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So, why would you be leaving the midwest...with your jobs and your home? Just wondering about that. You can raise a family in midwest very well and seems like you are both doing well. Do you not like the lifestyle or maybe the weather? I moved from midwest recently, but I didn't have a whole lot nor am I in a relationship. Good luck either way, Seattle is a great place.
We have wanted to leave for some time, but always thought it was just too much for us to do. But recently, we just decided the timing would never be perfect, so we should just do it now.
The midwest is just.... well, it's the midwest. We hate the winters, but it's not really about the weather so much as the atmosphere here. It's hard to describe, and our reasons are numerous, but it basically comes down to just wanting a different type of lifestyle than what can be had around here.
Don't let anyone tell you that you can't make it here. You don't have to live in the hippest, trendiest areas or the very best school district. If you do, you may find housing to be very pricey, but if you're willing to live someplace a little less hip and sought after or a school district that's merely good, you'll be just fine.
Trust me, we will not be looking for the hippest area. Just like every other family, we want somewhere safe and affordable. Location will be important, but convenience is my biggest concern, not coolness.
Well, trust me on this - it's a lot easier to make it as a network guy than it is a programmer, especially once you pick a specialty be it wireless, security, R&S, VoIP, or design. And once you achieve your higher level certifications, a lot more profitable, all without having to put in the 90 hour work weeks the programmers have to give up.
Now that being said, I'll have to retract what I said about the job market being easy here, just because I don't know what the market is for junior level admins. Your original post stated he was "very good" at what he does, which implied to me some seniority. You'll have to do some digging to see what the market would be like for him.
Again, FWIW, he has what seems like a dozen CompTIA certifications and his CCNA. He will have his MCP soon, and he's debating what to do from there. Originally, he was going to move on to the MCSE, as around here it would be more advantageous to have a well-rounded skill set. But now we're both thinking he may be better off getting a specialty CCNA, either VoIP or wireless (probably wireless). Opinions?
Overall, I'm encouraged by responses. So thanks for that! If my husband can land a good job, my job search can be a bit more relaxed!!
Again, FWIW, he has what seems like a dozen CompTIA certifications and his CCNA. He will have his MCP soon, and he's debating what to do from there. Originally, he was going to move on to the MCSE, as around here it would be more advantageous to have a well-rounded skill set. But now we're both thinking he may be better off getting a specialty CCNA, either VoIP or wireless (probably wireless). Opinions?
Overall, I'm encouraged by responses. So thanks for that! If my husband can land a good job, my job search can be a bit more relaxed!!
If your husband wants to work for one of the big telecoms and other bureaucratic firms, adding to the list of certifications is okay. If he wants to work in a more cutting edge environment (startups, Google, Microsoft, etc.), I'd advise him to build up a list of projects/work that he can present as examples.
Oh, one cert is unfortunately pretty important for most of the higher end jobs (without a personal introduction): a four year degree. It doesn't have to be from a top tier school. Just have the degree. If he doesn't have that, maybe the other certs and the doors they open are a decent plan.
IOh, one cert is unfortunately pretty important for most of the higher end jobs (without a personal introduction): a four year degree. It doesn't have to be from a top tier school. Just have the degree. If he doesn't have that, maybe the other certs and the doors they open are a decent plan.
Again, FWIW, he has what seems like a dozen CompTIA certifications and his CCNA. He will have his MCP soon, and he's debating what to do from there. Originally, he was going to move on to the MCSE, as around here it would be more advantageous to have a well-rounded skill set. But now we're both thinking he may be better off getting a specialty CCNA, either VoIP or wireless (probably wireless). Opinions?
Overall, I'm encouraged by responses. So thanks for that! If my husband can land a good job, my job search can be a bit more relaxed!!
There is no such thing as the MCSE anymore. I mean, there is, but it's being phased out and is essentially useless. The new server cert is MCITP.
My recommendation (as someone who's been in this industry for close to a decade and a half now) is to pick a specialization and run with it. Having networking certs and server certs is all well and good if you're trying to find a small company looking for a generalist, but it's not the way to the largest paychecks - nor is it the most secure niche, as managed services have cannibalized the generalist field.
The CompTIA certs are essentially worthless, so he doesn't need to focus anymore on those. The CCNA is a good one to have. Adding a specialization to it, and then starting in with the NP exams would be a smart way to go. UNLESS he likes servers more, in which case he needs to focus more on the Microsoft certs and ignore the Cisco stuff.
Security pays the most, but it also takes the most skill. VoIP pays well, but has the unfortunate side effect of typically being a short term contractor's position, as once a VoIP network is set up and trust boundaries are established, companies rarely need a dedicated VoIP guy anymore. Wireless has some play, but you've really gotta dig for a position that requires it. Usually you'll end up working for a company that does a lot of conventions and trade shows, because they have to build up and then tear down wireless networks consistently. Or there's always the classic R&S (routing and switching). It's really all you need to get your foot in the door with most places.
The one thing to consider with regards to Seattle though, is that there are a lot of techies up here. Whatever he does, he'll have to augment his skillset with some one-offs. On the networking side, that typically means F5 certifications or SonicWALL or the like. On the server side, VMWare.
The guy above me stated he'd need a 4 year degree. That guy is dead wrong (and I find myself wondering if he really works for Google at this point, since I know for a fact Google doesn't care one lick about degrees, save for project manager roles or the like). IT is the one industry where your degree essentially means nothing. IT departments know that whatever you learn in college is only technologically relevant for about 6 years. Just about any job in tech you find will say "bachelor's degree...or equivalent experience". The latter is what they will prefer except in very rare scenarios with slow-adapting companies (PACCAR comes immediately to mind). Most hiring people don't even look at a person's education when they're hunting for an IT person.
There is no such thing as the MCSE anymore. I mean, there is, but it's being phased out and is essentially useless. The new server cert is MCITP.
My recommendation (as someone who's been in this industry for close to a decade and a half now) is to pick a specialization and run with it. Having networking certs and server certs is all well and good if you're trying to find a small company looking for a generalist, but it's not the way to the largest paychecks - nor is it the most secure niche, as managed services have cannibalized the generalist field.
The CompTIA certs are essentially worthless, so he doesn't need to focus anymore on those. The CCNA is a good one to have. Adding a specialization to it, and then starting in with the NP exams would be a smart way to go. UNLESS he likes servers more, in which case he needs to focus more on the Microsoft certs and ignore the Cisco stuff.
Security pays the most, but it also takes the most skill. VoIP pays well, but has the unfortunate side effect of typically being a short term contractor's position, as once a VoIP network is set up and trust boundaries are established, companies rarely need a dedicated VoIP guy anymore. Wireless has some play, but you've really gotta dig for a position that requires it. Usually you'll end up working for a company that does a lot of conventions and trade shows, because they have to build up and then tear down wireless networks consistently. Or there's always the classic R&S (routing and switching). It's really all you need to get your foot in the door with most places.
The one thing to consider with regards to Seattle though, is that there are a lot of techies up here. Whatever he does, he'll have to augment his skillset with some one-offs. On the networking side, that typically means F5 certifications or SonicWALL or the like. On the server side, VMWare.
The guy above me stated he'd need a 4 year degree. That guy is dead wrong (and I find myself wondering if he really works for Google at this point, since I know for a fact Google doesn't care one lick about degrees, save for project manager roles or the like). IT is the one industry where your degree essentially means nothing. IT departments know that whatever you learn in college is only technologically relevant for about 6 years. Just about any job in tech you find will say "bachelor's degree...or equivalent experience". The latter is what they will prefer except in very rare scenarios with slow-adapting companies (PACCAR comes immediately to mind). Most hiring people don't even look at a person's education when they're hunting for an IT person.
I think some confusion is coming from what one actually classifies as an "IT Job." To many, that's a pretty large umbrella with a lot of disciplines underneath it. To others, if you don't have a "hands-on techy job" then you're not in IT (So technical PMs and the like wouldn't be in "IT" since they typically only manage IT projects/initiatives, not actually do the "IT work" itself).
Regarding your Google comments, I think you and the previous poster were both right. From what I understand via colleagues, it really depends on the job/specialization you're going for. For networking/server type work, I agree with you. They want the experience moreso than the degrees.
However, if you look at jobs such as senior software engineers where they're after some pretty hardcore computer science and math skills, Google really, really likes someone with a solid Masters or PhD. It's been nearly a year now, but I read an interesting article stating how Google is hungry for PhDs... I'll have to see if I can dig it up.
Generally speaking, I think the key is to have a vision of where you want to be. Don't just collect degrees or certifications for the heck of it. Have a 3/5/10 year plan and do your homework on what makes you the most marketable with wherever it is you want to ultimately land. If it's degrees, then go for it. If it's certs, then have at it.
Obviously, as has been said, don't sacrifice experience for the sake of education. It's really a both/and question these days (for many career paths, at least). I did my education + certs while working full-time and don't regret it at all. I kept school debt to a minimum and more importantly, had daily real-life experiences to bring my education back to. It wasn't just theory to me, I was able to actively see what worked and what didn't work.
To the OP, good luck. As long as you both work hard, I'm sure you'll be fine. It sounds like you have a good foundation.
The guy above me stated he'd need a 4 year degree. That guy is dead wrong (and I find myself wondering if he really works for Google at this point, since I know for a fact Google doesn't care one lick about degrees, save for project manager roles or the like). IT is the one industry where your degree essentially means nothing.
My userid at Google is the same as I used for this board. Send me an email @google.com and see if I reply. Hard to have that email account without being a currently employed Googler.
What you know for a fact is exactly the opposite of the facts. Google cares quite a bit about completed degrees, for better or worse. Getting to an in-person SWE (SoftWare Engineer)/SRE (Site Reliability Engineer) interview without a four year degree takes some very impressive references.
Many other companies have similar biases towards a degree, not because you actually learn anything useful in a BS program but because it shows you can stick out a significant goal over a multi-year period. That some of the things you might learn might help with the job is gravy.
Also, I think Capo is right and we're talking about different things in this thread. I suspect that SRE positions at Google are most similar to the "IT" positions you're thinking of and you're right that at most companies, having a degree is irrelevant. While I am a SWE and know the most about SWE requirements, I also know what we're looking for in SRE's and for better or worse, degrees matter at Google.
My userid at Google is the same as I used for this board. Send me an email @google.com and see if I reply. Hard to have that email account without being a currently employed Googler.
What you know for a fact is exactly the opposite of the facts. Google cares quite a bit about completed degrees, for better or worse. Getting to an in-person SWE (SoftWare Engineer)/SRE (Site Reliability Engineer) interview without a four year degree takes some very impressive references.
Many other companies have similar biases towards a degree, not because you actually learn anything useful in a BS program but because it shows you can stick out a significant goal over a multi-year period. That some of the things you might learn might help with the job is gravy.
Also, I think Capo is right and we're talking about different things in this thread. I suspect that SRE positions at Google are most similar to the "IT" positions you're thinking of and you're right that at most companies, having a degree is irrelevant. While I am a SWE and know the most about SWE requirements, I also know what we're looking for in SRE's and for better or worse, degrees matter at Google.
Really? Because I have an @Google account, and I don't work for Google, nor have I except as a consultant. Came close once, but they wanted me to move to The Dalles, Oregon. Dealbreaker.
See, what you (and Capo) are talking about is the programming side of IT. When was the last time you had to go learn new C++ disciplines or the like? You don't, so a degree stays relevant longer. Plus that, comp. sci degrees require an absolutely absurd amount of math courses. Math courses which are completely useless on the hardware side of things, but essential to a programmer. But the OP wasn't talking about her s/o having a programming background - she was talking about him having a networking background. Which is a field that is *constantly* evolving and changing, and which requires a relentless amount of keeping up with those changes. Very little of what I learned in college is even remotely relevant today. I'd say maybe 5%. On this side, the hardware side, the degree is useless. I have one from MIT, and you know how many jobs it's gotten me? 1, my first one. Not a one since; it's all been on the strength of my experience and current certifications.
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