Expert: Leigh Ishikawa - 1/8/2008

Question
Hi Leigh, and thank you for reading/answering this question. I'm 26 years old and currently just started college online for my degree in Computer Information Systems. This degree will take me about four years to complete. I am currently studying for my CompTIA A+ Certification and should be taking the test at the end of the month. Also, I work for a company who provides help desk support (tier 1) for a nation wide company. I've been doing this position for 3 months and in another 6 months I should get a promotion for tier 2 deskside support tech. However, I'm not sure what area of the I.T industry I want to be in. It seems there are many roads that lead in various directions from help desk, networking, programming, web development, etc. I'm not sure what I would like best. Is there any resources out there that would give me a better clue as what I may like? Also, when I find out an area I do like, what are my next steps? Should I focus on finishing the degree or exert more effort into certifications to land a job in which I can get hands-on experience? Any advice will be helpful, thank you!

Answer
Looks like it lost my answer...

First of all, if you do not have a degree yet, you should finish it.  Not having a college degree will impede in your career in the long run.  Certifications may get you a job immediately, but in the long run it runs out because it's technology specific where as CS degree is more down at the core level.

That said, picking a field is a bit trickier.  That depends on which company you are in.  Certain companies are part of decision making process for standards across the industries.  If you reach the level where you are working at that level, you get to work on a lot of fun projects.  Sometimes, it can be frustrating as standards do change due to politics.  But that involves being at the right place, at the right time, and knowing the right people.

With those things in mind, of all the things you mentioned, programming has the most earning potential.  At the same time, being an entry level programmer is difficult as you are now competing against India as it's not a service oriented job.

I am sorry to say that there is no easy answer.  And anybody who tells you which one is better in a very simply way doesn't understand the dynamics of the technology environment we are in.  Between automation, off-shoring, and appliance model, if a lot of what the big tech firms succeed in their projects, lots of jobs are going to be displaced in the near future.

My suggestion would be to go into programming.  But that's because I love programming, I do it for living, and I do it for fun.  But programming is tough.  It's one thing to solve a problem, and another to create a solution that not only solves today's problem but solve the ones in the future.

Good Luck,

L