Ravi Kallianpur ⋅ Hammond, LA Louisiana State University ⋅ 28 years experience

Shawn,

You probably have all the answers you need but what the heck; as you know, IT is a very broad field, and expanding as we speak. Before you jump on to any specific training, understand fully what is it that you like to do, what are your strengths, and what are your weaknesses; for example, if you are a people person, like problem solving, have no problems about not knowing the answer, but willing to find one, then the Helpdesk may be an area for you. But for your career to be successful and you to be happy with it, you definitely have to do some self assessment. There are many free online assessment which might help you narrow down your areas of interests. Another thing that might help you choose is to ask questions of IT professionals about their jobs nd what is required. You will be surprised what you may find out. IT is a wonderfully challenging and fulfilling field - however, being a generalist limits your scope of growth, so you would need to find your specialization.

Good luck to you. Regards, ravi

Kasie Dugan ⋅ Charleston, SC Boeing ⋅ 4 years experience

Hi Shawn,

I would suggest your local community college as a place to start. They will most likely offer the foundational courses that the larger university will offer but at a fraction of the cost, easier access to courses and more personalized instruction. That is where I started and it was a great choice for me that saved money and allowed me to transfer to pretty much any school that I wanted for my B.S. If you aren't interested in a degree (which I highly recommend that you do get a degree if you don't have one) they may have some professional certificate programs. If you do go the route of a B.S. I would also recommend going to an accredited state or private university.

Jasmine Lopez ⋅ Upper Marlboro, MD U.S. Army Reserve, Sergeant ⋅ 8 years served

Shawn,

Me and you are on the same boat. I went to CompTIA.org and was able to find local areas that gave training. CompTIA also has a program called Troops to Tech. I have not gathered more information on this as I have to go through VA first to ensure that I qualify for benefits and this takes awhile.

http://www.troopstotechcareers.org/contact.aspx

Mary Stern ⋅ Santa Barbara, CA Baxter Healthcare ⋅ 30 years experience

Shawn,

IT is a very broad field. I agree with the people who recommend starting at the community colleges. Many Community Colleges offer services to assess your skills, abilities and interests. That may be helpful for you to narrow down the many aspects of IT. It is not just the job titles but the work that people do. If you are an extrovert than sitting in a cubicle and managing data bases might not be for you. A "help desk" may not pay as much but there is more social interaction.

Andy Record ⋅ San Francisco, CA Affiliated Enginners Inc ⋅ 15 years experience

Hello Shawn,

Another aspect of IT is the physical layer, the copper and fiber cables that run the IT systems. The software and server guys just think a cable is a cable is a cable. They come out of bags and are free with every desktop. That might be true when you are patching your single Gigabit port 3 to 9 feet, but when you have a campus of 47 IDFs and want to run 10 Gigabit Ethernet it gets a little complicated and technical.

There are many options and paths to use your skills in the physical layer; large companies have SME (subject mater experts) on staff that review my work as a telecommunications engineer. Every time they build a building, they are looking over my shoulder to make sure I am staying true to the companies' guidelines, and I welcome their review and help. Other companies have in house staff that design all the structured cable (Cat 5e, 6 and 6A) for workstations, wireless access points and such. Then you can design data centers, lots of fiber!

I like the physical layer world, copper and fiber, for may reasons, but the satisfaction of seeing a project move from blueprints, through construction and into to a completed network, while walking the job site is what feeds me.

Mike Esqueda ⋅ Chicago, IL Zurich North America ⋅ 3 years experience

Shawn,

Check out these resources, they may steer you in the right direction-

https://www.veteranjobsmission.com/tips-and-resources/educational-tips

SAP- Veterans to Work Program
This program/course offered by SAP is available to veterans pursuing IT and database skills, matching the needs for skilled employees by participation in this training program for veterans transitioning to the civilian workforce.

http://www.sap.com/corporate-en/about/sustainability/index.html

Mike Esqueda
Zurich North America
Military Liaison/ Corporate Recruiter

Mark Levine ⋅ Southeastern, PA Cerner Corporation ⋅ 47 years experience

Many community colleges offer excellent courses at reasonable tuition ranging from basic to advanced that may be able to give you what you need. Your VA benefits may also help with the tuition.

Tom Cal, CFA ⋅ San Francisco, CA Army Veteran, Investment Manager ⋅ 25 years experience

IT certifications can help you advance your goals. Research VCTP Syracuse (100% free) and please report back what you find. Interaction and feedback are keys to YOUR success.

VCTP syracuse!
http://vets.syr.edu/education/employment-programs/#!