I am a 22 year old High School Drop out I had my son in High School mom is not in the picture she passed away just me and my son. I have a GED, and most schools won't touch me except ones such as ITT Tech some weird online schools etc... Are those even worth it would I be wasting my time? I want to get a degree in Computer Science with an emphasis on Networking. Would any Company hire me?? If it helps I live in Utah.
Thank you so much any info would help.
I'm not sure if I would trust ITT Tech at all, there's a lot of different stories/reasons out there leading me to believe it's more of a scam. As for the networking thing, what you COULD do (it would take more self-discipline) is get some networking certifications either on your own or through community college classes. The usual stepping stones for these is CompTIA Network+, Cisco CCNA, Cisco CCNP, and further if you see fit. If you buy learning materials and use free resources online, you could get these, though it would be harder that way. The easier thing to do would be to look for a standalone class for each one. Getting the certifications would be cheaper than getting a degree and often it can land you the same (networking) jobs because the certifications prove your competence in place of and or in addition to a degree.
Anyways, good luck!
^^^ Agreed^^^
You have a good chance with the CompTIA and Cisco certs. I went straight from High school to do my CCNA course that lasted 2 years but that included another cert called FETAC(Irish cert) In networking. I found out quickly that Network engineer jobs required about 2 years or so experience but that is in the Irish Job market. The Main obstacle I had getting to where I am now was professional experience ,which I got through short-term Contracts.I'm 23 now and when I started I was 19 so I had to deal with the "He's too young to be let loose on on your systems" stigma .
Hope this gives you some better insight , good luck
Getting your certs is a good idea. If you want a degree though a community college can be a gateway to public universities and it is a lot cheaper. In Ohio they have consortium agreements between all state schools, 2 and 4 year, so that all credits transfer.
Everybody has a shot in todays world, the trick is finding the boss that values knowledge over schooling. I was hired on from putting what I know on my resume at my current job, I've worked alongside probably 5 or 6 A+ certified techs fresh out of school and all of them have proved to have no real world experience and freeze at the first real world situation they get put in. I've lost track of how many times I've heard "they didn't teach us that in school" or "I didn't take that class." But honestly everything that you might need to learn is on the internet and if you have the self control and the enthusiasm then you can save a lot of money by teaching yourself.
Of course that's just my experience, and some might say I got lucky. I personally have a lot against many of the schools out there, but a lot of employers out there anymore require that piece of paper that says "you know what it takes to get this single piece of paper" and some people do need that structured education in order to learn, there's nothing wrong with that.
I will say thought that I've seen a lot of job listings lately in my area that state that a CCNA or an A+ is preferred but not required, but I live in the midwest US which is notoriously the worst region in the US for IT jobs.