Help! I'm job hunting! I have a BS in Finance, but I work for an Insurance Company designing systems in Microsoft Access. Being that this is not a software company, and I'm the ONLY person in the entire company that does this, there aren't any opportunities for me to move up within the company in the field that I'm interested in. There also aren't any guidelines to tell me what I should be paid.
My goal is to begin a career in Application Development, but all of my experience lies in MS Access and I don't know how to code. Do I need to get another degree? Where do I start? How do I compete? I'm taking some classes at a Community College to get started, but I would like to find a job with a company that will provide some on-the-job training. Where can I go?
grahamster: Oooo. That sounds eerily like my own dilemma -- ah, but that is for another day. When you say you don't know how to code, does that include Visual Basic or even Access Basic? How about HTML? How about CGI? As the Web is still in its infancy (it changes so continuously that it never seems to get a chance to mature) there are still areas where nobody is an expert yet -- you'd be learning along with everyone else. Your business-side experience is invaluable. You know what a user needs. With the next obvious step for the Web being interfacing our relatively static html pages to the endless amount of data housed on databases, perhaps there are some new areas you might care to explore which could leverage your database knowledge with the new culture of the Web. Might be more exciting than insurance. Or Banking, where I am. Hope this isn't babble. Good luck. GP
RMalin: Find ten people who are doing what you want to do, call them, ask for a 20-30 minute appointment to discuss career directions, go see them. I say ten because only four will see you face to face. Two others will do it on the phone. Two won't give you the time of day.
Ask them to suggest courses, schools, others that you can talk to.
Alaways send a thank you note! You should end up with about 20 people in your network who can help you out. Always be willing to help them out also. That's how you build your network!!! That's how you build professional relationships.
swigser: Having worked as a computer consultant for a couple of years, I would suggest taking a couple of i.s. (programming-related) courses at a local community college. If you can, I would also try to do some self-learning -- teach yourself C++ in seven days -- types of things. Access is a good starting point -- it shows you have the ability and logic needed. Next thing, canvas all of the computer consulting companies in your area. More often than not, in this competitive job market, they are willing to give a lot of on-the-job training to promising candidates.
Cyberosis: If you use Access that comes along with Office 95 Pro, you don't have to code more than a few rows to make a program that runs for a company with over 2000 employees, like I did. It takes care of all their contacts and it has different accounts for each employee with pw and user id. JUST UPGRADE TO SOLVE YOUR PROBLEM!
Vollan: You have started in the right way -- by defining what you want to do! Even if your current education is not exactly matching this, it is okay. Continue the process by getting a book/log which you can use to write these things in, and start analysing further what you want from a job, what is needed to get there, action points per area to get closer to your ultimate goal, etc. By formulating your goals, it is much easier to continuously work towards them, and you minimize the risk of getting off track. And it is an excellent way to be able to follow your own progress in writing. As you have been advised, contact people, ask around, check if you can assist someone already working in the area in one way or the other. It is never to late to change direction!
Slippery: Do you know anyone that does what you'd like to do? Networking, talking to friends, even socializing with people that have similar career interests could open up the door for you. Perhaps you could use your work with Microsoft Access and spend other parts of your work day training for what you'd rather work in?
TomSwift: Hmmm.....you are the only one who knows how to develop the software applications the company uses? If these systems are valuable and important to the operation of the company, you should not be afraid to leverage your curent position. By talking to your superiors about your needs, and that you may be "forced" to look for alternative employment, you may gently encourage them to pay you what you are worth. You predicament sounds familiar. The impromptu MIS manager at my last company was in the same position. He told the boss he was looking for work. The boss doubled his salary! Seems that paying him more was easier than finding a replacement. He ended up making around $55,000 -- if that helps you at all.
DPaul: Don't forget the variety of classes and "certifications" that companies like Microsoft are offering right now either. For the recent future, at least, employers count them as good as a degree -- with a LOT less hassle!
