I've been working at the same company for about 5 years now, starting out with basic help desk stuff, and moving up to different areas of the company, including network admin, quality assurance (I work at a SW development company) and so on. I've had my hand in a bit of everything there, but don't really have a strong background in any of it. I'm a bit worried that a person with no formal skill set might become obsoleted at my company, and if I were to lose my job I would be SOL without any credentials.
I am a college dropout, so I don't have any formal accreditation in anything technology related. Right now I am taking some evening courses at university, but these are just basic IT certificate classes.
Ideally, I would love to go to university for 4 years and earn a degree in computer science. But being 30, having a kid, a mortgage, car payments and so on, that isn't really an option. All I can really do is work towards 'something' during evenings and weekends.
Right now, I am thinking of getting some CompTIA certifications, such as A+, Network+, Security+, Server+ and so on. From there, I would like to work towards some other specific certifications like Cisco CCNA. I am also interested in software development, and that could be a path with my company. But it's difficult doing that without a degree.
Just wondering, has anyone else been in my situation? What's the best way to build up my portfolio so I don't get replaced by some younger, better looking person with a stronger skillset? Has anybody earned their degree part time? Is it a complete living hell for 10 years to do that?
Thanks!
I am a college dropout, so I don't have any formal accreditation in anything technology related. Right now I am taking some evening courses at university, but these are just basic IT certificate classes.
Ideally, I would love to go to university for 4 years and earn a degree in computer science. But being 30, having a kid, a mortgage, car payments and so on, that isn't really an option. All I can really do is work towards 'something' during evenings and weekends.
Right now, I am thinking of getting some CompTIA certifications, such as A+, Network+, Security+, Server+ and so on. From there, I would like to work towards some other specific certifications like Cisco CCNA. I am also interested in software development, and that could be a path with my company. But it's difficult doing that without a degree.
Just wondering, has anyone else been in my situation? What's the best way to build up my portfolio so I don't get replaced by some younger, better looking person with a stronger skillset? Has anybody earned their degree part time? Is it a complete living hell for 10 years to do that?
Thanks!