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Back in 2011 I separated the USAF. Within a month of leaving the USAF I was attending full time at a University in Minnesota. My major was Political Science and International Relations. The reason i chose this career path was because 1. it interested me and 2. I had a job lined up at the local legislature.
Well, sequestration hit and a subsequent state shut down removed any change of that job coming to fruition. I quickly tried to change majors to Computer Science (CS) or Information Technology Security. It was too late, I was eligible to graduate, the semester was just about over, so be it. I graduated and was fortunate enough to find a job at my local Veterans Affairs Hospital. I moved up quick and have a very steady life, a good paying job, and most important job security. However, this is not what I want to do in life. I love CS and IT, I program on the side for fun (well try to at least), I like to build PC's and learn as much as I can when I can.
Essentially, I am reaching out to see if anyone knows of any options out there for career transition programs into IT/CS. I have 15 Months left on the Post 9/11. I don't care if it's certification, another undergraduate degree, or even a masters. I have looked everywhere. The best program I found was a Post-Bac. Program offered by Oregon State but, they will not admit me due to not having the required mathematics which, I am working on (CLEP).
Any help/direction would be greatly appreciated!
Well, sequestration hit and a subsequent state shut down removed any change of that job coming to fruition. I quickly tried to change majors to Computer Science (CS) or Information Technology Security. It was too late, I was eligible to graduate, the semester was just about over, so be it. I graduated and was fortunate enough to find a job at my local Veterans Affairs Hospital. I moved up quick and have a very steady life, a good paying job, and most important job security. However, this is not what I want to do in life. I love CS and IT, I program on the side for fun (well try to at least), I like to build PC's and learn as much as I can when I can.
Essentially, I am reaching out to see if anyone knows of any options out there for career transition programs into IT/CS. I have 15 Months left on the Post 9/11. I don't care if it's certification, another undergraduate degree, or even a masters. I have looked everywhere. The best program I found was a Post-Bac. Program offered by Oregon State but, they will not admit me due to not having the required mathematics which, I am working on (CLEP).
Any help/direction would be greatly appreciated!
Posted in these groups: 
Civilian Career
Career Advice
Computer Science
Information Technology
Education Studies
Civilian Career Career Advice Computer Science Information Technology Education Studies
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 7
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I currently work for the VA as an IT Specialist. I sort of fell in my position because ( right place at the right time) at the time of my retirement the position opened up. I am one of those who have the degree's and the experience without any certs. I had gone on several interviews during my terminal leave and most of the civilian employers were looking for experience and certs. However, a few were looking for experience in very specific specialties. One in particular was with a local ambulance company that was looking for a person who can troubleshoot problems on remote wireless systems that were installed in the ambulances that transmitted patient info back to the company and the hospital. I thought I had a pretty good understanding of wireless networks but not like what they were looking for. Another was looking for a person who could troubleshoot local computer issues but also have database programing experience and if you had that they wanted to see the products you developed first hand.
I still would recommend getting a degree in CIS, but any certs that pertain to Hardware (A+), Networking (Net+), CCNA, or even better CCNE will get you better consideration. And having experience in a little bit of all helps tremendously.
I still would recommend getting a degree in CIS, but any certs that pertain to Hardware (A+), Networking (Net+), CCNA, or even better CCNE will get you better consideration. And having experience in a little bit of all helps tremendously.
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Georgia Tech Online Masters in Computer Science: https://www.omscs.gatech.edu/explore-oms-cs
Also, in the meantime, build up a GitHub portfolio and prepare for technical interviews in which you code solutions to problems on a dry-erase board without the benefit of a IDE. The degree gets the interviews, but the interviews get the job. (You can also get interviews other ways, but in my experience, it is much easier with a degree.)
Also, in the meantime, build up a GitHub portfolio and prepare for technical interviews in which you code solutions to problems on a dry-erase board without the benefit of a IDE. The degree gets the interviews, but the interviews get the job. (You can also get interviews other ways, but in my experience, it is much easier with a degree.)
Why OMS CS? | OMSCS | Georgia Institute of Technology | Atlanta, GA
"I had been searching for the right degree program for years. It's hard to find a high-quality master's program that I could do while keeping my full-time job. The inception of OMS CS was like the answer to prayer. It has exceeded my expectations." -Yeeling Lam, December 2015 graduate of OMS CS
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