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Old 11-15-2011, 11:18 AM
 
Location: Censorshipville...
4,437 posts, read 8,132,491 times
Reputation: 5021

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Quote:
Originally Posted by VRE332 View Post
Yea I eventually went back part-time and got it after getting back on my feet financially and making a company pay for it. It was not fun being broke and eating Ramen.
My company is willing to pay for school, I just have to get my mindset on it. I'm used to sitting in a bookstore drinking java while I study my certification books. So getting into a structured learning environment will take some adjustment.
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Old 11-15-2011, 03:34 PM
 
Location: Springfield
2,765 posts, read 8,330,006 times
Reputation: 1114
Quote:
Originally Posted by oneasterisk View Post
My company is willing to pay for school, I just have to get my mindset on it. I'm used to sitting in a bookstore drinking java while I study my certification books. So getting into a structured learning environment will take some adjustment.
It's completely possible. I had to pretty much quit watching football and make that time sacrifice for schooling. But football was always be there.
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Old 11-15-2011, 05:27 PM
 
Location: Loudoun Cty, Virginia
738 posts, read 2,957,460 times
Reputation: 630
Quote:
Originally Posted by Novadhd5150 View Post
Anyway i feel all news grads should pay their dues just like I did. It just does not build a whole lot of character when you start out right away with big money.
I took a lot of crap jobs like retail sales, server, telemarketer, pizza delivery etc..Just before I finally started my career a few years later. I also wasnt sure what i really wanted to do since I wasnt having any luck with my major and job prospects.
I went to college so that I did not have to do jobs like that. Those are the types of jobs I did when I was in high school and early college. You get a college degree so that you dont have to do "crap" jobs.

I was an engineering major that graduated in 2008. The majority of my peers and classmates had salaries in the range of $55-75k depending on job location, grades, previous intern experience, networking/negotiating skills, etc.

I'd encourage any students that are currently in college to work as many internship opportunities as they can. It really helped me with networking and experience which lead to multiple offers; that in turn gave me some negotiating room when fresh out of school.
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Old 11-15-2011, 07:54 PM
 
126 posts, read 304,041 times
Reputation: 48
Quote:
Originally Posted by oneasterisk View Post
My company is willing to pay for school, I just have to get my mindset on it. I'm used to sitting in a bookstore drinking java while I study my certification books. So getting into a structured learning environment will take some adjustment.
Let me guess IT?
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Old 11-16-2011, 06:16 AM
 
Location: Censorshipville...
4,437 posts, read 8,132,491 times
Reputation: 5021
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike10 View Post
Let me guess IT?
Gold star! Rather than go to traditional school, I've just been getting certifications in various technologies and the real world experience. So I guess I'll get the sheepskin just to say I have one...
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Old 11-16-2011, 11:56 AM
 
Location: NC
1,225 posts, read 2,420,857 times
Reputation: 673
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoHokiesGo View Post
I went to college so that I did not have to do jobs like that. Those are the types of jobs I did when I was in high school and early college. You get a college degree so that you dont have to do "crap" jobs.

I was an engineering major that graduated in 2008. The majority of my peers and classmates had salaries in the range of $55-75k depending on job location, grades, previous intern experience, networking/negotiating skills, etc.

I'd encourage any students that are currently in college to work as many internship opportunities as they can. It really helped me with networking and experience which lead to multiple offers; that in turn gave me some negotiating room when fresh out of school.
I did go to college the only difference if that you had a engineering degree and mine was liberal arts. Some of those jobs mentioned were in between jobs type of things too. I also did an internship but I didnt go about it the right way. IE starting in a small market (broadcast journalism(
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Old 11-16-2011, 01:09 PM
 
126 posts, read 304,041 times
Reputation: 48
Quote:
Originally Posted by oneasterisk View Post
Gold star! Rather than go to traditional school, I've just been getting certifications in various technologies and the real world experience. So I guess I'll get the sheepskin just to say I have one...
If you could do it all over again, would you have went to college first? I have a friend who's about to graduate with an IT degree and is in the same predicament. Has it been beneficial for you to pick up certs along the way or do you feel that the "college-educated" kids that graduated hs with you and went on into IT are more successful monetary and position wise than yourself?
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Old 11-16-2011, 02:52 PM
 
Location: Censorshipville...
4,437 posts, read 8,132,491 times
Reputation: 5021
I actually did a semester at NVCC right out of high school and I didn't like it. It felt like an extension of high school, way too structured and confining. I've been able to get 12 years of real world implementation experience, the certifications to show I'm familiar with the products and none of the loans associated with going to college. I've been earning a salary while my peers have been in school. That early salary allowed me buy a house with my brother when I was 23, all my vehicles are paid off, I was able to purchase a rental property at 29 and I've been contributing to a retirement account since I was 20. Plus I got to travel around the country on someone else's dime. I'm 31, make a 6 figure salary and have a "Senior" in my job title. I think I chose the right path for myself.

I don't really keep up with many high school classmates. I don't do Facebook, so who knows what they're all doing at this point. I worked with a guy I went to high school with at one contract and he was in IT too. He too didn't go to college either but he did own a M3 so I guess he was doing OK. I ran into one classmate at the grocery store a few months ago. She graduate from UVA and was doing pretty well for herself, but she did say she wished she had a gov't job after I mentioned I went to a federal position recently.
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Old 01-15-2012, 01:12 PM
 
126 posts, read 304,041 times
Reputation: 48
^ Good for you for getting the fed job!!!! Even though I think my job in the contracting world is "secure" because of the type of work we do, there's always that numbing sense of uncertainty that wanders in my head. Plus the matching matching TSP and pension is icing on the cake.
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Old 01-15-2012, 05:03 PM
 
167 posts, read 496,214 times
Reputation: 93
Quote:
Originally Posted by Novadhd5150 View Post
50K right out of college? Hard to beliieve. Guess i picked the wrong major.
Hard to believe?? I was offered 70k right out of undergrad back in 2006. I chose another job with lower salary though. Yeah yeah I know I'm stupid but I'm glad I made that choice. Money isn't everything to me.

My brother who was an IT major just started working 3 months ago. His starting salary was somewhere between 62-65k.
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