General Future Career Advice and Rant

[TheDevopsGuy]

For starters I'm a networking and administration stream student currently on my final year at uni. I've always been the type of nosy person to jump into things when stuff stops working and have been tech savvy which is one of the main reasons why I ended up switching from programming to networking.

Overall the subjects have been great.. throughout the years we've had a lot of exposure to different technologies.

Mainly:

• Win Server
• Mysql
• PFSense
• GNS3
• Packet Tracer
• Linux/Ubuntu Server
• PRTG
• VSphere
• gcp, aws

and many more.

Using these technologies was great.. but nowadays I find myself thinking to myself especially when I browse forums like these. How knowledgeable am I really in my subject, I get good grades but in the end what does it reflect on my understanding of the subject. Not much except that im able to memorize notes for exams. Compared to most people I talk to and see online are way better in every aspect.

Also since now I'm practically at the end of my university course I've come to the realization that after all these years of learning how networks are built how they function and also setting up of infrastructure. How much will I actually be doing all this since most networks are already up and running.

Personally now I've had an opportunity in the summer where I was accepted for a summer internship at one of the major ISP's in my country which has now been renewed for winter. The job is focused on security mainly monitoring of all the security infrastructure deployed by the company. Which raises the question..

Is there any future in the Security Field IT wise? As of this moment they are really focusing on trying to make people learn the security stream at the company but whenever I look for job openings elsewhere I barely see any Job positions security wise. I'm afraid this might become an issue down the line even if I would want to switch to a different job position as I'd have no experience on proper sys admin or net eng tasks.

If it's possible and you don't mind I'd like to know if anyone was really in the same boat once you left Uni, how did you approach life after university and if you have any recommendations for my case.

Thanks a lot all and sorry for the rant.

TechGamer

 

[Lepoldymata9000]

While I didn't graduate in Computer Science (I went for Communication/Journalism with a concentration in Electronic Media), I currently work as a multimedia producer for a manufacturing company creating training videos and also work on incorporating a system into our computer network that will make it easier to keep track of machine performance statistics (the latter being networking and programming work simultaneously) and be more easily accessible for our leads, supervisors, managers, corporate sponsors, etc., to view without having to go out and check them periodically or longer depending on their workload for the day, week, or month. I guess you could say I'm essentially in my dream position; creative and technical application of both digital and analog technology, especially with computers.

I eventually got there because I thought a bit more about my long term career path and goals, as you seem to be starting to already, and that came out of spending at least a few years out of college. While going for a degree at a university definitely helps (particularly in at least getting your foot in the door, if you will, giving you a leg up over people who don't have one, and believe me there are more out there that don't than you think), I don't think it compares to any amount of real world experience when you're out there working and figuring things out about yourself and what you want in life. Careers take time, and it's perfectly normal to have second thoughts along the way, but stay strong and committed to what you like to do and it will all make itself clearer in time.

I must admit that even I don't entirely know my long terms goals, but after spending at least a few years out of college, including working my *** off in some crappy jobs, doing a consistently excellent job day-in-day-out, and never losing hope even when it seemed like it made perfect sense to (before I eventually got to where I am now), I've at least had some sort of vision of what I want in life, and have been laying out goals and steps to get there.

Remember though: Life isn't a race, it's a journey; one that will be full of twists and turns. I like to think of that as life testing you in both making you stronger and helping you find out what matters to you the most.

So stay strong, stay calm, and stay focused. Also never stop learning.

 

[Lepoldymata9000]

And to answer your question regarding IT Security, MOST DEFINITELY YES!! Considering the amount of hacking attempts made on a regular basis (that has seemed to have only been getting worse), combined with the amount people in society who don't fully understand how computers (or digital technology in general) work, I can only see the demand increasing ever more in time.

 

[Lepoldymata9000]

Also textbook knowledge can only get you so far, as experience is truly the best teacher, and that you can't learn in college versus what you could through actually doing (although you've probably done some hands-on work in college I presume). Don't worry when you're a fresh young college grad and land your first entry level job in your field and question your abilities. Nobody in your department expects you to be an expert (as I've said previously, that takes time), and that's what people who have been there for a while with skin in the game are for, mentorship, and they are there to teach you the ropes and get better at what you do so that down the road you can only get better and may likely even be a badass at what you do!

 

[Lepoldymata9000]

This isn't saying that knowledge of any kind, and acquired through any form, is overrated (it's most definitely important) but in many cases the best way to get better is to learn by doing and practice at it; learning from both your successes and your mistakes.

Sorry for the rants, but I hope this all helps.

 

[TheDevopsGuy]

Remember though: Life isn't a race, it's a journey; one that will be full of twists and turns. I like to think of that as life testing you in both making you stronger and helping you find out what matters to you the most.

So stay strong, stay calm, and stay focused. Also never stop learning.

Thanks for this,

I do agree with what you're saying, at this point I think im overthinking things and getting agitated over uncertainties of life.

Experience is currently key and would help me personally in terms of experience and knowledge, if the opportunity arises especially in this internship I think I will continue with them and grow along with this company, there is alot of room for growth here.

 

[Lepoldymata9000]

Glad to help!

Also, try to be patient with life and not get frustrated if you experience setbacks or aren't exactly where you thought you'd be at a certain point in life. Do your best to focus on and enjoy the present moment and take advantage of all that it has to offer, both professionally (work advice and networking with professionals in your field either through websites like LinkedIn or even local networking events in your area around where you live) and personally (the latter including relationships with family and friends) but don't worry too much about the future. Again life isn't a race, but a journey. Do what you can and don't sweat it if things don't always go the way you planned.

 

[DLBU1]

Thanks this made me feel better..