Need help on finding my future career (High School Student)

[Coldkilla]

Hey yall

I was doing a little career searching this evening, and I was very confused. First lemme start off where I am comming from: I am a high-school student with a 3.6-7GPA (15% RIC) student who wants to work in the IT world, outside the Cubicle. I consider all computer concepts as somthing 'entertaining/non-boring' wether it be building, programming, analizing, designing, anything but the actual electrical building aspect. I want a career that will bring in a lot of revnue. Of course, I do not expect the money to just be easy. I want to go to college, but I am unsure where to start.

A job that:
Isn't in a Cubicle
Pays Well (Stable, Less Risky business)
Requires a Good College Education
Not working for individuals and get paid from the consumer directly (AKA Working oddjobs)

I want to do some researching on colleges, but I want to know which type of college to look for. Do I want to go to an IT College for 2 years then transfer to a 4 year college or the other way around? Do I need to go to a college like MIT to get where I want to get? Do I need the high 3.8 GPA Standard in college to keep the door open for opportunities? How many years am I looking at in college, or prior experience before entering the workplace? If prior experience is a must, where would be the best place to start looking right after college? Thanks, appreciate all the help I can get, thanks!

 

[Ryan]

Don't get a job solely based on pay - you're only setting yourself up to hate what you do. Find a field that you're genuinely interested in - and go from there. You're only in high school, making ANY decision now will just be a waste of time, because it will most likely change. Go with the flow, find a field you like first.

 

[Coldkilla]

Thats the thing, I really don't know. I havn't ever been in the work place for computer applicants, therefore I cannot say what I like. I do want to work in the IT place when I get older, but suggestions in careers, would be nice that fit my Criteria, so I can at least take a look into them and learn a little bit. Im sure there is a fun job that will be financially satisfying.

 

[Cattlegod]

you will work in a cube

 

[jai6638]

Click here

check the abovementioend link for advice ...

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: Coldkilla
.

A job that:
Isn't in a Cubicle
Pays Well (Stable, Less Risky business)
Requires a Good College Education
Not working for individuals and get paid from the consumer directly (AKA Working oddjobs)

In my eperience, choose one.

 

[notfred]

All these jobs are in cubicles until you're promoted to management - then they're in offices. It's not like you're going to get a job as a programmer and be sent travelling around the world to work.

 

[CanOWorms]

i heard that 'analizing' is an interesting field

 

[everman]

There's a big difference between haveing programming and IT stuff as a hobby, and doing it as a job. Try to get some experiance in those areas you are looking at now.

 

[nageov3t]

I like my Data Center job. it's cubeless and dresscodeless, though the odd hours suck sometimes (the downside of working at a facility that's open 24/7)

 

[Coldkilla]

Thanks, appreciate all the help I can get, thanks!

That is why I hate forums. If you want to HELP, then please reply otherwise go find someone else to throw your personal CRAP into this. As for the help that: rbloedow, jai6638, CanOWorms, everman, & loki8481 gave, I appreciate it. I will continue to look into it.

 

[ttown]

Go rent the movie "Office Space"

Figure you'll probably end up like the character "Peter" or "Lawrence"
Worst case you end up like "Milton"

You'll be fine.... and happy.

edit: serious answer... consider network security. Programmers can be outsourced to india, network security specialists probably should stay local. Possibly database administration... but that's _my_ (former) title -- and I've been unemployed a looonnngg time.

 

[Coldkilla]

Whatever, I knew this thread was a mistake. Oh, and College just MIGHT move someone up to a management position to someone who didnt GO to college.

 

[Rhin0]

No offense, but MIT wouldn't even be an option with what you have going on right now.

I'd suggest you attend a good state school (example for Ohio: OSU, OU) I attend OU and they have great programs you could get into to. I prefer OU to OSU also (been to both). Just keep doing what you are doing and take as many advanced placement classes as you can. Take all the math, english, chemistry, physics that you can. It will help SOOOO much in college. About the IT school there are a few here... Devry and ITT. The guys you see on TV who work for NASA or something, that is a fluke, don't expect that from a tech college type deal. I know guys who got lucky with a Devry degree and do ok for themselves but the jobs they get sometimes aren't great. Some guys who try real hard and are good at what they do can get a pretty sweet job. The guys I know who went to ITT are S.O.L. and work at warehouses loading boxes on trucks. Like I said, real 2/4 year college all the way. With that GPA and a good score on ACT, say like 22+ should get you into a school like Ohio University. 23-25 would be better though. Also keep in mind that your race makes a big difference now in some places. It isn't fair but thats how it is. So if you are black some colleges may give you preferential treatment.

Last but not least your question about experience. The first job you get will probably not be what you want. You need to work in the field you are in on less "high-power" jobs for a few years before trying to get the big boy jobs that pay the real good money. Go on monster.com or any job search and you'll see most requirements for the good job always say something like 4-8 year IT Field experience required. Or job experience preferred, etc.

Also don't forget about the little certifications like A+, pile them on. The certifications, plus your bachelors, plus getting about 4 yrs experience will get you going on a great job.

 

[jai6638]

Originally posted by: Rhin0
No offense, but MIT wouldn't even be an option with what you have going on right now.

what would would he, as a high school student, need to do to be able to consider MIT as an option?

As for the help that: rbloedow, jai6638, CanOWorms, everman, & loki8481 gave, I appreciate it. I will continue to look into it.

np.. anytime..

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

The field of software is going to sh!t. AVOID IT AT ALL COSTS. The future is all going to be web development and embedded wrok will be near non-existant.

IT. Well, IT will always be needed as long as Micrsoft is in business.

 

[Engineer]

Automation Engineer PROGRAMMING large equipment (lots of robots,etc). Very rewarding and growing very rapidly.

 

[jai6638]

Originally posted by: Engineer
Automation Engineer PROGRAMMING large equipment (lots of robots,etc). Very rewarding and growing very rapidly.

can u please give details on what automatoin engineers might deal with besides programming robots?

 

[AreaCode707]

IT project management? Know a little of everything, help the heavy hitters put it all together?

 

[FoBoT]

IT but not in a cube?

:Q



i guess you can be a wire guy laying fiber or something

 

[Rhin0]

Originally posted by: jai6638

Originally posted by: Rhin0
No offense, but MIT wouldn't even be an option with what you have going on right now.

I can't say for SURE what their requirements are I just know a couple people who were denied and they had better "credentials".

My one buddy I went to HS with had a perfect GPA (literally), all the advanced classes, 2 years AP bio, 2 years physics, AP trig and CALC, 4 yrs college english, honor society, high ACT score etc etc. Didn't make the cut, I think he said something like they only let 800 people in or something? He now goes to OU and is almost done with a double major, one is some kind of chem and the other in some kind of advanced physics. I think he is going to go to grad school at Stanford.


Couple of my friends got 33's on the ACT test, pretty impressive. They didn't go to any big schools though, they did get full rides however.

 

[Rhin0]

Originally posted by: HotChic
IT project management? Know a little of everything, help the heavy hitters put it all together?

4-8+ years experience required

 

[Engineer]

Originally posted by: jai6638

Originally posted by: Engineer
Automation Engineer PROGRAMMING large equipment (lots of robots,etc). Very rewarding and growing very rapidly.

can u please give details on what automatoin engineers might deal with besides programming robots?

Automation Engineers have a great mixture of Electrical Engineering along with Software Engineering (if you would call it Software Engineering). Depending on what you're automating, there are various levels of programming involved. From simple PLC's using ladder logic (a structured view of mneumonic assembly like programming) that is very quick, to using industrial PC's for full automated line control using Visual Basic and many other programming packages. Also involved are laying out and programming MMI (or HMI: Man-Machine Interface (Human Machine Interface)) - which is usually some sort of touch screen.

Also, depending on what you are acutally working on, there may be quite a bit of integration of different components into one big system with individual programming needed at every section:

Example: Machine that uses a robot to load parts, assemble and leak test the parts, and then use the robot to unload to a palletizing system. You could have a PLC on the assembly fixture that controls the robot, the leak tester and the palletizing system. All of those systems would need to be programmed to handshake with the PLC system to function correctly.

The programming in automation usually isn't what most people think. It's not about writing applications like MS does when writing IE or Word, it's a simplified (and bulletproof because machines can't afford to literlly crash) programming system with a variety of commands suited for task operation (real world task - i.e. shifting part from one station to another and tracking with a shift register).

One final point, you can program simple machines that take 30 minutes to program to systems that, when fully integrated, can take years to complete.

<--- Largest project: 2.5 months. 10 individual pieces of equipment and 2 robots integrated into one cell. Using multiple servo drives (also needs programming and setup) to feed nylon tube (servo feed length) into a 300 degree oven, remove with robot, place into bending fixture, bend, cool and then place into an automated inserter to complete (This is an automotive fuel line part).

Sorry for the book....just interesting stuff.