NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Gargoyle" data-source="post: 310937" data-attributes="member: 529">I never said they should pursue the highest paying jobs right away. Let me clarify what I meant:  They should be aware of the high tech, high paying opportunities as soon as they have the ability to understand them, so they can start working towards these opportunities as soon as possible, if that's what they want.  I somewhat disagree with the formula one racing car analogy.  You do not need to know PC hardware and software before you can learn networking.  The CCNA is an entry level certification, and there are entry level jobs out there that require nothing else, such as in network management or a with a low level IT integrator or ISP.  I'm not really recommending that path, and would actually recommend going to college and getting a CCNP while doing intern work, if you want to get into networking as fast as possible.  The CCNA in high school could help with that.Furthermore, you don't always need to "pay your dues" by working through several other departments to get to a networking job.    IT integrators will hire you based on certifications and a minimal amount of network experience. The biggest barrier to a networking job is access to the equipment.  No one can afford to buy $100,000 worth of equipment to practice on in order to get the certifications.  CCNA training in high school is a good idea for the following reasons:1.  It can help you get a great entry level job, or better yet give you a boost while in college.2.  It gets kids excited about technology and presents them with a choice.  3.  It's not above a talented high school student's capabilities, even if they don't have a heavy PC background.  It's just not that hard...Just so you know my background,  I have 12 years experience in the IT industry.  I've worked as a senior network engineer for a Fortune 500  IT integrator for the past 3 years doing nothing but Cisco design and implementation, and presales engineering.  My customers include one of the nation's largest corporate investment banks,  large manufacturing companies, and various government organizations.  I have a CCNP, a CCDP, and a CNE.  I let my MCSE expire recently, and I've taken the CCIE written test, and have failed the lab once.  I'll take it again next year.  (I think most people pass it on the fourth time...)   While it's true I've got a lot of experience working on electronics, desktop PCs, NT, and Novell, I don't think any of it is necessary to get into networking today.  I bill customers anywhere from $135 to $175 per hour, and I feel that's pretty reasonable, if not a bargain.  If I got into networking earlier, and skipped all the Novell and NT, I'd have my CCIE already and would be billing more.   I'm envious of my coworkers that have done nothing but networking and I feel like my non-networking experience hinders more than it helps because of time wasted.  But that's hindsight.I can see your point Reapersaurus, and I respect your opinion, so don't think I'm totally against what you're trying to say.  With a limited amount of funds, schools have to make the best of what they've got, and some basic A+ or Network + (the latter is better...) cert training might make more sense.  And to be honest, I dislike vendor-specific training in schools.  It reminds me of how Apple and Microsoft try to indoctrinate kids into learning computers their way by donating "free" hardware and software.  A non-vendor specific course would be better.  But these days, as a parent or student, I'd take what you can get.  Again, congrats Brainburn, sounds like you've got a great kid with a bright future.</blockquote>

Verification