Networking Career

Right now I am a senior in high school. I'm having a lot of trouble trying to figure out this whole college thing, hopefully one of you can help me out.

I'm taking an AP computer science course right now and I'm interesting in network engineering/computer IT field. But, I'm having at really hard time finding things about this. 'Network Engineering' seems non existent. I've only been able to find one thread here: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1220988 So that's one school and I've looked into the University of Advancing Technologies (http://www.uat.edu/) and they seem to have a lot of networking classes.

I'm looking for a four year school that is not a technical school. So when I do my search on collegeboard I'm putting down computer science and other related fields but I can't figure out if the schools have a good computer science course or not. I really have no idea what I'm looking for.

If anyone could please make some recommendations or help clarify what major I should be looking for to start a networking or computer hardware career, it would be very helpful.

To be most marketable you need a four year degree, and not from a technical school. That being said, 4 year college degrees don't teach what you are looking for (a technical degree does) and getting a degree in a related field makes you more marketable. Example, I majored in Management Information Systems (or Computer Info Sys) and minored in Business Administration. MIS is in the business school, which means you learn about business and very little technical info about computers. Everything I learned about computers I learned outside of school.

CS (or programming) is fairly decent but don't expect to be a pro at it unless you get your master's in it (or so I heard). Again you'll probably learn more outside of school. EE (electrical engineering) is what I know least about as a major but if circuits and physical hardware is where you want to go then this is probably what you should lean towards. But if Network Admin is what you want, then lean towards MIS.

If you want a quick cert then technical school, but big companies want to see a diversified individual, and a 4 year degree is where it's at. To throw more crap on your plate you can major in anything and be in the computer industry. It's that diversification companies like.

Wow, that just kinda spewed forth. Does that help at all?

I can only speak from my experience with my college...

I believe the major you want to be looking into for Network related careers is Information Technology, or IT. My college used to have a computer science program, but it got dropped for their newly established IT program. Reason being is the "computer science" careers are all mainly jobs which are outsourced by companies to foreign countries. At least that's what my school claims....In terms of computers, the Information Technology field is the booming market of today's society...

http://cs.depaul.edu/programs/

Consider:
Network Technology
Information Technology

As mentioned above..there's not too much as far as "networking" when it comes to college degrees..it's more programming and other more "software" oriented computer programs.

However...get a bit of that, get your college degree..and if you want to get into "networking"...a path I encourage you to look at...is to take a job at a computer consulting firm that deals with networks.

Speaking from experience...if you'd like to get into networking..a specific "niche" that I see as being HUUUUUUGE in demand for..is consultants for small to medium business networks. There are lots of small computer companies out there which focus on being consultants for small business networks. When I say "small business networks"..I refer to all those businesses out there that run networks in their offices...from under 10x nodes...to under 75x nodes or so. Law firms, dentist offices, various health care agencies, real estate, accounting firms, manufacturing, various non-profit orgs, sales, various wholesalers, garbage hauling, oil delivery/heating, golf course clubs, small schools...just drive around town..look at all those different businesses you drive by..all kinds. They run on computers. Targeting the ones that are around a dozen or more PCs..they are bound to have a server or some sort. Keep it the ones that are under 75x nodes..and they are often too small to have their own in house IT..thus need someone.

Plenty of places out there which provide this service...try to get a foot in the door there. Start gaining your "hands on" experience.

One of the things I love about this niche...always something different..no cookie cutter boring "same 'ol same 'ol" here. Plus always meeting different people.

I went to RIT for Computer Networking. A lot of hands on classes, lots of labs, and you have to do three internships to graduate so you get some good work experince too.

http://www.nssa.rit.edu/nssa/index.maml

I graduated during the spring and have a full time making decent money for a recent grad. Highly recomend checking them out.

Little off topic but I'm actually a freshman at RIT in NSSA (Applied Networking, Security, Sys Admin). Just to add on to Chiggy, you start your major classes immediately unlike many other colleges.