Getting into computers

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OutcastOmega

New Member
Recently I decided I wanted to learn a huge range of skills that I figured could be beneficial in everyday life. Considering computers are all of the place and the amount of them is surely growing by the day, I wanted to learn more about them, like programming and building them, etc.

I know it's kinda vague, but I was hoping for advice on how to get into computers proffessionally. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance. :D
 
well there is always following classes, working at a computer store, buying parts and building your own desktop,setting up networks reading things online and trying to use this new found knowledge in everyday life. this is really how i started with most things.
 
OutcastOmega said:
Recently I decided I wanted to learn a huge range of skills that I figured could be beneficial in everyday life. Considering computers are all of the place and the amount of them is surely growing by the day, I wanted to learn more about them, like programming and building them, etc.

I know it's kinda vague, but I was hoping for advice on how to get into computers proffessionally. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance. :D
Click to expand...
getting in professionally means studying and passing the A+ exam. There are others, but thats the one that compTIA is centered around.

As far as learning, there are a couple of things you can do.
1. Research all the parts, what they are responsible for, and how the function as well as the signs of their failure. Might also help to read up on the IEEE layouts, as pretty much every external bus on a computer is controlled by IEEE.
2. Research Windows, Linux, and OSX, how they work, and the proper use of each.
3. Build you a desktop. This gives first hand knowledge.
4. Research upcoming tech (like Piledriver, Ivybridge, GTX600/GTX700 etc).

the last step is, assuming you want to work professionally on computers, is to get certified in the area your interested. Some things is easier to learn in the classroom, but that is all dependent on how much you want to learn.
 
If you are serious about learning, the most important thing you can do is take it one step at a time.
There would be no point in moving on to the next subject, if you don't understand the one before.

You want to start with how/why computers work as a whole. How they came to be. (Looking into the history of personal computers would be a great start. Watch the movie "Pirates of Silicon Valley. Great movie and it teaches you a lot about how the industry evolved).

When you have a grasp on the basics of a computer, you'll want to go into detail. You want to go beyond even individual components and look into data and data transfer. What data actually is. How computers store data. How they read data. (You'll probably want to learn about binary for this).

Then, you'll look at each component that make up the computer and find out how they each interact with this data. What does each component do with it? Where does each component send the data or retrieve the data from? Data storage and manipulation is all that computers do. This is the most important concept.

After that, you'll want to look into the features of the different components to find why they are different enough to have to create a new module just for those features. What are the different motherboard slots designed for? Why do different motherboard have different size CPU sockets? And similar questions for other components.

Before going any further, Study how software interacts with the hardware. What is the process of utilizing the software on a hard drive? How does each component contribute to this process? Learn the basics of software development. Source code, compilers, high level and low level languages machine language (back to binary). Learn how hardware drivers work. Learn about the BIOS and the key features that every BIOS should have.

At this point, I would choose to concentrate on either hardware or software, if you are interested in a profession.

Again, and I can't stress this enough. Don't move to a new topic, if you don't understand the last. If you can't grasp it by your own research, ask on here and we can explain it.

So, yeah, that's what I would do. Good luck!
 
If you are serious about getting into computers professionally, I would advise you to consider enrolling for a college degree program. A computer science degree is great for learning skills like programming, designing and setting up networks, information security, database management, etc. On the other hand, if you want to build computers and work on the hardware side of things, a degree in computer engineering may be more appropriate for you as it incorporates the disciplines of computer science and electrical engineering.
 
OutcastOmega, that is quite a vague question, but you've gotten some good advice here so far. You asked for advice on getting into computers professionally, but there is such a wide range of computer careers that your question is very difficult to answer without more info from you.

If you're looking to get a job in the corporate world, it's almost guaranteed that you'll need a degree. Check your local jobs boards to see what positions are being sought after, and what educational credentials are required. If you see a large number of a certain type of position, then it's a safe bet that if you had that certification you'd be in demand.

On the other hand, if you want to go into business for yourself, practical training may be all you need, IF you know exactly what you want to do and are disciplined enough to teach yourself how to do it.

Before I go any further, what are your ambitions? What do you want to do with computers, and how much time & effort are you willing to put into getting there?
 
If you want to start playing with programming, try making simple games progressively until you understand how a program works. You will need to start with simple "click as many times as you can this button in a given time" applications, then move on to what you think it would be intereresting. For this you will need a programming language that has FORM application libraries. Try getting Visual Studio, and do it in C#, which is the best for starters, if you can't , Eclipse with Java, or C++ with nokia's qt libraries should do the job.
 
wolfeking said:
getting in professionally means studying and passing the A+ exam. There are others, but thats the one that compTIA is centered around.

As far as learning, there are a couple of things you can do.
1. Research all the parts, what they are responsible for, and how the function as well as the signs of their failure. Might also help to read up on the IEEE layouts, as pretty much every external bus on a computer is controlled by IEEE.
2. Research Windows, Linux, and OSX, how they work, and the proper use of each.
3. Build you a desktop. This gives first hand knowledge.
4. Research upcoming tech (like Piledriver, Ivybridge, GTX600/GTX700 etc).

the last step is, assuming you want to work professionally on computers, is to get certified in the area your interested. Some things is easier to learn in the classroom, but that is all dependent on how much you want to learn.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't do the A+ to be honest.

I have it and really, it isn't worth it at all. I don't even have it on my CV because my other vendor qualifications show that I have the knowledge obtained there and more. Even the Microsoft MTA (entry level) exams show that. I am glad I got it for free, I would feel massively cheated if I had paid for it. It is more basic than just basic knowledge and virtually no employer will look at it. If taking the IT qualifications root, go and get Cisco qualified, get Microsoft qualified up to at least MCITP, Get HP qualified, get whatever you feel is relevant to what you want to work in, but A+ holds no weight at all.

You can go into networking with Cisco, Microsoft, HP, you can go into virtualisation with Cisco, HP, Citrix, Microsoft, you can go into 1st/2nd/3rd line support with just Microsoft or just HP or just Citrix and not one of those requires spending the time and money to get CompTIA certified
 
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