Looking for a few people to answer some career related questions!

Hey everybody!

About 4 months ago I started learning coding on this site. I am planning on taking a course in the fall having to do with systems management and cyber-security. I noticed that the course had very little to do with coding and being new to IT I thought it might be wise to learn about something that may be useful in my career path but is not going to be taught in school.

My short-term goal having to do with coding right now is to be able to design a half-decent website before school starts in the fall as I’m working through the Web Development course. My long-term goal is that after school I’d like to start a side business creating inexpensive websites for smaller businesses/startups as well as create my own website to advertise my skills and offer computer repairs and sales.

The reason I’m making this post is because I’m working with a program offered by my government that offers to partially fund my schooling. Part of the process is that they want me to conduct interviews in order to assess the job market and see if the course is a good fit or not. Unfortunately, it’s quite difficult getting a hold of local businesses for the interviews and yes, I’ve tried contacting quite a few. I thought it might not be a bad idea to check out the forums here and see if anyone with previous or present experience in IT(just about any field in IT I’m ok with) would be willing to answer a few questions. I’ll list them below and I’d be grateful to anyone who takes the time to answer them. Just a first name is fine for privacy reasons, and if you’re comfortable sharing your companies name that is great but if not I understand, it is the internet after all!

Here are the questions:

1)What is your name and what company do you work for?

2)What area of IT do you work in?

3)What are some entry-level positions for your occupation?

4)Do you see new graduates being hired? If so what kind of degrees are necessary(IE bachelors in computer science vs college vs self taught/online training)

5)Do you often see openings in the field? Does your company have difficulty finding qualified individuals?

6)Can you think of any particular characteristics that help someone be successful in this field?

7)Are languages other then English important in your field?

8)I’ve checked online with multiple tech companies and see that most jobs require a bachelors degree in computers science or equivalent experience. As much as I’d like to go back to university it isn’t quite practical for me in my position to do much more then a year or two of schooling before ending up back on the workforce. The course I’m planning to take is a 1 year intensive course and offers several certifications. My plan is that if I can find a entry level job after school then I can continue learning through my work as well as take online courses to further upgrade my skills in areas of IT that I then decide I want to specialize in. My question is do you think that my plan is realistic or is it far fetched?

9)Do you have any other comments or advice?

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