Certification help

[TastyGumbo]

Not sure if is the right sub, but asking anyway. I'm about to retire out of the military and want to use my full ride GI bill for a network engineer type degree. I am old and not good at math so not gonna be a coding hotshot, but willing to learn and will get all up physically doing data center stuff. Is a CS or CE degree the way to go? I know I can ask admissions/placement but I am not quite there yet and want to get a real feel for working in a NOC type environment. Thanks and I know this dosen't make much sense so hit me with questions!

 

[sdifox]

Not sure if is the right sub, but asking anyway. I'm about to retire out of the military and want to use my full ride GI bill for a network engineer type degree. I am old and not good at math so not gonna be a coding hotshot, but willing to learn and will get all up physically doing data center stuff. Is a CS or CE degree the way to go? I know I can ask admissions/placement but I am not quite there yet and want to get a real feel for working in a NOC type environment. Thanks and I know this dosen't make much sense so hit me with questions!

Math is important in CSC and Comp Eng.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

NOC type working environment? NOC is Network Operations Center, which is usually a call center taking calls from ISPs, internal agents, etc. and is usually entry level forum for engaging a problem at hand. Of course this crude definition depends on the size of the company you are working for, but keep in mind most large companies with NOCs are manned by people with no degrees and company trained, or their management is equally untrained and only managed company trained techs. Sure, things get escalated and most large NOCs have a Tier 2 group of proven company trained technicians that are there as a last ditch attempt to prevent a trouble ticket from getting to an advance agent but even their numbers are small in comparison. And if it is a small company typically they will pay poorly.

If math is an issue you may want to consider a another theme. To think that math doesn't come into play even in its most simple form is a mistake. Everything uses math, just not on a daily basis or on an advance level. And I would be looking closely at what expectations any degree you consider require for math, science, etc., in addition to the core class requirements.

 

[sdifox]

Yeah for my CSC degree, I just needed one more math credit to also get a math major.

 

[piokos]

Not sure if is the right sub, but asking anyway. I'm about to retire out of the military and want to use my full ride GI bill for a network engineer type degree. I am old and not good at math so not gonna be a coding hotshot

It's not very precise when you say "not good at math". 🙂
Some people can't understand calculus or advanced algebra.
Others don't get the concept of vectors.

There's always some exposure to coding (scripting) when you're doing things related to IT. At very least you should be familiar with Linux, shell and general concepts.
If I were you, I'd try some basic online courses. You'll see if this is something you can take on or it's total magic.
This sound about right:

Bash Scripting and Shell Programming Course Linux Command Line

Learn bash programming for Linux, Unix, & Mac. Learn how to write bash scripts like a pro & solve real-world problems!

www.udemy.com

If you can't script, the very best you could do in networking is connecting cables. That's hardly IT. You'd be an electrical engineer, not networking engineer. And probably not paying very well even in US.

I'm not entirely sure how this "GI bill" works. You get some financial support in starting a professional career? Anything you want or some gov-promoted directions?
Why are you thinking about networking? You've done something like that in the army?

 

[sdifox]

It's not very precise when you say "not good at math". 🙂
Some people can't understand calculus or advanced algebra.
Others don't get the concept of vectors.

There's always some exposure to coding (scripting) when you're doing things related to IT. At very least you should be familiar with Linux, shell and general concepts.
If I were you, I'd try some basic online courses. You'll see if this is something you can take on or it's total magic.
This sound about right:

Bash Scripting and Shell Programming Course Linux Command Line

Learn bash programming for Linux, Unix, & Mac. Learn how to write bash scripts like a pro & solve real-world problems!

www.udemy.com

If you can't script, the very best you could do in networking is connecting cables. That's hardly IT. You'd be an electrical engineer, not networking engineer. And probably not paying very well even in US.

I'm not entirely sure how this "GI bill" works. You get some financial support in starting a professional career? Anything you want or some gov-promoted directions?
Why are you thinking about networking? You've done something like that in the army?

Networking involves configuring routers, which is a script.

 

[piokos]

Networking involves configuring routers, which is a script.

Well, as I said: he could probably find a networking offer that involves just the physical layer. There's no reason why the same person would have to connect the wires and take care of configuration - especially today, where many (if not most) networking projects are purely IaaS. So you'll have more and more very competent networking engineers who may not know what RJ45 is.

But such a "connect the wires and get out" job would probably be entry-level grade, with really bad money. And really a dead end. So he'd be stuck there for years or forced to learn something else anyway.

I also asked about the "bill" thing, because if he doesn't feel confident with math/coding, there's a possibility he won't be able to complete the degree program. Would that mean the funds are lost? Or worse: he has to cover the cost?

 

[BarkingGhostar]

In this day and age I would think that this kind of work had an abundance of qualified people in it due to the telco surpluses for the past decade.

 

[sdifox]

In this day and age I would think that this kind of work had an abundance of qualified people in it due to the telco surpluses for the past decade.

Not to mention global labour supply.
I would suggest data scientist, assuming he can handle the math requirement.

 

[piokos]

Not to mention global labour supply.
I would suggest data scientist, assuming he can handle the math requirement.

He just said he doesn't feel comfortable with math for CODING. You want him to magically become a Bayesian statistics expert?

Seriously, don't encourage others. This "data scientist" thing of late, with online courses and all kind of crap (there even are DS influencers on instagram) will ultimately lead to a huge number of badly trained, structurally unemployed people who could have become chefs or mechanics.

All successful people in this business come from math or science - with solid academic background. This means they can make a difference - invent a new method, correct an existing one, find ways to improve a process. And they are accompanied by well trained programmers, sometimes called "data engineers".

If you become a "data scientist" by passing online Python courses, you end up as just that - a very mediocre, internet-educated coder. These people mostly run data science algorithms, not design them. They will be replaced by RPA sooner or later...

 

[sdifox]

He just said he doesn't feel comfortable with math for CODING. You want him to magically become a Bayesian statistics expert?

Seriously, don't encourage others. This "data scientist" thing of late, with online courses and all kind of crap (there even are DS influencers on instagram) will ultimately lead to a huge number of badly trained, structurally unemployed people who could have become chefs or mechanics.

All successful people in this business come from math or science - with solid academic background. This means they can make a difference - invent a new method, correct an existing one, find ways to improve a process. And they are accompanied by well trained programmers, sometimes called "data engineers".

If you become a "data scientist" by passing online Python courses, you end up as just that - a very mediocre, internet-educated coder. These people mostly run data science algorithms, not design them. They will be replaced by RPA sooner or later...

and that is different than any other profession how? I said data scientist because of demand. And it takes aptitude to be a chef or a mechanic, not everyone is suited for every job.