** Official IT Thread ** - Come in for some tech!

[jerzyfit]

you're on call for a friday only?

Fridays and alternating weekends. So once every 3-4 weeks I have to do a weekend on-call. The nice thing is if anything happens, I do it all from home. I don't go in for any critical issues.

[Iczer]

Fridays and alternating weekends. So once every 3-4 weeks I have to do a weekend on-call. The nice thing is if anything happens, I do it all from home. I don't go in for any critical issues.

That wouldn't be bad. I'm on call for a week at a time. I can do everthing remotely as well, unless it's something hardware related that I need to touch.

[zafeer20]

Any brahs in the NOVA area in this thread? I currently am on a contract at Mitre which ends in September, would love to hear if you guys have any openings at your place. Also what are your thoughts on C# vs. Java, I want to pursue learning a language on the side. Thanks.

[Ace Thedics]

Started new job this week. Definitely a big change, going to really have my hands full for the coming months.

Another thing that stood out to me is that I'm literally one of the youngest guys around. Makes things a little weird when everyone is talking about wife, kids, etc and I'm 27 with none of that.

[SynapticCleft]

Started new job this week. Definitely a big change, going to really have my hands full for the coming months.

Another thing that stood out to me is that I'm literally one of the youngest guys around. Makes things a little weird when everyone is talking about wife, kids, etc and I'm 27 with none of that.

Tech companies usually draw the younger crowd. The NOC im in, we're all in our mid to late 20s.

[SwiftRick]

IT brahs.

I'm leaning towards 80% of leaving med school to pursue health IT. srs.

I'm just scared to make the move.

I want a good work/life balance to enjoy life
I want to make decent $ around 60k and work my way up
I want to have $ to travel the world
I'm hoping IT will pay for me to travel and do work in different states/country

Any advice brahs?

[depaulhifi]

Also what are your thoughts on C# vs. Java, I want to pursue learning a language on the side. Thanks.

They're very similar languages and both are in high demand. If I had to pick between the two, I would go for C#, as it's in the .NET universe, which is absolutely massive. Also, .NET seamlessly integrates with SQL Server, which is what most shops run on the back end. Here's a great site to get your feet wet with C#: http://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.c...beginners-8295

IT brahs.

I'm leaning towards 80% of leaving med school to pursue health IT. srs.

I'm just scared to make the move.

I want a good work/life balance to enjoy life
I want to make decent $ around 60k and work my way up
I want to have $ to travel the world
I'm hoping IT will pay for me to travel and do work in different states/country

Any advice brahs?

First off, you should be scared. Srs.

Here's the deal on the IT world brah:

You can have a great work life balance in IT, but you probably won't get it right away. It all depends on the position and the company.
Entry level IT jobs (read: help desk) start around $35k. If you're a programmer and have 1+ years of legit experience with a hot language you might get lucky and land a gig at $50k+
Unless you already have the money to travel the world, it might be a while before you make enough in IT to travel. I hear Cleveland is nice this time of year.
Entry level IT brahs don't get to travel. I'm sure there are exceptions, but they usually send the senior guys to do the off-site work.

Given that you're already 80% through med school, which I'm sure wasn't cheap, I would recommend against making the jump. IT is a great field, but the golden days of starting out at $60k are loooooonnnnggggg gone.

This is all based on my experience over 10 years in the IT field; I'm sure my fellow IT brahs will chime in with their own experiences.

[jason_bh]

They're very similar languages and both are in high demand. If I had to pick between the two, I would go for C#, as it's in the .NET universe, which is absolutely massive. Also, .NET seamlessly integrates with SQL Server, which is what most shops run on the back end. Here's a great site to get your feet wet with C#: http://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.c...beginners-8295



First off, you should be scared. Srs.

Here's the deal on the IT world brah:

You can have a great work life balance in IT, but you probably won't get it right away. It all depends on the position and the company.
Entry level IT jobs (read: help desk) start around $35k. If you're a programmer and have 1+ years of legit experience with a hot language you might get lucky and land a gig at $50k+
Unless you already have the money to travel the world, it might be a while before you make enough in IT to travel. I hear Cleveland is nice this time of year.
Entry level IT brahs don't get to travel. I'm sure there are exceptions, but they usually send the senior guys to do the off-site work.

Given that you're already 80% through med school, which I'm sure wasn't cheap, I would recommend against making the jump. IT is a great field, but the golden days of starting out at $60k are loooooonnnnggggg gone.

This is all based on my experience over 10 years in the IT field; I'm sure my fellow IT brahs will chime in with their own experiences.

First time posting in the IT thread. But I have to agree with this post. That's my experience as well.

[SwiftRick]

Great advice.

Thanks brah but I'm only a first year med student so loans aren't that bad yet

I am currently interning at an apple store, fixing hardware of mac computers and trouble shooting ipads, iphones etc while studying for my A+. I truly don't mind working my way to the top as I am a very hard worker. I don't like sitting around doing nothing when I'm at work. Srs

Im just comparing 7 years of med school + residency VS 7 years of being in health IT

and Health IT just looks more appealing ATM, even starting at $35k/year

[depaulhifi]

Thanks brah but I'm only a first year med student so loans aren't that bad yet

I am currently interning at an apple store, fixing hardware of mac computers and trouble shooting ipads, iphones etc while studying for my A+. I truly don't mind working my way to the top as I am a very hard worker. I don't like sitting around doing nothing when I'm at work. Srs

Im just comparing 7 years of med school + residency VS 7 years of being in health IT

and Health IT just looks more appealing ATM, even starting at $35k/year

My bad bro, I read your post like you were 80% through med school, not you were 80% wanting to ditch it and get into IT. If you're only in your first year of med school, it wouldn't be so bad to jump ship and get into IT. The good thing is, your expectations are realistic. IT is a great field, and there are millions of things you can do with it; you can do the sysadmin thing like many other brahs in this thread, you can be a database brah like me, a programmer/developer, network admin, security, Unix/Linux, etc. All that being said, you have to work your ass off to really make it happen. You said you were a hard worker, so you'll surely make it happen.

Re: getting your A+ cert; it's a great way to learn the fundamentals of a basic IT job, but be aware it's not work jack chit on your resume.

[omnip0tent]

My bad bro, I read your post like you were 80% through med school, not you were 80% wanting to ditch it and get into IT. If you're only in your first year of med school, it wouldn't be so bad to jump ship and get into IT. The good thing is, your expectations are realistic. IT is a great field, and there are millions of things you can do with it; you can do the sysadmin thing like many other brahs in this thread, you can be a database brah like me, a programmer/developer, network admin, security, Unix/Linux, etc. All that being said, you have to work your ass off to really make it happen. You said you were a hard worker, so you'll surely make it happen.

Re: getting your A+ cert; it's a great way to learn the fundamentals of a basic IT job, but be aware it's not work jack chit on your resume.

Hearing this makes me so sad... just got my A+ and trying to find entry level help desk type stuff. Roads been rough so far

[depaulhifi]

Hearing this makes me so sad... just got my A+ and trying to find entry level help desk type stuff. Roads been rough so far

Don't sweat it brah. A+ cert isn't going to hurt you at all, but the IT job market is flooded with H1B (I know, here I go on the H1B chit again...) workers with MCSEs that are trying to get that same entry level help desk gig you are. A+ doesn't hold much weight in comparison.

Keep on keepin' on brah!!

[omnip0tent]

Well just to add to the discussion... Now that I have my A+, what certs should I consider next? The only one I've looked into is the "CompTIA net+" but im not sure what directions would be best. Assuming A+ is tier 1, how hard are the MCSE certs?

[depaulhifi]

MCSE is pretty much the top level MS cert. They're not easy to get by any means, but they're not prohibitively difficult either. Assuming you're going to pursue a cert in Windows Server, you have to pass the tests on Windows Server install and config, server admin, and advanced server config to get your MCSA cert. You'll probably spend a few hundred bucks on each of those for books, study materials, and the test itself, which usually runs around $150.

I would plan on your MCSA taking a year or so to get. After that, you can take the 2 additional tests on server infrastructure to get your MCSE. It's a long path brah, but worth it in the end.

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en...ification.aspx

[jerzyfit]

I have to give a strong LOL to techexams.net forum. I made a thread about how to balance life/studying to get some opinions. I actually had a moderator message me saying I'm using a forum incorrectly lmao. Saying that I shouldn't respond to everyone's quotes because it would raise my reply count or something? I'm like okay? Just gave him a strong LOL in the reply. Guy was super rude, I was like I don't understand what I did wrong? And, he deleted my thread because I put it in the wrong spot? Didn't even move it lmao. I was like wtf bruh?

[jerzyfit]

MCSE is pretty much the top level MS cert. They're not easy to get by any means, but they're not prohibitively difficult either. Assuming you're going to pursue a cert in Windows Server, you have to pass the tests on Windows Server install and config, server admin, and advanced server config to get your MCSA cert. You'll probably spend a few hundred bucks on each of those for books, study materials, and the test itself, which usually runs around $150.

I would plan on your MCSA taking a year or so to get. After that, you can take the 2 additional tests on server infrastructure to get your MCSE. It's a long path brah, but worth it in the end.

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en...ification.aspx

This is hopefully the path that I'll be taking. Get dat dere Sr. Sysadmin position

[SynapticCleft]

IT brahs.

I'm leaning towards 80% of leaving med school to pursue health IT. srs.

I'm just scared to make the move.

I want a good work/life balance to enjoy life
I want to make decent $ around 60k and work my way up
I want to have $ to travel the world
I'm hoping IT will pay for me to travel and do work in different states/country

Any advice brahs?

top level guys in the field making 65k+ a year do 10hr+ days with several weekends a month doing on call stuff.

You have to really like IT and the systems you're working with. Otherwise you will be miserable doing 10hr long shifts. I get a pump when I fix a priority 1 issue at my company and get a flood of thank you emails. We take bets in NOC on how many boxes of dunkin donuts we get the next day from dept managers or application team for helping the fix their stuff.

[Inclination]

What is everyone's scripting language of choice?

My coworker said Perl, someone in this thread said VBScript, what about Python?

[da2ricky]

Well, just found I'm on call the next few months on Fridays. Lucky, I don't have to go in if something happens. It's all remote which is great. I guess I'll use my Fridays for relaxation, gaming, and studying. I'm the new guy here, so I understand why I got stuck with the Fridays.. das it

ktf. On call this Friday through next Thursday. I pray nothing breaks.

[jason_bh]

Always on call crew.

No over-time crew.

[jerzyfit]

Always on call crew.

No over-time crew.

No over-time here either breh. Brb waking up at 1:30 AM for free.

[SwiftRick]

My bad bro, I read your post like you were 80% through med school, not you were 80% wanting to ditch it and get into IT. If you're only in your first year of med school, it wouldn't be so bad to jump ship and get into IT. The good thing is, your expectations are realistic. IT is a great field, and there are millions of things you can do with it; you can do the sysadmin thing like many other brahs in this thread, you can be a database brah like me, a programmer/developer, network admin, security, Unix/Linux, etc. All that being said, you have to work your ass off to really make it happen. You said you were a hard worker, so you'll surely make it happen.

Re: getting your A+ cert; it's a great way to learn the fundamentals of a basic IT job, but be aware it's not work jack chit on your resume.

My dad is an IT principal. He works 7 - 3 from home and occasionally will be on call. I'm really digging his lifestyle. Vice CEO of the company really likes him. He flys him to different parts of the state just to have lunch with him.

He said once I get experience, get my certifications he can put in a good word for me. But like how he raised me, he wants me to work hard for it. No silver spoon/10.

Hearing this makes me so sad... just got my A+ and trying to find entry level help desk type stuff. Roads been rough so far

Bro just keep applying. I got an internship at apple with no certs at all. I just killed the interview. Wishing you the best of luck

top level guys in the field making 65k+ a year do 10hr+ days with several weekends a month doing on call stuff.

You have to really like IT and the systems you're working with. Otherwise you will be miserable doing 10hr long shifts. I get a pump when I fix a priority 1 issue at my company and get a flood of thank you emails. We take bets in NOC on how many boxes of dunkin donuts we get the next day from dept managers or application team for helping the fix their stuff.

I get hard ons installing SSD into macs lol

[jason_bh]

No over-time here either breh. Brb waking up at 1:30 AM for free.

I rage when that happens. I refuse to answer the phone as well. They leave a voicemail or it doesn't get handled.

[jerzyfit]

I rage when that happens. I refuse to answer the phone as well. They leave a voicemail or it doesn't get handled.

And you don't get fired? Damn, wanna switch?

[jason_bh]

And you don't get fired? Damn, wanna switch?

Nope. When I get woke up I am not coherent enough to talk or think. Plus I am angry. The best thing to do is to submit an email and leave a voicemail. The phone call wakes me up and then I check my email and voicemail. If I need to contact them back I will call.

Since I am not getting paid, they will do it my way. I always take care of the issue. I just refuse to respond immediately. If they were to pay me, then I would be willing to change my protocol.

[jerzyfit]

Nope. When I get woke up I am not coherent enough to talk or think. Plus I am angry. The best thing to do is to submit an email and leave a voicemail. The phone call wakes me up and then I check my email and voicemail. If I need to contact them back I will call.

Since I am not getting paid, they will do it my way. I always take care of the issue. I just refuse to respond immediately. If they were to pay me, then I would be willing to change my protocol.

So if a critical goes off, you just say "eh, I'll get to it when I get to it"????

[seanb1979]

And you don't get fired? Damn, wanna switch?

they expect you to answer calls in the middle of the night? and you work days on top of that? i hope they pay you well

[jason_bh]

So if a critical goes off, you just say "eh, I'll get to it when I get to it"????

No. I get to it. I just don't take the phone call. I don't feel like dealing with my coworkers that sometimes cry wolf that early in the morning. I can't tell you how many times I have been woken up for things that are not really issues. Just a potato sitting behind a chair. That or it's something that can wait until I get in.

[seanb1979]

You guys need to enter the commercial/SMB sector. Oh you want me to work weekends/nights/holidays? $130 an hour please. Oh you need a new server? **dollar signs flashing before my eyes**

[jerzyfit]

No. I get to it. I just don't take the phone call. I don't feel like dealing with my coworkers that sometimes cry wolf that early in the morning. I can't tell you how many times I have been woken up for things that are not really issues. Just a potato sitting behind a chair. That or it's something that can wait until I get in.

Yeah, I hear ya. I pick up the phone regardless, because the phone call is waking me up anyways. I'm only on call for critical things though. Servers down, firewalls down, specific services fail, ect.