question for you IT guys and developers

[jntdroid]

I'm looking at a career change. I have some IT and coding experience, but nothing "official". I've been in financial planning for 8 years, so my resume doesn't lend itself much to the IT/developer industry. I'm 30 with a family, so a big income hit is not really going to work, but I know if I don't get some experience/training under my belt, that will likely happen. My question is this - what should I focus on teaching myself or getting training in? Should I get some MS certs or other certs? Should I learn Java, C++? I figured people in the industry would have a good idea about what's the most important thing to focus on at this stage or for the next few years. Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[drew]

IT is a pretty big field. What area are you most interested in? Networking? Programming? Database administration? other?

If you're looking at development, I would probably recommend C++ as the formal basis and then you'll be able to pick up Java (or any OOP language) fairly easily after that.

Your experience in financial planning could let itself well to accounting / ERP IT consulting in channels such as Sage, Great Plains, etc.

Good luck.

 

[Darkseider]

For development I would say C, C++ and Java. As for MS certs. they are generally not needed unless looking into a DBA, Systems Admin or Network Admin position. Also some other good certs to get and are easy are Network+ and A+. If you are looking more to systems admin or network admin I suggest a good all around knowledge and some certs from both MS as well as Linux. Cisco is always a plus but not necessary.

 

[superkeest]

learn php, mysql, and linux, you can work anywhere.

 

[jxspence]

if you are coming from a Financial Planning background, you may want to look into a Business Intelligence field. All you would really need to get started here would be a general knowledge of some BI tools which you can get online by downloading demos and then just a strong understanding of SQL. Combine those with a financial background and you could find something pretty much anywhere.

 

[nlinecomputers]

I would avoid IT all together. It isn't a growth field anymore. Too much work going overseas, permanently. More every year. Hard to compete with people getting paid $10,000 yr in India.

 

[jntdroid]

Thanks for the input... My interest is pretty broad right now. I enjoy networking, dba, programming... all of it. I kind of need to figure out the best route to go that won't set me back 5+ years career-wise, which I know is tough. Plus, the longer I wait, the worse that setback could be! I have a buddy that recommended a BI / BA (business analyst) type of position as well - basically saying since I have the business and finance knowledge, all I would need is some tech training and I'd be good to go. But I'm so burned out on business, and it's zero challenge to me whatsoever, that I still contemplate going full bore into IT... coding or networking being the most interesting and mentally stimulating. I'm in a small office, and I'm half the age of everybody else here, so I end up doing a lot of network admin stuff here anyway.

 

[jntdroid]

I would avoid IT all together. It isn't a growth field anymore. Too much work going overseas, permanently. More every year. Hard to compete with people getting paid $10,000 yr in India.

I hope you're not completely right on this, or at least not as much any more. I would think that multinational companies can do this, but small to medium sized companies cannot - except maybe in helpdesk situations. And in helpdesk situations, I've seen a shift of companies (recently anyway) not doing this as much as customers are tired of speaking to someone who they can barely understand who is halfway across the world. Companies seem to be starting to realize again that customer service is one of the key was of increasing customer retention. And especially in the technology fields, it's good for a customer who is needing help and not knowledgeable to walk away without feeling like an idiot or like the company doesn't care much about him/her.

 

[jxspence]

It has been my experience (of course i work for a very large company) that the trend in IT is using offshore resources for developers and some systems administrator type roles. I have found that some companies are in fact bringing help desk kind of roles back to this country but balancing that cost by sending other positions out.

Good luck on your search for a new position.

 

[nlinecomputers]

That kind of entry level grunt work never paid much when it was here either. To make money in IT just like in Law or Medicine you have to specialize. And it's better to be independent. A consultant. Set you own wages. If you have a background in finance then I would think that you can use that background to figure out what kind of IT needs are unique to the kind of client. Those companies are in great need of security consultants to help lock down networks and maintain legal compliance issues.

 

[BPB]

That kind of entry level grunt work never paid much when it was here either. To make money in IT just like in Law or Medicine you have to specialize. And it's better to be independent. A consultant. Set you own wages. If you have a background in finance then I would think that you can use that background to figure out what kind of IT needs are unique to the kind of client. Those companies are in great need of security consultants to help lock down networks and maintain legal compliance issues.

That's a good point. Find a niche, especially if people in finance aren't too adept at computers, as you mentioned in an earlier post about your current office. It's a lot easier to look like a genius with computers if you do IT work in a non-IT field. Law is a prime example; most lawyers and judges are clueless about computers aside from using Word and Outlook - makes for unique job opportunities. Find an area where you can specialize; if you have such a strong finance/business background then business intelligence consulting would seem like a perfect fit.

 

[Mule65]

Talk is cheap -- get busy! How about a cool finance related Droid app?

 

[smokiedabong]

Pretty hard to find a job in this field even with experience and certifications , an entry level is not payed very well either and there is a big competition . You need solid experience and knowledge to get a good income . Till recently I worked for the biggest IT company in US and they pretty much outsourced everything . If you like coding and have a passion for it , I'd go this road , but if not after two , three months of coding 10 hours per day it'll become really , really tiresome . Heck it's hard even if you like it . With some knowledge in all fields and some Microsoft and Cisco certs you can become a network/sys admin which is a more relaxed and varied job , and if you get a position for a medium company the income can be pretty high .

 

[jntdroid]

thanks for all the input... in terms of less time for training now, as well as longer term potential, it looks like the BI/BA/Consulting route might be the best way to go... I just need to take Mule's advice!