Pc Jobs, What to Learn?

[p9l28a]

Hi, guys i have some quastions. Now im 15 years old, i like to spend my time with pcs and learn new things. So guys what are future jobs with pc's and are they worth it ? Like #hours =#$$. I would like to start gettin some money, and learn new things, how-tos etc. So tell me what can i learn that will provide me with money if am good at it, and will give me experices to better job in future, yes im thinkin about collage. Thanks.

[simon275]

At your why dont you try going to your small local computer store and see if you can get a job. To begin with you will probably be just be behind the till. But they will eventually let you start messing around fixing stuff and building systems maybe even if you do well.

If school isn't to intensive you can do like classes in networking I dont know what the situation with that is overseas in US. Then get a job on weekends working in offices helping out. Maybe if you call your local companies and if they have an IT department they may higher you as a desk crawler. Where you do sutff like plugging in cables and other menial computer realted tasks.

Personally I reckon if you want money I think yuo should stick with a nornaml job like working in a chlothes store or fast food store at least you can meet girls that way and get paid =D.

[Slug Toy]

if you know your hardware pretty well, im sure there would be a demand for you at computer shops. it would be smart to apply when school gets back in. that way all the serious students will be quitting, meaning less competition.

if you know software... probably a basic troubleshooting IT job waits for you at a local business.

if you know your games and software... and you have skill and creativity, someone might consider you for some 3D modelling or coding. personally, id stay away from this. i did computer sciences at university for all of about half a semester. my head fried, my grades slipped, interest disappeared altogether, and i saw that the money was better elsewhere. for about the same time input, i can make 4 times the money in geology, plus i get paid to take trips around the world, explore, and tell people what i think happened and what is under their feet... people dont look at the ground much anymore, or the sky for that matter. you get a good workout in geology too... stay in shape.

sit back and look at what you really like. if you think you can handle sitting in front of a computer for 8 hours a day or more for a good portion of your life, by all means get into the computer scene. youve still got a couple years to try things out. maybe by the time you get into post secondary youll see that there are better ways to live/work. and just because its post secondary doesnt mean you HAVE to make a definitive choice and stick with it. i was jumping around from entomology to computer science to carpentry and to construction for the last two years or so before i settled on geology. everything WAS interesting for a while, but ive finally found something good.

youll find something good too eventually. maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not even in the next 5 years. the more you try, the more you know.

why am i saying all this? well, you seem a little undecided. you say you would like to get into computer stuff and learn, but then you also want the money. im sure you want to go places in life too.

from my experiences with IT guys and computer guys in general... its bland. if you LOOOOVE the stuff, its good. if there is any hint that maybe you dont like it... its monotonous and very cut and dry. its the same story as anything else... so much better if you love what you do.

college will get you ready for things in the computer world, but it isnt enough for the heavy duty sciences (if you change your mind and want to go a different route). since im in geology, ive condemned myself to 6 or 7 years of school (bachelors and masters degree). take comfort in the fact that if you play it smart... the time put in to school will come back as better wages and a happier job. this also hinges on trying everything. if you're 15, i would expect that you havent gotten a good taste of the dedicated sciences like chemistry and physics yet. you may not have tried history or geography. you never know what will come up and catch your eye.

well ive managed to ramble on and kind of forget the message i was trying to get across. ill sum it up:

what should you learn? everything, even if it isnt immediately useful. the more you know, the more things will start to fall into place and make sense.

what will get you money? the reality is that in this stage of your life, nothing will pay really good, and it will probably all suck big time. it did for me. just find the best paying job and go with it as long as possible, then get the heck out of there and go back to school.

the most important thing of all: DONT conform, whatever you do. not now, not ever. i dont conform to anything. youve probably seen how i like to argue against well founded knowledge... in the hopes that my crazy ideas might seem right to someone besides me. i actively challenge society to give me a reason to do what the guy beside me is doing... all the time. it keeps things interesting. dont wear a suit just because everyone else does these days. dont take a briefcase with you everywhere. dont drive a toyota corolla. wear, do, and drive what you want and how you want. things will get confusing on a regular basis if you live this way, and many times ive asked myself "what the hell am i doing? why?". but somewhere in the confusion, you can find yourself and understand yourself so much better than any 9 to 5 desk job will ever allow. and then, my friend, you will be ready to take the next step.

[simon275]

I agree with whole science thing. I though chem and physics would be great. After a year I dropped Chem to hard I spent half my time studying for chem and doing chem work. While balancing five other subjects so I dropped it. Physics is fun though "sometimes" I know more then the teacher about stuff. :D.

You will never know what you want to be right up and till yor are in uni. When I was 15 I wanted to be in the Aussie SAS or something but anyway I'm no 18 and I still have no idea. I'm gonna head for something do to with accounting lots of money there =D.

Yeah if you have the slighest niggle about IT then forget it.

[Slug Toy]

that is probably THE biggest thing to do with work and life... the fact that you really dont know until the very last possible minute. like i said, i never knew that geology could be so interesting until i tried it after two years of fumbling.

i bet to a lot of younger people this sounds like a bunch of the standard crap. i remember sitting in CAPP class in grade 10 listening to the same kinds of speeches and thinking id always know what to do. it doesnt work that way.

if you lose your way, dont worry. im sure everyone does. one day it all just falls into place (it did for me, three times actually). you just have a moment, maybe in the classroom, maybe waking up at 5:30 in the morning to take an hour long bus ride, maybe in your free time when nothing much is happening. this moment puts it all into perspective. for me, the moment that sent me on the geology route happened one day at a hospital (i was doing electrical stuff in a third floor renovation). i had stayed in at lunch to finish what i was doing, and no one else was around. i just kind of looked around, blew the drywall dust out of my nose, and said "i cant do this" and stopped the next day. geology was always a plan D in my books, and it was next in line... it was the sweet spot.

see? you must have heard something like that many times before and dismissed it as pointless talking. i sure did. soon, though, youll find that it is more relevant than anything youve ever been told before. this is because everything centers around you and only you.

so to repeat a bit... look at yourself before you look at a career path. if you can understand yourself... you make better choices, and thats what counts.

[nil8]

I've worked a slew of odd jobs and I've been a PC grunt(workstation technician) for 2 years now. It's all about the customer service, as well as the technical ability.

Honestly, I would go for networking if you want stable and good work, but once again, it's all about the service and the ability.

I'm trying to get out of IT and go into psychology, but it's slow going and there's a lot of information(and schooling) there. Still, I'd rather do that then continue doing this for a career because I prefer it as a hobby.

Getting paid to work on computers has the wonderful ability to make you not want to look at one as a hobbyist. It's sad, but true.

If you are infatuated with computers as I was at your age, get some certifications(a+, net+, ccna), get a good stable job and then weigh your options. If nothing else, you've given yourself a secure, decent paying job while you have changed your career.

Or just go to college for something else.

Comp Sci is a dangerous field to get in because of outsourcing, knowledge, and time involved. There's too many programmers in the world these days and the market is full. If you want to teach comp sci, I'm sure you can find work. If you want to work as comp sci, good luck.

If you like to nerd out, go for hard sciences.
If you like something else, explore that and leave computers as a hobby.

[Indybird]

I just turned 15 in April and got a job at the local computer parts & repair store workin on tuesday, thursday and saturday. I got pretty decent hardware and software knowledge, but right now I'm taking calls and workin' the register... :(

Edit: I forgot to mention it's actually a pretty good job :D

[Rankenphile]

Everyone starts at the bottom.

Do your time, put in your hours and take every opportunity afforded to you to shine. People will notice, and you will be rewarded for your extra efforts down the line.

[nil8]

Even if you aren't rewarded now, you still gain the knowledge and the ability to spot when you're not being recognized for your work. It's common and it comes with any job.

[p9l28a]

Wow, thanks guys, alot of info. And guys what ya think about gettin a small bussines now, like make an hosting company or something like that. Anyone did that>?

[Slug Toy]

back when i was doing jewelry in high school, me and a couple friends got it into our heads to start selling the stuff i made. just a small thing... and if it grew we figured we could always go 100% legit.

let me tell you. thats not the easiest thing to do. the biggest problem was coordinating everything. i ended up doing most of the work. one friend was supposed to handle the accounting end, and another was supposed to handle the customers and advertising. i was the work man because i had the skills. eventually i became the work guy, the customer guy, and the accountant. my friends were lazy SOB's.

it failed miserably. i couldnt even get everyone together for a "business" lunch to address this problem. i made $20 out of the whole thing.

if you start your own business... KNOW what you're doing, and try not to get your friends involved.

<EDIT> to add another thing, dont fool yourself about "easy money". thats what i thought about the jewelry thing, and look what happened. it SHOULD have been easy, but it turned into a total botch. owning a business may seem like easy money, but its a lot of responsibility. by all means though, if your dream is to own a business, follow it, and learn things for yourself. if your dream isnt to own a business... its a BIG step to take at 15.

i cant stress enought that you have to know what you're doing when you get into something like that. you may want to do it like nothing before, but that feeling may pass, and there really is no substitute for knowledge.

[simon275]

I started trading on the sharemarket when I was 16 I have made a fair bit that way.

p9l28a the hosting company thing is a bad idea the market is full.

For uni I'm gonna do business and major in banking and It i think. That's if I get the marks and get in. My final exams are in 12 weeks I just had the trial run of them.

Yeah one day it will come to you and you will find your calling heck I might even end up as someting completly different after all this is over.

If I was you p9l28a I'd get a job working with other people your age in a fun environment like a chlothing shop.

[tybrenis]

Wow, thanks guys, alot of info. And guys what ya think about gettin a small bussines now, like make an hosting company or something like that. Anyone did that>?

I started a business when I was 13 years old, selling computer parts online and in my town. Believe it or not, it has sparked many new interests and 3 other businesses. It has made me enough money to buy me a nice car by the time I can drive, and will pay for some of my college. For a 14 year old, it's great having extra money to spend on hobbies and interests, and in my case, building up new businesses.

Do I recomend it to anyone my age? Absolutely not. If you're really serious about going into it, register your business with the state. Get a DBA and a tax license. Register with the IRA as a business and personal income tax payer. Go to the bank and open up a business checking account. That alone scares most kids my age out of ever opening a business.

Not to get down on you opening a business at this age - it's just that it is a hell of a lot of work and even more responsibility. The ladies might dig it - but then again you might find yourself with a hot date you can't attend because you have to do your taxes in highschool.

At this age, it's definately best to get a job working at a department store or restaraunt or small computer store or something. I, unfortunately can't drive at my age and have parents that both work - so I couldn't make it to an afterschool job if I had one. Running a business has worked out for me, but it's also cost me a lot of personal money that I very well could have lost and a lot of time. Not to mention the amount of stress I constantly have on me - it's too much responsibility for a kid.

[.jrauck]

Its kinda funny because im 15 and know more about computers than the people that haver their own computer shops around where I live. Anyone know what a person that works for law in computers?

[meticoeus]

I've never had my own business but I have been around business ppl for quite some years now. Basically the only advise I'm giving you is that if you decide to start a business, you must 100% commited and like tybrenis said, there is tons of stress. On the plus side, it can give you a lot of insight and experience in the business world that can't be as easily garnered any other way if at all.

I've done booking keeping/accounting for for our activities board on campus for the last year and just that was extremely stressful at times. Best of luck whatever you decide to do.