For ISHer's who dropped out/never attended College

[sammichoffate]

Are you successful/happy with your decision? I'm halfway done and lost a lot of motivation over the past two years because of all the bullshit. Would dropping out and working on my IT skills/portfolio be more profitable than continuing the last two years? What do you guys think about traveling for a while? Just want some perspective, no advice if possible.

[KNOW1EDGE]

I'm 26 and barely have my associates. Never knew what I wanted to do, or get a degree in.

I worked for Nike for 6 years before I realized that it's not what I wanted to do.

I realized I want to work with kids, so I worked in a kids group home for a year and honestly fell in love, knew it was where I was supposed to be, felt like I found my calling.

Now I'm back in school working towards a bachelor's and eventually masters in psychology to hopefully one day be a child psyhchologist.

Do what you want, do what you love. You're never too old to go back to school. Gain experience along the way and find out what really makes you feel fulfilled and happy.

Don't go to school just to go to school. You can gain meaningful experience that employers like. A lot of my friends graduated and have worse jobs than I have because no one will hire them cuz they have no experience.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do:cheers:

[Akrazotile]

Graduated suma *** laude from Plant College, could not be happier.

[IcanzIIravor]

Are you successful/happy with your decision? I'm halfway done and lost a lot of motivation over the past two years because of all the bullshit. Would dropping out and working on my IT skills/portfolio be more profitable than continuing the last two years? What do you guys think about traveling for a while? Just want some perspective, no advice if possible.


Keep at it. I would try to get a job in I.T. before you graduate to start getting the experience part of it under your belt. That degree will come in handy years down the line when you do want to move in higher management roles. It seems like it won't pay off now because initially it is all about the certs, but trust me a degree will look nice along with the certs.

[sammichoffate]

I'm 26 and barely have my associates. Never knew what I wanted to do, or get a degree in.

I worked for Nike for 6 years before I realized that it's not what I wanted to do.

I realized I want to work with kids, so I worked in a kids group home for a year and honestly fell in love, knew it was where I was supposed to be, felt like I found my calling.

Now I'm back in school working towards a bachelor's and eventually masters in psychology to hopefully one day be a child psyhchologist.

Do what you want, do what you love. You're never too old to go back to school. Gain experience along the way and find out what really makes you feel fulfilled and happy.

Don't go to school just to go to school. You can gain meaningful experience that employers like. A lot of my friends graduated and have worse jobs than I have because no one will hire them cuz they have no experience.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do:cheers:Thanks dude, means a lot to me :cheers: . I always hear that college is whatever you put into it, but it's just been a load of bs for the most part. I'd rather learn useful skills like programming or web design, maybe even travel Central Europe on my own than waste more time and money degrading away 730 more days just for a piece of paper that might not even get me a decent job.

[sammichoffate]

Keep at it. I would try to get a job in I.T. before you graduate to start getting the experience part of it under your belt. That degree will come in handy years down the line when you do want to move in higher management roles. It seems like it won't pay off now because initially it is all about the certs, but trust me a degree will look nice along with the certs.My main issue right now is the lack of actual knowledge, i'm trying to find a job that'll have some OJT or an internship but those are very rare to find apparently. They're also very tricky because I don't have any actual IT experience to show that i'm worth investing in. I'm trying to teach myself right now, but there's a lot of pressure on me to get returns right away atm :(

[sammichoffate]

Def figure out what you want to do before getting any type of degree in it, kinda like what Knowledge said.

I thought I wanted to be a mechanic, went to school, got my associates in Automotive Technology and multiple Volkswagen certificates. After working 2 different shops, I realized this was not what I wanted to do for a living. Ended up getting a entry level IT help desk position, , now I am moving into our Software Development Team in the next few months. I can honestly say I am happy here, the atmosphere is awesome, and there is always new opportunities. If I could go back in time, I woulda got a degree in computer sciences and moved into this position earlier.

TLDR: figure out what you want to do and makes you happy, then pursue a career in thatDid you get certs and/or a degree after you quit the shops? What'd you do to build your portfolio?

[IcanzIIravor]

My main issue right now is the lack of actual knowledge, i'm trying to find a job that'll have some OJT or an internship but those are very rare to find apparently. They're also very tricky because I don't have any actual IT experience to show that i'm worth investing in. I'm trying to teach myself right now, but there's a lot of pressure on me to get returns right away atm :(

What type of jobs are you trying for? With no experience you may have to suck it up and start on a help/service desk making peanuts to get your foot in the door. What state, city, country do you live in? What type of I.T. job are you trying to get? Security, Networking, Server, etc?

[sammichoffate]

What type of jobs are you trying for? With no experience you may have to suck it up and start on a help/service desk making peanuts to get your foot in the door. What state, city, country do you live in? What type of I.T. job are you trying to get? Security, Networking, Server, etc?Yeah, I don't mind as long as it'll help. Everything is rough at the beginning, I can always get some side money to make up for it by doing freelance stuff. South Florida in the US, probably Networking, Web Design, or Web Developing. I want to learn as much as I can though.

[IcanzIIravor]

Yeah, I don't mind as long as it'll help. Everything is rough at the beginning, I can always get some side money to make up for it by doing freelance stuff. South Florida in the US, probably Networking, Web Design, or Web Developing. I want to learn as much as I can though.

Pretty broad then. If you are going to get into networking then you might be better off just focusing on your certs (CCNA for example). I didn't go the web design route, so I really can't comment on that part, but Networking is no joke if you want to rise above the numbers.

[sammichoffate]

Nope, the company I work for is pretty big in the automotive industry, so they took me in the help desk just cause I have worked at the stores for so long and had extensive knowledge about the company and their system. Once I got in, I seized the opportunity, worked my ass off and learned as much as I could about how the IT structure here works. Even took a job most of the guys didn't want because it is overnights, which is doing backups of the store/corporate servers, monitoring all the servers and vm's, making sure they are working properly (ex. high cpu, high memory, error logs), doing website deployments with updates and couple of other random things. Now my work has been noticed, and I am moving to a team in IT which is nice, plushy, and regular working hours :lol

There is really nothing I am doing right now that I need a cert for. I mean guys in our networking team who have like 6 or 7 certs are making 6 figures a year, server management guys who are windows certified or redhat make a nice amount, but I won't be touching any of that.Damn, that's pretty crazy. You worked your ass off

[sammichoffate]

Pretty broad then. If you are going to get into networking then you might be better off just focusing on your certs (CCNA for example). I didn't go the web design route, so I really can't comment on that part, but Networking is no joke if you want to rise above the numbers.If I do Networking, should I learn a complimentary skill like security as well? Is Networking a really competitive field?

[IcanzIIravor]

If I do Networking, should I learn a complimentary skill like security as well? Is Networking a really competitive field?

All of I.T. is highly competitive right now. Networking even more so. Rondooooooooooo's situation is not common, though it is possible to do if you get lucky and know the right people. It's tough starting out, because without experience no one is going to have you in charge of their Cisco/Juniper networks in the beginning. As you most likely will start in a service desk role, you really won't need any cert starting out. They are all about taking people with no experience, paying them low and having a deep knowledge base to use before escalation. If you are determined to go Networking I would either start specializing with your degree towards that role and try to get your foot in the door anyway you can.

[IcanzIIravor]

Damn, that's pretty crazy. You worked your ass off

It is possible. Once you get your foot in the door, work your ass off, make friends with coworkers, be on good terms with your team leader\management and network with 2nd and 3rd level support. Find out what you really have a passion for and then go for it.

[KNOW1EDGE]

Also, everyone has their own definition of what "successful" means. To a lot of people that means a high paying job, nice posessions and a family. To others it simply means finding fulfillment in life and a sense of peace.

Find out what "success" looks like to YOU, and go do that. Don't worry about what society expects out of you, don't worry about what your parents expect, don't worry about impressing women, do you, and things will fall into place with ease, don't force it!

[KevinNYC]

Are you successful/happy with your decision? I'm halfway done and lost a lot of motivation over the past two years because of all the bullshit. Would dropping out and working on my IT skills/portfolio be more profitable than continuing the last two years? What do you guys think about traveling for a while? Just want some perspective, no advice if possible.

IT is a career where if you have the skills, you can go far without a degree. But why would I hire you without a degree? At the very least a college degree shows me you can stick things out and follow a structured course. If I'm looking at two resumes that are basically the same experience, but one finished college and one didn't? Which one do I feel better about as your employer? I don't want to hire an employee who is flaky or can't follow through. So you're setting yourself up at a disadvantage. I not saying a college degree is be all/end all, but for entry level jobs, it's absolutely a differentiator.

Ask yourself this question. Do you want to be on the job market now with the skills you have? Or do you want to be on the job market in two years with improved skills?

Basically don't leave college until you have something better to go to. If you have something good lined up, go ahead and take it. But the best solution, might be to take the next two years to stay in school and get your degree WHILE getting the specific skills you need for your career. When we hire developers, we usually give them a test. A real world example of what we expect them to work on. If they fail that test, there's no second interview.

You need to get experience any way you can. If you can't get an internship, you should be developing websites on your own. Find a charity or a club or a local business and build them something.

Learn what the different levels/jobs are involved in IT. Maybe you don't have skills yet to be a developer, but you can work in QA or the more technical end of QA. Learn Microsoft Office well enough I can sit you down at a desk and tell you what I want done without teaching you the tools to do it.


Think of the time you have left in college not as a burden, but as a gift. A time and place where you can sharpen yourself before being turned loose.

Also do you have any work experience at all? I'm very wary of hiring someone who never worked before getting out of college.

[riseagainst]

i only completed half my college before i realized that it's a huge waste of money and time. I started working as a fulltime software engineer at 21 with a starting salary of 55k, now i am 25 and i make 90k+ a year. Still don't have my degree. I don't think im ever going to go back and finish it.
:oldlol:

[IcanzIIravor]

i only completed half my college before i realized that it's a huge waste of money and time. I started working as a fulltime software engineer at 21 with a starting salary of 55k, now i am 25 and i make 90k+ a year. Still don't have my degree. I don't think im ever going to go back and finish it.
:oldlol:

Did you know someone and get hired or did you apply for a position and beat the field?

[riseagainst]

Did you know someone and get hired or did you apply for a position and beat the field?

the latter.

[ItsMillerTime]

If you're interested in a career in IT, getting a degree isn't necessary. Like others have said, you will more than likely start out at a tier 1 service desk position and need to work your way up. You'll also need to gain certifications and impress the right people along the way. Work ethic and social networking are key.

I started out as a service desk technician with the local government here. I then got promoted to a tier 2/3 desktop technician and in the next few weeks I'll be accepting another promotion to Desktop Engineering.

The biggest regret of my life was attending a 6-month course offered by (the now bankrupt) ComputerTraining.edu - All I received was 4 certifications and a SHITLOAD of student loan debt. There are multiple self-study courses and resources online where you can study for the certification exams on your own.

[GimmeThat]

Its one of the better ways to say and prove that you didnt just rip off of someone else for your achievements

[ROCSteady]

I can probably make decent money but I'm going back to get my Masters so some work is ahead but I gotta put the time in