Hey guys and gals... what do you DO all day?

[thezman007]

Hey guys and gals,

I have been playing with computers all my life (33), and realized I should quit screwing around with other jobs and do what I love. Windows sucks and I like Linux more and more (and more). I took 3 years of Turbo Pascal in high school. Sure no one uses it anymore but programming is programming, only the language changes right? After getting say, A+ and linux+, what would I ACTUALLY be doing? Setting up accounts? Amateur security audits? installing software? What does a sysadmin actually DO? How hard would it be to get a job this "late" in the game? Install hardware? Upgrade? Work with databases?

I appreciate any and all advice (whether taken or not )

I think the biggest thing for me is that Linux will only grow and most people have no idea how to use it. I've only used it a few years myself. BUT, the altruistic side of me says I just have to work with Linux because, you know, it's great for the world and stuff

[ventrical]

You can do either and any of all of the above. Malware removal of Windows systems is meat and potatos (though not the reason I took PC science) Working with databases is not a shame. We don't have to all be IT's.

There is a big demand (in North America) for Ubuntu Migration Assistants. Also for marketing. You may not get a chance to work directly for Canonical but you can moonlight and people are usually very grateful if you help babysit their Ubuntu Installs.

Teaching others how to use Linux is another area of expertise and I find many customers willing to pay consultation fees. In fact , most of my customers will not accept free consultation -so- as a side bar , one can make extra money with migration , consultation and tutoring/mentoring in Linux and or other FOSS.

Bug fixing and QA is another field you can explore.

My first jobs were in the area of programming and repair electromechanical pinball machines (all relays - no semiconductors). From there I stayed working in hardware repair and maintenance and migrated to microprocessor controlled pinball machines and video games.. .. on and on to my first real job on a terminal at a data level entry op working with Reflex Database (transposing data from printed stationary to the database via the terminal by keyboard). Believe it or not I found it very rewarding.

... and it keeps getting better. With Linux , the possibilities are limitless. With Ubuntu .. it is more of an adventure, or ,a voyage if your prefer so just keep exploring lol

Regards..

[uRock]

Being over 30 makes it really hard when competing with young bucks just out of high school or college for an entry level job. Keep your head up, stay positive, and practice. Every job I look at wants a Bachelor's degree and 5 to 10 years experience.

[thezman007]

Thanks everyone, these are helpful posts.

[Warpnow]

My advice is to get a job- any job- with a company that has a large number of people doing what you want to do. If they are regularly posting openings, showing some turnover, that's a plus. From there network your way internally into the job you want.

[d-cosner]

I am 53 and used to work in a large corporation in IT as desktop support. Those days are gone though... Our server guy figured it out long before I did. He said the young guys fresh out of college were ruining it for the rest of us because they were working so cheap. He was right, how can you compete with people willing to work for a fraction of the cost that did not yet have a family to support?

These days they want you to have a degree and work for next to nothing, not to mention years of experience. I have no degree, I just had the desire to get things done! The company I worked for had tried lots of people with all kinds of certifications and they did not get anything done. When I started there was 60 open trouble tickets! I took care of all of them in one week! I put a stop to weekly meetings over open tickets because I never had any open!

I took care of 300 computers and around 50 VT Terminals all by myself not to mention all of the printers and I came in with very little knowledge of the software they ran. When asked how I got so good with fixing applications I told them that I used to fix games for my Mom! I set up all of their Oracle applications that a team of programmers could not get working! I even set up the server and that was not even my job.

I set up a plant wide communications system that my boss said was not in my job realm just because I thought it was a cool project. The bottom line was that I had never seen any of the applications they used but I was extremely successful because I loved what I was doing. You can find answers to anything if you know where to look!