What I Did with My College Degree

So many people head off to college with big dreams, but end up with a vague degree and no idea which direction to take. I had numerous dreams when I started college, but they all focused around technology, with my main focus on creating software and websites. I obtained two degrees during my three years in college. The first is an Associates in Applied Science in Software Development and the second is an Associates in Applied Science in Networking.

Using My Degree

Due to the contacts I made during my time at school, I was offered an interview at a local packaging plant. The company was growing and needed a new IT Technician. Several candidates were interviewed, but within a week I was offered the job. My job was to serve as the IT Technician along with two others for plants in both North Carolina and Ohio. My day to day responsibilities included cleaning, troubleshooting and maintaining printers, desktops, laptops, servers and handheld scanners.

I was also responsible for creating new wired and wireless networks for the plants. This included setting up access points, creating network cables and running cables throughout the buildings. When requested, I also built spare computers from parts recycled from older computers or computers that had crashed. One of the parts I most enjoyed; however, was training other employees on new technology as we incorporated it into our computer system.

During my time at this packaging plant, I was also able to put my software development degree to use. I was asked to create a database application to manage the company's time system. I created the database in Microsoft Access. The object was to record all employees' time punches and assign points based upon certain issues such as tardiness. An alert would automatically be sent to Human Resources along with a report for the employee to review once the points reached certain levels. I also helped create and manage two other databases to manage inventory for different clients.

I had studied all of this while obtaining my degrees. In addition to technical courses, my degrees also focused on people skills, which helped me to work well in a team environment and teach others. I stayed with this company for two years, before changes in the company made me decide to pursue other options.

Other Career Options

I was offered jobs at other companies as an IT Technician, but decided to pursue a freelance career. I used my education and job experience to build a technical writing career. Due to my experience, I was able to obtain writing jobs that would otherwise have taken me years of writing experience to be considered for. Since teaching was one of my favorite aspects of my other job, I put my skills to use writing tutorials and reviews for various websites and private clients. Topics ranged from networking to computer use and pretty much anything technology related.

Now I work as a full time technology freelance writer. I also develop applications to manage freelance work assignments for myself and others, websites and databases. I am able to put my skills to use by applying what I learned in the past and staying abreast of the current technologies. I am also working on several books for training others on tips and tricks I have learned over the years.

Any college degree can be put to use in multiple ways. The trick is finding what you love while still getting the most from the hard work you put into obtaining your degree.