Information Technology (IT)

[yogurt]

True, got me looking at different avenues to use the skills I have and build on them. The great thing w/ tech is that w/ innovation, there won't be an oversaturation. Not to mention, the vast different languages. I mean, u had broads who would CSS their MySpace page by day and throwin the neck by night

I was never on Myspace but when my friend told me you had to use HTML/CSS to modify your page I was like "no way those kids posting duck face selfies are banging out lines of code" 

A big part of being in demand is staying ahead of the curve. From experience there's a lot of companies looking for people with machine learning, NLP and deep learning backgrounds. Also Swift for iOS development and FPGA for the hardware.

Or you can just master Java or C++, those will never go away either.

 

[AZwildcats]

yogurt I would have to agree. Minors don't mean much, companies don't really care about them.

Yeah I figured as much, really wish I went through college with a straighter head but it's too late for that kind of talk. If I get the opportunity later in life I'll try to get my certs and work in IT

 

[nazdrowie]

Any DC folks aware of decent tech startups in the area? Getting a little tired of the traditional corp. life around gray beards

maybe try Palantir, if they still count as a start up...they just moved into Georgetown from their old McClean digs...

 

[finnns2003]

maybe try Palantir, if they still count as a start up...they just moved into Georgetown from their old McClean digs...

Good looks, thanks. I'm guessing it's all software related positions?

 

[fantastic4our]

Just passed the ICND1, working on the ICND2

Any advice? Things to focus on more than ohers?

 

[nazdrowie]

Good looks, thanks. I'm guessing it's all software related positions?

mix of some stuff, i think...

https://www.palantir.com/careers/#washington

 

[Mark Antony]

Opower is another sort of start up.

 

[and1play5]

Any advice? Things to focus on more than ohers?

Gotta be able to subnet in your head quickly, just practice, didn't see too much ipv6, lots of show commands and knowing what layer each show command will show information on. Gotta understand switching principles too, ICND1 only covers OSPF so its not too bad, gotta know about the hello and dead timers, thats off the top of my head

 

[nazdrowie]

Opower is another sort of start up.

forgot about them...someone i went to school with worked for them he said it was great company to work for...

 

[yogurt]

 
maybe try Palantir, if they still count as a start up...they just moved into Georgetown from their old McClean digs...

Definitely not a startup, one of the most valuable privately held companies (hell I think it was THE most valuable one until Uber's recent monster funding round).

Anyways, Palantir has an excellent reputation, but along with that an extremely difficult interview process. The kids they get are top tier - you can find a lot of information on their interview process on Quora, and books like CTCI also cover it. Most major tech companies ask you similar things anyways, so it's not like you'll have to go out of your way to learn new things, but general concensus is they are as selective as FB, Google, Microsoft, etc.

They have the typical Software Engineering positions, but I've also seen a lot of postings for Forward Deployment Strategists/Engineers (or something like that), which is still a technical role but is more strategic/consulting based as well, among others.

 

[yanky]

Have you guys heard of livecoding.tv? Basically watch streams of people coding...not sure why anyone would want to do that unless it's an instructional video but just came across if today.

 

[yogurt]

I'm literally going to just watch a guy as he writes code?

What next, live streaming people write 5 paragraph essays for college? 

 

[ricerocket1]

In my NSA program, I'm taking a Linux course. I'm good with the commands and remembering them too. It's just alot to remember. Anyone on here works with Linux for a living?

We have a linux server at work, dude just chill. Im ok with bash.

 

[yanky]

I'm literally going to just watch a guy as he writes code?

What next, live streaming people write 5 paragraph essays for college? 

just thought it was interesting that their is a site that streams just coding.

 

[Scarborough]

hey guys I'm looking to get into the the IT world, I would be starting from the very begginging
i just have a couple questions. what are some things i can expect in this field and is there advice you guys have to offer?

 

[Teknoman]

hey guys I'm looking to get into the the IT world, I would be starting from the very begginging
i just have a couple questions. what are some things i can expect in this field and is there advice you guys have to offer?

Comptia A+ would be your best bet. Dont necessarily need to take the exam. Teaches basics though.

 

[lynchpin33]

hey guys I'm looking to get into the the IT world, I would be starting from the very begginging
i just have a couple questions. what are some things i can expect in this field and is there advice you guys have to offer?

Comptia A+ would be your best bet. Dont necessarily need to take the exam. Teaches basics though.

Best place to study for the A+ exam outside of attending a class? Need to get certs under my belt. Thanks for any help in advance.

 

[HankHill]

What are you trying to do in IT? Networking? Support Desk? Data Analysis? App Development? UI/UX?

Its a very broad term so having a specific idea would help to provide a starting point.

 

[Scarborough]

What are you trying to do in IT? Networking? Support Desk? Data Analysis? App Development? UI/UX?

Its a very broad term so having a specific idea would help to provide a starting point.

tbh im not really sure. i am interested in computers but i wanna be somewhere where ill be able to have a stable career.
I have a friend who's in software testing and says its alright for what he gets paid.
Are there parts i should stay away from that are over saturated?

 

[dathbgboy]

What are you trying to do in IT? Networking? Support Desk? Data Analysis? App Development? UI/UX?

Its a very broad term so having a specific idea would help to provide a starting point.

tbh im not really sure. i am interested in computers but i wanna be somewhere where ill be able to have a stable career.
I have a friend who's in software testing and says its alright for what he gets paid.
Are there parts i should stay away from that are over saturated?

You have to be more specific as to what you want to do bro, IT is pretty broad. Do you like coding, do you like dealing with databases, do you want to connect networks/monitor security?

There's a lot when you think about it. I would suggest you look at some things and do research. Start with web development, app development, database management, data analysis, software engineering, network administration, security administration, and IT support. The list seems extensive but those are some of the fields that under the IT branch in general. Apply what you like to do in general and see if there's something within IT that aligns.

 

[AZwildcats]

Personally I like networking and web development. I plan on getting my certs in the next few years but I gotta find a stable job first

 

[ricerocket1]

From what i see whos really chillin are the server admins. Like this guys are working at home 3 days out of the week etc. But it seems to me Network engineers are always busy. We have 3 working now and dude is always talking on the phone with the ISP and **** is always hitting the fan.

Im gonna blow up my Ubuntu server and start a centOS since thats what our linux guy is working with and play around with that.

 

[youngheadjenks5]

Am I cheating my self if sometimes I go for help online with coding? I don't do it all the time, because I don't usually need help, but when I do it's something little. My professor wants us to go to the TA's for help, but I don't know why I can't bring my self to catch up with them. 

And when I mean online for help I mean actually looking at code and thinking about how I could use it and where I went wrong. I'm not simply copying other peoples code from the net, but trying to get how and why they used it.

I spend a lot of time trial and error of course, but I just feel like a idiot when I go online I might be cheating my self.

 

[dathbgboy]

Personally I like networking and web development. I plan on getting my certs in the next few years but I gotta find a stable job first

Networking and Web dev are great options. I'm learning web dev right now and just started looking into C#/ASP.Net Free Code Camp is great if you want to learn to be a Full Stack Web Developer and get a certification in Computer Software Engineering that is recognized on LinkedIn.

It may seem like I'm peddling FCC like I'm getting paid to do so but fact of the matter is that I use and it it's great, especially since it's free I was where u were about 2 years ago until I figured out where I wanted to go with IT.

Am I cheating my self if sometimes I go for help online with coding? I don't do it all the time, because I don't usually need help, but when I do it's something little. My professor wants us to go to the TA's for help, but I don't know why I can't bring my self to catch up with them. 

And when I mean online for help I mean actually looking at code and thinking about how I could use it and where I went wrong. I'm not simply copying other peoples code from the net, but trying to get how and why they used it.

I spend a lot of time trial and error of course, but I just feel like a idiot when I go online I might be cheating my self.

I asked the same question a while ago and the general consensus is, no, no you aren't cheating yourself. Coding is a give and take community and it helps u in the long run. I was struggling with JavaScript on FCC and cats in here told me to look at how other people solved it but not necessarily copying their code, it helps u better understand what you're doing wrong and doing right.

 

[capital sb]

 
Am I cheating my self if sometimes I go for help online with coding? I don't do it all the time, because I don't usually need help, but when I do it's something little. My professor wants us to go to the TA's for help, but I don't know why I can't bring my self to catch up with them. 

And when I mean online for help I mean actually looking at code and thinking about how I could use it and where I went wrong. I'm not simply copying other peoples code from the net, but trying to get how and why they used it.

I spend a lot of time trial and error of course, but I just feel like a idiot when I go online I might be cheating my self.

No, it is the best way to learn. You will never know everything, you go to others/look at code for help.

Once you become proficient and working in the field you will be copying and pasting left and right. It's common practice.