Computer Science Career Path advice

[iiiusion]

Hello everyone and good day was hoping if I could gleam some advice .
For tl;dr I bolded the most pertinent parts.

I'm eventually planning on finishing a B.S. in computer science. Between now and then though, due to financial circumstance I will have to take a break in my education to work. I can't go straight through.

My work experience right now wouldn't permit me to get anything but menial work really. The lower pay I get the longer it'll take me to finish my BS.

I'm finishing my A.S. in computer science this semester, December of this year. I know I can't afford to continue right now. Is the associates worth anything? Can I at least combo it with a cert and get a CS job and work experience in the field I want during the down time?

I'm aiming to enter the CS field as a software developer and I'm more code-orientated that hardware at this point (c++/C#/java/HTML/Linux/some others).
I know about the A+ certification, but it doesn't seem like the thing I'd really want to do. Is there a good, industry recognized certification I can get that caters to my strengths?
If there's no coder-equivalent to A+ that is as recognized then I'll probably just tough it out and get an A+ .

 

[mudpuppet]

If you can find the right Support role, you will get to do some coding though a lot of it is still troubleshooting. The titles can vary from one job to another, as will pay, but a desktop support position would pay between 32-50k, though starting off I would say you're likely to look at the lower scale of things. Glassdoor and other places can give you a better idea, but that seems to be average around here.

I have my A+ to help get my foot in the door and would eventually like to go into Information Security myself, but the sooner you get started in a computer field the better (in my opinion). I'm doing support work, so taking a few phone calls, emails and tickets to make sure things are working smoothly on the production floor. This is everything from phone systems to monitor issues, computer won't start, I opened an email i shouldn't have up to the printer is jammed, a new hire needs their permissions adjusted and we need a script updated. A+ is a good foot in the door in my opinion though others may say differently. It lays enough base work that you know what to expect in a support role. That support role, however, can eventually lead into a systems admin role of some sort (which is what I'm slowly trying to get my way in to).

There isn't a lot of coding to be done in a support role, but if you have down time, many places like you to continue learning new things, especially if it can help the company in the long run. When I have some downtime I'm able to read new IT related articles and even get some school work in when things run smoothly and nothing breaks. If you can relate what you're doing to work, more than likely you'll be in the OK as long as your job responsibilities are still coming first.

As far as certificates go, the best you'd probably get is some sort of online "certificate of completion". In all honesty, I put down on my resume that I had some experience with the different languages I've worked with like HTML/CSS and C# by listing the related courses I've already completed. They had no problem asking me questions during the interview what I knew of X, Y and Z. It's not trying to cover up lack of experience, it's just letting them you know you have some experience that you could possibly apply to the position if the need arose.

Just my two cents from someone in a similar boat as you. I'll work towards becoming a systems admin and from there feel out a role in this company or the next which will let me get more into a security role (AD permissions, network traffic control, physical security, etc). And trust me... the experience and pay is better than working retail of any kind.