need help on a career

[brant999]

Hi I am a graduate of 2013 and I took three classes of computer programming and basic Electronics in high school and this year I built my first pc and man was it so much fun. I loved going through the hardware and checking reviews and the building process itself here is my pc specs if your curious

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/bensor999/saved/6Fqrxr

I want to know if theres some sort of career in hardware because I honestly didnt enjoy programming as much as I did the hardware and if there is a career what do I need to do to get into that career and how long will it take? Thanks in advance!

 

[saywhut]

It really depends ultimately on what you want to do.

I know the feeling you are talking about when building your own PC, so much fun. A career in IT is very rewarding, especially if it's something that you like. A lot of copanies out there have an IT department that physically deal with user machines in the client world. This means OSRI's, hardware replacements, software issues, etc.

There is also remote/desk support for IT which I believe is more stressful. Prepare to deal with End Users, that is half the battle when working on an issue if they push back a lot.

There is also the Enterprise realm, dealing with servers, storage devices, virtualization, etc.

If you loved the sensation of building your own PC, I would highly recommend starting off getting an IT job in the client (laptops, dekstops, tablets, etc) world, whether it's remote/desk support, or the IT department of a company with hands on. You knowledge will expand substantially

 

[csf60]

Computer engineering

 

[Eximo]

Dealing with hardware:

Lots of opportunities in IT. Benchtop technicians handle end user repairs and replacements. In large companies that is basically a work order system. Field technicians pick up and swap hardware. Benchtop make minor repairs/replacements and ship to the factory for serious refurbishment.

Small business scenario would be your local computer shop or major retail like Best Buy's geek squad.

Servers:
Production floor technicians work in data centers large and small setting up physical equipment, installing networking equipment, battery backups, etc. Systems engineers (or architects, I've heard different terms used) design systems and operate within set budgets, or help set the budget based on requirements. Generally not as hands on, more like the researching part of building a system.

Helpdesk/Remote Desktop Support:
These I try to actively avoid. Low-pay, unreasonable conditions, and pissing off the wrong person can lead to immediate firing. High stress is an understatement.

Software support/Asset Management:
This is the field I currently work in:
Automation of software delivery and installation, tracking of licenses, some troubleshooting.
(A small part of my job is supporting our test domain equipment, basically clones of our support hardware platforms used to validate software before releasing it into the wild)

Also the following more specialized fields:
Network engineers
Network technicians
Windows server administrator
Unix Server administrator
Database server administrator (Oracle, SQL, Domino, etc)
Storage administrators (A lot of this is moving to cloud based stuff, so the job market is quite good)

Computer engineering is a little different from these fields, and there are many specialties within it.

 

[brant999]

I could see myself replacing hardware/testing faulty hardware but as for something like tech support that would seem to be very uneasy for me especially with the way some people act when their pc doesnt work the way it should. What type of degree do I need to be an IT or more specifically either a field technician or the type of technician hired by a company to keep the computers going? Or can I go to a tech school for that?

 

[Eximo]

A general associates degree in the IT field would be advisable. There are various certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, Comptia and others that target more specific job fields.

College and Certifications just prove you have the capability to learn. Getting experience and real-world skills is a little difficult since the high end equipment is difficult to come by. Technical colleges and like may have access to things like servers, network(routers, firewalls, and switches) that you can gain experience on.

Starting out in the desktop support world can be an in, but you do have to put up with it for a while.