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career choices

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by pmous

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I have a BSc in computer science and about 6 years experience, mostly in technical and software support. Until recently, my career has been sidelined (for 2 years) due to family responsibilities. I have now moved to a smaller market (Lebanon, NH) and am having issues as to what career path I can have success with both personally and from an employment viewpoint. Currently, I am just trying to locate what resources are available to me in this area.

To me this is more than just pick something and go for it. I have interests in both programming and network admin (among others) but now being 51, I am feeling some pressure to make the right choice. At the same time, I know I need to and want to certify and specialize. Postings I have seen recently have been requesting very specific skill sets and of course a lot of experience. Is there more of a chance in a small market for an inexperienced programmer/developer to break in or is admin the way? Is vb the right language or is java or visual c ++ the one.

I am attempting to get involved in a local computer assoc. in order to get in the loop again and this will most likely provide some ideas.Any direction would be appreciated.
Regards
pmous

3 replies

by ghstinshll

The market will drive you to do what you need to, but only you can decide what that is for you.

I'm no programmer, but I do know that there are some guys with a good career doing VB programming, with a C background, who design front-ends for databases. I'd assume that programming will always be there in that degree, and it'd be of interest to a former programmer to pursue that, but again, I'm no programmer.

Contact a recruiter in your area, and have a meeting with them to talk about it. I have always confided in Robert Half Technology for my recruiting needs. They're great professionals. i could only hope you could find someone with them who represents your area. Check them out at 222.rht.com. The thing about it is, that a recruitercan tell you the hiring trends for your area and help you pursue some goals in whatever area you two can determine you need.

by jim phelps

The key is that you don't have a lot of experience as a programmer, and it's a small market. This tells me that you'd be better off going the "technician" route, especially if you have networking experience. It's easier to crack that market with little experience than it is the programming market.

You can certainly break into the market at some level, even if you are not doing networking. Then as you get experience and certifications, networking opportunities will open up.

I used to bea programmer, and I found that in my mid-size city, there are a lot more entry-level tech jobs than entry-level programming jobs.

Of course, I'm biased, because I'd rather be a tech.

by jim phelps

You could always do web programming. There's always lots of that kind of work. And you can do that for anyone, from anywhere. You could even start your own business.

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