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I have been debating what I should go forward with as far as a career in life and one thing that pops up from time to time is a Unix System/Security Administration career - computers for those aren't aware basically. I know Chicago to some isn't the best as far as the Tech Sector but I want to stay in Chicago - I am very happy here. So, with that said, what schools would you guys recommend I look into that is in the city as far as computers go? Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. I left a business I have basically owned since I was 18, and desperately need to get into some school and this seems to be something I am very interested - plus many other things but this thread will be about that for the time.
I know I need to look around myself, go look at places and so forth and so on but if anyone knows what "Chicago" is looking for when it comes to a computer science degree in system administration or something similar that would be from a local school - that is what I am interested in. Seems Columbia doesn't do anything beyond and IIT and Devry keep coming up so I am looking into those at the moment. Any thoughts are encouraged.
You really need to be more specific. Do you have an undergrad degree? What sort of business did you own? What sort of skills do you already have?
I am big advocate of getting the best education you can for a variety of reasons, but there are all kinds of career options in and around Chicago that have nothing to do with having the kind of knowledge you would get by going to a University.
Healthcare careers are definately hotter than anything in IT. For some specialties you could easily make $60K with only an associates degree from a community college. TRITON
If you have a bachelor's degree, mathematical aptitude and ability to assess financial risk there are career paths that could be widely lucrative in Financial Markets IIT Stuart | MS Financial Markets (http://www.stuart.iit.edu/cfm/concentrations/trading_strategies.shtml - broken link)
You really need to be more specific. Do you have an undergrad degree? What sort of business did you own? What sort of skills do you already have?
I am big advocate of getting the best education you can for a variety of reasons, but there are all kinds of career options in and around Chicago that have nothing to do with having the kind of knowledge you would get by going to a University.
Healthcare careers are definately hotter than anything in IT. For some specialties you could easily make $60K with only an associates degree from a community college. TRITON
If you have a bachelor's degree, mathematical aptitude and ability to assess financial risk there are career paths that could be widely lucrative in Financial Markets IIT Stuart | MS Financial Markets (http://www.stuart.iit.edu/cfm/concentrations/trading_strategies.shtml - broken link)
Unfortunately I do not have an Undergraduate Degree at the moment - it was a family owned floor care company that I got kinda pulled into as a kid and stuck with until I recently left. Thanks for the info on health care and computer science links. I will be looking into that for sure. I just simply need to get into school and start from the beginning and take it from there. Thanks for the info.
If you are going to go to school full time there are lots of options, from community college to really very pricey programs at the local private schools.
If you have the need/desire/ability to work while going to class in the evenings/weekends that is also a good route, and one that works really well at DePaul.
Not sure what sort of skills you've learned in the previous business would translate directly, though an 'entrepreneurial' mindset is something that many employers claim to look for, and you would probably be better equipped to run your own business...
Depending upon your age/ability to relocate/desire to stay in the area there are tons of opportunities in the region, it is all about applying yourself and building skills.
I have been debating what I should go forward with as far as a career in life and one thing that pops up from time to time is a Unix System/Security Administration career - computers for those aren't aware basically. I know Chicago to some isn't the best as far as the Tech Sector but I want to stay in Chicago - I am very happy here. So, with that said, what schools would you guys recommend I look into that is in the city as far as computers go? Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. I left a business I have basically owned since I was 18, and desperately need to get into some school and this seems to be something I am very interested - plus many other things but this thread will be about that for the time.
I know I need to look around myself, go look at places and so forth and so on but if anyone knows what "Chicago" is looking for when it comes to a computer science degree in system administration or something similar that would be from a local school - that is what I am interested in. Seems Columbia doesn't do anything beyond and IIT and Devry keep coming up so I am looking into those at the moment. Any thoughts are encouraged.
The basic decision you have to make, even in computer science, is whether you want to go the professional route or if you just want to learn enough to get a job.
If you are interested in the professional, ie, engineering route do not - repeat - DO NOT waste your time even considering De Paul or U of C, as neither have a colleges of engineering and consequently will not get you one dime of respect as an engineer. If you want to be an engineer, your only real choices in this town are UIC, Northwestern or IIT, and frankly, you'd be nuts to pick anything but UIC unless mommy, daddy, or your rich uncle are willing to pay the tuition differential.
If you just want to get a job, on the other hand, then De Paul is probably the way to go. You may be tempted by UIC's (relatively) cheap tuition, but because it is an accredited engineerring school, you will be forced to first experience the joys of chemistry, physics, differential equations, thermodynamics, industrial engineering, electronic circuits, and a thousand other brutally hard and unrelated to your specialty math and engineering courses before you are allowed to take one class in what you came to learn in the first place.
U of C is the most brutal (and expensive) school on the planet and is far from downtown, so unless you have a really good reason to be there (and getting a job outside of academia is NOT a good reason to be there), you should steer clear and leave it to people who DO have a good reason to be there, like child geniuses from Bangladesh.
DePaul, on the other hand, caters to students in general and continuing students in particular, and because it is a teaching, not a research, university their offerings are far more tailored to the job market.
A general rule of thumb in IT (and I suppose most other careers too), is that, where there's a shortage of skills in the market place, the architects and engineers who have these skills are getting a nice pay check. You want to select a career that's in demand or will be in demand.
Here's a bit of info. on what I see in the IT job market at the minute.....
IT Security - there's always a shortage of people with good security skills
Cisco - routers, switches and Voice over IP (VOIP) - in demand now and will be for years. I'd strongly suggest looking into this.
UNIX - also a good option. UNIX and IT Security often inter relate to each other
VMware and SAN - these are 2 separate technologies that are progressively gaining popularity as SAN gets cheaper to buy
Software Development - Java and .NET
Software development is very different than all of the other choices above. It's really in demand, but can be a bit repetitive, depending on what you're doing.
Working with Cisco hardware/software can provide you with a challenge, as there’s plenty of troubleshooting involved. And it’s pretty safe to say, that Cisco skills will be in demand for years to come. Food for thought. Good luck with whatever you choose
The basic decision you have to make, even in computer science, is whether you want to go the professional route or if you just want to learn enough to get a job.
If you are interested in the professional, ie, engineering route do not - repeat - DO NOT waste your time even considering De Paul or U of C, as neither have a colleges of engineering and consequently will not get you one dime of respect as an engineer. If you want to be an engineer, your only real choices in this town are UIC, Northwestern or IIT, and frankly, you'd be nuts to pick anything but UIC unless mommy, daddy, or your rich uncle are willing to pay the tuition differential.
If you just want to get a job, on the other hand, then De Paul is probably the way to go. You may be tempted by UIC's (relatively) cheap tuition, but because it is an accredited engineerring school, you will be forced to first experience the joys of chemistry, physics, differential equations, thermodynamics, industrial engineering, electronic circuits, and a thousand other brutally hard and unrelated to your specialty math and engineering courses before you are allowed to take one class in what you came to learn in the first place.
U of C is the most brutal (and expensive) school on the planet and is far from downtown, so unless you have a really good reason to be there (and getting a job outside of academia is NOT a good reason to be there), you should steer clear and leave it to people who DO have a good reason to be there, like child geniuses from Bangladesh.
DePaul, on the other hand, caters to students in general and continuing students in particular, and because it is a teaching, not a research, university their offerings are far more tailored to the job market.
The OP did not ask how to become an engineer. They did not even ask about becoming a "professional" whatever the heck that might be. They asked about options to remain in Chicago with a career in Unix based systems & security ADMINISTRATION.
The links I provided highlight specific paths on how one might achieve those ends.
The University of Chicago program is geared toward people who hold unrelated undergrad degrees, and is probably NOT well suited to the OP, though it is an EXCELLENT program for those who do wish to explore the myriad opportunities that exist in both BUSINESS oriented computational applications/administration as well as those more suited to research frontiers. Computation Institute: ResearchComputer Science Professional Program : Past News
The most effective route to get a job involving computers while pursuing an undergrad degree is almost certainly offered by DePaul. It is far and away the largest such program in the area and well regarded by employers. It is not to be confused with a path to engineering.
For those who wish only to focus on specific technology without getting a degree on the best options is at Harper Community College: Harper College: Advanced IT Certification (http://goforward.harpercollege.edu/page.cfm?p=3075 - broken link)
The OP did not ask how to become an engineer. They did not even ask about becoming a "professional" whatever the heck that might be. They asked about options to remain in Chicago with a career in Unix based systems & security ADMINISTRATION.
The links I provided highlight specific paths on how one might achieve those ends.
The University of Chicago program is geared toward people who hold unrelated undergrad degrees, and is probably NOT well suited to the OP, though it is an EXCELLENT program for those who do wish to explore the myriad opportunities that exist in both BUSINESS oriented computational applications/administration as well as those more suited to research frontiers. Computation Institute: ResearchComputer Science Professional Program : Past News
The most effective route to get a job involving computers while pursuing an undergrad degree is almost certainly offered by DePaul. It is far and away the largest such program in the area and well regarded by employers. It is not to be confused with a path to engineering.
For those who wish only to focus on specific technology without getting a degree on the best options is at Harper Community College: Harper College: Advanced IT Certification (http://goforward.harpercollege.edu/page.cfm?p=3075 - broken link)
You are correct, you touched on the specifics of what I was interested in and I thank you. I am looking into it. Thanks for giving me some basic schools and your opinion on them - exactly what I was looking for.
The OP did not ask how to become an engineer. They did not even ask about becoming a "professional" whatever the heck that might be. They asked about options to remain in Chicago with a career in Unix based systems & security ADMINISTRATION.
And what exactly about the relationship between computer science and the college of engineering don't you understand?
And if you don't know what a "professional" engineer is, that might be worth a Google, too.
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Security, Cisco, UNIX
