I’m been thinking a lot about my future lately and I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ve had it with blue collar work. I want more out of life than living paycheck to paycheck. For sometime now, I’ve been hearing that college degrees are worthless nowadays so thought about getting Comptia certifications (A+ and then Sec+) and working remotely. But then I thought about if AI will make those certifications obsolete. I know that “AI taking jobs” is a bit of sensationalist reporting but I do have legitimate concerns. I then thought about going back to college for “advance” careers like computer science and/or electrical engineering; more specifically, a bachelor’s degree.
What I want to know is this: would returning to college, especially for a tech-oriented degree, or will it be a waste of time and money? Should I pursue an alternative like certs? Thanks in advance.
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I would say going to college makes you a more complete person (or at least it did for me) so it’s worth it even on just that basis. You get a broader outlook on life and you get to know people who would be harder to meet in other places.
In terms of your paycheck though, as always, it depends.
Are you in the US? If so, I don’t know if I can advise comp sci right now. It’s rough.
Trades I think are king right now but don’t listen to me.
You want to work remotely in tech. I would look at places such as https://www.indeed.com/q-Remote-Tech-jobs.html?vjk=7909b7463088bb3a
Look at which certs they want and how much experience they want. Look at the salary. Look at the quality of life (are you on call 24/7?).
You may find that remote cybersecurity jobs are not plentiful. I searched “cyber security entry level” and Remote and found 2. I removed remote and found 300+ jobs.
1 has flexible hours and wants (likely requires) experience in Version control as well as Sec+
The other is full time, and wants a valid SSCP certification*, a bachelor’s degree, and experience in operating systems.
The future is always changing what people do. In 1100 AD blacksmithing was a reliable career, and it remained that way into the 1800s. The 20th century kind of messed that career path down to a niche group. Blue collar work (be it construction, plumbing, etc.) so far has been pretty reliable.
Those remote jobs are plentiful but not open to US candidates. I’ve heard rumblings that US hires are being deprioritised even in US-headquartered orgs as US staff are simply too pricey so they’re looking towards European and Asian countries (and even Canada).
It depends on the degree. Comp Sci/ anything computers is in deep decline right now. If you have construction experience and you go for an engineering degree related to your trade, you’ll do amazing.
I think this is up to you. You could go on the path like the other person said, courses like udemy and stuff, grind out certifications, get a job. You could get a degree which makes you be a complete person, and you still will need to get real world experience either through clubs or the same udemy courses. The bachelors (in computer related field) will also give you more opportunities and tick HR boxes.
Myself, I’m finishing my b.s comp sci and doing the certs and don’t regret anything. I spent 2 years in community college, saved money, took IT classes unrelated to the b.s degree but got me free certifications and relationships with lifelong friends. I took part in college programs and made more friends I still hang out with since we transferred together. I transferred to my current uni and participate in my tech clubs which offer more hands on skills.
Many years ago, it was easy to get a job in IT with no certs and a psychology major and I feel now, it’s a little harder than that, maybe at least an A.S in computers or something.
Your mileage will certainly vary but this is my anecdotal take on things.
locate a MSP or CSP near you that has openings for a NOC or support technician.
bottom floor tech job that will train you on most stuff.
having a Comp TIA cert helps but isn’t required as long as you’re tech literate. if you’re a PC gamer and have troubleshot your own problems or those of family before you’ll probably be fine.
pay is usually pretty good, hours aren’t bad. some places even allow remote work.
you should have common professional skills like reading/writing comprehension. you’ll be interacting with customers all the time, some will be really shitty to you.
after your trial period most companies will pay you for certifications (generally at cost of the cert itself). depending on the cost of the certs you could be contractually bound for a few months to a few years or risk having to pay them back if you quit.
point is, get the job and the education at the same time. don’t waste your time or money on certs unless you know exactly what position you want and have the time/money to spend on it.
Be a welder.
For more specific advice, whatever highly paid trade is in the area you want to live.
But a top 5 answer almost anywhere is welding.
It’s a blue collar environment with better than white collar pay, and very little physical labor.
I would recommend college if you have your eye on a specific career and a bachelor’s degree is MANDATORY.
Otherwise, I’d try to get an entry level spot in the industry. For example, if you’re looking at Tech, being a secretary, security guard, or janitor will teach you a lot about the business even though you aren’t directly involved in the Tech parts. You also start making connections with people who ARE involved in the tech parts, and they’ll be able to help you get there.
Getting an engineering degree is generally a good thing. Demand and pay tend to be above average. A certificate can be helpful, but I have watched people hit a “paper ceiling” in their careers; people stuck with the title of “designer” doing an engineer’s work without an engineering degree, and never getting an engineer’s salary for it.
Whether a bachelor’s degree is beneficial for you personally will depend on a lot of things, not all of which are within your control. 20 years ago a BS in computer science was a golden ticket. Now the industry has shifted and the job placement rates for new CS grads are awful. It’s hard to predict the future.
I agree with the other commenter that going to university is good for the whole self. I was exposed to people, ideas, and experiences that I would never have encountered elsewhere. That alone made the effort worthwhile.
To get out of paycheck to paycheck you need to start something; to start something you need to learn.
If the thing you need to learn can be learnt from mitocw or something by all means do that.
The point being that you know what is it that you want (the thing to start), and you learn to make it work and you learn to not fuck it up(very important). You get those 3 sorted in that order then you’re golden.
