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Old 11-10-2006, 05:32 PM   #1 (permalink) Top
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hello
what careers can be achieved from A LEVEL's in ICT. i think that web designing, software engineering, computer engineering. Computer engineering is what im best at but max computer engineer salary is only about £28000 per annum, (or is it).
i was thinking whether if working for a company like fujitsu as a computer engineer technician would be more per annum. Computer technician and engineer is similar isnt it?
thanks

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Old 11-10-2006, 04:38 PM   #2 (permalink) Top
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Well, does it factor in certifications like MCSE or Cisco? Those do add a lot of value over something like no cert.
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Old 12-10-2006, 04:16 PM   #3 (permalink) Top
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Well, does it factor in certifications like MCSE or Cisco? Those do add a lot of value over something like no cert.
im only 15 at the moment so im really a bit lost about that, how much more value would they add anyway. nd i think that web designing and computer engineering has pretty much the same value and plus for web designing there is all that learning to do aswell.
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Old 12-10-2006, 06:08 PM   #4 (permalink) Top
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A-Levels are good but to go for the real specialist jobs get a degree. I'm doing a BSc in Internet Computing at the minute. A-Levels are good but you'll only start off low and you'll have to prove your 'worth' before they go giving you any real techy-jobs.
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Old 12-10-2006, 07:22 PM   #5 (permalink) Top
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ICT at A level is not good enough engineering job. Whether software or hardware it doesn't matter as it doesn't cover any type of programming.

You should look into doing A level computing for programming, but even Computing won't make you stand out. For a real software engineering job you'll need to do computer science at Uni like Matt does. What type of engineering job are you looking at?
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Old 13-10-2006, 05:04 AM   #6 (permalink) Top
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ICT at A level is not good enough engineering job. Whether software or hardware it doesn't matter as it doesn't cover any type of programming.

You should look into doing A level computing for programming, but even Computing won't make you stand out. For a real software engineering job you'll need to do computer science at Uni like Matt does. What type of engineering job are you looking at?
to tell you the truth, i hate software engineering, i wanted to do computer engineering and as B sed, do MCSE (which is that microsoft certification) and you can get a descent job. i waas wondering what course i will have to do to get that or do i have to do the basic enigneering and then do that.
thanks
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Old 13-10-2006, 04:35 PM   #7 (permalink) Top
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Also, go for what you love to do. Why spend time and money on something you just hate. Will you find it out right away? Not necessarily, but if nothing else, take the required courses you'd have to take anyway and maybe dabble in some other classes in a few areas you think you're interested in.

Whatever you do, stay in school. Trust me. I'm nearly 26, live with my parents (for the time being, and I have a good reason why) and work at a retail store 3rd shift. I'm sure you can figure out I'm far from ignorant when it comes to computers, but I don't have that piece of paper to say I know what I know.
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Old 14-10-2006, 11:23 AM   #8 (permalink) Top
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Quote:
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Also, go for what you love to do. Why spend time and money on something you just hate. Will you find it out right away? Not necessarily, but if nothing else, take the required courses you'd have to take anyway and maybe dabble in some other classes in a few areas you think you're interested in.

Whatever you do, stay in school. Trust me. I'm nearly 26, live with my parents (for the time being, and I have a good reason why) and work at a retail store 3rd shift. I'm sure you can figure out I'm far from ignorant when it comes to computers, but I don't have that piece of paper to say I know what I know.
B, what about operational engineering, its just putting together hardware and that i think, how LOW is the salary in that. also database management and maintenance, what is invlolved in that. also in MCSE, do you have to know everything from windows server, xp etc.
sorry for asking so many qestions, im a bit paranoid now cause i cant choose.
thanks a lot anyway
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Old 14-10-2006, 01:31 PM   #9 (permalink) Top
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As for database management you'll need qualifications, especially if you're working with anything like Oracle with SQL. Databases are what businesses rely on, if there's problems, a business can crumble.
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Old 14-10-2006, 04:12 PM   #10 (permalink) Top
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Quote:
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As for database management you'll need qualifications, especially if you're working with anything like Oracle with SQL. Databases are what businesses rely on, if there's problems, a business can crumble.
thats true but wat bout working for a company but making databases for small businesses or other people.
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Old 14-10-2006, 04:22 PM   #11 (permalink) Top
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That's different, that kind of thing wouldn't be a full time job I wouldn't think, I wouldn't think a small company would have the resources to keep a fully employed database admin.
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Old 14-10-2006, 05:49 PM   #12 (permalink) Top
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It doesn't matter whterh the company is big or small, any incompetence with databases can have disastrous results. You'll need full Oracle/PostgreSQL/MySQL training to get a job as a DB admin I think.

You know putting together hardware isn't all that, it can be a hobby, but don't rely on it for a full time career. If its what you love to do, then go for it and look for a job which requires it, but I would imagine that companies want more than a hardware person unless its a repair technician job.

For a MCSE, you'll need to know MS Server 2003 etc in depth. But as Linux grows ever stronger in the server market, its not a bad idea to get familiar with it and gain some invaluable network experience. I find that the best way to learn with things like networks is to experiment and do it yourself. Try to implement it, and see what kind of things are involved.
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Old 14-10-2006, 06:05 PM   #13 (permalink) Top
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It doesn't matter whterh the company is big or small, any incompetence with databases can have disastrous results. You'll need full Oracle/PostgreSQL/MySQL training to get a job as a DB admin I think.

You know putting together hardware isn't all that, it can be a hobby, but don't rely on it for a full time career. If its what you love to do, then go for it and look for a job which requires it, but I would imagine that companies want more than a hardware person unless its a repair technician job.

For a MCSE, you'll need to know MS Server 2003 etc in depth. But as Linux grows ever stronger in the server market, its not a bad idea to get familiar with it and gain some invaluable network experience. I find that the best way to learn with things like networks is to experiment and do it yourself. Try to implement it, and see what kind of things are involved.
well database management is out of the equation, also i was thinking that operational engineering wasnt good coz you could get a good job like in heathrow airport and earn more than that. its MCSE then, but its got ALOT of learning in it. so MCSE is microsoft and CCNA (Cisco) is networking and what was A+? that was mainly hardware related wasnt it. if i was to pass MCSE where could i get a job, i mean would i be able to work as a technician for a particular company such as fujitsu or sumnthing or could i work for a computer repair specialist company, if so could you possibly name some.
i think its better to work for a company as many people are learning how to make their own computer and therefore know how to fix minor problems such as PSU replacement etc so the repair companies dont really get that much
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Old 14-10-2006, 09:47 PM   #14 (permalink) Top
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I think qualifications are a good idea, but ask AT and he'll tell you that being an MCSE doesn't mean that you know what you're doing. Some people learn the content, but don't actually know what they're doing in a real life situation. I've come across people like that.

Don't be put off by a career that could be too demanding, I think its better to be challenged than to be bored.

MCSEs are very big, much bigger than A+ which is CompTias general hardware/software technician qualification. You have to build up to MCSE through A+ and maybe some other qualifications as well. Megamaced is doing his MCSE course at the moment, (until his college went bust, not sure whats happening now). He did the A+ first, and I think possibly the Network+ and Linux+.

IMO, I doubt that companies like Fujitsu etc will hire someone because of an MCSE, but I don't know. I think experience is also a heavy factor, and the will and drive to continue learning. You'll need to constantly update your skills to keep up with this fast moving industry. E.g, how far will an MCSE take you in 10 years time? You'll probably need to continue learning, to set yourself apart from the rest of the qualified people.

However, thats not to say that qualifications like the MCSE are useless. I don't have any experience with them, but I'm sure that having it on paper, as well as other qualifications (you definately need more than MCSE) will greatly help in a job interview, so they do have value. how much is up for a debate left to people who have experience with it.
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Old 17-10-2006, 02:29 PM   #15 (permalink) Top
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Database admins apparently make pretty nice money. But then again, they're being paid to not screw up. A low-level tech would be fixing PC's, and that's about it. That's core material, and if you're not able to do that, I think it's going to make it very difficult to do your job. Don't be the Must Call Someone Else MCSE, be a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer. A certification looks good, don't get me wrong, but if you don't know the material in the application of it, that's bad. Every bozo like that makes certs less valuable.
Should you get them? Why not? It's not going to hurt, but know the material. You only need to know the right answers for the test once. You need to be able to use the knowledge regularly.
I can't tell you the path to Admin Tools off the top of my head, but I can get there and know what I'm doing when I'm there. On a test, that's a likely question for me to blow.

Right now, for me, getting my A+ is step one. As time goes along, an MCSE and possibly Cisco would be nice to have.
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