When I was in high school, we had to take a career development class to help us figure out what we wanted to be when we “grew up”. In college, I took education courses because I toyed with the idea of becoming a teacher. It wasn’t until recent years that I found a passion for what I do now.
Did you always envision working in IT? If you weren’t in IT, what would you be doing now?
22 Spice ups
What would I be doing if I weren’t in IT?
Something productive…
8 Spice ups
joelrauch
(moskowittz)
4
I did not, in fact all of my HS was working for the family Dry Cleaning business, where I learned alot about customer service.
I was a Chemistry major in college for 3 years, I just didn’t get it and I never enjoyed it…glad I didn’t continue pursuing that.
1 Spice up
When I was in middle school I had a computer education class… it had a broad range of topics that it covered, but I really took to learning HTML. In High School, I took another class where, again, HTML was taught, but I was already extremely advanced. A local company was looking for someone that had that skill set so that’s how I received my first job in “IT”. From there I was brought on as a consultant and learned everything from cabling to server support from my peers. That was almost 20 years ago.
3 Spice ups
Mike400
(Mike400)
6
Astronomer. I was rerouted to Computer Engineering by my four year ROTC scholarship.
2 Spice ups
Originally electrical engineering, then, as life happened, ended up in construction. Then to a manufacturing engineering department just as they were beginning to think about computers… 30 yrs later, still playing around with them…
1 Spice up
It was either IT or aircraft maintenance. Found out the liability behind being an aircraft mechanic and really did not want the responsibility of ensuring that people wouldn’t die on aircraft I worked on.
1 Spice up
d8805
(D8805)
9
Been at it for a couple of decades, but haven’t found myself yet.
Once I do, it will probably be in IT.
4 Spice ups
Peter Gibbons: Our high school guidance counselor used to ask us what you’d do if you had a million dollars and you didn’t have to work. And invariably what you’d say was supposed to be your career. So, if you wanted to fix old cars then you’re supposed to be an auto mechanic.
Samir: So what did you say?
Peter Gibbons: I never had an answer. I guess that’s why I’m working at Initech.
Michael Bolton: No, you’re working at Initech because that question is bullsht to begin with. If everyone listened to her, there’d be no janitors, because no one would clean sht up if they had a million dollars.
Samir: You know what I would do if I had a million dollars? I would invest half of it in low risk mutual funds and then take the other half over to my friend Asadulah who works in securities…
Michael Bolton: Samir, you’re missing the point. The point of the exercise is that you’re supposed to figure out what you would want to do if…
[printer starts beeping]
Michael Bolton: “PC Load Letter”? What the **** does that mean?
12 Spice ups
Didn’t touch computers until first year of college. Was going to go into Police Science but someone at the college told me I’d make more $$ if I went into computers. So I did. As I work with users daily I sometimes think if I made the wrong choice all those years ago.
2 Spice ups
I had no idea what adults did when I graduated from high school. I went to community college but decided I liked sleeping in better. Worked retail, was in a band that was set to tour the USA and Europe so I thought I was going to be a professional musician and that never materialized. I basically “fell back” on my computer abilities at a time when self taught folks like me were in demand in the mid 1990’s and the rest is history. Have thought about going back to school but it would mostly be for vanity or personal enrichment and not for my career.
Alternate career? Did that, sort of, for most of 2014 and 2015 I worked in the beer industry. I would like to find a way back into it as an owner of a brewery or tap room but I am one of those people that is just too afraid of failure to dive in…
2 Spice ups
You don’t want to deal with the same “users” that cops do…
2 Spice ups
I bounced between writing and veterinarian, with most people expecting me to end up a lawyer or accountant. Turns out we were all wrong and I ended up IT which looking at my past doesn’t seem like it should have been a surprise.
1 Spice up
What would I do if I wasn’t in IT? If IT wasn’t an option… maybe stream on Twitch?
1 Spice up
I have absolutely no clue what I would be doing right now if I weren’t in IT. I always said I would like to own a small restaurant\café and work the hours I wanted.
1 Spice up
wooditguy
(Wood IT Guy)
17
Never ever did I think I’d be in broadcast IT/engineering but here I am. I knew I wanted to do SOMETHING with computers, just didn’t know what or how to get started.
That, or, ya know, record label owner, audio engineer? band member? lol \m/
1 Spice up
I was sick the day that my school did the whole “what do you want to be, where do you want to go” day. So all my friends gave my info to the FIDM-Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. Moral of the story kids: BE THERE. You don’t have to decide, but learn your options and avenues.
What would I do if I could do anything? Hmm…MLB umpire, chef/owner of a pub, Navy SEAL.
2 Spice ups
My first career was 22 years in the U.S. Army being in combat arms. This being my second career I fell into the job by knowing a lot about PC’s and networks from working on my own gear.
1 Spice up
I did 1 year of pro audio (learning to be a recording studio engineer) before switching to IT. I still play music and record for fun.
1 Spice up
