What are some exciting Computer careers?

[Robscure]

I'm going to goto Uni next year and I'm so indecisive as to what to study.

My passion is computers, I love to learn about them and though I've never built one, I have replaced ram and gpu before, and its exciting to me to open a computer up and tinker inside, and the thought of building one...

Are there any good careers or stable jobs that pay well to do that sort of thing? By well I just mean enough to survive, not £75,000 necessarily lol. If so, what sort of degree is required?

I'm thinking about Computer Science at the moment, because I think that would deal with the sort of thing that I'm interested in.

I don't want to be a programmer, although maybe I would enjoy that, I have tried it in school years ago but I couldn't get interested in it (Visual Basic).

What sort of jobs/careers do you people have?

I would love to build computers for a living, like some of these companies do, they build and sell computers, what else do they do? Is that all? They build and fix computers for a living? Is there more to their job than that? Did they get a degree? How do I get into that?

Thanks a lot.

[Mike Fishcake]

You don't need a degree to get involved with computer hardware, but don't try to build computers for a living. Dell, HP, Acer and all the other big manufacturers can do it for cheaper than you - especially if you're planning to make a profit from it. That's not an opinion, that's fact (That was one of the duties of my old job).

If you must get a job in computer hardware - repairs and upgrades are the way to go, but bear in mind that people won't spend a massive amount due to the price of new machines now, and most of the jobs will be re-installing Windows because someone has littered their PC up with spyware.

There's still a bit of business in setting up and maintaining small network installations for local small businesses though.

[Robscure]

You don't need a degree to get involved with computer hardware, but don't try to build computers for a living. Dell, HP, Acer and all the other big manufacturers can do it for cheaper than you - especially if you're planning to make a profit from it. That's not an opinion, that's fact (That was one of the duties of my old job).

If you must get a job in computer hardware - repairs and upgrades are the way to go, but bear in mind that people won't spend a massive amount due to the price of new machines now, and most of the jobs will be re-installing Windows because someone has littered their PC up with spyware.

There's still a bit of business in setting up and maintaining small network installations for local small businesses though.

Thanks, if that's the case then I may stick with my plan of studying nutrition.

Quite different from computers, but I like many, many things.

[kalniel]

There's still a bit of business in setting up and maintaining small network installations for local small businesses though.

Indeed, but it's not what I'd really call exciting

Computing is important in virtually all other professions now, so it might be better to study for something else first and foremost, then look how you can apply computing (which you can learn as a hobby or via a masters course etc.) to it.

[Robscure]

Indeed, but it's not what I'd really call exciting

Computing is important in virtually all other professions now, so it might be better to study for something else first and foremost, then look how you can apply computing (which you can learn as a hobby or via a masters course etc.) to it.

Thanks for the info you two...

Cheers

[Andy3536]

I'm going to goto Uni next year and I'm so indecisive as to what to study.

My passion is computers, I love to learn about them and though I've never built one, I have replaced ram and gpu before, and its exciting to me to open a computer up and tinker inside, and the thought of building one...

Are there any good careers or stable jobs that pay well to do that sort of thing? By well I just mean enough to survive, not £75,000 necessarily lol. If so, what sort of degree is required?

I'm thinking about Computer Science at the moment, because I think that would deal with the sort of thing that I'm interested in.

I don't want to be a programmer, although maybe I would enjoy that, I have tried it in school years ago but I couldn't get interested in it (Visual Basic).

What sort of jobs/careers do you people have?

I would love to build computers for a living, like some of these companies do, they build and sell computers, what else do they do? Is that all? They build and fix computers for a living? Is there more to their job than that? Did they get a degree? How do I get into that?

Thanks a lot.

MI5 are taking people on

[TheAnimus]

Building a PC shouldn't overlap with any 'Degree' in computing.

Slotting together Graphics cards + CPUs, is a skill. No degree worth its salt would cover it, as it would be training not education.

This isn't to say its a useful/instresting skill, but its a skill.

A university will teach you abstract concepts, which you would then apply. People who have studied CS at a good uni, have no difficulty when faced with totally new hardware, the paradigm switch from say VB to F#.

If programming dosen't intrest you, Computer Science degree isn't the one to do. If you want to learn more about how a graphics card can work, Electronic Engineering might be more up your street. Thou you would have to spend 3+ years to be able to begin to understand.

I think of computing as just a means to an end, rather than an industry in itself. In the same way Biro design is just a means to an end, if you've nothing important to write, whats the point in having a biro.

This is why computing is incredibly varied, you get people ranging from Exploration (space,deep sea), medical research (demanding accuracy), finance (demanding an obsessive love of money to do the hours), Gaming (demanding an obsessive love of been exploited to work the hours).....

But building PCs, is low paid, providing companies with an IT provision, is on the other hand much better paid.

[TheAnimus]

MI5 are taking people on

called SIS now.....

[Andy3536]

called SIS now.....

Not more rebranding

What are MI6 called now?


But whoever they are they let you sell company laptops on Ebay Always a nice bonus.

[Robscure]

Not more rebranding

What are MI6 called now?


But whoever they are they let you sell company laptops on Ebay Always a nice bonus.

lol... I don't think I want to work for the government, even though they come with such a nice bonus, but thanks...

Building a PC shouldn't overlap with any 'Degree' in computing.

Slotting together Graphics cards + CPUs, is a skill. No degree worth its salt would cover it, as it would be training not education.

This isn't to say its a useful/instresting skill, but its a skill.

A university will teach you abstract concepts, which you would then apply. People who have studied CS at a good uni, have no difficulty when faced with totally new hardware, the paradigm switch from say VB to F#.

If programming dosen't intrest you, Computer Science degree isn't the one to do. If you want to learn more about how a graphics card can work, Electronic Engineering might be more up your street. Thou you would have to spend 3+ years to be able to begin to understand.

I think of computing as just a means to an end, rather than an industry in itself. In the same way Biro design is just a means to an end, if you've nothing important to write, whats the point in having a biro.

This is why computing is incredibly varied, you get people ranging from Exploration (space,deep sea), medical research (demanding accuracy), finance (demanding an obsessive love of money to do the hours), Gaming (demanding an obsessive love of been exploited to work the hours).....

But building PCs, is low paid, providing companies with an IT provision, is on the other hand much better paid.

Thank you for the elaborate response, I appreciate it.

As I mentioned, I think I'll just go with my original plan of studying nutrition and fitness.

[Lucio]

lol... I don't think I want to work for the government, even though they come with such a nice bonus, but thanks...



Thank you for the elaborate response, I appreciate it.

As I mentioned, I think I'll just go with my original plan of studying nutrition and fitness.

See if you can get modules in Sport Science, that can get quite technically involved when studying things like metabolic rates and similiar and in terms of making a career out of your degree, you could do worse than know how to run the various equipment and analysis the results for athletes and sportsmen & women.

[NeedMoarFarms]

Just to add my two cents...

If you don't enjoy programming, do not do computing science. It may be different for other Uni's, but at glasgow you are required to learn many languages, and it is focused much more towards the actual science of computers, rather than the hardware (computing science, duh ).

I'd recommend keeping computing as a hobby, you'll get much more enjoyment out of it .

I'm also decided whether to do electronic engineering or computing science at uni .

[Robscure]

Just to add my two cents...

If you don't enjoy programming, do not do computing science. It may be different for other Uni's, but at glasgow you are required to learn many languages, and it is focused much more towards the actual science of computers, rather than the hardware (computing science, duh ).

I'd recommend keeping computing as a hobby, you'll get much more enjoyment out of it .

I'm also decided whether to do electronic engineering or computing science at uni .

Alright, thanks.

I would love to learn languages and be able to program and what-not, but I don't think I would make use out of that in the real world, considering there's people who are much more passionate about that than me and I would just be a second-rate wash-up.