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  • #2200323

    Network Admins need to be Computer Scientists?

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    by pl312 ·

    Hi all,

    I am in my second year of Uni for BIT major in networking and I was in a subject and the lecturer totally scared me off and made me lose confidence.

    Since 2000 or during my high school years I was the IT guru and wiz cause i spent lots of time researching IT stuff online, doesn’t make me an IT pro but I was confident about a lot of computer related issues.

    Now my lecturer said to be a good Networking admin you have to be able to

    *have 5AM Nights as you’ll be working from 12am till 5.

    *be very good at programming or at least write lots of code to automate things

    *throw away the old pc crap and get a mac :'( (hugs my darling Toshiba)

    After hearing that, I wanted to drop out of uni, my programming is rubbish, in high school I made games and apps with drag and drop tools but since Uni I am an average + a bit IT performer.

    My question is do i need to be good at programming? I know how to write basic console apps and what not but I am not capable of detecting a hacker in a networking by seeing how code in my system has been changed etc.

    I always thought I could do IT and be a consultant or Admin (my wish was admin) and do general admin work like hardware and software config and repairs and help the employees of the company, is it still possible or am I living an old dream?

    I am also almost towards the end of my degree but I still don’t feel confident enough to be an IT professional (without giving it a bad name) did most of you professionals learn on the job after graduation or were you equipped from uni primarily?

    Last question is a dodgy one really, I hear many stoires about successful IT people and they made it up there because they asked and by chance they got a rare opportunity, so I am asking now anyone got any IT opportunities for a NSW, Australia IT kid? lol anyone from Google or microsoft?

    thanks for hearing me out, I am a bit down so I’ve typed a lot of stuff up I appologise for that, its just that I’ve been first in IT undefeated at school, and even won IT comps in newspapers (maybe only due to scaling? as my part of the world sees IT as lame :o) and this is a sudden shock to me that I am not as good as I think I am even though my uni records show me as a high performer.

    P.S. My degree co-coordinator has since pulled me out of that subject but what the lecturer said still bothers me. Also would like some info on Macs, I am a Windows fan but if Mac is going to be needed for me to not lose my career I’d think about it.

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    • #2758803

      Clarifications

      by pl312 ·

      In reply to Network Admins need to be Computer Scientists?

      Clarifications

    • #2758800

      Well the easy answer to everything is

      by oh smeg ·

      In reply to Network Admins need to be Computer Scientists?

      It depends on what you plan on doing as to what you need.

      But the Important thing is that the Certificate at the end of the Under Grad course only gives you the right to start learning your trade. That was the best bit of Info that I picked up from Uni and I had to do Post Grad work to hear that. 😉

      But in order of how you asked things

      [i]have 5AM Nights as you’ll be working from 12am till 5.[/i]

      In Big Business this isn’t uncommon as most Maintenance Work needs to be performed outside Normal Work Hours. In small Business this is very uncommon but can still happen on occasion.

      [i]be very good at programming or at least write lots of code to automate things[/i]

      It helps but may not be necessary depending on the job in question.

      [i]*throw away the old pc crap and get a mac :'( (hugs my darling Toshiba)[/i]

      Very Good Advice as Toshiba’s are complete crap but then again so is Windows and everything associated with it. Though you could use Free BSD on the Toshiba to do the same thing.

      [i]I know how to write basic console apps and what not but I am not capable of detecting a hacker in a networking by seeing how code in my system has been changed etc[/i]

      Well this comes in 2 parts really the first about knowing writing basic Consol Apps may be sufficient again depending on the job in hand.

      As for Detecting Changed Files and so on this would really only be required by a job in Security though it would make you more employable to the HR Department as they like Paper Qualifications even if the person with them is completely Illiterate they stand you in good stead.

      [i] I always thought I could do IT and be a consultant or Admin (my wish was admin) and do general admin work like hardware and software config and repairs and help the employees of the company, is it still possible or am I living an old dream?[/i]

      Yes it is possible but just believe that you will not be applying for a job at a Bank or so on to do this. 😉

      [i]I am also almost towards the end of my degree but I still don’t feel confident enough to be an IT professional (without giving it a bad name) did most of you professionals learn on the job after graduation or were you equipped from uni primarily?[/i]

      Confidence comes with experience and that Piece of Paper you get at the end of the course only entitles you to start to learn your Trade you are not the Best Thing Since Sliced bred when you get it and you certainly better believe that you will then start to learn what happens in [b]Real Life[/b] Also when you finish Uni that is only the Theory Part finished you’ll continue to learn for the rest of the time you work in IT.

      [i]Last question is a dodgy one really, I hear many stoires about successful IT people and they made it up there because they asked and by chance they got a rare opportunity, so I am asking now anyone got any IT opportunities for a NSW, Australia IT kid? lol anyone from Google or microsoft? [/i]

      Sorry I can’t help you with that but when I went to Uni there where no Computer Science or anything like that I did a side course in Electrical Engineering and was latter employed as a Computer Tech because I had the Electronics FuD. :0

      OH and you don’t want to work at places like M$ or Google they have a reputation for chewing up bright young people and spitting them out when they are no longer any use. They have destroyed more bright IT people that any other place on the planet in our entire History. :0

      Col

    • #2758782

      Beginning to doubt your abilities? – That’s a good thing …

      by older mycroft ·

      In reply to Network Admins need to be Computer Scientists?

      There’s nothing worse than some kid coming out of college/university, brandishing some bit of paper and thinking they’re the king of the hill.

      The bit of paper you get at the end of your course allows you to claim the title of Pauper, living and working at the bottom of the hill. It’s your existence in the REAL WORLD that’ll determine how far and how fast you climb that same hill.

      I agree with everything OH Smeg has already told you and would urge you to view life outside of uni as a form of further education.

      You’ll find that you can and will be learning something or other right up until the day you learn how to die.

      However, if you were to leave uni thinking that you are the Dog’s Doobries, you’ll crash and burn sooner rather than later. Any industry is a closed shop to some degree and news spreads faster than wildfire – you come across as an inflated self-important numpty and you’ll find doors closed to you throughout the industry because your reputation will have preceded you into the next interview.

      Don’t bother trying to run when you have barely stopped crawling.

    • #2758744

      Some Comments

      by bizzo ·

      In reply to Network Admins need to be Computer Scientists?

      If you’ve been the guru and the wiz in the past, don’t let just one person put you off. You obviously enjoy IT, so keep doing it.

      “5am nights”?
      Maybe, I’ve just had a hell of a weekend.
      Friday: 07:40 – 23:05
      Saturday: 09:00 – 01:15
      Sunday: 08:00 – 17:30
      Monday: 07:00 – 18:00
      And something similar this weekend too.
      Accept it, it goes with the job, but a lot of the time it can be 9 to 5.

      “code to automate things”
      Yes, but don’t lose heart. If you can read a book, type, and have the enthusiasm to learn, you’ll be fine. Embrace to DOS box!

      “throw away the pc and get a mac”
      Bad advice I’d say. I read a quote today, can’t remember where from, and (paraphrasing) it goes something like “Better to be an OS agnostic, than a OS zealot”. So yes, get a mac, get a linux OS as well, hell, get 3! But don’t throw away the PC

      If you’re still in Uni, then you probably only know about 5% of what you need to know to do a consultant or admin job well. But don’t sweat it, that knowledge will come.

      As Old Mycroft says, you leave Uni with a piece of paper, you start at the bottom, you work your way up. You will always need to keep your skillset current. In IT, it’s constant education.

      Doubting your abilities is a good thing. Because you then understand that you don’t know everything, and that you will need to learn it. But don’t lose your fight or your confidence. Take with a pinch of salt what the lecturer told you, although it may be true, it’s not like that all the time.

      I hope you make the decision that’s right for you.

      Good Luck!

    • #2999563

      Comments

      by brenton keegan ·

      In reply to Network Admins need to be Computer Scientists?

      My biggest piece of advice is this: Don’t give up, no matter what. There has been several times in my university experience that I wanted to quit and change to something else and even after I was done I wanted to change professions. It’s not going to help as every profession has its hardships and fruit comes when you don’t bail when those hardships come.

      So feeling insufficient is not uncommon. Give yourself a year or two working a real net admin job and you’ll start to see some progress, but even then you’re just getting started.

      Remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day, it just takes time to really get where you want to be. Just take it one day, one challenge at a time. If you try to take it all on at once you’ll get overwhelmed.

      As far as all-nighters. It really depends on where you work. You’ll likely need to do after-hours maintenance work at the very least, but not necessarily all-nighters. It really depends on your position and where you work.

      As far as Mac or PCs go, it doesn’t matter what you like it’s a matter of what people are going to pay you to deal with and the more you know the better. As far as what your professor said about “throwing away your pc and getting a Mac” it’s obviously off-based and saying this based off his personal bias towards Macs. Windows based computers hold the dominant market share and a lot of businesses use them.

      As far as coding/scripting, it’s a useful skill but if it’s not your forte, don’t worry about it. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses.

    • #2999560

      I think the prof is trying to scare you…

      by darryl~ ·

      In reply to Network Admins need to be Computer Scientists?

      I don’t know about down under, but up here where I am, you d@mn well better know PC’s…knowing a Mac is helpful (we don’t even have one on our network) but by no means critical.

      I got tied up in IT many, many years ago…I took a computer electronics out of highschool in the 70’s & ended up selling them for the next 20 years (when I came out of the electronics course, very few people new how to use a computer & the home computer was just coming on the market….it was a good fit for me & I made a lot of $$$ selling them).

      Then in the late 90’s I decided to get out of retail & back into the IT field like I originally planned…I targeted networking with the desire to get a job as Network Admin almost for the exact things you stated…plus I really enjoy working with people…I don’t like being in a corner out of the way somewhere doing programming. I took a few programming courses & am by no means strong in any of them….but I can muddle my way through & I don’t mind asking for help if I need it.

      So after I finished updating my IT stuff (6 yrs later), I was all set to get a job as a Network Admin…..well let me tell you….you’re very lucky if you land one right out of uni. I ended up doing helpdesk support for Microsoft when they first released XP….geez I hated that! Stuck on the phone the whole shift (5PM-2AM)…I still have nightmares about it….I did a lot of different things after I finished but I kept applying, & applying for Network Admin jobs & about 5 years after finishing school, I finally landed a Network Admin position…..very, very little programming involved, nice little network of about 120 computers & 12 locations so a little travelling…not much…..just had to be on call for the evenings & every once in a while I’d have to do updates on the servers when everyone was logged of….but for the most part…8:30am-4:30pm Mon-Fri….great job…loved it….got to go around to the different offices to help solve issues users had…it was great.

      Then I accepted a job as Manager of one of our IT department….not near as fun….I liked Network Admin better….but this is more stable & more $$$.

      Hope that helps you in making your decision.

      Darryl

      • #2999336

        Thank you to all

        by pl312 ·

        In reply to I think the prof is trying to scare you…

        Thanks for all your help.

        I am still young so I really don’t mind the late shifts, in fact if it was in the city I’d think it would be fun for a while until I get older or until winter hits in.

        I appreciate all your useful help and experiences, this is a quality forum.

        I did some research into the lecturer and he apparently works for Apple Australia…..
        I don’t mind learning new OS but he predicted that within 10 years unless Windows does soemthing drastic Macs will be dominate and I’ve just been trained in Windows all my life and was concerned that I don’t have enough time to prepare.

        Thank you all for your help.

        • #2999326

          Well you should know by now about Teachers

          by oh smeg ·

          In reply to Thank you to all

          Those that can go out and do, those that can’t go out and Teach.

          As far as the idea that Apple will dominate the World in a few years that is typical Apple Talk. They have been saying it for at least the last 15 or so years and probably much longer. They just want to get back to the stage that they where before IBM sided up with MicroSoft and dominated the market. They actually think that Talk will achieve this too. 😀

          Believe it or not there where Apple PC’s around before the IBM Clones hit the streets and they where the standard that everything was judged by. M$’s DOS was pitiful when they first started loading IBM’s and their programing has not improved since. 😉

          Col

        • #2999307

          You missed the third part of the ‘saying’ …

          by older mycroft ·

          In reply to Well you should know by now about Teachers

          Those who can – [b]DO[/b]

          Those who can’t – [b]TEACH[/b]

          Those who can’t teach – [b]TEACH TEACHERS TO TEACH[/b] 😀

          [i]I’m gonna get grief for this – I just know it![/i] 😉

          *BTW – if you ever feel that your teacher is a bit of a pirate, just consider:
          [u][i]Edward Teach (died 1718) aka [b]BLACKBEARD ![/b][/i][/u]

        • #2999282

          OM you had best hope

          by oh smeg ·

          In reply to You missed the third part of the ‘saying’ …

          That Davette doesn’t see this thread. :0

          I’m sure that she would be extremely happy with the above thought. :^0

          Col 0:-)

        • #3000800

          I seem to recall a previous occasion …

          by older mycroft ·

          In reply to OM you had best hope

          In that instance I received a fusillade of rebuttal, delivered with a certain twang. 😀

    • #3000836

      Resource Help

      by pl312 ·

      In reply to Network Admins need to be Computer Scientists?

      Hi,

      Me again just want to know if you can point me in any direction to learn the good ol DOS box (that’s cmd right?)

      Also i want to know how do you learn to be a technician without doing a course, any online self-learning places? I can detect simple mistakes, software and driver issues that I have experience with and or using google but how do techies be so dam good?

      thanks

      • #3000816

        Hands on

        by rob miners ·

        In reply to Resource Help

        experience and a lot of reading.

        Type help |more at a command prompt. That will give you an introduction to the commands avialable in the particular OS.

        See if you can get hold of DOS 6 Special Addition by Judd Robbins.

        It’s from Sybex and the ISBN is 0-7821-1236-6

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