How would I go about getting an IT job?

[Meeder1]

More specifically, or at least preferably a computer security job.

It's something that Ive taken a interest in recently, being nearly 16, I need to start figuring out what I want to do with my life. Being the computer geek I am, Im pretty sure something in the IT field would suit me best.

From what I've read about a computer security job, it seem's like more people say the skills are pretty much self taught, through black hat hacking, or being a white hat. Do colleges actually have classes for things like this?

As far as a general IT job goes, I'm sure colleges offer plenty of IT courses, so I dont think I would have much of a problem getting experience in that. But, I wanted to know if anyone around Sythe has an IT job, no matter what kind. Id be interested in:

What they do
If they went to school for it, or something related to it
The stress level of their job
How long they've been doing it
And their pay (If your comfortable sharing that info with me).


Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

EDIT: When I say all of this, I mean how should I be preparing myself (Pre-college) to get into the IT field. Anything general, is probably best, because I'm not sure what I want to do in the IT field yet. Jobs that are offered pre-college that would give me some hands on experience with computer, programming languages I should be learning, ect.

 

[fredecus]

Yes last year I took computer engineering classes at Mississippi state. My minor is information security, we take classes in labs on creating simple viruses and learning how they work to eventually apply it to prevention. Also the co op spaces are awesome. Nsa FBI NASA and private firms look for students to bring in and train and usually offer a job after you get your degree. Last year each person walked the stage with at least 1 offer. Pm me if you have.more questions. I recently changed majors to physics for the job I do right now. I won't be on my comp for two more weeks so pm and I can be more specific.
What they do If they went to school for it, or something related to it
The stress level of their job- laid back mainly around deadlines its a bit more rough
How long they've been doing it - not long
And their pay (If your comfortable sharing that info with me). - pm me

 

[Meeder1]

I've gotten lots of info from Fred up there, and he's given me his email so I can talk to him pretty frequently about it.

Anyone else? Was really thinking more people from Sythe would have been working in the IT field.

 

[kill dank]

Most places won't hire you unless you're enrolled in some sort of Computer Science course, especially since you're so young. If you get a few heavyweight certifications under your belt, that can say more than a degree sometimes.

It depends what area of Computer Science you want to work in. You could learn to program and develop software, you can work on the more physical side of things in Network Architecture, or you could just be a geek squad guy and anything in between. I think the first thing to do is decide what you're good at and what you'd be interested in learning. Book smarts is one thing, but hands-on experience definitely says a lot more.

 

[Meeder1]

Most places won't hire you unless you're enrolled in some sort of Computer Science course, especially since you're so young. If you get a few heavyweight certifications under your belt, that can say more than a degree sometimes.

It depends what area of Computer Science you want to work in. You could learn to program and develop software, you can work on the more physical side of things in Network Architecture, or you could just be a geek squad guy and anything in between. I think the first thing to do is decide what you're good at and what you'd be interested in learning. Book smarts is one thing, but hands-on experience definitely says a lot more.

Ah, maybe I should edit the OP. I wasn't so much talking about getting one NOW, but preparing for one. I intend to go to college for Computer Science, and Business. I was pretty much asking along the lines of: What should I be learning to help myself prepare before college. What coding languages, and so on. But, any computer hands on job pre-college would be great as well, though I wouldn't expect it to be anything very good.

Edit: OP edited.

 

[kill dank]

Ah, maybe I should edit the OP. I wasn't so much talking about getting one NOW, but preparing for one. I intend to go to college for Computer Science, and Business. I was pretty much asking along the lines of: What should I be learning to help myself prepare before college. What coding languages, and so on. But, any computer hands on job pre-college would be great as well, though I wouldn't expect it to be anything very good.

Edit: OP edited.

Well, I'd say C++ is a very good language to know before taking Computer Science courses. That's what they ended up teaching us, but the class was so fast paced that it was so easy to fall behind into a void of confusion. I definitely should have studied it before taking the class.
That's just me, it depends what school, honestly.

 

[fredecus]

Well, I'd say C++ is a very good language to know before taking Computer Science courses. That's what they ended up teaching us, but the class was so fast paced that it was so easy to fall behind into a void of confusion. I definitely should have studied it before taking the class.
That's just me, it depends what school, honestly.

Correct. C, C++ are very good, and you will be using them throughout your career. If you want to learn some BASIC stuff now go to TheNewBoston.com and under tutorials learn the language "Python" It is really simple and he is an amazing teacher.

 

[I trip balls]

What they do-It helpdesk, support fedex employee's and their equipment(Call center)
If they went to school for it, or something related to it-nope entry level. must pass IT assesment and many tests
The stress level of their job-Depends on the day of week and who you talk to.
How long they've been doing it-3 months
And their pay (If your comfortable sharing that info with me). $13.00/h

 

[Wolfdog]

Get certified in a few languages (I'm certified JAVA/VB) and take college courses. Easiest way in the world - Also, find a local business (I did this) and convince them to hire you to beef up network security (Be careful - anything you do needs to be handled maturely and with professionalism - This is no longer a playground of nooby hackers/sec, anything you screw up, you ARE liable for.)