Maximum PC

50K hits home with me, and you were starting to make me feel worthless. Please excuse me while I go recycle some cans so I can buy a 6 pack of Milwaukie’s best, and a newspaper for a blanket.

Ack. I'm sorry.

I suppose I should preface my comments with 'it depends where you live' and 'the market determines income' and other stuff like that .. but it drains the funny.

50K in Halifax will buy you a house within 20 minutes of downtown and a car to drive there ... a good salary.

50K in Vancouver will buy you a bus pass and a lease on a 1 bedroom apartment. The cockroaches and crack dealers are free! Not such a good salary.

Don't get me wrong I love working with computers. However, if I had different options today as opposed to 10-years ago, I would not be in the computer field today.

For starters, anyone who wants some real advice, please don't do the break/fix PC shop thing. If you can help it, do not do the phone support thing. If anything, start with at least desktop support and within few years 2-3 try to get into networking.

Don't allow yourself to get stuck in whatever area you choose for too long or you'll find you'll never leave.

Certs are just that - a cert in reality no one really cares too much these days. Granted you might have a slight edge over someone else but if you have say 5 years as a SQL programmer exp. and someone else has 2 years but with some SQL cert....I'm going with the individual who has 5 years. Real world exp means much more than paper.

With today's market there are Sr. level people going for the same jobs that Jr. Level people are shooting for. This means the market is extremely competitive. Again this is just my feeling. I would attempt another field if you are able too.

computer field pros.
- Great feeling when you solve a tough problem
- great to help people
-Always keeping up with the latest technology

Cons.
- Very long hours
- On call 24/7 generally
- Can be frustrating trying to solve tough issues
- At the mercy of listening to someone bitch or complain
- Need to always learning something new. This means good luck trying to relax.