I was hoping someone could help me out with this… I have been considering a career in IT for quite some time now, but never actively pursued the education because I had a very satisfying job in the art business. Then it hit– layoff. The gallery Iworked for went under, and the thoughts I had of a career in IT seemed suddenly like a very good idea. Here’s the thing, though. I am thirty now, and although I pick up computer skills quite readily (been a tech-head since the old atari tape drive days), it seems everywhere I read a post, people are saying there is no real future in IT, that jobs are hard to find, and that layoffs are rampant. I was considering and accelerated online course (from the American College of Information Technology) that qualifies graduates as programmers in sixty weeks. Would this be a waste of time for me? In my favor are a few factors, including the willingness to relocate and no need for a large salary.(I just want to get my foot in the door and keep learning continually to stay qualified). The school I am considering states that IT jobs are one of the fastest growing sectors of the job market, and I checked the US Dept of Labor, which seems to back up these ideas, yet many posts I read state that the market is flooded and difficult to navigate. Another “fact” this school puts forth is that low-level programmers start out at about $40 K a year. Salary.com supports this fact, too. Question is, am I going to have a useless tech certificate in 60 weeks? Can I find the jobs they say I’ll be able to? Should I take up llama herding? I hope I’ll be able to make a career in IT, I’d like advice from people who know… I hate llamas, after all. Thanks for any help at all..
franciscothewhale@hotmail.com
