Need a little assistance brehs… got a young man who is about to graduate HS and wants to get into IT

[O.T.I.S.]

Im already thinking of options he can do, been looking for trade schools but kinda been coming up with scraps at the moment.

What programs yall know of?

He can’t do what I do/did to get started. He’s currently in them crossroads most people are in when they graduate.

Smart kid, but really didn’t dedicate himself in school to get any scholarships and his only real option at this point is to work and go to community college.

Any other ideas? How did you guys break into it?

I went to Trade School and then military for my trade. I want to recommend Trade schools and/or computer programs at colleges for certificates.. but he also needs experience.

I guess he can do military though, but im looking for other alternatives for him. How yall got into the game

 

[Ish Gibor]

What is he good at now when it comes to computer skills?

 

[Afro]

Im already thinking of options he can do, been looking for trade schools but kinda been coming up with scraps at the moment.

What programs yall know of?

He can’t do what I do/did to get started. He’s currently in them crossroads most people are in when they graduate.

Smart kid, but really didn’t dedicate himself in school to get any scholarships and his only real option at this point is to work and go to community college.

Any other ideas? How did you guys break into it?

I went to Trade School and then military for my trade. I want to recommend Trade schools and/or computer programs at colleges for certificates.. but he also needs experience.

I guess he can do military though, but im looking for other alternatives for him. How yall got into the game

Have him study for the CompTIA A+ certificate.

If he can stand that and even enjoy it, would give him a good baseline to see if he is interested for the long haul.

Cheaper than taking courses and finding out it's not for him.

 

[Tr0yTV]

CompTIA network+ or freecodecamp.org or Western governors university for IT or Computer Science

 

[O.T.I.S.]

What is he good at now when it comes to computer skills?

I’m still gathering intel on that.

He said computer science or Cyber is his interests. I think hes only saying it because people he talked to saying it and because it’s what I do, but I’m not sure if he knows how broad IT really is.

Have him study for the CompTIA A+ certificate.

If he can stand that and even enjoy it, would give him a good baseline to see if he is interested for the long haul.

Cheaper than taking courses and finding out it's not for him.

Thats where I was headed with him. I got my A+ in HS and the terminology was a steep curve for me at first. Dealing with the acronyms and the history of chips, programs, etc… it was steep at first but was a good foundation into other things

But im sure A+ has changed by a lot now.

CompTIA network+ or freecodecamp.org or Western governors university for IT or Computer Science

Yeah I was in WGU. Haven't graduated it yet, but thats mainly due to work and me focusing on getting a few other courses.

I was actually thinking of putting him in some cloud computing like AWS or something

 

[Ish Gibor]

I’m still gathering intel on that.

He said computer science or Cyber is his interests. I think hes only saying it because people he talked to saying it and because it’s what I do, but I’m not sure if he knows how broad IT really is.



Thats where I was headed with him. I got my A+ in HS and the terminology was a steep curve for me at first. Dealing with the acronyms and the history of chips, programs, etc… it was steep at first but was a good foundation into other things

But im sure A+ has changed by a lot now.


Yeah I was in WGU. Haven't graduated it yet, but thats mainly due to work and me focusing on getting a few other courses.

I was actually thinking of putting him in some cloud computing like AWS or something

It’s important to understand what he can do best. What he can do best is different from what thinks he likes, because it’s trendy. Of course it’s possible that what he does best is also trendy and most required as of now.

He will have the most success when he’s good at something to be better than his competitors. That will bring more value.

Something like cybersecurity also deals with understanding law. (Telecommunications and the internet governance). It’s not just the technical side. Cybersecurity is multiple disciplinary.

Perhaps Plural Sight can be helpful? I myself have a Plural Sight account. It gives you unlimited access to many different specialties within IT, at a moderate price. It will include CompTIA network+, CompTIA A+ and preparing him for the certificate and more.

Even when you decide to follow the advice other posters gave, it’s still beneficial to have a Plural Sight account, as something additional.

Pluralsight Skills Subscription Plans and Pricing

Looking for a Pluralsight Skills subscription? Find monthly and annual subscription plan pricing here. Sign up and start learning today!

www.pluralsight.com

 

[Ish Gibor]

Ps.

 

[xXMASHERXx]

Like others have said, find out what his interest in IT/CyberSecurity are. There are many routes in both that sound fun/ideal until you actually get into them. Secondly, research what resources your local public library have available to you. Many offer services like LinkedIn Learning for free (library card needed). This could be a good way of introducing him to the different paths and get into the habit of doing self study which is something he will need if he wants to be successful in these fields. Once you have a better idea of his interests, some of us can provide a better roadmap on how he can get there. Salute to you for taking this on and trying to help the young man find his path in life

 

[Panther]

start by discussing some different career paths and talking about salary/daily duties etc

7 IT Career Paths and How to Get Started in 2024

Working in IT can mean a variety of different things. You can work in computer support, cybersecurity, data, cloud computing, and other areas.

www.coursera.org

 

[cartierhoe]

I'd say find out what his interests are like other people said here, research career paths/salaries, and/or certain companies/sectors he wants to target. CC is a great option as he wouldn't have to give up an arm and a leg to learn the same things other students are learning in their first 2 years at 4 year institutions.

Find an interest or two, research, then apply skills and NETWORK with other likeminded folks at hackathons, CTFs, programming meetups, career fairs, and/or he could do self directed programming projects. Once he feels ready see what the CC has for him as far as getting some experience whether that be resources to improve on skills whether through work study or co-op opportunities, also apply for internships as well, can't hurt.

After that, transfer to colleges that kinda serve as a pipeline and recruit at those schools to get high paying jobs after you graduate so you can meet them at career fairs to explore opportunities whether upperclassmen internships or new grad opportunities. Also, join clubs and organizations, you can make some great connections that might last you a lifetime. Look into NSBE, and any other technology clubs they have and join, wouldn't hurt to try for an exec position if he wants, it looks great on a resume, and it can't hurt.

If I could give advice this is what it'd be, my path wasn't this linear but if I could start over I'd take this route. Advice from all the brehs who already replied is great too, take all of it. Wish him all the best bro