What's a good field to get into for an education with computers?

[DeliveryGodNoah_v1legacy]

My current understanding of computers, how they work, how to fix them, how to optimize them, how to diagnose them, and how to troubleshoot them is decent. Above average I would say. I have fun building computers, poking around in electronics, and learning about them.

I bring this up because it's about time I start looking into furthering my education, but I haven't the slightest idea where to start, and I was wondering, based on your personal experience, what a good field would be to get into.

Let me say this: I've only have built computers as a hobby, most of my education came from being self-taught and an A+ Certification Class I took in high school (where I learned the bulk of the basics of computers and how they work, how to repair them, and how to set up a basic network). I have fun building them, but I don't know much about the details or specifics about how they work, such as the code they use to communicate, or how they send information between each other. That stuff I have the most basic, rudimentary understanding. I can learn pretty quickly and have a willingness to learn, I just don't know what I should start learning.

What would be a viable field of computers/technology (in your opinion) that I should look into?

Would a community college offering courses be a decent option, or should I try to look for something that specializes in teaching these kinds of things?

 

[I can't enter my old name]

If you just want to install, fix, or troubleshoot computers, like computer repair shops, you don't really need any qualifications.

If you want to build PCBs and devices for big companies, you need a bachelors in CE or EE minimum. Bear in mind that CE and EE are very physics heavy, so if you are bad at physics don't take this field. Also since the market is smaller and extremely competitive, you'll most likely use that degree for programming anyways.

For programming look into CS, SE, or IT. These are more programming focused with discrete math. Or you could get a Mathematics degree with a minor in something computer related.

Programming makes up most computer related jobs, if not most STEM jobs. You don't really need a degree, but that seems more aimed for the 40 year old self-taught/college dropout with 20 years experience back when times were simpler. The majority of computer programmers have at least a bachelors in something.

The entry-level market is so saturated, big companies are looking for STEM degrees from high ranking state colleges and engineering schools with lots of internships. Unless you graduated from MIT, if you don't have the experience, finding an entry-level job will be extremely difficult. That means your degree is pretty much useless and is only used to pass the automated resume rejector.

You could get a job with a smaller company by being self taught or having an associate degree, but I'm not sure how common that is. Either way you need to put a lot of effort to stand out to a company, big or small.

My advice would be just to take a course at your community college in Java, C++, Python, or whatever they teach nowadays. Even if you don't want to program, most degree plans related to computers force you to learn one object-orientated programming language anyways. Also take some digital logics and circuitry course.

If you truly want to pursue this track, then you can take a bunch of prerequisites in community college and save a fortune, and then transfer to a state college.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

What would be a viable field of computers/technology (in your opinion) that I should look into?

AI and deep Learning seems to be all the rage now.

 

[SupahEwok]

If you want to get into programming or electrical engineering, you need to either have a willingness to run your own business inventing stuff, or you need to go to college to get your qualifications to be accepted into a desk job. If you want to be a technician, you don't need a 4 year degree at entry level (as a matter of fact, it may over qualify you). Comptia also has their Network and Security certifications; if you have those and A+, you're good to go to be entry level technical support at any big or small company. If you go that way, you'll eventually need to get a 4 year degree in something in order to qualify to move up to management at a big company, although a small or mid-size one probably won't care. It wouldn't matter a whole lot what you got the degree in, they just want you to be "educated".

Best place to earn those certifications would either be self-study or a local/online technical school.

Bear in mind that entry level technical support isn't gonna pay hugely, cuz it doesn't take much in training to get it (if you can self-teach yourself a job in 6 months of dedicated studying, its not going to be worth much since there's plenty of people able to do it). You'll have to specialize at some point to advance, and what opportunities you have there will be dependent on what the company you're working for wants to get out of you.

You may want to invest into a general two year degree at community college so that you have the opportunity to try different things and see if you find something to interest you; it kind of sounds to me as if you're asking about IT cuz you're just fishing for something to do for lack of ideas, and you're only going with this since you have a small head start in it.

 

[Richard Kain]

Web development. It requires technical expertise, but not too much, and there's plenty of room to expand your technical skills once you're into it. There is also a constant demand for web developers. Whether your working on interfaces, server-side scripting, or database management, there's plenty of demand for web developers. Work to be had, and work that pays well. And with how increasingly important the web is becoming, that demand probably isn't going away any time soon.

 

[cathou]

well, i can give you my personal experience even if it may not be quite the same in your country, because i'm in canada. i got what is equivalent in the usa to a 3 years college degree in IT. in canada you must either specialize in netwrok and hardware or programming. a good programmer is not necessary a good field IT tech, and a good field IT tech is not necessary a good programmer.

with this degree i got a job as field IT in an hospital. in canada that job is a governmental job. i'm currently doing an university degree in computer science to be a project analyst.

 

[DeliveryGodNoah_v1legacy]

If you want to get into programming or electrical engineering, you need to either have a willingness to run your own business inventing stuff, or you need to go to college to get your qualifications to be accepted into a desk job. If you want to be a technician, you don't need a 4 year degree at entry level (as a matter of fact, it may over qualify you). Comptia also has their Network and Security certifications; if you have those and A+, you're good to go to be entry level technical support at any big or small company. If you go that way, you'll eventually need to get a 4 year degree in something in order to qualify to move up to management at a big company, although a small or mid-size one probably won't care. It wouldn't matter a whole lot what you got the degree in, they just want you to be "educated".

Best place to earn those certifications would either be self-study or a local/online technical school.

Bear in mind that entry level technical support isn't gonna pay hugely, cuz it doesn't take much in training to get it (if you can self-teach yourself a job in 6 months of dedicated studying, its not going to be worth much since there's plenty of people able to do it). You'll have to specialize at some point to advance, and what opportunities you have there will be dependent on what the company you're working for wants to get out of you.

You may want to invest into a general two year degree at community college so that you have the opportunity to try different things and see if you find something to interest you; it kind of sounds to me as if you're asking about IT cuz you're just fishing for something to do for lack of ideas, and you're only going with this since you have a small head start in it.

Well you hit the head more or less with that last part. I'm recently 25 and just about everyone has expected me to know what I want to do for college or further education for years now and my time to "decide" has been wearing thin, or at least it feels that way.

I'm not sure what I want to do beyond where I already work, but I won't know what I'm sure I'm into until I try something I guess, so that's why I was asking about insight into something I knew I was at least good at learning and had some kind of fun doing so.

 

[cathou]

Well you hit the head more or less with that last part. I'm recently 25 and just about everyone has expected me to know what I want to do for college or further education for years now and my time to "decide" has been wearing thin, or at least it feels that way.

I'm not sure what I want to do beyond where I already work, but I won't know what I'm sure I'm into until I try something I guess, so that's why I was asking about insight into something I knew I was at least good at learning and had some kind of fun doing so.

meh, you know it's never too late to decide what you want to do, i worked a lot in retail and commercial before i decided at almost 30, screw this, i'm not doing this all my life, and i started my college degree part time while i was working. dont put pressure on you. nothing is definitve...