Advice for young IT hopefull

[misslideaway]

My 15 year old brother is very interested in computers, all aspects of.  He looks forward to doing a computing a level when he leaves school.  I am not convinced this is the best way.  My boyfriend is currently doing a Microsoft enginnering course which he paid many thousands for it but is more or less promised a very good job in networking.  Does anyone have any advise I can give to my brother?  Can he take this option as a school leaver?

[slimfandango]

I love computers too and want to work with them. I can go into lots of different jobs that let me use computers. This should not lead one to study computing. Computing is basically mostly PROGRAMMING, which in my opinion and experience is a very refined art to which few people are suited.

I dont think short courses like the MS one are a good idea. Go for a degree or HNC. Leaves more flexibility.

[OBonio]

I did Computing A-Level and it is NOT just programming.  It teaches structured approaches to problem solving, lower level workings of compression, the workings of hardware (like HDD) and project management.  It has a very broad syllabus and has put me in good stead for the job market.  Its only drawback is the academic side I suppose (which is fine for me, I'm that sort of person). 

MCSE is all good and well but it concentrates purely on MS solutions which the real world can do without quite frankly.  If all he wants to do is work with Microsoft then fair enough, but I think a broader understanding of computing is needed in the IT industry as opposed to 'How do you change your computer to use a static IP instead of DHCP' type approach that MCSE affords.

If he's thinking of Uni then A-Level would be better too.

[Gandy]

I agree with OBonio.  Having an MCSE focuses your area of expertise on products from one company.  You might get a great contract (most IT workers are self employed contractors) with a great company until one day, the Linux sales team visit your employer that holds the purse strings and tell him/her how much better/cheaper Linux is.  Will your boss spend money retraining you? No, he'll just get rid of you and hire in Linux trained people.  I think your brother would be better off doing A-Level computing and mathematics.  All the money that he would spend on MCSE can be spent on getting computer bits and being a hobbyist and learning that way.  When the University interview comes he'll breeze onto a course if he can talk the talk and have a good portfolio of his projects.  After University he'll soon be the boss with the purse strings, hiring and firing these MCSEs.

[tomd]

Can he not do a computing A level within his existing school? I am doing one at school (right now, in fact, should be working on Prolog stuff). I also did computing as a GCSE option and there is an IT a level as well, which is different, it's much less programming based and is more around using Office etc. The microsoft courses don't seem a bad idea but you can get sponsered by a company to take the course if you work for them afterwards, then you can get it (pretty much) for free.

[PunkDaddy]

I would suggest doing science based A levels, and maths, computing would be good too, but he should go for a degree or HNC\D.

The Microsoft qualifications are fine for when you have left school and made bad choices, but for someone young enough to do it properly there is no point in tieing yourself to Microsoft products.

Also programming courses in C++ would be good. I know it is not the only programming language out there, but it is a very powerful and serious one, respected and if you learn it it gives you a good standing to learning any other language. Don't take the easy route and do VB.

[Jules001]

My son who is 16 took IT as a GCSE subject last year, he didn't do particularly well in the rest of his GCSE's but managed to do well enough to get on to the BTEC National Diploma IT Practitioners course at a local 6th form college. This is a 2 year course which is the equivalent to 3 A Levels which if he passes can lead to a place at Uni. I maybe wrong and people are humouring me, but everyone I have spoken to says that the BTEC is highly regarded. It also means that he doesn't have to do the more academic side as he is really not interested in doing that, he already has a good standard of English & Maths .