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Using myself as an example. I’m 23 y/o, I have an A.S in Engineering, and I had a summer internship, last year, with a dept. of energy lab. I don’t have an A+ cert yet, but I have been learning and building side projects ( web and computer programming ) for the last 7 months and I’m currently working in non-IT help desk job.

After really looking and doing research into the job market for 4 year college graduates and the average pay that they receive, I’m pretty terrified about continuing on and amassing more student loan debt to finish my 4 year degree. I’ve always had a passion for computers and now I know that this is the field that I want to work in. I maintain a blog about what I’m learning within software development ( frameworks and languages), I have a personal portfolio page @ github.com, where I highlight some of the web apps I’ve built, and I attend local tech user groups here in Atlanta, GA.

I’ve started applying to several IT oriented help desk jobs as of last week and noticed that some are requiring a 4 year degree. Concerning long term prospects, I’m really interested in database development/administration and web application development, once I’m able to acquire A+ and/or Network + certs with a couple of years of experience on the hardware side. Am I going about this in the correct way, in order to break into IT? Thanks!

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You could break into the industry with a crowbar. Very effectively.

All kidding aside; if you don’t want to shoot for a Bachelors, then definitely get those certifications. Polish up your resume with the projects and things you’ve done. And MOST DEFINITELY bring the documentation (and possibly pictures) to show proof of it.

I’ve submitted for applications that I thought I wasn’t qualified for. But you can always let the manager decide to call you or not :slight_smile:

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Skip the A+, it is too basic. It will potentially help you find that very first job, but nothing else. Shoot straight for the Network+, it’s far more respected and isn’t purely for that “first job” only status.

You are correct, college will just make life tougher. Any helpdesk requiring a degree is out of their minds. They are seeing degreed people as entry level. Maybe your goal should be to leapfrog that if necessary.

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A+ is for helpdesk. Network+ is for general networking. Neither of these lead into database development or administration. DBA is its own sub-field of IT and database development isn’t really a thing, it’s a vestige of the software engineering field.

So first thing, decide if you are intending to make a career or IT or SE. They are closely tied but two independent fields. DBA is part of IT. DD was part of SE while it still existed.

When you say “database development”, what do you even picture in your mind? SQL code is rarely written today and when it is it is normally written by general developments doing it here and there as needed, it is not a focus on its own and SQL is rapidly evaporating today for various reason. Software development is big but nothing called “database development” is going to be around for long, if anything like that even still remains.

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It sounds like your interest is in development, not IT. A+ is purely IT and purely helpdesk IT. I don’t think that this is a path you should be investigating. No amount of IT experience is going to get you into software engineering. You need to go down the development path.

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Great advice here!

I do have more of an interest in the software side of things, but the job postings I see for X,Y,Z technologies usually require around 3 years of experience; so I figured, hey let me get some IT certs and try to work my way up on the hardware side ( help desk → junior dba/network admin ), while building a solid portfolio of web applications and make a cross over to software engineering.

P.S. My current job has no little upward mobility, so I’m eager to jump into and work my way up in IT.

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“Concerning long term prospects, I’m really interested in database development/administration and web application development” : With respect to your goals A+ would not really help you and you have to pay to take the exam therefore increasing your debt that you could use to pay towards another college class. My advice would be for you to look at the certifications that will help you reach your goal.

Degree: A degree in the tech industry is really just a check in a box. You want to prove to the company that you can actually do the job that they are going to hire you for. If you walk into a server room that is down and the company requires that server room to do business, trying to remember what your text books taught you might screw you in the end. Experience is the key. A degree is required by a lot of companies/government agencies and what not but if you can prove to them you actually have the experience to do their job and SAVE THEM MONEY then you will have a better chance at landing it.

This link from Eli the Computer Guy is a few years dated but the information is still very valuable for new guys such as yourself.

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Just be aware that normally IT work is not considered experience in software development. So even putting in twenty years doing helpdesk support or systems engineering won’t necessarily count for anything as SE is a completely different field. That people actually demand three years of experience is less likely that they expect it to be in the same field for which they are hiring.

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Scott advice is right on the money A+ will be waste of time for you. I worked with gentleman a few years ago at a local computer store who was finishing up in computer programming and software design. At the time of his graduating he land a job opportunity with a firm that was willing to train him with pay in working with their proprietary software within their architect.

After some discussion with him he explain to me that was the solution for him that provided a good income for him so he can have a life and be able to pay his student loan. He found this with a head hunter who was able to take his skills and education and put his resume at his present employer…However his experience as a tech might have been helpful however it was not the wow factor. It What he acquire from his education and his ability to learn what they were going to train in was the factor. If my memory serves me right his starting salary was in the high 70k bracket.

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You’re looking for a career in development, not systems administration. Two very different career paths. An IT helpdesk is not your best starting point. You should be looking for junior/intern-level software development/engineering or DBA jobs. And the A+ cert is almost useless for an IT person, let alone a development person.

For certs I would recommend looking at some Oracle and Microsoft developer/database admin tracks:

http://education.oracle.com/pls/web_prod-plq-dad/db_pages.getpage?page_id=39