So, what are you doing to become successful or improve yourself?

[gplaydee]

Uni Degrees matter if you wanna move up faster and earn more money. Of course, it depends on the company's compensation culture.

In a lot of large corps, their HR department has a separate payment grid just for education level, meaning that having a first/second degree automatically bumps your salary up, regardless of your work exp.

[Dragoon]

Uni Degrees matter if you wanna move up faster and earn more money. Of course, it depends on the company's compensation culture.

In a lot of large corps, their HR department has a separate payment grid just for education level, meaning that having a first/second degree automatically bumps your salary up, regardless of your work exp.

I would agree with this in most aspects but I.T. seems to be a completely different animal in that respect.  I see people with no degree and all their certifications making twice as much as people with degrees all the time.

[Mr K1tty]

Yah, IT the degree really doesn't mean squat.  And moving up through companies is easy as long as your performance is solid and you're willing to go the extra mile.  I went from a temp to help desk, to IT Procurement Admin, to full Network admin in 2.5 years with only my A+ certification.  Honestly I think it's more about who you know also.  If you can get your foot in the door the sky's the limit.

 

Also I suggest listening to this song to get yourself pumped up to win...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUZf56PrNo4

[Merle_Haggard]

I left Louisiana State University after two semesters to become general manager of a Popeye's chicken restaurant in Arkansas.  I figured Louisiana didn't have a good enough economy for me to have a good future.  After a year in the restaurant, I knew I didn't want to do that for the rest of my life.  My girlfriend at the time was from Kansas City, so I took a chance, quit the restaurant, and moved up there without having another job lined up.  Thankfully, her family was gracious enough to keep us bums off the street :)   Contrary to what my ego wanted me to do, I tried temp agencies so I could at least get a temporary office job to figure things out.   I landed a temp job as an administrative assistance at a large engineering, design, and construction company that works in the energy/power, water, and telecom business.  It was supposed to be for 8 weeks while some girl went on maternity leave.  I made sure to do a good job in the hopes that I could find a permanent position there.  She decided not to go back to work there and I was given the permanent position.  As an admin asst I made sure to go beyond my role and try to learn what the consultants did.  Within 6 months I was training my replacement so I could become an entry-level consultant for energy companies.  They gave me an intern's compensation while I went back and finished my undergraduate in business, which was way better than an admin assistant's compensation.   After I graduated they promoted me immediately and I've been doing great ever since.  I moved from KC to Austin over a year ago to be closer to my girlfriend (now my fiance) and I work from home.  I started pursuing an MBA that I'll finish in December, which they help pay for.   I also received another promotion this month and I'll be preparing for project management.  

 

I think a great way to improve yourself is to take some calculated risks and don't be afraid to pursue opportunities.  Accepting the temp position 7 years ago paved the way for more opportunities than I can imagine.  Maybe I would have figured out a way to be successful some way, but I'm thankful it's all worked out this way :)

[Asian Small Boobie]

I don't know about other fields, but I consider myself lucky to work in Design and Advertising industry in NYC for over 4 years... and believe me, you don't need a degree. All you need is passion and good communication skills. Of course.. going to university or college helps sharpening your senses and execution skills, but other than that its pretty much waste of money. These days you can do online course or even self-learning (if you are motivated enough)

 

ll you need is passion and never stop aiming what you want. 

 

Make sure you never afraid to fail and always take big risks. it might be bad for today, but its really crucial on the next few years. You pretty much won't improve your quality of life if you stick with a boring 9-5 job that pay the bills and doing it just to survive or for the money. Your job must be something that you really passionate about and good for long term.

[Vanguard]

This kid is doing a bit to improve himself:

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/11/jacob-barnett-autistic-14-year-old-nobel-prize_n_3254920.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

 

I don't know if the word "improve" quite cuts it...

[bakester17]

I'll graduate high school, get into a nice college and get a nice job. All i got so far  :huh:

[Hollow Clipz]

Got a questions for you guys doing IT (seems like a lot). I am trying to switch out of career paths as I was doing a lot of management and sales. Trying to break into IT because I can't stand the environments I work into now. What would be a good break in entry level job and starting certifications you have / look for? I majored in Computer Science but as I read through some of the comments I guess that doesn't matter :D

[SylenT]

Technically the degree doesn't matter because you learn so much more on the job than you ever will in a classroom.  But it will help get you an interview and shows that you have experience.  I started as a PC Technician and moved up in the same company to Net Admin and I don't have any certs.  Just a Network Administration degree.  I think you really need to decide what kind of IT work you want to do:  Database Admin, Programming, Tech work, Networking, Management etc... There are entry level jobs in just about every category.  I would say try to find a job where there is room for growth and you can move up.. that always makes life easier.

[Dark Knight]

I would say after 10 years of testing both Financial and Storage applications, that my greatest realization is that money is not the key to happiness.  Sure its nice to have, but sometimes the stress can be overwhelming.  Before I had children that was not the case because I didn't have to seperate the time from working to home time.

 

Successful to me now is making sure my wife and kids are happy and healthy.  Professionally, I am working to become a manager and understanding other aspects of operating a business.  Personally, I am playing with my kids more, which is why I haven't been seen very often.  (that and my wife isn't really a fan of CS).

[Dragoon]

Got a questions for you guys doing IT (seems like a lot). I am trying to switch out of career paths as I was doing a lot of management and sales. Trying to break into IT because I can't stand the environments I work into now. What would be a good break in entry level job and starting certifications you have / look for? I majored in Computer Science but as I read through some of the comments I guess that doesn't matter :D

If you are looking into getting into network break/fix A+ and Net+ are a good place to start.  If you are a real go getter maybe even the Cisco CCENT instead of the net+. My first and current job in the IT field is at a Helpdesk at a Value added reseller, where I moved from Tier 1 to Tier 2 in a span of 3 years. I see a little bit of everything on a daily basis.  One day I could be building a new VPN for a client and the next day troubleshooting mail flow in Exchange for another.