IT Career Advice

Kiith

So i'm having trouble figuring out where to go next in my career, and figure it's high time to actually figure it out.

I spent 7 years in desktop support, and then moved over to app support/development 3 years ago. My role now is mostly managing SQL and SharePoint, though it's mainly keeping the existing environment active, rather then doing much development. A lot of project work as well, which i really enjoy. I've a degree in IT Management (networking for the first 2 years), but never went into networking or got the CCNA/Network+.

There's a chance that we will look into moving to the States in the next year or two, and i think i'll need to actually try and specialise in a field, as i don't think i could get a SQL or SharePoint job with my current experience.

Currently i'd be thinking a database engineer (SQL, Oracle etc...), network admin (get my ccna etc...) or into a management/project manager type role (will look to do prince2 or pmp regardless).

TLDR; what's a good area to focus on now for someone that is currently good at a few areas, but not great at any?

rolion

Hi Keith,

Not in best position to advise you but keep away from those jobs that uses you as a number and just to make profit for the boss/company/shareholders.

Keep in mind that IT is shifting to "money making" and all if not most of the IT environment as we older knows it will change in maxim 5 years. Forget all the nice wording for better returns and best services and maximise efficiency and so on... just words to get us up there.

Desktop OS will be cloud based and offered as a service.
Servers, application and other Line Of Business services, all gone up in the cloud where they guys are charging you a monthly fee rather than a once off payment.
Management, well is there just to make sure someone will chase the payments.
Networking, all will be done by software as a service and very few issues as will be just "import / export" and /or dropped by a drone and replaced by a single person in a huge dark data centre.
Server hardware, well, my last failed server, cannot remember when was it.
Desktop hardware, just throw it away, buy new one, connect to Mr Cloud and keep going.

One single area I see getting the momentum now: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
Today, we just prepare to be slaughtered in few years, with our data, with our money, with our knowledge.
Once they have us by the ball / our data in the cloud, all will be processed by machines (ai or bots) and they need processing intelligence to, well, you guessed...to replace us !

Your call...and I stand to be corrected.

Cuddlesworth

Kiith wrote: »

TLDR; what's a good area to focus on now for someone that is currently good at a few areas, but not great at any?

Which area do you enjoy?
How is your scripting/programming?

rolion wrote: »

Your call...and I stand to be corrected.

Like this guy, 8 years ago? That rant has been around for a while and will be regurgitated for the next decade. He wants advice, not doomsaying.

flipflophead22

rolion wrote: »

Hi Keith,

Not in best position to advise you but keep away from those jobs that uses you as a number and just to make profit for the boss/company/shareholders.

Keep in mind that IT is shifting to "money making" and all if not most of the IT environment as we older knows it will change in maxim 5 years. Forget all the nice wording for better returns and best services and maximise efficiency and so on... just words to get us up there.

Desktop OS will be cloud based and offered as a service.
Servers, application and other Line Of Business services, all gone up in the cloud where they guys are charging you a monthly fee rather than a once off payment.
Management, well is there just to make sure someone will chase the payments.
Networking, all will be done by software as a service and very few issues as will be just "import / export" and /or dropped by a drone and replaced by a single person in a huge dark data centre.
Server hardware, well, my last failed server, cannot remember when was it.
Desktop hardware, just throw it away, buy new one, connect to Mr Cloud and keep going.

One single area I see getting the momentum now: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
Today, we just prepare to be slaughtered in few years, with our data, with our money, with our knowledge.
Once they have us by the ball / our data in the cloud, all will be processed by machines (ai or bots) and they need processing intelligence to, well, you guessed...to replace us !

Your call...and I stand to be corrected.

Are there currently any worthwhile AI and Machine Learning courses worth doing do you know? Better start preparing hehe

Kiith

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

Which area do you enjoy?
How is your scripting/programming?

It's not great tbh. I did programming in college for a year, but failed all my classes (scraggs alley had something to do with that tbf :P).

I do a fair bit of SQL and SharePoint currently, so i'm going to study that some more along with some project management type courses. I may as well get better in the field i'm currently in, and see if they are areas i'd like to stay in.

greep

rolion wrote: »

Hi Keith,

Not in best position to advise you but keep away from those jobs that uses you as a number and just to make profit for the boss/company/shareholders.

Keep in mind that IT is shifting to "money making" and all if not most of the IT environment as we older knows it will change in maxim 5 years. Forget all the nice wording for better returns and best services and maximise efficiency and so on... just words to get us up there.

Desktop OS will be cloud based and offered as a service.
Servers, application and other Line Of Business services, all gone up in the cloud where they guys are charging you a monthly fee rather than a once off payment.
Management, well is there just to make sure someone will chase the payments.
Networking, all will be done by software as a service and very few issues as will be just "import / export" and /or dropped by a drone and replaced by a single person in a huge dark data centre.
Server hardware, well, my last failed server, cannot remember when was it.
Desktop hardware, just throw it away, buy new one, connect to Mr Cloud and keep going.

One single area I see getting the momentum now: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
Today, we just prepare to be slaughtered in few years, with our data, with our money, with our knowledge.
Once they have us by the ball / our data in the cloud, all will be processed by machines (ai or bots) and they need processing intelligence to, well, you guessed...to replace us !

Your call...and I stand to be corrected.

I loved your post.
It might sound scary, but it's quite likely to happen...

What do you think about Programmers? I think they should still be in demand

Cuddlesworth

Kiith wrote: »

It's not great tbh. I did programming in college for a year, but failed all my classes (scraggs alley had something to do with that tbf :P).

I do a fair bit of SQL and SharePoint currently, so i'm going to study that some more along with some project management type courses. I may as well get better in the field i'm currently in, and see if they are areas i'd like to stay in.

Keep in mind, specialisation tends to lead to more wages and stagnant roles. If your going down that path, pick something you like or are good at because you will probably end up doing it for a very long time.

Right now, for most operational roles a level of programming/scripting is pretty much the go forwards. Windows/Vmware powershell, networking python, etc. You see it on all the job listings by default now.

If you don't want that, then more people oriented roles like PM'ing might be worth focusing on.

rolion

greep wrote: »

I loved your post.
It might sound scary, but it's quite likely to happen...

What do you think about Programmers? I think they should still be in demand

Dont know...good question.
I guess that once the AI learns to be self-thaught and knows the algorithms...no need for the programmers !?
Dont know...

But,what i know and what i feel is when i finsh reading this article H E R E !

https://www.networkdatapedia.com/single-post/2019/12/15/The-Rise-of-Artificial-Stupidity-by-Paul-W-Smith



"Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.” – George Carlin



Judging from the number of times we use the word “stupid” in our daily discourse, you might conclude that it’s on our minds a lot. It should come as no surprise that Merriam-Webster has numerous definitions for stupid. We have all vilified a stupid computer that loses our work, or one that insists on peppering us with stupid popups. Exasperating events, as well as those which hold no interest for us, happen much too often.



It is a rare person who has never made a stupid decision, although those committed by unthinking individuals other than ourselves are much more common. For folks who are slow of mind, prone to unintelligent choices, acting in a careless manner, or just lacking in reason, MW also has a word. Stupid.



Whether driven by our preoccupation with stupidity or by our giddy infatuation with technology, we are rapidly pressing onward with the development of Artificial Intelligence. American author Sebastian de Grazia, who is often described as the “Father of Leisure”, predicted in 1967 that by the year 2020 automation technologies would give us a 16 hour workweek. Sebastian also warned that this would lead to boredom, immorality and personal violence. We are still waiting for the 16-hour workweek.



As with other shiny new technologies, the push to develop AI is driven by good intentions; better medical care, safer vehicles, and more efficient cities are often cited. The lingering fear that AI will take over our jobs does not seem to be impeding progress. Although the predictions from the “Father of Leisure” remain enticing, the reality is that some of us may end up with 16-hour workdays, while others are left with zero-hour workweeks.



While the objections to AI are focused on the jobs it will take, not much has been said about the subtle changes it will make in our culture. What happens when our daily tasks are taken over by computers? Do we understand the impact of the things we routinely do on our physical and mental health? We can already see how voice guidance from a GPS distorts the spatial awareness we once got from looking at a map. What other AI-induced changes await us?



Who among us wouldn’t love to have a personal assistant, one who would answer our phone, schedule our appointments and make restaurant reservations? Google Duplex is closing in on exactly that. Not only will it screen your calls and secure those coveted tables, it will do so in a convincing way, mimicking all the pauses, “ums” and “ahs” that humans typically use. Your maître d’ will never suspect that he was talking to a machine. We provide the basic data and constraints and AI takes over the human role, engaging with other humans by forming sentences and communicating intent.



If AI can communicate convincingly once given the rules, it’s not hard to imagine that at some point it will be able to listen and record information. Note taking, whether in meetings, lecture halls, or even courtrooms, is a tedious chore that most of us would gladly hand off to a machine. Won’t it be nice when we can depend on AI to hand us the written transcript of anything we desire? The connection between hearing, transcribing, prioritizing and recalling the material will be lost.



As for communicating in different languages, AI has been doing that in more ways than we realize. As annoying (or even humorous) as auto-correct can sometimes be, it is essentially the beginnings of a system which translates from one language (a grammatically incorrect or wrongly spelled one) to a proper one. That AI system can not only convincingly make restaurant reservations, but now it can also make them in French (and in your own voice).



Where AI really veers out of its lane is in the area of speaking and writing. Digital media has already started taking away our pencils, and with them a fundamental connection with how we think and communicate. Our various forms of language are not annoying barriers between us so much as windows into our innermost thinking. Adjusting tone and presentation, reflecting on and modifying our ideas and assessing our purpose are real-time processes that occur during human-to-human connection.



Noble Laureate and famous free-thinker Richard Feynman wrote about AI at a time when the technology was in its infancy. Dr. Feynman drew an analogy with the development of a machine to run fast like a Cheetah. You could certainly study videos of running Cheetahs, connect motors, linkages and software, and probably build a machine that accurately mimics a Cheetah. You might also note that it’s much easier to build a faster machine using wheels, or perhaps even one which flies just above the ground. AI will never think exactly like humans, but it can do some things much better and faster.



There are tedious (or dangerous) jobs that make good candidates for replacement. Assembly line workers, tax preparers or truck drivers are a few that should probably consider new careers. A radiologist reading x-rays or an oncologist formulating the most effective chemotherapy treatment will be difficult to replace but could benefit from AI augmentation. Some jobs will be missed in the short term, but the long-term benefit to humanity will be worth it.



Artificially Intelligent devices may take accurate notes, but will they ever capture that little twinkle in the Professor’s eye hinting that a certain topic will be on the next exam? When I struggle through a conversation in the small central Italian village of Soriano nel Cimino, am I just getting directions or am I connecting to the culture in profound ways that leave a lasting impression on my personal worldview? The genius of AI lies not in pushing it into all corners of our daily lives, but in recognizing where it frees us from ordinary activities, and where it begins to take away that which makes us human.



“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits” – Albert Einstein

Burty330

Does anybody know if and where one can sit the Cisco CCENT /CCNA exams without doing any prior course or training? Thanks!

alexsandro22

Burty330 wrote: »

Does anybody know if and where one can sit the Cisco CCENT /CCNA exams without doing any prior course or training? Thanks!

I can't be sure but I guess no. Anyway if you have necessary knowledges it's not a problem for you to pass the exam. If no it's time to take some help

Burty330

alexsandro22 wrote: »

I can't be sure but I guess no. Anyway if you have necessary knowledges it's not a problem for you to pass the exam. If no it's time to take some help

Thats what i meant to say! I have enough experience to pass the exam. I just don't want to pay and do the courses that are attached to the exams!

Fccwontletmebe

Edited my post. Cloud computing.

Fccwontletmebe

Burty330 wrote: »

Does anybody know if and where one can sit the Cisco CCENT /CCNA exams without doing any prior course or training? Thanks!

Yes you can, just download training software and videos off the internet and go through it.

I would still recommend going through the CCNA specific videos or buy a CCNA book to make sure you have everything covered.

I did the ICND1 exam a few years back with the "free videos" and "free software."

Then book your exam.

theteal

Burty330 wrote: »

Thats what i meant to say! I have enough experience to pass the exam. I just don't want to pay and do the courses that are attached to the exams!

Yes you definitely can, I did the very same a decade ago (albeit in the uk). Now i cant remember exactly how i booked it, it was either through the netacad or Pearson etc, but there was a selection of exam centres and you just pick a time and date that suits.

I did my CCNA in the basement of a wig shop, no joke.

Accidentally

If you like SQL and Oracle, you could go down the application route, rather than infrastructure. Just about every ERP or key business system sits on one or the other, so it's a natural entry point to business applications.

PM training will help a lot. There are never enough decent project managers, or people willing to own a problem.

alexsandro22

Shilling for an assignment writing company