Am I going to waste my time and money taking I.T. classes?

Insufficient data. Do you want a career in IT?

Depends on what your goals are. Do you want a high paying job in a technical IT field? Your competition will have MAJORED in the field.

And what kind of classes? College courses? IT courses you see on television?

I doubt it. IT is part of everything we do nowadays and can only become moreso in the future. Plus, it’s a good career if you were thinking of going down that road.

I have a degree in electronic engineering but thats not information technology and was thinking of taking some classes at this place to help get certifications. The thing is I know someone who has experience in this field and has not landed a job in almost a year.

Not at all. The more I.T you know the better.
My Company has openings for all sorts of I.T positions.
Cali, AZ, FL, OH

Right now it is smarter to take any trade course than to go to college for a specific thing. Now everyone needs to have a masters in a specialized field and then companies still aren’t hiring and all of that college money is down the drain. I would go for it.

Check out local users groups.
Often vendors and recruiters will support the group to the point that they will provide free training and sometimes even pizza (or “free pizza and sometimes free training” depending on your priorities).

Example: Enterpise Developers Guild
Look for something similar in your own area.

I really don’t see how you could go wrong with any type of IT certification under your belt. Maybe your friend is not so good at selling himself, and that’s why he was unable to find a job in so long.

My Son in Law is an IT expert at University of Florida, and he got his position pretty easily… but then again, he is a remarkable man.

Good luck to you!

I don’t know where you friend is looking but in the milwaukee area they are still safe as sound.

Certifications are pretty much useless, and in this economic climate everyone is going to be getting them. What really matters is evidence that you can do the job that you’re applying for, and with very few exceptions (mostly the high-end Cisco certifications) your employers will have run into too many examples of highly certified but incompetent people to give much credence to your certifications.

On the other hand, if you’re taking the classes in order to learn more, you might get somewhere with that. But don’t look at it as taking a class will give you a certification will get you a job—look at it as learning useful stuff that will broaden your skill set and make you more attractive to an employer.

Also, in IT, location and specialty matter. Some geographic areas are really feeling the recession hard; others are carrying on as if nothing was wrong. And some specialties are in more demand than others.

Beyond that—@Mr_M, I work in IT, and some of the most useless wastes of oxygen were the ones that double-majored in databases and software engineering with a minor in system administration. On the other hand, among the best programmers I know, one has a PhD in chemistry; another has a D.Div. and is an ordained Episcopal priest; at least three have bachelor’s degrees in the humanities and did not come to programming until after graduating from college; and two have no college degree whatsoever. What matters is the skill set you bring to the job.

@cwilbur no kidding. The most brilliant programmer and systems/network administrator I know and my best bud has his degree in biochemestry.

thanks peeps i think i will go ahead and take some classes and hopefully learn more than what i already know

I don’t think it ever hurts to further your education.