Where do I start?

When you are just starting to learn about computers and IT, it can be very confusing. There are many fields and its hard to pick one as a career path. Network engineers, Software Engineers, Systems Engineers, Data Engineers, and many many others all play a part in what we think of as IT today. Computer scientists that design a protocol used in a software products are very much still part of the software supply chain as the Software Developer who develops it. In this post Ill go over some of the major career paths in IT, and their characteristics.

Software Engineer
1. Complex problems, complex solutions
2. Very competitive. Lots of people looking for the same job

Network Engineer
1. Simple problems, simple solutions.
2. Lots of book knowledge. Cisco Exams are challenging

Systems Engineer
1. Fairly complex problems. Often forced to support vender specifications.
2. Largely experience based. Knowledge of many diff systems and how they interact is required

Security Engineer
1. Knowledge of cryptography and data security.
2 Also largely experience based. Must be knowledgable of attack techniques to be able to adequetly defend against them.

Data Engineer
1. Statistics and algebra heavy. calc also somewhat.
2. Knowledge of databases and database managment systems.

Project Manager
1. Superficial knowledge of IT required. Often just enough to understand what engineers are saying, as well as managment.
2. Several certifications avaiable.

This list obviously does not cover all of the career options that are out there but its a good list to start