So what is your job?

Page 4 - Seeking answers? Join the Tom's Hardware community: where nearly two million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
I'm doing assembly/tech/sales at a Microbytes store (best computer store in Québec!) since I was 17. I am now 19 and one of the best references in hardware overthere. I didnt study in computers at all. I dont want to work in computers later because I hate programming and networking and I wont get a good salary only doing assembly, overclocking and tuning (what I prefer, of course!). Actually I'm only at 8.15$/hour (in canadian $$). So I'm still unsure about my future...
 
California? :lol:
Click to expand...

No, the Philippines and some days I wouldn't mind moving to California if thats what it took to get away. I've heard the same thing said about many places but the Philippines is definitely "The land of the not quite right".
 
at 17 just out of high school i worked as a graphics artist at a TV station, helped alot of ppl out with their computer problems, eventually the CEO found out, i got in trouble for tampering with company property, but after a week or so they created the IT officer position and put me in that. I started university around the same time, doing a BS in Computer science, worked for about 2 years in the same position while crapping out at university cuz i was partyin too much cuz the classes didnt seem relevant to the workplace. But then i got a new job managing the computers at a construction firm, realized i needed alot of networking skills and since I'm now a manager (at 21), i needed alot more than just computer geek skills, i needed real education, math, business english, accounts, management, the usual university stuff along with computer science education.

so i guess it would be great to have college education to be in the computer field, but to make alot of money, esp. here in my country, u need alot of professional certifications, like from microsoft, comptia and that sort. University degrees help u get the higher ranking jobs, but the professional certificates help you get the job done.
 
IT Architecture Manager for a top 10 bank. MBA & 15 years experience. Salary is well into six figures.

IMO, the key to making money in IT is to be at the front end of the life cycle and working directly with business managers to figure out how to apply technology to solve business problems. Coming out of school, consultancies such as Accenture can give you a lot of the right kinds of exposures.
 
Special Electronic Devices Technician for the US Army. Make about $3000/mo. Don't work on computers like the recruiter told me, mainly night vision systems and chemical/radioactivity detection. Don't really like my job anymore and tired of getting pulled allover the base to help people with excel formulas. I have 3 years of vocational college for micro information systems and networking. I have my A+ and CCNA also through working with the college. I am 21 years old and live in Germany. I have been to Iraq and had 2 mortar rounds come withing "oh shit" distance to me and a rocket blow up 10 meters above my head....and I'm one of the lucky ones.
 
USMC, I get payed to blow sh*t up! Oooraahh! Currently attending DeVry for Networking and Communications Management. But I guess I'm staying in the Corps for life!

Semper Fi
Click to expand...
What campus?

I have taken some classes (part time) at Addison location.
 
You sound a bit down and depressed there about the comment of "And Im one of the lucky ones" Seeing as how millions of troops rotate in and out...and less than 1% of them are injured......seems like MOST troups are the lucky ones :)


That being said, Never trust the words of a recruiter, get it on PAPER. MOS or NEC makes all the Difference.


When you get out, you will have a good base for seeking employment. Good luck in your future job hunting. Remember, employers hire people with a positive attitude and outlook.
 
When I said I'm one of the lucky ones, I meant of us working in the area when it got hit, we had people killed and seriously wounded. I just had ringing ears.
 
It takes a "special" kind of person to be a really good coder....being Anal retentive helps, OCD is a plus :) I spent 4 years as a programmer and figured out early that I didn't have the temperment...so I joined the NAVY and got into Electronics and the hardware side of computers....then I found UNIX Administration which lets me work with both Software and Hardware...just the right amount of each :)
 
Been a developer/programmer/dba/system builder for 15 years.

I don't personnally recommend the programming end of things, if you have the choice to go into the engineering aspect of the industry. That's where I reckon the real buzz is.

Like the above, if I had been given a crystal ball when I was 16 I would now definitely be doing microcode for AMD.
Click to expand...

Well honestly you might just have a case of "the grass is always greener". Being in software engineering, I get put through both sides of the industry- mathematics, compilers, algorithm design, logic and computation but also circuit design with transistors, physics of electricity, machine languages, etc.

So I can say that neither is a dream job, not after staying up for 48 hours straight in a circuits lab trying to puzzle out what's wrong in my thousand lines of machine code. In its own way, software needs as much ingenuity as hardware. Depending on what you're doing anyway. Hardware isn't a big ball of excitement, it can get tedious too, but if it's what you like then it's worth it. I still haven't decided whether I'm going to focus on software or hardware.
 
I work for the University of Manchester in the UK as an IT Officer (Messaging and Collaboration Systems).

Which basically means I'm 3rd line tech support for the professors, systems administrator for the e-mail and calendaring system which we have here, and analyst designer for the new system which will be in place in the next few years.

I was at the uni for a software engineering degree (98-03 (I took two years more than I needed to because I changed course and then had to repeat another year, for various reasons)).

Since then I've worked in helpdesk roles for a UK ISP doing DSL support, systems administration, etc, which led to my current role.

I have also done an LPI course to get my Linux quals and want to do some MCPs.

I'm on just over £25k - which is roughly $48k. Not too bad.
 
Programming in PowerBuilder for the moment.
PS. if your thinking of becoming a programmer, stay away from PowerBuilder. What a crap (and old) language
 
Been a developer/programmer/dba/system builder for 15 years.

I don't personnally recommend the programming end of things, if you have the choice to go into the engineering aspect of the industry. That's where I reckon the real buzz is.

Like the above, if I had been given a crystal ball when I was 16 I would now definitely be doing microcode for AMD.
Click to expand...

Well honestly you might just have a case of "the grass is always greener". Being in software engineering, I get put through both sides of the industry- mathematics, compilers, algorithm design, logic and computation but also circuit design with transistors, physics of electricity, machine languages, etc.

So I can say that neither is a dream job, not after staying up for 48 hours straight in a circuits lab trying to puzzle out what's wrong in my thousand lines of machine code. In its own way, software needs as much ingenuity as hardware. Depending on what you're doing anyway. Hardware isn't a big ball of excitement, it can get tedious too, but if it's what you like then it's worth it. I still haven't decided whether I'm going to focus on software or hardware.

Yup, you are probably right. It is perhaps naive of me to think that Engineering would be more rewarding than coding. Though I certainly hope it is for all those currently doing it :wink:
 
Out of high school I was buddy-buddy with the network admin of the school district so he gave me a job as an assistant. His actual assistant was going to go back to college and he was going to give me the 30,000 a year job with no college, woulda been nice.

That didn't go as planned so right now I work for a computer vendor, I do tech support. I haven't had any college experience yet but I plan on going to get at least a bachelors in possibly network engineering or take the easier route and become a net admin *shrugs*

The thing I've noticed though is, the net admins I've met around here have college experience but doesn't relate to their job. Remember the net admin I was buddy buddy with? He has a masters.... in music.
 
I was a Computer Science major. I started my BS during the end of the Internet boom as opposed to many people I knew who did web dev right out of high school (I did a little on the side, but nothing of note).

I now work as a Software Engineer developing software applications for internal use for the company I work for (mainly database based web apps and client/server apps). I've only been working full time (post school) for 2.5 years and I already pull in 2 times the average HOUSEHOLD income for the Portland area, so it's been very nice to me. In my graduating class (only 11 - I went to a small school), no one else got Software jobs out of college (one went to Microsoft, but is doing Operations Management). If you enjoy sitting in a box and writing code, go for Comp Sci! Try to get some nice internships during college as they will provide pre-graduation on the job training.
 
I was a Computer Science major. I started my BS during the end of the Internet boom as opposed to many people I knew who did web dev right out of high school (I did a little on the side, but nothing of note).

I now work as a Software Engineer developing software applications
Click to expand...

Not to sound like I'm whining about your degree, but is it common down in the States to freely use the term 'software engineer'? I know here in Canada the licensing associations go nuts over people using the term Engineer when they're not actually licensed Engineers, because with the name 'Engineer' comes the implication of the guaranteed Engineering seal of approval on a project and the respect of the professional engineering association. I'm just honestly curious.
 
I was a Computer Science major. I started my BS during the end of the Internet boom as opposed to many people I knew who did web dev right out of high school (I did a little on the side, but nothing of note).

I now work as a Software Engineer developing software applications
Click to expand...

Not to sound like I'm whining about your degree, but is it common down in the States to freely use the term 'software engineer'? I know here in Canada the licensing associations go nuts over people using the term Engineer when they're not actually licensed Engineers, because with the name 'Engineer' comes the implication of the guaranteed Engineering seal of approval on a project and the respect of the professional engineering association. I'm just honestly curious. :arrow: Call me old fasioned but I always thought an Engineer was someone who drove a train.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom