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I'm currently attending community college for my AA in Computer Technology.. I'm not sure how to obtain internships or promote myself, but I will set this challenge aside for a better time.
In my job I handle accounts (call center) but I would like to translate this experience into something more impressive. Though, I understand I would need additional expertise if I want to get into the corporate/business field.
I understand it isn't possible for me to make 50-60k within the next few years if I'm not already on that path, but the year is fresh and I'm optimistic for the future. What careers or opportunities are out there for young adults with an AA? Ideally something more than 30k so I can get on track to purchasing a few properties leading to my retirement.
Any income before age 21 is good. You'll need to continue your education in order to be able to get up to the median national income which is about 65k. AA is worthless alone. Hopefully you can transfer to a State school to finish the rest for the BA/BS. In the meanwhile IT certs can help you increase your income in the short term. Learn to code or go to a coding bootcamp. Find a start-up employer in your region willing to take the risk to hire local tech talent. You'll of course get lower pay than those with BS/BA but at least you can prove yourself and get your foot in the door. You'll need to start with no-name places that just need ANY tech talent and then go from there.
Any income before age 21 is good. You'll need to continue your education in order to be able to get up to the median national income which is about 65k. AA is worthless alone. Hopefully you can transfer to a State school to finish the rest for the BA/BS. In the meanwhile IT certs can help you increase your income in the short term. Learn to code or go to a coding bootcamp. Find a start-up employer in your region willing to take the risk to hire local tech talent. You'll of course get lower pay than those with BS/BA but at least you can prove yourself and get your foot in the door. You'll need to start with no-name places that just need ANY tech talent and then go from there.
Thank you!! For the refreshing positivity and advice. I don't mean to sound melodramatic, so many naysayers have told me my current goals are impossible or a fantasy. I don't think its impossible, its certainly a challenge but I'm more than willing to hit the pavement and work for it.
I didn't know there were coding bootcamps. I've done a little research and it seems like an amazing program. My campus doesn't offer bootcamps but the university does. Thank you, I'll head up there tomorrow.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jdawg8181
I think $22k/yr is pretty good for a 19 year old. I was making $0/yr when I was 19 because I was in school full-time.
Definitely go on to get your bachelors.
Thank you for sharing. If you don't mind, what is your current financial situation? I've always been curious what happened to peers my age that aren't currently working.
I'm currently attending community college for my AA in Computer Technology.. I'm not sure how to obtain internships or promote myself, but I will set this challenge aside for a better time.
In my job I handle accounts (call center) but I would like to translate this experience into something more impressive. Though, I understand I would need additional expertise if I want to get into the corporate/business field.
I understand it isn't possible for me to make 50-60k within the next few years if I'm not already on that path, but the year is fresh and I'm optimistic for the future. What careers or opportunities are out there for young adults with an AA? Ideally something more than 30k so I can get on track to purchasing a few properties leading to my retirement.
Thank you, I'm open to any discussion or advice.
I admire your initiative, but I think you may be falling into a trap some of my friends fell into after we graduated from high school. One, in particular, comes to mind. He got a job in a grocery store making $10 an hour - in 1979. I, on the other hand, had a fast food job making around $3 per hour. My primary focus wasn't making money, it was on school. My friend, however, decided that the path to riches was to continue working at the grocery store, his theory being that if entry level positions paid well, so would management positions. I ran into him 20 years later and he was making a whopping $20 per hour. I, on the other hand, had gotten a BS in Comp Sci and was making $90K per year (about $45 per hour). I haven't seen him since then, but its not likely that is pay has kept up with mine (over $200K). As a point of reference, one of my coworkers who is a few years younger than me made over $300K last year in a non-managerial position as a software architect.
My advice? If you can afford it, quit your call center job or reduce your hours, change your college major to some sort of engineering, and focus on school. 4 years from now, you'll have a BS that qualifies you for a job where the typical starting salary is $75K+. Unfortunately, call center experience and an AA in Computer Technology isn't going to get you much. You sound like an energetic, smart young person. You have the right attitude to go far. I think a slight shift in your focus/priorities could work out really well for you.
I admire your initiative, but I think you may be falling into a trap some of my friends fell into after we graduated from high school. One, in particular, comes to mind. He got a job in a grocery store making $10 an hour - in 1979. I, on the other hand, had a fast food job making around $3 per hour. My primary focus wasn't making money, it was on school. My friend, however, decided that the path to riches was to continue working at the grocery store, his theory being that if entry level positions paid well, so would management positions. I ran into him 20 years later and he was making a whopping $20 per hour. I, on the other hand, had gotten a BS in Comp Sci and was making $90K per year (about $45 per hour). I haven't seen him since then, but its not likely that is pay has kept up with mine (over $200K). As a point of reference, one of my coworkers who is a few years younger than me made over $300K last year in a non-managerial position as a software architect.
Thank you... I needed to see this. Before your post I actually went against my own advice and applied to 3 assistant manager positions at a couple fast food restaurants. I was concerned about increasing my income short-term but I didn't consider the fact I would have to stay there 2-3 years before the experience seemed credible.
Now that I'm talking it through it seems like a bad idea lol.
Quote:
Originally Posted by YourWakeUpCall
My advice? If you can afford it, quit your call center job or reduce your hours, change your college major to some sort of engineering, and focus on school. 4 years from now, you'll have a BS that qualifies you for a job where the typical starting salary is $75K+. Unfortunately, call center experience and an AA in Computer Technology isn't going to get you much. You sound like an energetic, smart young person. You have the right attitude to go far. I think a slight shift in your focus/priorities could work out really well for you.
I have to move out in May and have never rented before. I may be over analyzing the costs but I'm not sure I can afford to quit right now. They work around my college schedule (off 2 days + 11-7pm) and I can't find another job that generous.
I did visit the counselor today (for the coding bootcamps) but she couldn't give me much advice on my degree. Can I pursue Computer Science after getting my AA in Computer Tech? My college classifies it as a trade so I'm not sure if I should switch to Liberal Arts and transfer for a CS degree.
The fact that you are asking these questions in itself means that you are on the right track.
We have all made (and will make) mistakes, so don't worry about failing. Focus on getting back up.
I would suggest - in conjunction with your classes - to register for certification courses via udemy, coursera, EdX, etc. Pick a specific path. For instance, https://www.udemy.com/courses/it-and...certification/, go through those. For a very small $, and of course, lot of focus and hard work, you can get to a good level in coding/etc. Once you have that, you can apply for Bachelors at a school of your choice. What the above also will do, will be to give you connections (linkedin), and grow your professional network to a point where you can explore internship opportunities.
Some more suggestions:
- look for colleges with your programs of interest
- identify research areas and professors who are working on your areas of interest
- reach out to them via an email introducing yourself and that you are interested in their work, and you want to learn and grow (i did this personally a few times and more often than not, was successful)
- once you reach out to a certain # of folks and have an idea of how to make this work, your network will have grown to a good level. What this specific (reaching out to profs) does is also to get you in for even your bachelor's degree admissions process. You may even get some funding!
Once you are in, you can take some more steps from there.
Don't worry about if you cannot transfer all credits - anything that the college can transfer will save you $. And, that is also important, throughout your bachelor's program.
Feel free to ask more questions and direct message me if you need additional information.
Any income before age 21 is good. You'll need to continue your education in order to be able to get up to the median national income which is about 65k. AA is worthless alone. Hopefully you can transfer to a State school to finish the rest for the BA/BS. In the meanwhile IT certs can help you increase your income in the short term. Learn to code or go to a coding bootcamp. Find a start-up employer in your region willing to take the risk to hire local tech talent. You'll of course get lower pay than those with BS/BA but at least you can prove yourself and get your foot in the door. You'll need to start with no-name places that just need ANY tech talent and then go from there.
I have an AS from the 90's in computer industrial technologies.. Been unemployed like 3 days in my life... That AS Degree is a piece of paper right now.. Anything that I learned in college 20+ years ago is severely outdated.
A BA/BS really isn't required in the computer field.. Knowledge is. There are a few places that require a BA/BS, but.. the knowledge and experience is more important than the degree.. Because the technology changes so rapidly.
I'm not going to knock that someone shouldn't go for it.. But it's not as important as you make it out to be.
As to the OP.. Talk to the placement office at your school. They probably will have some leads that can help you get a foot in the door somewhere. Whether it's an internship or an actual part time job in the field.
I'm currently attending community college for my AA in Computer Technology.. I'm not sure how to obtain internships or promote myself, but I will set this challenge aside for a better time.
If you're attending community college, they're probably going to have a career center or library with workshops and advisors. Don't ignore the resources at your school that you're paying for--they can help you.
How many hours a week are you working to make $22,000 a year? If you are working full time you are getting paid $10.58 an hour I am guessing.
I have a son that is in school full time and he works part time at a restaurant. He made $25,000 last year working part time. Good tips.
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