What should I start "learning"?

[Hobo]

I have 3 semesters plus the current semester I'm enrolled in, until I earn my Bachelors degree in CS. I'm allowed 2 concentration fields - I chose Systems Security, and Database.

 

I really enjoy programming in C, and the only other language I have used thus far is Java - which wasn't very interesting IMO. I also did some programming with MARS(MIPS) which is Assembly Line programming - I was quite fascinated with it as well.

 

I have recently looked into joining a CoOp (paid internship, 1 year of work is mandatory), and almost everything requires a person to know C++/C#, along with a bunch of other 'crap' (i know it's not crap, but i don't know what it is). I found a site that has some awesome tutorials for C++, and I'm going to start on them in 2 weeks (I have 4 test in the following 2 weeks, along with about 6 projects).

 

I talked to a few others in the CS field, and most of them are wanting to go into "Networking". I have no idea what this consists of, because I won't be taking my Sys/Net I class for another 2 semesters, followed by Sys/Net II in 3 semesters.

 

I'm just wondering:

How am I going to figure out what "field" of CS I should go into? Any suggestions?

What languages are "need to know" before I look for work in 1 year (if I don't sign on with a CoOp company)?

Are there companies that actually use C to program with, or is it more of a "starter" language?

 

I just don't understand where my wife(also going for CS) and I are going to be able to find jobs if we're not learning anything in job descriptions for our field.

 

We go to the University of West Florida (if anyone is wondering).

 

We just looked up some info, and apparently Network System and Data Communications Analyst is growing by 53%. Anybody have any knowledge of what people in that field do? I'm going to do some research right now, just wondering if anybody here has that for a job.

 

Sorry for such a long post, I'm just a bit worried that I will have spent $40k on a degree that gets me a job making minimum wage.

[Pangloss]

Hi Hobo. Yes, Networking is hot. I see you tapped into the state government's "hot jobs" list -- one of the sites I like to tell my students about. Three of the top 20 job titles listed there are in the field, and that one is #1 (numbers 2 and 20 are programming-related; usually there are a couple more on the list, such as network administrator, but not at the moment). And yet many IT schools around the state (like mine) are struggling to fill rosters. Go figure. All the better for you, though.

 

That field is very different from programming. It's all about configuring hardware (routers and servers) and software (operating systems, applications and utilities) to do what they're supposed to do, fix them when they break, and plan their rollout and distribution according to need. It's a different kind of challenge, and it can be very interesting.

 

That's also very different from your concentrations of database and security, and the employment opportunities those fields result in. There's a lot of emphasis these days on data mining and reporting -- pulling key info from a database and working it into the company's business plans. That's all about databases. Security is also a key field, and that's mainly about configuration of operating systems, setting user policies, and figuring out what happened after a problem.

 

I also recommend considering a Masters degree and/or working on certifications, both of which may require additional schooling. These efforts, especially the Masters, will result in a higher salary, especially as you gain experience.

 

So no, you should not end up making minimum wage. But it's a well-matured field, and it's generally run by professionals and heavily integrated with mainstream business, which means you're going to have to learn how to interview, dress to impress, and track your learning and experiential progress over time. The more proactive you are about your career, the better off you'll be over the long haul.

 

Good luck!

[Hobo]

Wow, thanks for the detailed reply. I'm in Pensacola, Fl, and I'm surprised as well at the amount of people going into the IT-related field. A person would think as fast as technology is changing, there would be more people interested in the field.

 

Unfortunately, it hurts me a lot. There are only 5 concentrations, and really it's 4 because only 1 class is offered for that concentration. The other 3 are: Distributed Systems Architecture, AI, and Control Systems & Programming (the 1 class concentration). We can't do that concentration - or we wouldn't be able to finish our degree (2 courses required to finish each concentration.

 

I see you live in South Florida, do you know of any schools (in the SE states) that could expand my knowledge in Networking (after I'm done with my degree), or that offer certification classes?

[jryan]

Being that I am in the field I would suggest that you focus on networking and data storage networks, familiarity with the basics of common systems engineering is also a plus.

 

Applications, hardware and operating systems that will be huge over the next 10 years (in my estimation):

 

Data Storage - NetApp is a very hot contender right now in the data storage market. EMC, on the other hand, is fairly well saturated and will give you some good entry work... but I see NetApp winning handily in the next 10 years. They don't have all the gee whiz beels and whistles of EMC, but they do the job of mass data warehousing amazingly well, on the cheap (comparatively), and easily.

 

Another nice bonus is that NetApp has a "bad" habit of hiring up everyone with skill in their product to keep them off the streets and boost their maintenance products. Good for you, in the long run.

 

Virtualization - This is the future of systems engineering. Business focus on uptime and reliability all but forces IT and CS to move away form to-metal OS installs and move to the virtual server configurations. In the virtualization world the sun rises and sets on VMware and it's line of products.

 

Granted this is mostly systems engineering and not really the direct realm of a CS degree, but in the IT world the employee that knows VMWare and NetApp will be well placed for a fast rise in the industry. Now, if you tied a knowledge of VMware, NetApp and a CS focus on security and networking together you would be king in the world of Government contracting.

[Hobo]

I'm just wondering - how did you start in the Networking field?

 

Ex: Graduated from college with a Bachelors degree in something, get some certificates, go work at an entry level job for a few years, leave that job & start at your current one.

 

I have a huge problem finding jobs that want my skills & the skills I will posses with a Bachelors degree. I'm going to check out some of that "stuff" that you suggested. That's going to be a huge help.

 

Thanks

[Pangloss]

Typical start in networking is working at a help desk or doing odd jobs in an IT department.

 

do you know of any schools (in the SE states) that could expand my knowledge in Networking (after I'm done with my degree), or that offer certification classes?

 

You can try some of the certification "schools" but you should first try to do it on your own. Visit the certification support pages for the various corporations whose products you're interested in certifying in, read and understand the requirements, and then see if a couple of books and a little time at the computer will get you there. Worst case you're out an exam fee ($100) instead of potentially wasting 1-10 grand on training.

 

Your bacherlor's may have taught you more than you may realize (I see that a lot). But certs are typically very specific to a corporation's product support needs (or what it perceives those needs to be, at any rate), so you have to learn really esoteric and detailed bits of information that can be very tedious to pick up (and difficult to remember for an exam). (But if you can do a Bachelor's degree then you can do any cert I've ever seen.)