wow, that kinda sucks haha :lol What other certifications do you have?

[sammichoffate]

Take out a six figure loan to get your masters in French poetry, and then complain that the government isn't paying off your loans for you with other peoples money when you can't find a decent job.


That's as practical as it gets brother.Bu-But this is America though :no:

[outbreak]

Is the certification difficult to get?

I didn't actually sit my CCNA, I did their course though and got 4 other certificates through them that certify I'd passed their courses but I got a job and never got around to sitting the actual exam. The exams I took in their course weren't too hard once you get your head around it all, a lot of what I learnt though has no relevance in my real world job although I don't work at an ISP or anything. I'd think a more rounded thing to do would be to take a course that covers CCNA preparation as well as course work for the MCSE (microsoft) certification as well so that you can get into anything computer/server/network related which opens things up more.

[outbreak]

It's not easy, but it's not ridiculously hard.

You can get study guides, reading material, etc. I chose to go the community college route and took the Cisco classes, which gave me hands on experience with routers, switches, firewalls, access points, etc. Made it much easier.

I personally love the job, but it's not for everyone. I work for a company that places engineers at client sites for short-medium length time periods for staff augmentation or project management. Trying to troubleshoot outages while the CIO is in your ear telling you about all the money they're losing each second can be both incredibly stressful and rewarding at the same time.

I think it'd be really hard without taking a course or having access to the equipment to get practical experience on. Some things just don't start clicking until you set it up in a lab and see how it all works.

[sammichoffate]

I'm a network administrator. Pay is good and there's a bunch of jobs around, lots of job security too as you are very vital to a company if you are the sole admin. In terms of programming it isn't as lucrative as it appears any more unless you are very talented or lucky, there's a lot of programmers around these days which makes it harder to get work especially if you don't live in certain areas. You hear stories about so and so making a shit load working for google or making their own app that makes them a shitload but you don't hear about all the other guys who can't get real work and go broke trying to make their own app. If you are going down the programming road you should do a project management degree on top of it.I'll keep it in mind if I ever apply for Red Hat or something :cheers:

[code green]

Oh wow, that kinda sucks haha :lol What other certifications do you have?

CCNA Voice
CCNA Security
MCSA (Microsoft)
A+ Hardware

Working on my CCNP routing right now.

[sammichoffate]

I didn't actually sit my CCNA, I did their course though and got 4 other certificates through them that certify I'd passed their courses but I got a job and never got around to sitting the actual exam. The exams I took in their course weren't too hard once you get your head around it all, a lot of what I learnt though has no relevance in my real world job although I don't work at an ISP or anything. I'd think a more rounded thing to do would be to take a course that covers CCNA preparation as well as course work for the MCSE (microsoft) certification as well so that you can get into anything computer/server/network related which opens things up more.That's a good plan, I might do that after the spring semester is over :cheers:

[sammichoffate]

CCNA Voice
CCNA Security
MCSA (Microsoft)
A+ Hardware

Working on my CCNP routing right now.Nice :pimp:

[outbreak]

That's a good plan, I might do that after the spring semester is over :cheers:
Over here they have some companies that offer 4 month courses that get you prepared for CCNA and a couple of MCSE exams and then help find you work afterwards. Might be something similar over in America but a friends brother did this and it was a lot of work in those 4 months but got him what he needed to start out. I did a degree and then took a short traineeship to get some experience in the field because everywhere I went wanted on the job experience.

[ace23]

I'm a network administrator. Pay is good and there's a bunch of jobs around, lots of job security too as you are very vital to a company if you are the sole admin. In terms of programming it isn't as lucrative as it appears any more unless you are very talented or lucky, there's a lot of programmers around these days which makes it harder to get work especially if you don't live in certain areas. You hear stories about so and so making a shit load working for google or making their own app that makes them a shitload but you don't hear about all the other guys who can't get real work and go broke trying to make their own app. If you are going down the programming road you should do a project management degree on top of it.
That's because they are few and far between and usually retarded.

[russwest0]

Communication.

[outbreak]

That's because they are few and far between and usually retarded.

No it's not. Programming has become a field that is packed. Everyone thinks they can make easy money quickly now just by learn a couple of languages. I know a couple of guys who worked for large companies who were laid off in the last few years and have had trouble finding working as a programmer that pays much now. One of them worked for a major software company and now he's doing regular I.T admin work, the other worked for a major bank in another country but since moving back here he's had trouble finding work. Might just be Australia at the moment but there's a lot of stories about programmers moving to silicon valley and going broke around as well.

[ace23]

No it's not. Programming has become a field that is packed. Everyone thinks they can make easy money quickly now just by learn a couple of languages. I know a couple of guys who worked for large companies who were laid off in the last few years and have had trouble finding working as a programmer that pays much now. One of them worked for a major software company and now he's doing regular I.T admin work, the other worked for a major bank in another country but since moving back here he's had trouble finding work. Might just be Australia at the moment but there's a lot of stories about programmers moving to silicon valley and going broke around as well.
"learning a couple of languages" doesn't make you a good programmer. If they suck, I can understand why they're having trouble.

Do they have degrees? In what fields?

[outbreak]

"learning a couple of languages" doesn't make you a good programmer. If they suck, I can understand why they're having trouble.

Do they have degrees? In what fields?

My point is they haven't just learnt a couple of languages. I don't know their exact degrees but one has 30+ years experience as a team leader, the other I know did a masters degree and was working for 10 years or so as a lead programmer in a banks security division. They don't suck and both held very high level high paying jobs for a long time, one was laid off when the company was re structured and the other resigned to move back to Australia.

But my point is what I said earlier, it's much better if you want to be a programmer to add in some team leader courses and things like that to bulk up your skill set. Some people think they can just learn the basic languages and walk in to money which isn't true because every man and his dog is trying to do that these days.

[oarabbus]

So STEM programs with some interdisciplinary? Plumbing or electrician will always be a good job imo


Yup. Another big one is being skilled in animation/art, but specifically for the purposes of UI/UX design (user interface/experience).

[ace23]

My point is they haven't just learnt a couple of languages. I don't know their exact degrees but one has 30+ years experience as a team leader, the other I know did a masters degree and was working for 10 years or so as a lead programmer in a banks security division. They don't suck and both held very high level high paying jobs for a long time, one was laid off when the company was re structured and the other resigned to move back to Australia.

But my point is what I said earlier, it's much better if you want to be a programmer to add in some team leader courses and things like that to bulk up your skill set. Some people think they can just learn the basic languages and walk in to money which isn't true because every man and his dog is trying to do that these days.
At least they're employed/employable.

There is still a great demand for code monkeys even if you're clueless with theory. You might not be making six figures or close, but there'll always be somewhere you can fit in if you're at least a halfway competent programmer.

[GimmeThat]

upperclassmens

[code green]

What do you think about going for a Master's in a completely different field of study from your BA/BS? Waste of time and money? Or will it work?

Is there anything...anything at all that can tie in the two fields?

For example, as I mentioned above, I'm a network engineer by trade. I took a few accounting classes before I really knew what my calling was in life. At first glance, the two wouldn't seem to complement each other, but in a CIO role, having both would be a huge plus. I'm most likely going to get the 2nd degree, although it isn't a Masters as you're suggesting.

That's further down the road though. Still haven't learned a third of what I need to know to consider myself a rock solid engineer yet.

[DeuceWallaces]

What do you think about going for a Master's in a completely different field of study from your BA/BS? Waste of time and money? Or will it work?

That is an excellent way to quickly change in to a more desirable profession if things aren't working for you while also resulting in a likely pay raise. You just have to make sure you know enough, because you may have to go through a candidacy process, you'll definitely be taking 1-2 classes that are difficult in that subject, and you'll definitely have to go through a defense unless you're going JD.

[DCL]

cant go wrong with STEM unless you really suck at it and have like a 2.5 GPA

[Thorpesaurous]

If you're really unsure on the direction you want to go, but are academically good enough, Math has a nice universal logic that is sort of respected across multiple fields. A good math major can go into computer science, engineering, even law and medicine grad programs take good math students.

[oarabbus]

cant go wrong with STEM unless you really suck at it and have like a 2.5 GPA

Plenty of Engineers graduate with around a 2.5 and are able to find jobs afterwards.

But yeah if you are in the "S" "T" or "M" areas a 2.5 may hinder you more

[bdreason]

I have a BA in Economics and a Masters in International Trade Policy. I'm a Real Estate agent. :oldlol:


Everyone I know that has an Accounting degree is doing well. Seems like a pretty safe choice.

[Done_And_Done]

Plumbing, hvac, electrician, if you like working with your hands. I've got some buddy's who bank great coin in all three fields. That isn't including the cash money they take home in side jobs. Can't go wrong with a trade these days seeing as how everyone (myself included) seems to want an office job.

[BlazerRed]

Most things IT.

Computer science is a good one.

[ROCSteady]

Beat your d!ck at the Sperm Back to pay rent.


Computer shit has never appealed to me. Seems terrible, even if you kno what you're doing

[Bosnian Sajo]

At my school they have this certificate for Project Management, and you cn get it if you have finished a Bachelor in the Business field or Technology field. I am planing on going the tech route, what with it being probably easier to find a job than if I went for Business, and higher paying I do believe. One of my homies just graduated in IT and got a job right out of college paying him $33/hour.

ISH, any tips on which IT program to specifically go for? Well paid and can get me into management eventually (Does the project management certificate mean as much as I hope it does?).

[Lebowsky]

At my school they have this certificate for Project Management, and you cn get it if you have finished a Bachelor in the Business field or Technology field. I am planing on going the tech route, what with it being probably easier to find a job than if I went for Business, and higher paying I do believe. One of my homies just graduated in IT and got a job right out of college paying him $33/hour.

ISH, any tips on which IT program to specifically go for? Well paid and can get me into management eventually (Does the project management certificate mean as much as I hope it does?).

I don't know what certificate in particular you're talking about, but PMP, for example, is an absolute must in the project management field.

[Draz]

Got my associates in liberal arts. I'm going to go back to college and probably go into psychology. Fck I'm deciding hard. Maybe might do plumbing instead. Shiitt

[cuad]

It's like computers and nursing.