Information Systems / IT Career Advice

I cannot speak for the I.T. industry in US but I guess you may ask yourself what sort of business/industry you prefer to start your career with. Because I.T. is like accounting, basically all sort of business would require the contributions from I.T. professionals.

So ask yourself if you like to work in Finance/Banking, Manufacturing, Education, Public Services, Entertainment or even I.T. (e.g. software houses) sectors, etc.

Seems like you don't like to build blocks (program codings) so perhaps the better options could be Project Management or O&M (Operations & Method) considering that you are an IS major.

Good luck job hunting.

 

Freemaniam makes a good point. In the beginning, the entry level salaries will be similiar for each industry. After 3 years experience, your salary can vary greatly depending on which industry you choose. IT in Oil/Gas will make more than IT in education or manufacturing.

It is very hard to move between industries, once you have been in a job for a few years. New jobs will often require 3 years experience in the industry or good connections.

Temp work can be a great way to get exposure to different environments and software. If you do a great job, you will develop contacts at different companies and may be offered a permanent job. If you don't like a particular position, you can move on to another assignment and keep in touch with your new contacts.

 

I graduated and went into Big Oil IT.

I originally did server support, and now I'm a DBA. I took SQL in college, but that's more of a developer role more than being a DBA. Server support is something that you can pick up quickly.

 

" I started out just like you guys - on trash. Now, I'm washing lettuce. Pretty soon I'll be on fries. In a year or two, I'll make assistant manager....and that's when the big bucks start rolling in! "

What I mean to say is "start small" that's not what SHE said.

Seriously, though, I started out as a computer lab assistant, helping people pick up their printouts in the late 90's... and now I manage web servers and script Linux... but know just little about security.

 

Security is hot these days. Been doing sysadmin, network admin work for about 5-6 years now, and security will be your way in if you want to go that way. It's all about what you enjoy. I like being on the server side, managing all the networks and linux servers for my company. Security is also part of the job, but its pretty much its own dedicated job now. Especially with PCI compliance, HIPAA, stuff like that, you're looking at being a Security Officer, or network security engineer. If that stuff interests you, try looking at the Security+ programs to get your feet wet. If you're going into e-business, then having a security background and knowing the PCI standards will help you out tremendously.

 

Hey Guys,

My company has a few IT positions open if you're interested in applying:

http://www.dyonyx.com/about-us/employment.aspx

Be sure to let them know you heard about the company through an online forum, I'm in charge of online recruiting and postings so that would help me out. The company is located on 610 North Loop, best of luck!

 

Did you just post in the H-Spug LinkedIn group?

 

I was thinking based on this that there would be a SharePoint Admin position, which is what I do.

I got into IT back in 99. You'll have to start out on the lower levels most likely. For the last 9 years or so I've been doing web administration, and have focused heavily on SharePoint Administration for the last several. Project Management is a good field to get into if you're not really that interested in staying technical. SharePoint is a really hot technology right now, so if you can get into that either on the dev or admin side it would be a good thing for you.

 

Do you work through a consulting company, directly for a company or independently?

 

I've been a permanent employee at the same place for the last 6 years. Currently in the real estate industry, previously was in Oil/Gas.