Careers in IT - One GI's Journey
By Lt. Col. Paul Capicik (USAF Ret),
October 21, 2009
In our series of discussions regarding IT Careers, I've
talked about whether IT is the right career for you,
what you can expect working in the field, the diversity
of positions available, the IT managerial path, and the
career outlook. When talking with students and
prospects, I often hear, "There is not enough time now,"
or, "I am deploying, etc., so I can't do it now."
I thought I would pass along a real-life story that
touches on how one GI made the journey while facing many
of those same obstacles and who today leads a successful
and rewarding career in the field. In fact, he has
advanced to the middle management level.
Setting:
Young man graduates from high school knowing exactly
what he wants to do and goes off to college. He does
alright, but discovers he doesn't want to pursue the
path he had planned.
After floundering somewhat in school, he decides to
enter the Air Force. He's tested and chosen to go to the
Information Technology tech school to become a network
tech. Then it's off to his first assignment.
Stage 2:
He really likes what he is doing and dives into learning
all he can. In the meantime, he gets married and over
the next few years has two children. Interested in
getting more training and education in the IT field, he
finds that the Air Force only fills part of that need.
Plus his base starts rotations to the Middle East.
So here he is, wanting to get a degree, married with two
kids, eligible for food stamps, and facing periodic
deployments. How can he afford the time and cost for
pursuing his degree?
Stage 3:
He finds he has several things in his favor. He is
highly motivated and has validating experience for the
IT career path. He knows promotions and quality-of-life
benefits are at stake. He finds that his deployments do
allow continued course completion. Military TA funding
picks up much of the cost. His spouse supports the
temporary commitment of time and money.
(Note that if you are a student of American Sentinel
University, our military tuition is well within the TA
cap - even for a master's degree - and our military
scholarship covers books, software, shipping costs, and
registration and graduation fees.)
Stage 4:
He commits to putting in the time and effort required to
complete a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science (BSCS).
At the same time, he requests more military training and
support to help improve his unit's capability to support
the mission, but gets refused.
Coincidentally, he links up with a veteran who has a
small business helping local businesses become
automated. He starts doing this on the side, applying
development knowledge that he learned in his BSCS degree
courses.
Then, he takes a network certification course. He really
enjoys the fulfillment of the off-duty jobs, however
becomes further discouraged with the continued military
hold back.
Stage 5:
Our GI decides to make the big break and enter the
civilian world. Now, with his education, certification,
and experience, he gets hired by an investment firm as a
junior programmer (his networking skills helped him get
that position). After the company changes hands, he
finds a new job with a power management company as an
application developer. He earns a few advancements and
now works in middle management. He is considering
getting an MBA in preparation for future advancement to
senior management.
I relate this true story because it illustrates what it
takes to be successful:
- You don't always know what career path to pursue.
Hopefully these articles will help you with that. Also,
if you aren't happy in your job, you will likely look
elsewhere or not be successful in your current position.
- Most people face a number of obstacles in becoming
successful. Whether it is time, money, motivation, or
luck, with the right attitude and persistence there is
usually a way.
- Utilize your military benefits. If you are active-duty
make sure you use as much of the TA money made available
to you as possible (currently, that's $4,500 per year).
If you are a veteran, use those GI Bill benefits before
they run out.
- The IT career field is full of interesting and diverse
paths. In this GI's case, he successfully went from a
military networking setting to a small business IT
venture to an investment firm finally to an
international power management company.
- A degree and certifications are key to providing valid
credentials. This GI set himself apart and established
worthy credentials to companies that, as he said to me,
"didn't know me from Adam." His education showed a
commitment to standards and achieving hard goals. (I
look for this as well now when I am conducting
interviews.)
So don't think you can't do it because of time, money,
work or commitments. You can do it, and American
Sentinel has the affordable and flexible online programs
as well as the benefits and support to help you make it
happen.
Talk to one of our admissions counselors about American
Sentinel's IT degrees in computer science, Information
Technology, or other exciting careers such as
Geographical Information Systems, Security, Health
Systems Management, Game-Programming, Web Development,
and Cyber-Criminology.
And ask us about your TA, Montgomery GI Bill (Chapter
30), and even the new Post 9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33)
benefits while they're still available. American
Sentinel's reduced military tuition rates and military
scholarships help extend those benefits, further
minimizing your out-of-pocket expenses, so why wait?
If you have any questions on the IT field or if you are
a service member transitioning into civilian life, feel
free to leave a comment or question using the submission
form below. I'd love to hear from you!
About the Author
Lt.
Col. Paul Capicik, USAF (ret.) is the military program
manager for American Sentinel University. Prior to
joining American Sentinel, Paul spent over 26 years in
the U.S. Air Force and another 12 years in the private
sector as a CIO. For more information on American
Sentinel University, online information technology
degree programs or IT certification training programs,
visit
http://www.americansentinel.edu/ or call
1-866-922-5690. |
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