MerryAtHope Posted October 18, 2018 Share Posted October 18, 2018 DS is taking a gap year & wants to explore careers that involve computers. He's not sure what he might want to do, but is looking into coding & graphic design. He would not enjoy a job that was heavy on the customer service side but accepts that many jobs will sometimes include aspects of that. He likes being a "specialist" rather than a "generalist." He's open to completing a bachelor's (he has an associate's degree now) or to going more of a tech. degree route. He doesn't love math but liked geometry better than algebra. He'd rather never take another math course again, LOL! He isn't really a natural "I'd love to help you fix your computer" type, but when he has to research and learn how to fix something, he has a sense of accomplishment afterwards, so he hasn't ruled out something like that. He's probably more interested in what computers can do than in how they work exactly (he looked into things like CNC machining but he's very sound sensitive and didn't think he could handle the noise factor. Things like 3-D printers intrigue him. And for awhile he learned about all different kinds of cameras and what various features can do--and one day he was in Walmart and helped someone know what the features on a camera meant when he heard the Walmart sales person didn't know. He can be very helpful--I think he just also likes alone time and finds customers who get upset very stressful! He'd prefer more behind-the-scenes kind of work. Very loyal. Likes strategy games, loves chess. Ideas? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted October 19, 2018 Share Posted October 19, 2018 (edited) Check out this web page on Computer Engineering. More ideas that involve computers that would be largely working solo (or not with sales / customers): - Hardware Engineer - Software Developer - health/medical, astronomy, science/tech fields - Cyber Security - Information Analyst - Systems Analyst / Administrator - Computer Illustrator or Animator - Film or Photography Post Production Computer work (special effects, color correction/enhancement, Photoshop, or other) - Web Designer / Developer / Administrator - creation of computer-based educational or informational materials - Digital Imaging / Medical Imaging - Cartography (map making) Edited October 19, 2018 by Lori D. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted October 19, 2018 Share Posted October 19, 2018 What classes has he taken? As you may remember, I teach web design at the community college level. Most of what you provided leans towards the computer engineering or computer repair side of things, although computer engineering does require more math. Computer repairs doesn't pay very well these days if you work for Staples or Best Buy, but a local guy we use does very well with it. His office is in his house, and he has contracts with quite a few small businesses and also does networking. The community college I used to work for had an interesting IT focus on digital controls that was very much in demand in my area. The college I work for now just added a cloud computing focus in our IT degree program that is a mix of networking, hardware, and web design. The game design program at the college the community college I now work for feeds into requires a portfolio of digital artwork for admission and is very selective, so he'd need to be able to do that. Some of their graduates end up working for government contractors who make simulations for the military. Anyway, just to give you some areas to consider. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted October 19, 2018 Share Posted October 19, 2018 Such a broad area. He doesn't want more Math so that would rule out going for a STEM degree. I consider Coding to be VERY boring and what I liked to participate in was "Requirements Analysis" and being able to participate in the initial design stages of a project. He doesn't want to be a Generalist and I had and/or have that word on my resume. there are Pros and Cons about being a Generalist or a Specialist. I suggest that he go to a local CC and take some Aptitude Tests and participate in Career Counseling to narrow his focus. And, hopefully to find something that he would enjoy doing 8 to 10 hours a day for the next 50 years. Good luck to him! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted October 19, 2018 Author Share Posted October 19, 2018 1 hour ago, Lanny said: I suggest that he go to a local CC and take some Aptitude Tests and participate in Career Counseling to narrow his focus. And, hopefully to find something that he would enjoy doing 8 to 10 hours a day for the next 50 years. He's done so many types of these tests, including those at the local CC and their career counseling and even things I've paid for (desperation!). I don't know if I can talk him into doing it again now that he's thinking a different direction than the other times he has done these sorts of things. They never seem very helpful for him sadly (but honestly, they never were for me when I was in school either). I wish they were! I think he's going to have to blaze his own path with exploration! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted October 20, 2018 Author Share Posted October 20, 2018 1 hour ago, WendyAndMilo said: Does your local college have a build-your-own-major type of program? Mine does, where you take classes from three different fields and turn them into an "Interdisciplinary Studies" BA or BS. It's only a cc, but yes, they let him do something like that for his associates. If he goes on though, he will have to go away and that's not a type of degree he could afford. He would need a more definite path to take on any debt or to work and save up for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted October 20, 2018 Share Posted October 20, 2018 13 hours ago, MerryAtHope said: He's done so many types of these tests, including those at the local CC and their career counseling and even things I've paid for (desperation!). I don't know if I can talk him into doing it again now that he's thinking a different direction than the other times he has done these sorts of things. They never seem very helpful for him sadly (but honestly, they never were for me when I was in school either). I wish they were! I think he's going to have to blaze his own path with exploration! In the past, were those tests limited to things involving different types of work with computers? If not, I would try to get something that only looks at computer related occupations. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald Stoker Posted October 20, 2018 Share Posted October 20, 2018 What about something like audio recording? Being the sound tech guy for shows, or the recording engineer for people making albums? Or...your mention of 3D printing reminded me of a tour I once took of a prosthetics lab--some young people were 3D printing arms and hands for amputees in the third world--very cool, and very inspiring--so life-changing for the recipients. I wonder if anything like that would be interesting? Or...I know someone working in industrial instrumentation--installing and maintaining the controls for huge factories (hydro plants, that kind of thing)--it pays very well (at least here), and is tech-y but not super math-y. There's some programming involved, I think. My acquaintance is patient, detail-oriented, likes working independently. Or...when my dad was receiving cancer treatments, he was really fascinated talking to the guy that maintained the radiation machines--he thought that sounded like a cool job! Or..a weird one...being an assayer? I remember your thread from a couple of years back--your son sounds like a neat guy. I'm sure he'll blossom beautifully when he finds the right niche! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted October 20, 2018 Author Share Posted October 20, 2018 1 hour ago, Emerald Stoker said: I remember your thread from a couple of years back--your son sounds like a neat guy. I'm sure he'll blossom beautifully when he finds the right niche! Thanks! That's nice of you to say! (We think he's pretty neat, LOL! I just wish I could help him better, but I keep praying for him.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 Well, let's see, both of my older sons will be working with computers! One is an Animation major and one is a Film Editing major. The are both very creative and artsy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted October 26, 2018 Share Posted October 26, 2018 Can you have him learn the language Python? There are free resources out there. In the next decade, machine learning is going to be a huge field and Python is that main language. If he can successfully learn a language, and enjoys it, a lot more opportunities will open up. Some jobs open up with certificates only....no BA/BS required....but that will become necessary as he moves up the food chain. Cyber security (security analyst, security engineer) would be another job to research...just because it’s a broadening field. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted October 26, 2018 Share Posted October 26, 2018 I just looked...Coursera has a data science set of courses including python + machine learning 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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