This is where I am and this is where I want to be

Right now I am 33 I have a high school diploma, as Chili Head can attest to high school wasnt much of a challenge I was just interested in other things and did what I had to to get out of there(young stupidity). I have always been a blue collar schmuck I've worked in dealerships, nuclear plants, refineries (with some real roughnecks) coal plants, People tell me to get into automotive on the mechanical side since I have an aptitude for it but one thing I have come across is that if cars are your passion then automotive careers have a way of sucking that passion out if your not in a good place which finding one is becoming harder and harder. I enjoy computers, have a decent aptitude for them just never went into depth learning about them and what I've learned so far is greatly interesting to me. I want to eventually become a hybrid Business Analyst/Data Analyst (what SWMBO does but pride prevents me from going to her along with a feared lack of encouragement). Boxhead Tim gave me some advice about starting computer courses which I have signed up for and started. Any other advice would be greatly appreciated from the hive since this is the greatest brain trust in the world.

Something that really sucks is my dad told me to do exactly this, "go to school get a computer sciences degree or some E36 M3 like that and work with your mind not your hands like i have". I was too stupid to listen, I wish I would have though or at least come to my senses in time to have told him he was right and I was a dumbE36 M3 for not having listened to him.

If it makes you feel any better, I pretty much did what your dad said and I'm even worse off than you are!

The only person I know my age who did well with CS/IT work had rich parents who put him through an MIT education and then got him moved to New York, one of the maybe half-dozen cities in the world where you can make good money doing that stuff.

My Dad has a few weeks at college that didn't quite work out, and now he's almost what I would consider wealthy. He doesn't spend anything on anything, though, so it's not an easy comparison.

He works for himself and rebuilds automatic transmissions. He's found that he can't work for anyone else. He has lots of hours, but it works out well. I didn't like the risk so I went to school and have a generic cube career.

I must have missed it - Where do you want to be?

Computer science will make you a good living. Maybe not in the islands where Gameboy is but any city in the US has thousands of people successfully employed making $50k+/year in the computer industry. Some up into the mid $100ks for developers/programmers/etc, if you are good at what you do. The sky is the limit if you're good at it and can start your own business, but that's a lot of work and a wide variety of skill sets (people management, business management, money management, marketing, etc.).

But there's nothing like doing what you enjoy for a living. Sure it can suck the passion out of it but you can also end up looking forward to going to work. Ask DitchDigger and I'm sure he would tell you his job doesn't detract from his enjoyment of cars. Lots of towns have specialty shops that would be fun and reasonably lucrative to work at. Ask them what it would take to make you an attractive hire for them. Training, experience, etc. Then spend the next 2-3 years getting what they want to see and apply. Nothing like follow-through to convince someone you're worth them giving you a shot. Worst case you end up a better mechanic and I'm not sure that's a bad thing.

Neither path would steer you wrong. But where do YOU want to be?

I want to be in IT. I enjoy computers and enjoy working with and learning about them.

In reply to GameboyRMH:

It seems as there is much better money to be made here rather than the islands, is a move possible? It would make it more feasible for you to participate in more grassroots things and as far as that line of work my wife can probably hook you up with a head hunter to get you started anywhere on the east coast.

I'm only highly skilled, not highly certified. I'm not a US citizen either. I'd happily take any telecommuting work though.

Gameboy is on a "list" preventing him from coming here

Haha seriously I would be very hesitant to enter the US these days, with some of the online shenanigans I've taken part in...

Get a constuction/ops/project management degree. It'll be easy as pie, and allow you to grow within a blue collar field. Industrial related companies need people with the background. People who aren't afraid to put in the time in the dirty job or out in the field, but can move up the corporate ladder after a few years of learning the reigns. My company/industry is loaded with engineers who have never turned a wrench, but is in need of more of our field personal to educate themselves in the use of technology. Too many old guys out in the field who will retire without ever using a computer and take all their secrets with them.

I'm the opposite, I've got the degree(s), but I don't want to be stuck in an office all my life.

I'm kinda in the same boat. Hate where I'm at career wise, afraid that going into an automotive field will make me hate cars, and wishing I'd listened to my dad who warned me that if I didn't go to college I'd be worn out from working.

ryanty22 wrote: I want to be in IT. I enjoy computers and enjoy working with and learning about them.

So did I. Until I started working in IT. Now I loathe computers and hardly use them at home aside from browsing the web. Also, working in a cubicle can have very serious health repercussions. Also with so much of IT being outsourced overseas, you need to have a very specific set of skills to stay employed long term and ultimately you'll either need to spend all of your free time trying to stay ahead of the tech curve or go to school and focus on management training so you can jump into the management track (and then you have to play the game well enough to get into a executive position to avoid outsourcing/downsizing). Anything else is outsource fodder unless you find work in the financial or healthcare industry.

My choice out of HS was simple, work as an mechanic of some sort or as a computer tech. I realized I could make more money out of the box in computers and with less physical effort, so I went that way. Relatively glad I did after watching both of my uncles go through physical issues related to working as forklift mechanics not to mention the monetary concerns they had with running their own businesses.

One of my uncles finally left the business and became a police officer, works the gang task force and helps train police in pursuit by spending one weekend a month out at a local race track chasing each other in police cars. I think he's probably the happiest out of the three brothers, though police work is damned hard work.

Basically, doing what you love for money will typically tarnish that love at some point. As long as you're ok with that decision, then by all means go for it.

A quick read leads me to think you might want to consider engineering / strategy / management at at IMSA race team.

Working with computers hasn't made me hate them at all. Which is good because it really does take a ton of your free time to stay up to date.

ryanty22 wrote: I want to be in IT. I enjoy computers and enjoy working with and learning about them.

Software developer.

Within 5-7 years of graduating you'll make north of $100k in basically any city in the country.

I'll put my employer hat on. If you came to me looking for an IT job, I would see someone who is 13 years older than most of my other applicants, with the same amount of experience in the field and a job history with a lot of bouncing around. Mmmmmmm, pass.

If however you came to me looking for a job as a regional service manager, I would see someone with technical skills, hands-on wrenching skills, and a recent computer degree that tells me that you have some smarts. My guys need to be able to spin wrenches to get units built, then plug in a laptop to set them up and get them integrated to the customer's system. Hard to find people with both sets of skills. My guys do some installation and maintenance, but mostly they are the product experts who train and consult with other guys. They all make good money, but they do travel.

What I make is not important...this skill set its important for a whole lot of industrial and commercial products out there. Everything from CNC machines to sortation equipment to material handling equipment to security systems to doors to valves and pumps.

IT is a tough place to be right now. If I were to give advice, I'd say to go for a very technical role, as managers can be replaced. Once you go into management, it's very easy to lose your technical skills. The one thing no one can take away from you is your technical skills. Never forget that.

The areas in IT that I see as having a future (i.e. less likely to be outsourced) include: - Audit
- Virtual Infrastructure
- Backup and Recovery
- Business Intelligence Tools - Project Management

Given that you're starting from scratch, the Virtual Infrastructure area would likely be your best bet. A few companies to seek out are VCE (combination of VMWare, EMC, and Cisco), VMware, Cisco, and EMC. They are some of the market leaders right now, and the folks I've worked with from those companies have been impressive.

Another piece of IT advice, once you have a decent foundation, work experience and certifications far outweigh Bachelor's and Master's degrees. So don't spend forever (and a fortune) getting your education. Take some basic classes at a community college, pick an area, and then go for specific training classes and certifications.

pinchvalve wrote: I'll put my employer hat on. If you came to me looking for an IT job, I would see someone who is 13 years older than most of my other applicants, with the same amount of experience in the field and a job history with a lot of bouncing around. Mmmmmmm, pass. If however you came to me looking for a job as a regional service manager, I would see someone with technical skills, hands-on wrenching skills, and a recent computer degree that tells me that you have some smarts. My guys need to be able to spin wrenches to get units built, then plug in a laptop to set them up and get them integrated to the customer's system. Hard to find people with both sets of skills. My guys do some installation and maintenance, but mostly they are the product experts who train and consult with other guys. They all make good money, but they do travel. What I make is not important...this skill set its important for a whole lot of industrial and commercial products out there. Everything from CNC machines to sortation equipment to material handling equipment to security systems to doors to valves and pumps.

I havent bounced around though, Ive had 3 jobs since 2000.

As another option you might want to look into PLCs and what it takes to install and maintain them. Any business with automation uses or should be using them, they require both a mechanical aptitude and a computer one, and your experience would actually help you in both finding work and doing that work better.

I know in the power industry in particular we are always looking for technicians to install, setup, program, and maintain the protective relay computers for lines, transformers, and generators, and those jobs pay well north of $50k.

Just as a point of reference, not all blue collar jobs are crappy, low paying an/or unstable. I love what I do, and there are very few while collar jobs that I could imagine myself liking.

If you can get into a skilled to highly skilled trade, you can do quite well. I work in a skilled trade / service industry, and earn more than many of the bachelor degree holding cubicle dwellers my age,(I'm a bit over 40) and have far less stress. I've also turned down opportunities for jobs that pay much more, because they required long distance travel.

HappyAndy wrote: Just as a point of reference, not all blue collar jobs are crappy, low paying an/or unstable. I love what I do, and there are very few while collar jobs that I could imagine myself liking. If you can get into a skilled to highly skilled trade, you can do quite well. I work in a skilled trade / service industry, and earn more than many of the bachelor degree holding cubicle dwellers my age,(I'm a bit over 40) and have far less stress. I've also turned down opportunities for jobs that pay much more, because they required long distance travel.

I know that and am sorry if my initial post came off like that. I am proud of most of the work I've done in my life, I worked my ass off when I had work.

Think internet security or project management. Those are the 2 places that every company needs and few have enough resources for. I went with the later. I've been a project manager for Dell for a few years now.

You have a lot of ways to go as an IT PM. You can set up service contracts, be an installation PM, be the BRD wizard, and so on. The other really good thing is PM skills are transferable. So when they finally decide that no more normal IT jobs are left in the US, you can still have a job in another industry.

If you do the PM route, make sure you study agile methodology as well. That is the standard now for software projects.

HappyAndy wrote: Just as a point of reference, not all blue collar jobs are crappy, low paying an/or unstable. I love what I do, and there are very few while collar jobs that I could imagine myself liking. If you can get into a skilled to highly skilled trade, you can do quite well. I work in a skilled trade / service industry, and earn more than many of the bachelor degree holding cubicle dwellers my age,(I'm a bit over 40) and have far less stress. I've also turned down opportunities for jobs that pay much more, because they required long distance travel.

Quoted for truth. I've been in my industry for 13 years and self employed for 9 of those. I wouldn't last a month in a office job.

Specialty service is where the money is, if you don't have a degree. Find a niche and fill it. I sell, install and repair, automatic pedestrian doors and commercial door hardware. Think grocery stores, hospitals and just about every business in the world. I started at $15/hr, as an installer. I was making $22/hr, as a service tech, in three years. I'm now self employed and making more than most of the people I know that went to college.

Find your niche, get good at it, then open your own shop. Spend the time and energy getting established. Don't be the cheapest, be the best. Chasing the bottom feeders is a good way to be busy and poor. The customers worth having don't mind paying for the best service they can get. I'm the guy to call when the other cheap companies screw things up. I bill at $95/hr, I billed 5 hours today in the field and spent a couple of hours at the office doing paperwork. My son, who works for me, billed 7. We aren't cheap, but we are the best at what we do.

Whatever you end up doing, be the best at it. The money will follow.

If you're mechanically inclined and like computers, I would urge you to investigate CNC/automation, as was hinted above. If you're looking more into the desk side, look into CNC programming and manufacturing, and start learning the ropes in a manufacturing shop. If you work hard and focus on programming 5 axis and mill-turn machines, you should be able to get into the 100k area without to much problem within 5-8 years.

If you're more into the shop side, look into automation and plc programming and work for the people making machines & robots (mazak, okuma, brother, fanuc, etc.). there you'd be programming the machines themselves and doing setup and configuration.

I work in the industry, and every oem I know of will snatched up anyone who can work on electronics and hardware, and I don't know any of my circle (Multiaxis programming) who has been unemployed for longer than a month..