Looking for career advice from those in IT

[Razzmatazz]

I'm a DBA although I largely manage one university database as opposed to sitting on the server side of things. I'm still developing my SQL with queries and what not, but the majority of jobs do state a strong experience of SQL Server or Oracle. I've been looking at an SQL certification myself, but man is it expensive. Perhaps get some books and dip your toes in certain languages first, as SQL is easy to get into but can quickly get complicated, particularly when you add in web languages such as PHP.
As the guys have said, the qualifications are great at the start-mid point of your career, but everything after that is likely to be based on your experience and success with managing systems. I think the only reason I got my current job is because I have a degree in Computing, and even then it took me 18 months to find an IT job after university.

[Jagosaurus]

Worked in IT for two years while I was in grad school and loved it. My favorite job I've ever held.

My undergrad wasn't in IT/IS/Engineering nor was my masters. I knew a guy who got my foot in the door & worked there while buried in masters coursework. I started out doing mostly account management, picking up machines, & easy installs. Obviously with on the job training I learned a lot and pick up more responsibility with that knowledge.

After finishing grad school & working in my field of study for two yrs... starting next month I'm going back to the world of IT! I'm going to be handling executive sales for an IT and telecomm company here in Houston. Very excited about the career move back into what I enjoyed.

I landed this from my overall understanding of tech, previous IT work, & IT account management experience. No related certs or degrees. What area of IT do you want to work in? I have buddies in hardware repair & networking, both with extensive certs. Depends on the situation, employer, & area of the field.

I'll be watching this thread as I step back into IT albiet on the sales side Good luck man.