About computers/ tech I guess?

[Rock 227]

Hey I know this is a tech center area so I thought this would fit in even tho it isn't exactly about computers themselves. I am at that point in my life where i need to start thinking about colleges and professions that I want to be doing in my future. Next year I am going to be taking a bus from my school every day halfway through the school day going to my county's career center learning things about how to program/ test our own cyber security but i was also looking into doing a photo/ video editing course because i am good with cameras, so good that in the 5th grade when I had an art project based around photography that was to be put in a modern art museum along with all my other classmates. The Smithsonian Museum had apparently seen the photo that I had taken ( it was a photo from the ground looking upward at the ketler capitals iceplex with a sunset and gorgeous clouds in the background ). About a week after the photos were put on display at the small modern art museum, the people who worked at the Smithsonian had appreciated the photo so much that they decided to put it on display for 1 month along with 2 other students pictures from other nearby schools I know this because when I had arrived from school one day I saw it in the mail and there was this formal celebration for it and all but I wasn't so into it at the time i was worrying more about how I was going to be quickscoping the shit out of my friends on Modern Warfare 3, but back to what I was saying about how I have to start thinking about my future I am really leaning over to the cyber security side but I don't know what opportunity I will get out of it besides an office job at some place like norton but same goes for the photo/ video thing if you can please tell me what you guys are doing, and what you think I should do based off of my situation, and if you think pursuing something else might be better for me.

[Avery 794]

I put other because you shouldn't limit yourself to these two things unless you're 100% sure you want to do one or the other. Be sure to take everything into consideration when deciding but first and foremost, think to yourself "Do I wan't to go to school for 4+ years and learn about this, and then work for another 30-35 doing this?" weigh the pros and cons of each major and ultimately decide by what's best for yourself. I had the same opportunity to go to a career center in my county. I took AP sciences and math classes as they were already something I excelled at, and it further motivated me to pursue engineering. Make sure to put a lot of effort into the classes you take in high school pertaining to those fields of interest as that is the best experience you can have in those fields unless you decide to shadow someone for a day.

[Rock 227]

13 minutes ago, Avery said:

I put other because you shouldn't limit yourself to these two things unless you're 100% sure you want to do one or the other. Be sure to take everything into consideration when deciding but first and foremost, think to yourself "Do I wan't to go to school for 4+ years and learn about this, and then work for another 30-35 doing this?" weigh the pros and cons of each major and ultimately decide by what's best for yourself. I had the same opportunity to go to a career center in my county. I took AP sciences and math classes as they were already something I excelled at, and it further motivated me to pursue engineering. Make sure to put a lot of effort into the classes you take in high school pertaining to those fields of interest as that is the best experience you can have in those fields unless you decide to shadow someone for a day.

Yea I see what you mean but like you how you excel at science and math i excel at photography and also programming/ making things but on a basic level

[Avery 794]

3 minutes ago, LVL4ROCK said:

Yea I see what you mean but like you how you excel at science and math i excel at photography and also programming/ making things but on a basic level

If you enjoy it and see it as a viable future then I don't see why not. Cyber security requires a lot of in depth higher math and coding (roommates a Comp Sci doin cyber security). Look up the course path and the classes for the degrees and the course descriptions. That will give you a good view of what you'd be doing in classes.

[Rock 227]

4 minutes ago, Avery said:

If you enjoy it and see it as a viable future then I don't see why not. Cyber security requires a lot of in depth higher math and coding (roommates a Comp Sci doin cyber security). Look up the course path and the classes for the degrees and the course descriptions. That will give you a good view of what you'd be doing in classes.

Yeah like i said i am going to be taking cyber security next year as in Cyber Security 1 which is the basics of it then depending on how i like the class i will see what will happen but i am also taking photography and its going good and its fun for me.

[centran 4457]

So you have never taken any computer programming courses or anything like that? Try it out and see if you like it. When I was in college I can't even remember the amount of people going into comp sci for half a year or even made it to the next year and switched degrees. It was a lot. People didn't realize how hard and how much work it is. The mindset you have to have is not for everyone. People will say you have to make sure you are good at and like math but even though some programs have you doing classes like calc which other degrees need... the math is different when you get into the more advanced classes. So if you just find math "easy"... trust me it won't stay that way.

 

So the tl;dr; of the above paragraph is to go for it but figure out quickly if it is something you want to do. That being said there are big salaries involved in cyber security. Also just because you have a degree doesn't mean you are done and can easily get a new job. Just like most other skilled professions expect to take some time after you graduate to get certificates. Certs in that area of tech are worth gold!

 

Now as for photography. If you are hoping that you will make a career and big bucks in that then realize mos artists earn decent money for their work late in their life... if they even do while still alive. However, there are many occupations you can do then just "art". If that is something you really enjoy then pursue it. You can still make a decent living. You could also easily struggle. Just realize that because it is something looked upon as "art" that it isn't something to just sit around and hope the money will come and you will be discovered and life will be easy or some shit like that. You need to put in the work. Sorry. That is life. But if you are doing something you enjoy, have a vision, and have dedication then be a "success" will feel even better down the road. Also that success may not come from what you intended. Maybe you never become a big name artist but on your way you started doing wedding photography and did it so well that you had to hire other photographers that you carefully pick and mentor. Before you know it you have a photography business which you run and hardly actually work jobs anymore but being the boss and mentor to others you found something else you really enjoy.

 

So the TL;DR; of everything above. Go, Run. Jump in. Don't stop. Pursue with all your energy and keep going. Don't be upset if your road takes a turn from your original goals as long as you are still happy.

[Rock 227]

35 minutes ago, centran said:

So you have never taken any computer programming courses or anything like that? Try it out and see if you like it. When I was in college I can't even remember the amount of people going into comp sci for half a year or even made it to the next year and switched degrees. It was a lot. People didn't realize how hard and how much work it is. The mindset you have to have is not for everyone. People will say you have to make sure you are good at and like math but even though some programs have you doing classes like calc which other degrees need... the math is different when you get into the more advanced classes. So if you just find math "easy"... trust me it won't stay that way.

 

So the tl;dr; of the above paragraph is to go for it but figure out quickly if it is something you want to do. That being said there are big salaries involved in cyber security. Also just because you have a degree doesn't mean you are done and can easily get a new job. Just like most other skilled professions expect to take some time after you graduate to get certificates. Certs in that area of tech are worth gold!

 

Now as for photography. If you are hoping that you will make a career and big bucks in that then realize mos artists earn decent money for their work late in their life... if they even do while still alive. However, there are many occupations you can do then just "art". If that is something you really enjoy then pursue it. You can still make a decent living. You could also easily struggle. Just realize that because it is something looked upon as "art" that it isn't something to just sit around and hope the money will come and you will be discovered and life will be easy or some shit like that. You need to put in the work. Sorry. That is life. But if you are doing something you enjoy, have a vision, and have dedication then be a "success" will feel even better down the road. Also that success may not come from what you intended. Maybe you never become a big name artist but on your way you started doing wedding photography and did it so well that you had to hire other photographers that you carefully pick and mentor. Before you know it you have a photography business which you run and hardly actually work jobs anymore but being the boss and mentor to others you found something else you really enjoy.

 

So the TL;DR; of everything above. Go, Run. Jump in. Don't stop. Pursue with all your energy and keep going. Don't be upset if your road takes a turn from your original goals as long as you are still happy.

Ok wow thank you so much, because of this I feel like i have a locked thing that i am going to do, I think that instead of picking one thing and sticking to it I am going to set a goal of getting a masters in Cyber security and instead of wasting more money on another class as in photography i can use what i already know about cameras/ photography ( which is alot ) and try to get a full time job in something involving cyber security and then do photography on the side like be a wedding photographer because i have heard that most make around $600 for around 5 hours at just one wedding which is good enough for food and other things on the side or just for savings and then have the cyber security job securing me a well enough pay to live and own a house and a car and in the future if i somehow manage to stay connected with sG through out it all i could help other people with the ddos protection and securing all server files and custom sG made maps so that others can't just rip the server of everything and get big off of something a community just like theirs started but got big over their own success. 

 

I must say thank you I don't how I can make it up for how you just helped me set a legitimate goal for what is going to be my future in this world. 

[centran 4457]

37 minutes ago, LVL4ROCK said:

I am going to set a goal of getting a masters in Cyber security and instead of wasting more money on another class as in photography i can use what i already know about cameras/ photography

 

Yeah, the photography class would probably be basic stuff but hey, you do other courses other then tech if you go to a proper university... in fact in the USA a school can not be called a university if they don't have those other classes. So a photo class may fulfill your Art credits.

 

But yeaaaah, you should also be talking to a adviser. Most colleges should have a general one for picking a degree and then once you are working on that you will be assigned a facility adviser in that particular school. Some just blow those people away and figure everything out themselves but they could be a valuable resource.

[Rock 227]

29 minutes ago, centran said:

 

Yeah, the photography class would probably be basic stuff but hey, you do other courses other then tech if you go to a proper university... in fact in the USA a school can not be called a university if they don't have those other classes. So a photo class may fulfill your Art credits.

 

But yeaaaah, you should also be talking to a adviser. Most colleges should have a general one for picking a degree and then once you are working on that you will be assigned a facility adviser in that particular school. Some just blow those people away and figure everything out themselves but they could be a valuable resource.

Oh yea I see what you mean, smart move i didn't think about that

[nothing_but_fail 484]

 

 

@TurtleFrenzy recently switched from CS to IT