Computer Science/Information Technology

[PrISM506]

I'm going to start working on a college degree of some sort and I'm looking for some help. I'm currently 23 years old and in the US Air Force as a Guidance & Control Systems Specialist (AFSC: 2A5X3B). I was looking to retrain into 3C0X1 which is Computer Operations, however due to the Air Force's force shaping, there are no openings available. It would have been nice to have the Air Force training to help with the college degree.

I've been steadily looking at some kind of Networking/Information Technology degree, but I did take a couple of Computer Science classes before joining the Air Force. I'm basically looking for some information/opinions/advice on the different types of related fields just so I can get a feel for which direction I might want to take. For those of you who work in these fields, a "day in the life" would be helpful. Any good links or recommended books would be helpful as well.

 

[BChico]

I am a DBA at a Fourtune 500 company. Day to day its pretty much the same stuff to do, with a few days sprinkled in where something breaks, those can sometimes be pretty exciting when you have the VP of operations calling down to say his dicision support system wont load. I am an engineer, but if you were looking for a BS in IT from somewhere i would recommend the IST program at Penn State. I know alot of kids who got good jobs out of there, and PSU rehires alot. EX. Friend got a job as the Physics network admin, started at 88k. Personally I went to Lehigh for Info Systems Engineering.

IST - PSU\

-Brad

 

[PrISM506]

When I applied for colleges after high school I applied to PSU and was accepted. I didn't choose to go there though. I'll check out that link.

*bumpity*

 

[DaveSimmons]

I'm a lead software developer at a small company.

My management work consists of knowing what other developers are doing, keeping them on track and helping them if they get stuck on something. I also deal with outside contractors working on Flash development, web programming, and online help.

As the project lead I do the overall design for our applications, including building the "skeleton" of the program and deciding how the parts will fit together.

I also work as a developer most of the time, since I try not to waste time micromanaging. As a developer I design smaller pieces of the application (using the framework I designed acting as lead) and write the code that makes those pieces do something.

Software development requires strong logic skills and a certain amount of creativity. It's sort of a combination of writing a paper and solving a logic puzzle at the same time. It's not much like working an algebra problem where there are fixed steps to follow.

 

[tami]

i work in the IT field. at the moment, i do a lot of network engineering (mostly at the entry-level): ghosting servers, rebuilding servers, recovering from downtime, scheduling downtime, installing hardware, dealing with client issues, working with backups, working on user management and administration, handling the mail servers, working with active directory and DNS (this is a microsoft shop), etc. it's not monotonous for the most part so i actually find it rather enjoyable.

i graduated with a CS degree though. however, after learning CS, which, for me, was programming and theory, i decided never go that path again. we have developers in the office here that work on scripts all day. if you enjoy that kind of thing and love to program, then sticking with computer science is the way to go.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: tami
i work in the IT field. at the moment, i do a lot of network engineering (mostly at the entry-level): ghosting servers, rebuilding servers, recovering from downtime, scheduling downtime, installing hardware, dealing with client issues, working with backups, working on user management and administration, handling the mail servers, working with active directory and DNS (this is a microsoft shop), etc. it's not monotonous for the most part so i actually find it rather enjoyable.

i graduated with a CS degree though. however, after learning CS, which, for me, was programming and theory, i decided never go that path again. we have developers in the office here that work on scripts all day. if you enjoy that kind of thing and love to program, then sticking with computer science is the way to go.

You sound like you do the same kind of work as me, although I work mostly on servers. What you described is not network engineering, by the way. The network engineer designs and implements the network, configures routers and switches, enables/disables ports, monitors network performance, etc.

 

[ToastedMilk]

Either finish a degree on the AF dime, or get out and go back to school for the career field. You will always be prime for hire by state and gov't agencies due to your veteran status. If you have and maintain a clearance, well even better.

Even if you had changed career fields I'm not completely positive you would have received the training you expected. It's really hit or miss; you could be doing networking or you could be answering phones. Or you could be doing both or neither.

Just my viewpoint from where I sit.

 

[Rogue]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: tami
i work in the IT field. at the moment, i do a lot of network engineering (mostly at the entry-level): ghosting servers, rebuilding servers, recovering from downtime, scheduling downtime, installing hardware, dealing with client issues, working with backups, working on user management and administration, handling the mail servers, working with active directory and DNS (this is a microsoft shop), etc. it's not monotonous for the most part so i actually find it rather enjoyable.

i graduated with a CS degree though. however, after learning CS, which, for me, was programming and theory, i decided never go that path again. we have developers in the office here that work on scripts all day. if you enjoy that kind of thing and love to program, then sticking with computer science is the way to go.

You sound like you do the same kind of work as me, although I work mostly on servers. What you described is not network engineering, by the way. The network engineer designs and implements the network, configures routers and switches, enables/disables ports, monitors network performance, etc.

91TTZ is correct. I'm a network security manager and also go into the engineering side quite a bit. My typical day starts with getting into the office and checking the IDS event window for any odd events that happened overnight. This is followed by checking all the major network systems (firewall, IDS/IPS, core routers, etc.). After that I start looking at the VPN logs, RADIUS server logs and firewall logs for any anomalous traffic. That's where the day gets really boring. Looking at log files sucks. I also have a large multi-monitor display that shows me a number of network based diagrams and trends so I can see in real-time what my network is doing.

All in all the network I manage is comprised of about 50+ routers, 400+ switches and 5000+ network hosts (printers, desktops, laptops, etc.). Unfortunately when I took over, a good chunk of it was in disarray and poorly managed. I'm slowly working toward streamlining the operation and getting things labled, documented and managed better.

I suggest looking for a job with DoD in a GS position when you get out and working on your degree while you are hired on. There are a number of educational benefits working for DoD in addition to taking advantage of your GI Bill benefits.

 

[PrISM506]

Originally posted by: ToastedMilk
Even if you had changed career fields I'm not completely positive you would have received the training you expected. It's really hit or miss; you could be doing networking or you could be answering phones. Or you could be doing both or neither.

True but I would have the training and credits from tech school along with (from what I hear) a lot more time for the degree. My current job isn't very easy on the schedual.