Guide on How to Land Computer Jobs
by: Russ Walter
To become a lawyer, you must graduate from law school and pass the Bar Exam. But to become a computer expert, there's no particular exam to pass, and no particular piece of paper that "proves" you're an expert or even competent.
You can get a job in the computer industry even if you've never had any training. Your job will be sweeping the floor.
To become a top computer expert, you must study hard, day and night. Read lots of computer manuals, textbooks, guidebooks, magazines, newspapers, and newsletters. Practice using many kinds of computers, operating systems, languages, word-processing programs, spreadsheets, database systems, graphics packages, and telecommunications programs. Also explore the many educational programs for kids. Use many kinds of printers, disk drives, and modems. Study the human problems of dealing with computers. No matter how much you already know, learn more!
When I surveyed computer experts, I found that the average expert still spends two hours per day reading about computers, to fill holes in the expert's background and learn what happened in the computer industry that day! In addition to those two hours, the expert spends many more hours practicing what was read and swapping ideas by chatting with other computerists.
As a computer expert, you can choose your own hours, but they must be numerous: if your interest in computers lasts just from 9 AM to 5 PM, you'll never become a computer expert.
To break into the computer field, you can use six tools: college, home consulting, home programming, salesmanship, job expansion, and on-the-job training.
College
The most traditional way to get a computer job is to go to college and get a Ph.D. or M.A. in computer science. Unfortunately, that takes a lot of time
Home Consulting
The fastest way to break into the field is to keep your current job but spend your weekends and evenings helping your neighbors, friends, and colleagues learn about computers. Help them buy hardware and software. Then customize the software to meet their own personal needs. Then train them in how to use it all.
At first, do it all for free. After you've become an experienced expert and developed a list of happy clients who will vouch for your brilliance, start requesting money from new clients. Start cheaply, at about $10 per hour, then gradually raise your rates over the next few years.
Home Programming
You can write computer programs at home to sell to friends and software publishers, but make sure your programs serve a real need and don't duplicate what's already on the market. Be creative.
Salesmanship
For a quicker career path, learn enough about microcomputers to get a job selling them in a store. As a salesperson, you'll be helping people decide which hardware and software to buy; you'll be acting as a consultant.
The store will probably give you permission to take hardware, software, and literature home with you, so you can study and practice new computer techniques every evening and become brilliant. If you wish, you can even moonlight by helping your customers use the software they bought and designing your own customized programs for them.
After working in the store several months, you'll have the knowledge, experience, contacts, and reputation to establish yourself as an independent consultant. You can call your former customers and become their advisor, trainer, and programmer - or even set up your own store.
Job expansion
Another way to break into the field is to take a non-computer job and gradually enlarge its responsibilities, so that it involves computers.
For example, if you're a typist, urge your boss to let you use a word processor. If you're a clerk, ask permission to use spreadsheet and data-management programs to manage your work more efficiently. If you're a math teacher, ask the principal to let you teach a computer course or help run the school's computer club.
On-the-job training
The final way to break into the field is to get a job in a computer company, as a janitor or clerk, and gradually move up by using the company's policy of free training for employees.
Set your rates
If somebody's interested in hiring you to be a programmer or consultant, you must decide what rate to charge.
If this is your first such job, be humble and charge very little because your first job's main goal should not be money. Instead, your goal should be to gain experience, enhance your reputation, and find somebody you can use as a reference and who'll give you a good recommendation. Convince your first employer that you're the best bargain he ever got, so that he'll be wildly enthusiastic about you and give you a totally glowing recommendation when you go seek your second job.
Asking for a raise
After several months on the job, when you've thoroughly proved that you're much more than you're being paid, and your employer is thoroughly thrilled with your performance, gently ask your employer for a slight raise. If he declines, continue working at that job, but also keep your eyes open for a better alternative.
Negotiating a contract
The fundamental rule of contract negotiation is: never make a large commitment.
For example, suppose somebody offers to pay you $10,000 if you write a fancy program. Don't accept the offer; the commitment is too large. Instead, request $1,000 for writing a stripped-down version of the program.
After writing the stripped-down version, wait and see whether you get the $1,000; if you get it without any hassles, then agree to make the version slightly fancier, for a few thousand dollars more. That way, if you have an argument you?re your employer (which is common), you've lost only $1,000 of effort instead of $10,000.
About The Author
This article is excerpted from the 25th edition of The Secret Guide to Computers, copyright 1998 by Russ Walter and reprinted with permission. Get free literature about the complete Guide by phoning Russ at 603-666-6644, 24 hours. Free reprintable articles on home based business and Internet marketing are available at http://www.internetmarketinglearningcenter.com
|
Cold Cathode Light - The Bright Light for Your Computer
Cold Cathode Light - The Bright Light for Your Computer
by: Greg Wirth
Cold Cathode Lights are vacuum tubes or gas filled tubes. Unlike other heater operated cathode tubes, there is no cathode heater in cold cathode tubes. There are many types of cold cathode tubes, some have beta radiation source to start the ionization process in the gas-filled tube. Others cathodes may have rare earth materials coating for enhanced electronic emission.
The neon lamp, nixie tubes, neon signage etc. are a good example of cold cathode tubes. Thryton tubes, krytron tubes, spytron tubes and ignitron tubes are also examples of Cold cathode tubes.Read more about cold cathode light. The cold cathode kits made exclusively for computers carry the cold cathode tubes. They are very reliable and have a long life of almost twenty years. You can find the cathode tubes in handy kits or on their own. The tube kit has an inverter box, as the cathode tubes need the power inverter...
Cold Cathode Light - The Bright Light for Your Computer
Computer printers > Cold Cathode Light - The Bright Light for Your Computer
Top 5 Reasons To Go Wireless
Top 5 Reasons To Go Wireless
by: Ron King
Wireless networking is 1 of the greatest new computer technologies in terms of convenience. If you're weighing the pros and cons of wireless before taking the leap, here are 5 to put in the "pro" column.
#1: No More Wires
Of all the reasons to switch your network to wireless, this is perhaps the most important. Wires are inconvenient, expensive, dangerous, and downright ugly.
No more wires across the floor improves the safety of your home, since it's easy to trip over exposed wires.
The average Ethernet wire doesn't cost much per foot, but it adds up quickly. To run wires between rooms or floors, you have to knock holes in the walls, which might not even be an option for renters.
Plus when you move you don't have the mess of disconnecting all the wires only to re-connect them at the other end. Nor do you have to examine every wire for damage if your internet connection goes down.
#2:...
Top 5 Reasons To Go Wireless
Computer printers > Top 5 Reasons To Go Wireless
The Hidden Benefit Of Computer Certification
The Hidden Benefit Of Computer Certification
by: Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933
The web is covered with stories regarding the benefits of professional computer certification, and most of them are backed up with salary surveys and the like.
While there?s certainly nothing wrong with making more money and having better job prospects, there?s one benefit of certification that many candidates forget about.
Confidence.
You can?t pay your rent with confidence; you can?t pay for gas with confidence; you can?t pay for ANYTHING with confidence, right?
So who cares, right?
Wrong.
The confidence you build from truly earning a certification, whether it?s an MCSE, CCNA, or CCIE, cannot be purchased, borrowed, or stolen.
It has to be earned.
What do I mean by ?truly earned??
First, I?m referring to those little documents out there generally referred to as ?braindumps?.
If you buy one of these...
Computer printers > The Hidden Benefit Of Computer Certification
How a Computer Consulting Business Can Help Your Company
How a Computer Consulting Business Can Help Your Company
by: Joshua Feinberg
While many small companies only call in a local computer consulting business when something computer-related breaks, there's a lot to be gained by forging a proactive, long-term relationship with a local computer consulting business in your area.
Consider Getting Advice from a Computer Consulting Business
If you need to get advice once-in-a-while on how your computers can be better utilized, or you have a specific computer-related problem that needs to be solved, a computer consulting business is generally the way to go.
However, if computer-systems and information technology (IT) are really important to your industry and your company, outsourcing your computer-related service needs to a local computer consulting business is often a much better solution than just piecemeal, ad-hoc usage of a computer consulting business.
Hiring a Computer Consultant
Many...
How a Computer Consulting Business Can Help Your Company
Computer printers > How a Computer Consulting Business Can Help Your Company
Things To Look For When Buying A Computer Microphone
Things To Look For When Buying A Computer Microphone
by: Mantius Cazaubon
Computer microphones are a valuable addition to any PC and they greatly increase interactivity and communication levels. You can use a microphone for performing various tasks, both business and fun related. For example, you can hold a conference with your business partners, over the Internet, or you can chat with your friends online, instead of doing that on the phone. Of course, in order to enjoy accurate and high quality communication, you have to choose a good PC microphone. There is a huge variety of models on the market, ranging from microphones that you can buy for a few dollars and going all the way to expensive, high tech desktop microphones. So which PC microphone is right for you?
Price Vs Quality
You can pay $5 for a microphone, or you can pay $50. So where?s the difference, apart from the price? Well, cheap microphones have low prices for some good reasons:...
Things To Look For When Buying A Computer Microphone
Computer printers > Things To Look For When Buying A Computer Microphone
Computer Consulting Profit Secrets
Computer Consulting Profit Secrets
by: Joshua Feinberg
Do you own or manage a computer consulting company? Are you having trouble growing your computer consulting company's profits?
If so, then you must learn how to focus on your computer consulting firm's profit and bottom line.
In this article, we'll look at 7 profit secrets and strategies you can use in your computer consulting business, to ensure that you are able to balance your clients' small business IT needs against your own computer consulting company's profitability challenges.
Origins of the Problem
While focusing on your computer consulting profits may sound simple enough at first glance, this business-focused discipline often eludes many a computer consulting firm.
This usually happens because many computer consulting business owners fall in love the technology gadgetry, and get seduced by seemingly attractive reseller channel programs, at the expense of...
Computer Consulting Profit Secrets
Computer printers > Computer Consulting Profit Secrets
Starting Your Computer Career: More Questions To Ask A Tech School Before Writing The Check
Starting Your Computer Career:
More Questions To Ask A Tech School Before Writing The Check
by: Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933
If the school offers a placement service, ask to talk to the people working in that department and ask them how they go about placing graduates.
Most schools offer a list of companies that they've placed students with.
Get this list and start calling some of these companies.
Ask to speak to their HR department, and ask them for their opinion of the school.
Even if they don't say a lot, their tone of voice can speak volumes.
Ask to meet some of their teachers, and don't be afraid to ask them how long they've taught at that particular school.
If the average teacher has been there a while, that's a good sign.
If there seems to be quite a bit of turnover at the school, that's not as good a sign.
Another key area is the availability of the computer labs during...
Starting Your Computer Career: More Questions To Ask A Tech School Before Writing The Check
Computer printers > Starting Your Computer Career: More Questions To Ask A Tech School Before Writing The Check
How To Succeed At Computer Training School
How To Succeed At Computer Training School
by: Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933
One of the best decisions you can ever make is to attend a computer training school. As I've written in several other articles, you have to ask the right questions before writing a check or taking out a student loan, but when you find the right school you are indeed on your way to a successful career.
There's a big difference between attending a tech school and excelling at the classes, though. Whether you just "float through" the school or really work hard is totally up to you. From my personal experience at such a school, I'd like to offer you one simple tip that will quadruple your chances of success at the school and in the job market.
Get there early and stay late.
When I attended a tech school years ago, I admit I was surprised that most of my classmates had what I call the "junior high school" mentality - they would get there late and leave as soon as...
How To Succeed At Computer Training School
Computer printers > How To Succeed At Computer Training School
Computer printers spring break Guide on How to Land Computer Jobs
Computer printers purses Guide on How to Land Computer Jobs
Computer printers Guide on How to Land Computer Jobs
Computer printers silk Guide on How to Land Computer Jobs
Key-Pointers When Buying A Second Hand Car
Key-Pointers When Buying A Second Hand Car
by: Gregory Ashton
Buying a car from an individual or from a local car dealer is one tedious task if the objective is to purchase a second car that is still in good running condition. A buyer would never trade his hard-earned money with just a complete wasted used car. Whether new or used, when buying a car, it should be treated with the same importance and value.
There are things to take into consideration before...
Computer printers Guide on How to Land Computer Jobs toyo tires Key-Pointers When Buying A Second Hand Car
Computer printers > Key-Pointers When Buying A Second Hand Car
Computer printers
This page loaded in 0.05204 seconds.