Posted on behalf of Dr_Freudstein

Discussion in 'Training & Development' started by AJ, Oct 30, 2011.

  1. AJ

    AJ 01000001 01100100 01101101 01101001 01101110 Administrator

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    Hello everyone,

    I am 36 and work in the newspaper industry on the editorial side. I have done this since I was 20 after dropping out of university (I have only school-leaver grade qualifications).

    My current job may end in December. Where I live, in Scotland, newspaper jobs are almost totally non-existent now, and I feel as if my whole career and experience have become obsolete overnight.

    So I am looking at an enforced change of career, and IT seems one of the few avenues that might realistically offer a decent prospect in the longer term. I am married with a young son who has serious health issues. My wife can only work part-time and perhaps may have to also give this up due to her and my son's health concerns.

    This means I am in no position to do full-time training so I need to be earning as I re-train. Hopefully I will be able to stay on in my current job a bit longer to give me time to retrain, so where should I start?

    I see much of the advice is to do A+ and Network+ to start, and I’ll certainly consider those. However, with a family, mortgage, etc. to support I can’t really follow the advice of looking for an entry-level support job right now because I couldn’t afford the drop in salary. Obviously, if I am made unemployed, I would take whatever job I could get.

    Ideally, I’d like to eventually get involved in a development/programming capacity, although at this point I just want to get a foothold in the IT industry. Is it realistic to look at programming given my age and lack of degree? I am very geeky and have fooled around with computers (building them etc.) and toying with simple programming for the past 10 years. Would it be worthwhile looking at Microsoft development certs or Oracle/Java to start with?

    Thank you all for your time and any insights. They are very much appreciated.

    Cheers!
     
    Certifications: MCSE, MCSA (messaging), ITIL Foundation v3
    WIP: Breathing in and out, but not out and in, that's just wrong
  2. kevicho

    kevicho Gigabyte Poster

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    I would say nothings impossible, depending on where you are starting from, although I would say with no prior commercial experience then learning to program in your spare time for 2 months may be a challenge to say the least.

    Have you checked out the local jobscene for programming roles? Indeed are there any jobs to begin with, especially for people entering the market?

    I would also suggest with your other challenges that you seek financial advice to see how you can make your money stretch (and any help/benefits you can get for your sons illness), as to be honest you will like be on a lower wage when starting out, no matter what career you are in.
     
    Certifications: A+, Net+, MCSA Server 2003, 2008, Windows XP & 7 , ITIL V3 Foundation
    WIP: CCNA Renewal

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