Conclusion

I'm aiming to complete my AS degree by the mid year of 2018. I do want to go as high as a bachelor's degree but I want to get more information first.

I think True Colors helped me narrow down what type of person I am. I am the type that prefers to follow procedures and repeating the same routines. I don't mind doing this and I can stay motivated to continue working because I view it as a goal. My SII results only confirmed my interests and helped remove doubt that I'll like to work with computers. My major was already listed under it and everything seemed to add up.

My career goal is learning about computer networking. I'll love to go as high as I can within that position. I want to continue learning all I can about technology. Things will began to change quickly and it might be for the worse. There might be a loss of privacy or security through online technologies. People don't want to feel invaded on and want their information to be absolutely secure.

Interview

The most important part about the interview is showing off passion for the job. You have to explain this through past behaviors and actions. A high positive attitude makes you stand apart from the crowd. Companies want employees that strive for excellence and will be a team player. Every person should go through a mock interview before heading out to the real one. It's great to get practice in and improve all interviewing skills. Speech is important and having prepared answers come out the right way. A good way to prepare is to interview an insider from the company. You can get information through this method by using your network or seek out an alumnus through a career center or alumni office. The candidate should read the president's letter to the shareholders. There is valuable information in the corporate annual report that will show that you serious and care enough.

1. Tell me about yourself.

I've always had an interest in the technical side of computers and learning about it became my earliest hobby. I later became interested in computer networking and servers then focused my education towards learning.

2. Why should I hire you?

I should get hired because I'm the best person for the job. I'm constantly striving for efficiently and learning. I went and got my bachelor's degree but didn't stop there. I continued taking multiple programs to get certified. I am also planning to learn the programming side and get certification for it.

3. What is your long-range objective?

I want to work my way up to systems administrator. I want to take on higher responsibilities and I'll be more than willing to train others. I'm constantly looking into new things to learn to improve my abilities.

4. How has your education prepared you for your career?

My education has given me the knowledge to work with a variety of problems and come up with several solutions to fix it. My classes on computer networking were a hand's on experience. We learned individually how everything was done but also helped each other out as a learning experience.

5. Are you a team player?

Yes, I'm a team player. Though I can come up with my own solutions, it's great to have a fresh mind take a look from a different perspective. It really helps bring out other options. A project I was working on with a classmate involved installing software and making sure it was running properly. We ran into some errors quickly and we both put together a list of things to look out. It made it much easier to fix our project with more contributions.

6. Have you ever had a conflict with a boss or professor? How was it resolved?

I've had some minor disagreements with a professor. We did not see eye to eye on a particular result. I was set on believing my way was the right one based on facts I've learned. Instead of completely dismissing my professor's explanations, I listened with an open mind and accepted that there will various right ways. Not everything will have the same result.

7. What is your greatest weakness?

I have had trouble prioritization my tasks. I sometimes spend too little or too much time on one specific thing. I have focused on setting a reasonable time limit for the tasks on my list so it will have equal time. If there is something that will need extra time, I can go back to it towards the end as long as process is being made.

8. If I were to ask your professors (or your boss) to describe you, what would they say?

My manager would say that I'm a great problem solver, works well with a team and that I'm always looking for something to do to remain productive

9. What qualities do you feel a successful manager should have?

A successful manager is within leadership. They have to be able to give directions and be an example towards their subordinates. People want to look up to someone who is willing to put in the work for themselves. My manager is a strong leader because he's also willing to coach his employees. He doesn't bring them down if they don't know something, he goes out of his way to make sure they learn and understand. I didn't know how to work a machine at work and he took 20 minutes out of a busy shift to show me what to do.

10. If you had to live your life over again, what one thing would you change?

The doubt I had created for myself. I would remove it and focus on following my dreams. I would have started on my education much sooner. Insecurities do nothing but stunt personal growth. Any effort is making progress towards goals. I'm making sure that I go after exactly what I want and I make the plans necessary to follow through with it.

Graduate/Transfer

1. My career objective is to complete my general education then take certifications for computer networking and gain enough experience to get promoted higher up.

2. A bachelor's degree of science is needed. Most companies want the four year in computer science, information systems or a related major.

3.  You start with a high school diploma or GED then work on getting general education from Mission. This career allows associate’s degree in science or 4 years in bachelor's degree in a related major. Mission offers computer information technology in an associate’s degree. There are also courses for Cisco Certified Network Administration. Mission has certification programs in Cisco that take 1.5 years to complete.

4. The core courses that are required are the introduction to networking, Cisco fundamentals, routing protocols and concepts and server essentials. The CCNA requires two of the same courses but have added LAN and WAN courses for the certificate of achievement.

5.  Mission College, Cabrillo College and West Valley College all offer computer information systems programs. They have certificates in the specialties.

6. Mission College requires Associates degree in Science for a total of 60 units. The core requirements for networking are a total of 16 units. The CCNA certificate requirements have 16 units for achievement but two of those classes are in the core already. There is a Microsoft Servers certificate of proficiency at a total of 12 units. For graduation, only 96 units are needed.

7.  I believe the approximate date would be sometime in 2021 to include the extra time for the completion of the certifications

Road Trip Nation

Tim had an interest in hacking and rebuilding things. He even changed his major several times before he decided to become a security consultant. His prior experience opened up opportunities for similar roles. Brent viewed this interest as a hobby and didn't have a degree in computer science. He was more involved in graphic design then moved up to building websites and noticed that there wasn't much security involved. He slowly made that part his job. I like that his experience was seen as qualification and he didn’t need the degree to be considered.

Tim still gets excited over breaking through security because it allows him to be more creative and there's no risk in getting arrested. This is really great because those really experienced malicious hackers will have their own creative tricks as well. He can really help these companies increase their security. It's a constant learning experience especially with new software and different things to go after.

Lillie's career is an IT Architect. She ended up majoring in computer science because she liked logic and the challenges. She had a variety of interests that helped me narrow down to science and math. She believed she didn't have to limit her career choices because she thought these two subjects could translate to others. Lillie wanted to get something out of each learning experience. She was willing to try new things to keep her interested. Her definition of success depends on the individual and how they took from it. She thinks we can help each other with technology and using information from it.

Omoju is currently a Software Technologist. Her focus was on computer science and education. She grew up without a constant supply of power and that forced her to go into this inventing mode to get keep occupied. She discovered the internet in the late 90's and that gave her enough ideas to get inspired over to switching to computer science from accounting. She followed her dreams because she loved it and had the courage to do it. Omoju wanted to go to this conference but she was too scared because of her lack of experience.  She agrees you have to fail because it's part of the learning process. That's how you problem solve and improve.

I liked that every one of these interviews had a person from a different background and journey. They either had prior experience in their subject or completely lacked it. I've learned that it's never too late to change your interests and major. It's important to at least try a variety of things for the experience and then narrowing it down. It's okay to not feel confident in what you are doing but you have to at least make some effort towards it. Baby steps will help you reach your goals and failure will make you come up with other ways to improve. I’ve already changed my major once and it’s making me happier than my previous one. I’m also scared of my lack of experience like Omoju was but I’m going to continue following my goals. I think any progress is better than not trying at all.

Find A Job

MA LABS is located in San Jose, California. They have been in service for 34 years. They are a global computer product distributor of many things including storage products, motherboards, video graphics cards, Microsoft products and more. The position that is offered is a Systems Administrator. They are many qualifications that are preferred to have but not required. The company would like this person to be knowledgeable in applications, servers and some scripting. It also requires a bachelor's degree.

Youtube

My major is in computer networking. The two careers that I chose are somewhat similar as they both involve working with a system. The first one is a systems analyst and the second is systems administrator.

Systems analysts are professionals who evaluate and design information systems. They have to research problems and come up with necessary solutions to be able to fix things. This type of job involves meeting with clients as well. They have to be experienced in using various software programs and to provide updates for it.

Their job is to examine problems that a business has. They have to study their current system and figure out what are the requirements needed for an upgraded or new system. A system analyst has to determine the necessary user requirements for that specific system before doing anything else. This information will get passed on to others and then a system design can finally begin.

It's common for this career to have knowledge of programming languages and software. It's actually not required of them to take part in any of the development parts. The main role is to get those user requirements and then turning those specifications into a design.

Systems administrators are responsible after the system itself that is within the network. They make sure to get the server up and running. They have to set it up, do the installation and configure the server hardware for it. The server's operating system would most likely be Windows/Microsoft but there are other options too.

They have to troubleshoot problems if the server happened to go offline or not function normally. It also means that there will be installing software updates and hardware upgrades. Even the server box might have to be replaced. The admins have to be able to maintain that server and keep it running every day. There are applications that they use to actually monitor it and these notifications can be sent to any device like a pager or phone.

Who is a Systems Analyst? 

Q&A -- System Admin vs Network Admin | What are the differences

True Colors

My True Colors results were both equally high in “Gold” and “Green”. I do agree that I like to follow a certain procedure when it comes to my work. Gold prefers following the rules and doing things in a specific way. I don’t mind having the same routine over and over. It’s viewed as a goal that keeps me motivated. I always imagined that I could do well in a career that required following a standard. I do think it’s interesting that Green strives to seek knowledge but that may not follow authority or following another's standard. Blue is all about doing both those things. I do value my independence and I like to work alone on my projects so I think Green is more fitting.

I used to have an interest in becoming a graphic designer or a medical transcriptionist.  I already have many years of experience being a freelancer in web design and graphics. I’ve made many webpages, blog layouts, brand logos and business cards. I like a process that is unique. I’m definitely a creative person that loves to use a computer and programs. A creative career definitely requires so much communication. The downside is that others may not understand what you are talking about and you have to explain it in a way that will help them.

The best part about freelancing is people are choosing you based on your own aesthetics and the quality you bring forward. If you happen to get hired by a company to design for all kinds of clients, then that means you will have to tolerate criticism and respect their wishes on their projects. You can’t force change on a client that is paying you for something specific but you can try to communicate with them what will work and what will likely not.

I had a short lived interest as a medical transcriptionist because I found out you could do this from home. It requires learning to interpret information towards translation and transcribing it. It’s a demanding job because you have to learn medical terms and understand abbreviated words. It has to be done in a specific way and timeframe. It may also require listening to audio as well. It’s a great option for those that need a stay at home career or have a disability. I have done research into this before and you have to pass certain certifications then try to get a job working in an office for a year or more before you get to transcribe but unfortunately the demand is no longer high.