Right now in Geek-Squad (A cmputer fixing business hosted by Best-Buy) I make $19 an hour, Which for just starting there, And even with the taxes that is a good wage for someone who is only 16.

Computer game programming is a good path (some of the companies give up to 50 an hour and just so you know, 50 an hour is ALOT.) IF you can get employed by Valve Software, Blizzard Entertainment, EA games, ID Softwar, or Activision. Which getting employed by them is VERY unlikely for the avarage game programmer (Meaning you will most likely end up working for an Antivirus program company making 20 an hour to do service upgrades and the average system checks).

This is a question I've been facing as of late also. I love computers but am unsure of what direction to go in. I once thought it was all about the money, but now as long as I am doing anything with computers I will be happy. I just have to decide between programming and repair. My dream when I was a little younger was to open my own repair place, so that's where I am leaning. But there is still a little toss up there. I love to code things too. I will have to do a little soul searching I think.

Hey, im from Croatia too
Anyway, Im guessing that you understand and read croatian, take a look at my colledge's webpage, and see what they have to offer (link to my colledge). Im having just 6 more exams till my diploma if graphic design... and I must admit it's a good paying job...

THis is a good time to be going into university for any computer related work really. Computer Science and other entrance rates have dropped significantly over the last few years in alot of places and they don't look to be increasing anytime soon. There was a huge burst during the .com boom and whatnot but now its mostly just people who are actually interested in the stuff. This means as the markets grow and less people go into the field, we'll assumedly have an easier time landing an acceptable job.

But yea computers are here to stay and will keep becomming more prevalent in society. So they'll always need to be fixed, always need new software, and always need new people to design the hardware... any field you want to enter is doable you just need to do the one you think you will enjoy the most.

The best field for you would be one that you have an interest in doing not for the paycheck, but because the work is enjoyable. What's hot right now might not be very big at all by the time you finish any training that's required to make decent money in that field.

A good way to learn basic things, and get to know a little about various computer-related professions, is to make friend with people who are already in the field. They'll be able to tell you what they like and don't like about their jobs and what they do at work all day.

Do not limit yourself is all I can recommend.

I can say from my own experience that demand is not as high as been stated for computer technicians, in fact if I was you and wanted a career as a computer technician, I would also look at the sales/retailing aspects as well, in which you could be doing two jobs, selling computers as well as building/servicing.

If you are only limiting yourself as a computer technician, then you'll be better off doing it for yourself, and starting your own business for it.

So many businesses are restructuring their IT department (laying them off), because it's a huge expense having them, and with technology becoming more reliable and cheaper, the decision for getting something fixed, to having it replaced instead is always being considered, and sometimes it's the cheapest option to go for.

It's quite sad that some of these businesses are Schools, in which they are no longer having onsite administrators, but call whenever they need something done.

Software will also be a problem that'd need resolving for most people rather than hardware related.


Cheers,


MC

In my opinion I would choose the computer industry only if you DON'T want a decent paycheck or peace of mind. I am a recent graduate with a B.S. in computer science and like many of you folks here I chose this profession because it is something that I enjoy doing and I thought this line of work would pay pretty well. Right after college however, I started my job hunt only to find extremely low starting salaries and exceptionally high demands. In my opinion many companies are looking for people who can hit the ground running. They expect you to possess an enormous amount of computer knowledge and pay you like a peon and that is only after fighting a countless number of months to get your foot in the door. Once you get in, it will take you many many years to get even a small promotion (One of the upper level guys has to die or something). These days the computer industry is seriously oversaturated with employees, you not only have to compete with U.S. citizens but you also have to compete with IT workers in India and China. My advice, If you are serious about doing the IT field, you better have some sort of backup plan just incase things don't go your way. But if I were you, get out while you can unless you want to work for free. Just my opinion!! Good Luck.

The best thing would be to learn C++, get a Modeling Program,

and...


Go join a MMOG company and work as a developer

some companies

Duplex Systems ( Face of Mankind)

Icarus Studios (Fallen Earth)

I'm only 14 and i've also been eager with a profession revolving around the world of computers. I agree with what you said, a compute engineer is definetly one of the best ways to go. For that, I think you bascially need a good knowledge of computer, I.C.T., maybe a bit of manufacture, and engineering of course. Also, if that's not the job you want, then a computer designer could be a great choice also because you make and design computer layouts both externally and internally.

But then again, it depends on what interests you the most. You can also be a computer tester, where you just sit at a computer, test the latest functions and see if they work. This would be could if wanted money for just going on a computer and it could be bad because it's damaging and also a bit boring!

Good luck with your choices.

It all depends on your what your good at. I would definitly not encourage you to go into a field you do not like either. I would look into which feilds interest me then study in that feild. Most computer feilds pay a decent amount of money anyways. I personally am going into programming, not sure what programming yet, but I prefer programming computers rather than making them, so look around find what you like and go for it.