Advice

[Joel Dudley]

I am going to disagree on one point. You don't necessarily need to get a CS
degree. Go to college for something you want to learn, and that you can't
easily teach yourself. I got a microbiology degree and after I graduated I
was hired as a Unix sysadmin. If you are going to do computers as a job then
go to school for it. If computers is your passion and you want to get paid
for it, go to school for another one of your interests and gain work
experience (school help desk, etc). Just my opinion though and I am sure
that many will disagree.

Joel Dudley
Unix System Administrator 
DevelopOnline.com
----------------------------------------
"For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the
story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is
about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock,
he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for
centuries."
- Dr. Robert Jastrow, Founder Goddard Space Flight Institute 



-----Original Message-----
From: Deepak Saxena [mailto:deepak@csociety.purdue.edu]
Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2001 11:07 AM
To: plug-discuss@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us
Subject: Re: Advice



My opinions (which i will probably get flamed for)

1) Get some cheap hardware and start learning how to do things on your
   own as was mentioned before
2) With those skills get an entry level job somewhere
3) Save money and get a degree in CS, but while getting a degree in CS
   make sure you take some classes in low level stuff like architecture.
   Or if a full college degree is not what you're interesested in, just
   take the relevant classes or pick up a book.  The key is don't
   just learn how to setup a network and a web server, etc, learn how
   this stuff works.

   Why step 3 you make ask? b/c IMHO having a good understanding of
   how computers work from top to bottom instead of just how to 
   use the tools to do the job will let you do your job much better.
   It will also make you much more flexible down the road and I 
   think it makes it easier to pick up new technologuies.
   People may disagree with this, but I have seen enough IT people
   (both Windows and Un*x) who have NO CLUE about how computers actually 
   works that I would highly reccomend as much as you can about 
   computers, not just high level networking stuff.

~Deepak

On Mar 21 2001, at 10:02, Tyler Hall was caught saying:
> Greetings,
> 
> I need your guy's advice,  I'm hoping to get into the field of networking
in the near future.  Such as, managing a school or a company's network.
I'm going to school right now at Chandler-Gilbert Community College, to get
this stupid degree in "Microsoft Networking"  I think it's a waste of my
time and money.   I'm looking for someone that is in that field, and would
be willing to tell me, what steps I should take.  I currently just graduated
from high school, so i'm still young.   Any advice would be helpful.   
> 
> Please reply privately, so we don't disturb the public list :) 
> 
> Tyler Hall
> 
> "Goddam it, you'll never get the Purple Heart hiding in a foxhole! Follow
me!" 
> - Captain Henry P. "Jim" Crowe (Guadalcanal, January 13, 1943) 

-- 
Deepak Saxena - deepak@csociety.purdue.edu - phone://602.790.0500

Code Monkey, MontaVista Software, Inc. - THE Embedded Linux Experts

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