Do I have ANY chance of getting a (real) IT job?

[Net]

Thank you everyone for the advice! I feel better now.

I was thinking about going back for a bachelor's degree, but, honestly, I don't think I have it in me after I looked into the degree plans at the state university here. I honestly don't think (actually, 99% sure) I wouldn't even make it through the mathematics required for a bachelor's level computer science here (it goes beyond calculus III....).

However, I do think I would be able to get a bachelor's degree in subject like political science. Would that help me get IT jobs? I mean, I know of course that has nothing to do with IT, but would it at least check off the "Do you have a bachelor's degree? Yes/No" box, and my AAS would help compensate for the fact it wasn't in an IT field? Or would it do nothing for me still?

No, don't get a political science degree. If you want to go into IT then Computer Information Systems or something specific to IT. IT and software development is a craft, you won't want to hire a carpenter because he has a political science degree. It wouldn't mean anything to you, you'd want him to know his carpenter stuff.

The best degree you can get would be Computer Science, it would set you apart. But Computer Science is focused on software development so it is much more difficult.

First I'd decide what you want to do. Do you want to do IT, do you want to be a software developer? Sounds like you want to do IT.

Next, I'd recommend getting a bachelors degree. It takes longer but the long cut is faster then the short cut in my opinion. In years to come you'll be glad you did this and you'll have an edge up on those who don't have it.

You don't need to not be building work experience while you're getting your bachelors. You can do contract jobs while you're getting your bachelors.

If you decide not to get your bachelors then the way you can be successful is to get contract jobs to build your experience. I'll share how an iOS developer contractor that worked for us did this which is in a similar situation to yours.

An iOS contractor that worked for us use to be a plumber when he was out of high school. He did plumbing work solo, had a van and did that for a while. Then he worked at a chain pizza company and became the manager of the pizza place.

He saw how people were making a lot of money selling iPhone apps so he taught himself to do iPhone programming after work. He worked hard and had a few iPhone apps in the app store. He stopped his pizza job and focused on that full time and picked up an iPhone contracting gig. After that contract was up he did another contract for iPhone development, then he did another contract with us for iPhone development.

After the contract was up with us he went onto another iPhone contract. He shared what he's making with me and its a lot.

He was able to do all that without a college education. After his contract with us I forwarded some linkedin interview requests I had from the top companies and referred him to interview with them and recommended him. And they interviewed with him. He didn't get those but he got another contract job after a while and is making a lot.

There are some core things in computer science that you learn that you have to have a solid understanding of to be competitive at the top companies. Those items are data structures and algorithms. This won't matter to IT but for a software developer you need to know those backwards and forwards to be competitive at these companies. You don't need to get a bachelors to do that but you might as well because it will take a lot of time to learn them. And having the stress of deadlines and grades helps with motivation and a check to see if you're doing well with what you've learned. I'm not in IT but there might be something comparable to that with IT.

 

[Net]

Thank you guys for the advice!

I think I am going to go ahead and give Geek Squad a try. I figure it can't hurt. I spoke to my friend who works at Geek Squad, and he said he will put in a good word for me if I apply. (Though, he has been involved in some recent shenanigans involving calling in and being late, so he says it may or may not help me) He actually recommended that I leave my AAS degree completely off my application and don't even mention it because the manager there thinks anyone with a degree is "overqualified" and that no one there has a degree of any kind. He recommended I just leave my certifications on and that should be good enough. I just find this hilarious. My AAS degree doesn't qualify me for an IT job, and now it is possibly actually hurting me.

I looked at the degree plans for the state university here. There is literally *only* one computer science degree and then a few engineering degrees. Everything else is English, sociology, political science, business, biology, chemistry, etc.

Looking at the computer science and engineering degree plans, I am already 100% sure I wouldn't make it through them. The math requirements are crazy. It's almost like you are getting a mathematics degree.

I figure I'm going to go ahead and try to get a bachelor's degree anyway as a part time project, just so I can check that box off on job applications. I'm probably going to go with political science, as I feel pretty confident I can complete that degree plan. Still, my end goal is to have a professional IT career of some kind. I don't know where, when, or how that will happen. I'm guessing a bachelor's degree in political science along with my AAS degree will show that I am diversified educationally when I apply for IT jobs in the future? (Is that even a chance of how HR will see it? lol I mean it can't hurt, right?)

I guess I would probably come in at interviews in the future and say "Well, I have a political science degree, so you know I can read and write well. You know I understand how government and organizations work. But I also have an IT education, so you probably don't get a lot of people with both backgrounds here" Meh, it could work, I guess?

Edit: I also see that they have minors in business. Maybe I will also try to get a business minor so I can say "Also, I have some business education". I mean, I guess it would look like I have education in various fields then?

Don't do political science. Don't do it. It will be a major waste of time.

You have to do something specific to your field in IT. What I'm hearing is learning political science is easier then learning an IT specific degree. I would never hire you if your learning something that has no relation to the job I want you to do.

Just think of it. Are you going to hire an architect to build your house because he took political science. No way, you want someone who knows his architect stuff.

IT is a craft, you have to know how to do it. Just like carpentry, architecture, etc...

You don't have to get a Computer Science degree, you could do Information Systems or something else that is IT. If you get a degree that is not related to IT then it will be a total waste of time.

You're going to be spending long nights and weekends learning politics? What the crap??? There is so much to learn in IT that you need to know to be good at it. You don't want to side track yourself by spending 4 years learning politics. This is a serious what the crap moment.

Btw, I totally goofed off in high school. I wish I didn't but I did. When I started college I started at prealgebra. It took a while to catch up because of the number of classes needed but it paid off immensely. I got my minor in mathematics and my bachelors in electrical engineering. And my masters in computer science.

Don't worry about the time. Just worry about how well you are learning the material. Focus on understanding. Thats what the companies want, you to understand the material. And that makes sense right? You want a doctor to treat you that understands his material well.

Also, geek squad isn't going to get you were you want to go. Its a high school or college job. However given your background that would be a good college job to have for a short time till you can get something better like doing IT for the school or after you finished an IT class apply to be the teaching assistant for that class. That will be much better.

 

[jlee]

What part of the country are you in? My former employer is probably hiring in Phoenix, and possibly FL and Cali as well.

I started just over three years ago as an 'intern' (paid but no benefits). I worked my way through and past the help desk (6 positions in 3 years) and then took another job. I have an AA in general studies and no certifications. Experience is more important than certs - so get your foot in the door where you can and bust your ass to move up from there.

 

[nageov3t]

My four year degree was just a part of the hiring checklist at the company I got a job with. It is what it is - some positions want a four year degree to prove you can stick with something that long and finish it. It also gives HR more cover for a bad hiring decision, IMO.

yup, it's unfortunately a way-too-common checklist requirement even if it has nothing to do with the job.

I got my start in IT with an entry-level, rack and stack NOC monkey job, after graduating with my BA in English Lit (but at least several years of experience building and repairing PC's, both for myself and friends, but also for random people while in college).

I lucked out and knew a guy who knew that I could do the job, but without at least that stupid diploma, HR probably wouldn't have let him hire me.

 

[zCypher]

Haha, that guy sounds like a jackass. If you still want a job in IT, then the answer is no, you shouldn't give up. Your "failure" is entirely normal. You have *some* credentials already, which is more than many people. You don't have the experience, which is definitely going to be the factor that holds you back at this point. The only way around that is to keep applying at different places until you land a job and then gain some experience. Some places care more than others about prior experience.


The first few tech related jobs that I had were total shit really. I didn't have any formal education in it though, so I took whatever I could get. But each job I had did contribute to the experience required to give me the edge I needed to keep getting better jobs.

Where I work now, just about anyone can get in the entry level tech support and helpdesk type positions with little to no experience and no credentials. They pay decently considering, have great perks and benefits, and offer tons of room to grow and move around into better positions once you have some experience in the company. Many of the better positions across the organization still actually don't even require any degrees/certifications, even though they list them in the job postings.

In my case the organization is a large national telco. For me it makes sense cause I love network stuff, but my advice is to just get your foot in the door some place where the experience can be used towards your next job. So long as you're gaining some kind of relevant experience that you can use, and you move on to something better as soon as you have the opportunity, and you keep doing that - then you're doing just fine and things will work out.


Expect to encounter some jackasses like that other guy along the way... don't let them keep you down.