Newbie Alert- Take Courage and Start Fresh Columbia SC

Posted by : Elizabeth Millard

Q: I'm 44 years old and want to start a new career in the IT field. I have already completed the Microsoft Office 2000 Professional course. Can you help me identify the best options in relation to my age and being new in the field? Which fields will be in the most demand in the future?

A: Since you've already dipped your toe into training with the Microsoft course, and know that you want to wade in a little further, you might want to take a look at offerings in some of the hotter tech fields, like security, networking, computer repair, or Web services.

However, you should probably refrain from jumping into the deep end of the pool just yet. It's tempting to sign up for a degree program or a certification series, and launch into your sparkly new endeavor wholeheartedly, but it's important to take it slowly and gauge how much you like what you're learning.

For example, you could decide that security is the light at the end of your education tunnel, only to find that other areas of the networking field interest you more. Although it certainly doesn't hurt to learn about areas that aren't on your degree or certification path, you'll want to be sure not to stray too far from whatever you've decided is your main course of study.

In terms of your age, there are many programs geared toward students with more life experience. Community colleges in particular tend to offer internship programs and individual education counseling that c...

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