There is no gentle to put this: you have to like and good at what you do. This goes against the current trend of “Do what lets you have the life you want.”. But why?
Other career fields may not be the same. CIS is, at the same time, highly competitive and has high growth. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports a 25% growth over 10 years. However, there is also a 7.8% unemployment among recent graduates.
Most career options related to CIS (also called ICT, Information and Communication Technology) involve problem-solving, quickly learning new concepts, critical thinking, and analysis. These are in addition to being able to communicate effectively. A natural follow-up question is: can these abilities be learned via higher education? A fair answer is “to a certain degree.”
The Employment Development Department of California (EDD) has a tool to assess the interests and strengths of an individual for the purpose of career exploration. This is an excellent starting point to explore or to validate a particular career choice. No tool is 100% accurate, it is also best to talk to a counselor, a professor, or a practitioner to gain more depth of understanding.
High-salary jobs in ICT often require a bachelor’s degree in computer science (B.Sc. in CS). The current trend is that a master’s degree is increasingly helpful for career advancement.
So what good is a community college?
A community college, such as American River College, offers degrees that transfer to a four-year university. Typically, a student acquires an Associate of Science (AS) degree in about two years, then transfers to a four-year university as a junior.
American River College also offers certificates of achievement. A certificate of achievement typically requires a lower number of units, and it can be attained in two semesters or so. Most certificates of achievement relate to industry certifications or specific job skills. As such, certificates of achievement can be instrumental to starting a career without getting a B.Sc.
That being said, in the long run, a B.Sc. in computer science is recommended for potential career growth.
According to the BLS, computer support specialists (IT support) have the lowest entry into the ICT industry. While enjoying a “faster than average” job outlook, growing by 5% over 10 years, the median salary is about $60,000/yr.
Most other career paths have entry-level positions, but the level of competition can vary. Many career paths prefer job experience as a starting point. Most B.Sc. in computer science graduates start their careers as software developers or software engineers. This is both because of the general nature of the work as well as the high early-career median salary. However, software engineering and software development are also some of the most competitive job markets, often with technical assessments in the interview process that are more difficult than final exams of classes!
Transitioning from an entry-level job to advance along a career path can be challenging. Large employers, such as the State of California, make career advancement easier due to the vast amount of opportunities within the same organization.
Register, then with a student ID, explore careers using the pathwayU tool. Then, take the result and talk to people in the college:
For people who are not sure about which career path to pursue, it is best to take the first class of a program and evaluate the alignment with interests and aptitude. The following is an example:
| career path | class to take |
|---|---|
| software engineering | CISC 310 and CISP 300 |
| network technician | CISN 340 |
| IT support | CISC 361 |
| Cybersecurity technician | CISS 315 |
These are some recommendations. Some courses have “advisory” suggestions. For individuals who are unsure, it is best to take advisory courses first.
Depending on the high school experience, transitioning to college-level classes can be challenging. Human Career Development courses are specifically designed to help students who are new to college-level education.
In addition, the Reading Across the Discliplines program offers half-unit classes that start two weeks into a semester that specifically target reading comprehension, note-taking techniques, and other skills that help students succeed in their classes. This program is particularly helpful in the context of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) classes because of the high level of reading comprehension needed.
The STEM HomeBase is also a valuable resource. It is a one-stop resource that can help students in many ways, just ask the friendly Success Coach! The Success Coach is knowledgeable, understanding, and resourceful.
The MESA Center is a resource that is specifically for students who are first-generation college students and/or receiving financial assistance. MESA offers walk-in or scheduled peer-to-peer tutoring, field trips to STEM employers, seminars with industry leaders, etc. The most valuable part of MESA is that it is a tight-knit community. Students find peer support in terms of studying, future planning, and emotional support.
There are many factors. Aligning the personal interest and aptitude to a career path is the first step. This is because with a personal interest and aptitude, continuing to learn and grow can be fun, exciting, and stimulating.
Specific to computer-related technologies, curiosity is a strong ally. Technologies develop and evolve at a fast pace that is always accelerating. Keeping up with the latest and greatest can be a chore. However, curiosity makes keeping up with the latest developments fun and gratifying. Check out tech websites for the latest news, and then turn to Wikipedia to understand the specific terms.
One reader crowd-sourced tech news hub is Slashdot.
Another way to stay competitive is to take on personal projects. Do you want to grow tomatoes and need to control watering precisely? Learn to build your own controller! Do you want to curb advertisements, improve effective bandwidth, and enhance cybersecurity? Implement your own router (using a Raspberry Pi)! Do you want a local network mass store to sync with Google Drive? Write your own code to do it!
As you work on your personal projects, you may find like-minded peers. These peers can also help expand your knowledge, hone your skills, and refine your techniques.
One important theme to stay competitive is rigor. Understand concepts in depth, and follow those rabbit holes. Question assumptions, and validate claims. Ask “what”, “why”, and “how”. If there is a problem to solve, spend some time to “reinvent the wheel”, then check to see if others have already invented the wheel. The process of reinventing the wheel is a mental exercise to strengthen cognitive functions. This is one of the best ways to prepare for the occasions when there is no wheel already invented and a new trail needs to be blazed!
There are some uber geeks in the ARC CIS department!
The CIS faculty does not preach. Many faculty members simply teach what they practice and with a passion!