One thing I do want to say though is that Information Technology (IT) and Software Development are often actually quite far apart from a day to day jobs perspective.
I agree with you whole-heartedly. I wanted exposure to a little bit of everything, which is why I was particularly drawn to the program that I am in. Since it’s an IT major, it has all of the “hands-on” skills (Systems Administration, Networking, System Analysis and Design), but then since it offers a concentration in Software Development, it is also technical-based as well. Everything is taught using Java. I’ve taken Intro to Programming so far and this semester I am in Intermediate Programming. The concepts are new and sometimes difficult to grasp; we’re about to start on things like polymorphism, inheritance, and recursion. My programming professor was a Software Developer for a well-known accounting company and has been in the industry for 20+ years. He expects everyone to be on their A-game and does not accept anything short of your best efforts. It is definitely a struggle at times, but it is also the kick in the ass that I needed to get / remain serious about learning all of this.
IT is changing man. The future is Google Cloud, Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure. The future will created by those who code or work in software development.
Also agree – even at my internship (MSP) they are transferring clients to Azure AD and off of on-premise solutions. It’s a game-changer, for sure.
My friend works in Dev-Ops and from what he was telling me, it sounds like they took the IT Support desk function, Sys Admin, and a few other job functions that have historically been handled by a team of people, and condensed it into one or two people’s job roles.
I'd like to also add that I am not trying to say that Enterprise Architecture is a bad thing to learn about. It is just that I really think starting out new out of college in 2020 learning how to be a Sys-Admin, Windows or Linux engineer is starting at a disadvantage compared to working as a developer or part of the Software Dev world.
I agree with you that Software Development is the best place to be right now. The school also offers a Systems and Security track, which many college students are taking (along with the Enterprise track). I think that to really break into the field of cyber-security, for example, you need years of intimate experience as a Network Administrator. It’s not something you just “do” out of college…
I feel bad because some of these kids (I call them “kids” because I am 30 now) are so disillusioned about what their actual job prospects are going to look like when they get out.
As of now, I am going to keep my head down and try to get 1-1.5years of experience where I am at now (Systems Desk Engineer, being geared toward some networking / server-side responsibilities), but I do think it would be highly beneficial to get a Java-related programming internship before I graduate. This could help me land my foot in the door to an actual programming gig after college.
Another option: Since I already have a 4-year degree (BA in Creative Writing), is there going to be a certain point where my IT-related work and school experience can help get my foot in the door to a good position, before I’ve finished my degree?
The b**s**t thing about this whole going-back-to-college endeavor is that I finished the application process in October, didn’t get an official acceptance letter until the end of November, and then had to have my transfer-credits evaluated and sign up for classes during December. The college literally would not tell me what would transfer or how long I would need to allocate in order to get this degree, until I had my Student ID number and was officially accepted.
I was expecting 1.5-2 years to get this 2nd degree. Well, after this Fall I will have been at it for one year – but after 3 classes in Spring ’18, 1 class during Summer, and 4 classes this Fall, I will still have 18 classes left. At 4 classes / semester (and a summer semester) that’s 2 more years….
I guess I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up TOO high, since a BA degree doesn’t bring a whole ton of relevant classes to the BS curriculum….but still.
I’m trying to figure out if there will be a “tipping point” after I’ve taken Intro, Intermediate Programming, Advanced Programming, Intro Networking, possibly Advanced Networking, Intro to Databases…where I will be marketable enough to say “Well, I technically do already have a Bachelor’s degree…”
There are also MS programs that are offered locally (GA Tech OMSCS comes to mind), but I’m worried that I don’t have the core IT-related competencies required of someone coming into that program. The MS program would be 30-credits, costs ~$8,000, and is an actual MS-CS awarded by GA Tech (very prestigious college around here).
My understanding is that a CS (especially MS-CS) would be waaaaay more theoretical than I would be acclimated to, especially since my coursework hasn’t been too CS-heavy. Discrete Math was the closest thing I’ve had to take to a CS course this far.
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