Sunny writes:
I am a college student majoring in computer science at University of Houston, and I need your advice.
Firstly, I love computers and being around them. After all, that is why I got into computer science. But after taking quite a few programming courses in college, I really don’t like programming that much.
What I want to ask you is — Are there other “good” jobs in the IT field that don’t deal primarily with programming? As of now, the only area that I don’t like so far is programming, and I am finding more and more interest in networking and other related fields.
What should I do? Should I get out of computer science just because I cannot tolerate programming, or should I continue on?
The Career Doctor responds:
The first thing I would recommend you do is talk with one or more of your professors. Does your computer science major allow for tracks, such as a track in programming or a track in network administration? If so, then you seem to be in the right place. However, if your CS major is purely programming, you should consider looking at other schools — assuming you are absolutely sure programming is not for you. Texas has many fine colleges and universities.
And, yes, there are plenty of other computer and technology-related jobs that do not involved programming. Some job titles/areas include: technical support, network administration, Web development, database administration, customer/client support, information specialist, and trainers.
To get a better idea of what is out there for you, I would again suggest you talk with your professors, but you could also go to one of the general job boards, such as ours at Quintessential Careers, and conduct a search. Or, go to one of the technology-specific Websites, such as Dice, and conduct a search. You can find a list of technology-specific Websites at the Jobs in Technical, Telecommunications, Computers, Software, and IT section of Quintessential Careers, my career and job-hunting resources guide.
