proagony

I'm in high school right now. I've been invited to a college magnet, so I will earn my associates degree while in my 4 years of high school. I have a college fund going, and my parents have nice jobs. Also I make excellent grades, so getting into college should not be an issue. I'm just not sure what I want to specialize in.

I know intermediate CSS, XHTML. And I'm pretty good at it. I can set up a mysql database. I've done this before for personal use.

I absolutely love the feel of computer hardware. Putting computers together is the most fun I've ever had. I've put together my first build in a couple of hours without a single problem. (Thanks mostly to this forum.) But not sure what the availability and pay is for this job.

I'm also quite interested in software development. Like to develop useful software to sell, or even to modify software to make a business more efficient. But I'm worried that sitting behind a desk, going through code would be boring.

I'd like some insight from people in these fields. What is the pay like? What are some things you do? Do you get to work from home often? What kind of jobs are available?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Jadon Smith

blackbeagle

You got a lot of good questions. I'll try to tackle a few. It seems like you have a dilemma of doing the 'software' thing or the 'hardware' thing. Both are very lucrative fields. Both have bright outlooks. With that said, you are going to need to go one way or the other.

There are no 'computer engineer' that does both: programming and network admin. Perhaps maybe if they work for a small firm. Otherwise, it's specialization. That's what will be marketable.

As for software engineer/programmers/developers, they command a higher starting salary but their jobs are more at cyclical than network engineers. You could lose your job just like that to someone in India. Your 'software' project could wrap up and you could find your way out the door. You sit at your desk a lot and could work some odd hours. But like I said, the pay is good and the demand is good. Why? Because not everyone has the skills and talent to be a programmer. Hell, my calculus skills were so bad, I couldn't even do it if I tried.

As for networking, you'll start out entry level making a lot less than programmers. You'll do tech support, bench tech, low level net admin jobs. Everyday is a different day (unless you do tech support on the phone). Like I said, pay is not great but the demand for technicians and network engineers will always be strong. Those jobs will NOT be imported either. Once you gain enough experience 'managing' a network, you could get into Systems Securities. That will be huge. You could command a very high salary if you had experience working in this field.

If you don't want to get into networking, you could do PC repair, but the ceiling is very low. You will top out around $40k/year. PC shops are a dime a dozen. You need to differentiate and diversify. Then you can command a higher salary.

So basically those are your options. Pick an area and go for it.

proagony

Programming, and software engineering seemed pretty cool to me, calculus is not a prob, but I think I would get bored. I need something hands on, not just typing.

I definitely want to be in a career with a good level of advancement. And like you said, working with the hardware (hands on) can't be imported. (Like tech support on the phone)

We have a few career databases available at our school. Also google will help a lot. So I'll look into networking.

I really appreciate your reply.

*EDIT
You mentioned networking being different everyday. That sounds awesome. I absolutely can't stand doing the same exact thing over, and over again.

blackbeagle

My brother is a programmer so I know a lot from talking with him. He makes over 6 figures working for a bank in SF. But his job revolves around projects. He has 2-3 projects per month. When he's done with one, they give him another. It goes on and on. I would say he spends 90 % of the time on the computer and going to meetings. The other 10% is meeting with clients, eating lunch, and going on bathroom breaks. Doesn't sound like a very fun job to me.

Engineer Babar

Hey no.. Computer engineers study both the networking and the Programming.. Although the software part is less as compared to the hardware and networking... But it is there.. Because software and hardware are interconnected.. A computer engineering bachelors degree include both programming and networking.. I am studying my bachelors in Computer System Engineering and I am studying C++ and the networking will come next year..

Engineer Babar

Yeah you are right.. Hardware rocks.. But see if it has a scope in the country you live..

proagony

Can you tell more more? Programming might be a bit boring, but it's great money. And hardware is really fun. You say you are getting a computer engineering bachelors degree with programming AND networking? :O

blackbeagle

I'm going to respectfully disagree with you on this one babar. I've been in the workforce since 1991. Every company I've been with their has been either programmers/developers OR network admins. I've never encountered a single person that did both. They may know a little bit of both, but as for their jobs, none of them did both jobs. They were always separate.

Of course in college, you can get an engineering degree that will teach you both, but that's not the real world. In the real world, there are specialization. Like I said before, unless you work for a small firm where you do both the software/hardware part, it's one or the other.

I work for a large university right now. In our building, there are two network admins/technicians. They can program as well because they learned it in school but they are not our programmers or our software developers. THey don't write anything that we use. They have a team of developers from our corporate HQ that does that.

Engineer Babar

I didn't said that they work both as programmers and network admin.. I only said that we study both the networking and programming..

blackbeagle

Personally I wouldn't recommend going to school for a degree that teaches both, especially in college. In high school if you want to learn both, that's fine. But in college, you need to focus in on the area you're going to spend the rest of your life doing.

That means choosing to become a software engineer/programmer or a network engineer/administrator.

I will take a person that went to a 'tech school' that does specialization over anyone with a Computer Science degree any day of the week.