Skip to content

ncoblentz/JoCoITStudents

BranchesTags

Folders and files

NameName
Last commit message
Last commit date

Latest commit

 

History

62 Commits
A+
A+
 
 
Entry-Level Examples
Entry-Level Examples
 
 
README.md
README.md
 
 

Repository files navigation

Certification and Career Recommendations for Johnson County, KS High School and College IT Students

Purpose

As a student, your end goal is not limited to getting good grades or getting into a good college. Instead, you are building skills and experience towards landing that first job that will lead to a life long career in the information technology sector. You may want to manage cloud infrastructure, design data centers, write software or games, hack into networks and web applications, or create Internet of Things devices. To do that, you first have to be able to demonstrate to a potential employer that you should be interviewed - to get your foot into the door to be considered for that job. This resource is intended to complement the high school and college courses you are taking with recommendations of certifications, professional experience, and/or college courses to pursue to increase your chances of getting interviewed for your desired career field based on real job descriptions in the Kansas City area.

Building Your Skills, Experience, and Earning Certifications

When employers review a candidate's resume and cover letter, they are discerning whether the person meets the qualifications for the posted job and deciding who would most likely be successful in that organization and role. They are going to weigh the education, skills, and experience the candidate already brings to the table versus the amount of training (and time) it will take to get them fully functional in that role. You can make that decision easier for the employer by demonstrating your skills and experience through:

  1. Certifications
  2. Work and volunteer experience (at school, church, non-profit organizations, etc.)
  3. Completed projects (whether for school or as a hobby) that the employer can access on GitHub and YouTube (or other similar sites)
  4. Education

More on certifications, projects, and displaying that work can be found within this presentation: Johnson County Community College: So you Want to be an Application Security Engineer?

Start Where You Are

Your journey begins now... Are you a current high school student or are you a college student? How much education do you want to pursue? What kind of job do you want to get in the IT field? Begin with the statements below that best match your situation (or explore all of them):

High School Student Seeking a Job Without a College Degree

To get a job as a high school graduate, it's going to be critically important that you grow in maturity (attitude, punctuality, reliability, professionalism, ability to manage time well, meeting deadlines, etc.) as well as have some kind of external demonstration of skill and experience. While pursuing your high school courses, you should focus on gaining entry-level certifications and working or volunteering in the field you plan to pursue.

Once you get that first job, continue to pursue more advanced certifications. Then, after gaining several years of experience (3 to 5 years), your options for employment greatly increase. You have an opportunity to move around to a more exciting specialty or a more desirable company. That doesn't mean you have to move companies however. Ideally, your current employer will recognize your value and promote you.

Without a college degree, you may hit road bumps. Some companies and HR departments struggle to interview even the most qualified candidate simply because he or she doesn't have a college degree. To over come that, join professional organizations and build a wide variety of friendships across companies. Later, when you might need to change employers, those individuals may be able to get past otherwise difficult to surmount HR filters and you likewise can help them.

Alternatively, you can also pursue an associates or bachelors degree while working. Many employers have tuition reimbursement programs that will pay for your college (after the fact and often with a certain letter grade requirement). This effectively allows you to start earning a salary, take on zero debt, and pursue that degree with a lot more real world experience and maturity.

The following sections are going to be helpful for you to dig into further:

  1. Explore entry-level positions in your desired field
  2. Pursue certifications while in high school (and after getting that entry-level position)
  3. Get internships, apprenticeships, or volunteer in the field you plan to work
  4. Join outside professional organizations
  5. Build your resume and LinkedIn Profile

High School Student Pursuing an Associates or Bachelors Degree

If college is your next step as a high school student, you have a variety of options, including pursuing a Certificate or Associates degree at a community college as well as going to a four year college (either immediately or after community college). The strategy and decisions about which path to pick is beyond the scope of this document, except in identifying community colleges in the Johnson County, Kansas area and the specific features of those programs that may aid you in getting to the IT career you desire. Let's start first by identifying opportunities at the high school level to gain college credit and pursue certifications.

School districts in the Johnson County, KS area have a variety of ways to begin earning college credit while still in school. Those options include:

Additionally, you may be interested in building up professional certifications and experience. Currently, no Johnson County, KS area high school programs and classes (that I'm aware of) specifically line up with any IT related certifications, so you would need to pursue those independently. As far as work experience, similar to getting a job after high school, you will want to pursue internships or volunteer opportunities. However, earning college credit and getting close to that finish line of earning a degree will often be the higher priority.

The following sections are going to be helpful for you to dig into further:

College Student

As a college student, your primary focus is on completing the degree program you've enrolled in. However, when you apply for that first job, how will you stand out from your peers who have the same degree and similar grades? Employers will be looking for students who have a passion for the field they study, and that passion is demonstrated in how they spend their time outside of class. Consider getting involved in campus clubs and area professional organizations related to your degree program. Pursue internships and apprenticeship programs. Participate in contests, challenges, or volunteer your time. Obtain certifications that align with your course work or that go beyond your program but match your career interests.

The following sections are going to be helpful for you to dig into further:

  1. Explore entry-level positions in your desired field
  2. Pursue certifications while in college
  3. Get internships, apprenticeships, or volunteer in the field you plan to work
  4. Join outside professional organizations
  5. Build your resume and LinkedIn Profile

Johnson County Kansas High School Programs

Student/School Excel in CTE AP Exams CLEP JCCC Prior Learning Assessment JCCC Quick Step CTE Pathway: Programming and Software Development DC CS 134 DC CS 200 DC CS 205 DC Web 110 DC Game 105 DC ELEC 120 DC ELEC 125 DC ELEC 134 DC ELEC 225 DC ELEC 234 DC ELEC 236 AP CS A AP CS Principles CyberPatriots Club
Kansas ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️
Olathe ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️
Shawnee-Mission ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️
Blue Valley ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️
Spring Hill ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️
Gardner-Edgerton ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️
DeSoto ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ? ? ✔️ ✔️
Bishop Miege ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ? ? ✔️ ✔️
St. James Academy ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️

Verify this information with the school district you've enrolled in and the participating high school

DC: Dual Credit, AP: Advanced Placement, CS: Computer Science

References:

Generally Available Options Through JCCC

These options may be available to any Johnson County Public School students regardless of the school district they belong in. Check with your school and JCCC for details.

JCCC Quick Step

Through this program, you can take JCCC Classes While in High School. There's also a Special JCCC Quick Step Program Specifically For College Algebra.

Excel in CTE

Excel in CTE provides tuition free college courses towards specific career and technical education (CTE) programs. To see a list of Excel in CTE Classes a Johnson County Community College, select your term, and in the "Attribute" field choose "SB 155 Excel in CTE". Examples of JCCC IT-related courses I've observed are:

  • CS 134: Programming Fundamentals
  • CS 200: Concepts/Prog Algorithms C++
  • CS 201: Concepts/Prog Algorithms C#
  • CS 202: Concepts/Prog Algs Python
  • CS 205: Concepts/Prog Algorithms Java
  • CS 210: Discrete Structures I
  • CS 211: Discrete Structures II
  • CS 235: Object-Oriented Program/C++
  • CS 236: Object-Oriented Program/C++
  • CS 250: Basic Data Structures/C++
  • CS 255: Basic Data Structures/C++
  • ELEC 186: CompTIA A+ Essentials
  • IT 120: A+ Practical Applications
  • IT 141: Introduction to Networks
  • IT 150: Switch, Rout & Wireless Essentials
  • IT 175: Cybersecurity Fundamentals
  • IT 202: IT Scripting
  • IT 204: Enterprise Network??? lookup
  • IT 206: Network Security Fundamentals
  • IT 223: Azure Administration
  • IT 224: Modern Desktop Administrator
  • IT 240: Linux Fundamentals
  • IT 238: Digital Forensics
  • IT 239: Ethical Hacking
  • IT 257: Cybersecurity Operations
  • IT 272: Information Technology Internship II
  • WEB 110: HTML and CSS
  • WEB 114: Web Scripting: JavaScript I
  • WEB 124: Web Scripting: JavaScript II
  • WEB 128: PHP with MySQL
  • WEB 234: Web Apps I

College Credit Through an Assessment or Exam

College Programs

Johnson County Community College

The following table lists the IT related programs available at Johnson County Community College, both certificates and associates degrees. The course work you pursue in these programs may align with industry standard certifications, requiring only a nominal amount of additional studying to pass those exams. The table below includes alignment information. Contact the school to understand how well each class prepares you for those certifications.

Program A+ Linux+ Network+ Security+ Pentest+ PCEP Cisco CNA Cisco CyberOps Associate Microsoft MD-101 Managing Modern Desktops Microsoft MS-900 365 Fundamentals Microsoft AZ-900 Azure Fundamentals Microsoft AZ-104 Azure Administrator Associate VMWare Data Center Virtualization Google Associate Cloud Engineer AWS Cloud Practicioner AWS SysOps Administrator LPIC-1
Associate: Networking ✔️* ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️
Certificate: Cybersecurity ✔️* ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️
Certificate: Cloud ✔️ ✔️ ✔️
Certificate: Computer Support Specialist Network+/Security+ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️
Associate: Computer Support Specialist ✔️ ✔️ ✔️
Certificate: Computer Support Specialist A+ ✔️
Associates: Emphasis in Information Systems Technology
Associates: Computer Information Systems
Certificate: Software Developer
Certificate: Data Analytics
Associates: Electronics Technology
Certificate: Electronics Technology
Associates: Game Development
Certificate: Game Development
Associates: Emphasis in Health Information Systems
Certificate: Health Information Systems Specialist

Johnson County Community College also has a few clubs you can get involved in related to those programs:

Certifications

To select the right certifications, you first must know what kind of career you would like to pursue. Then, you should consider entry-level job listings and the certifications they list as "required" and "desired". You want to stand out above the other candidates, so the more of those "required" and "desired" qualifications you can check, the better chance you have at being considered for that job. Search for jobs in your desired career field and identify the certification that are necessary.

The following sections list entry-level certifications and where possible, include free or low cost training options to prepare for those courses. For each option, It's recommended that you purchase a recently published (and official if possible) book to make sure you've covered all the course material.

Resources:

CompTIA Certifications

The following links provide a description of several CompTIA certifications and the types of jobs typically associated with those certifications:

The list below provides free (or minimal cost) resources to study towards obtaining those certifications.

Linux Professional Institute

If you get your Linux+ (or vice versa) you may consider getting this certification as well.

ISC2 Certifications

Cisco Certifications

Amazon Web Services (AWS) Certifications

Amazon Free Tier: https://aws.amazon.com/free/

Microsoft and Microsoft Azure Certifications

Azure Free Account: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/

Offensive (Hacking) and Defensive Security Related Certifications

The following lists deviates from low cost options for offensive cybersecurity certifications. There certainly are low cost options below; however, the higher cost options have a much greater likelihood of earning you a job.

Another option is to build a resume based on practical labs you've completed. It's not the same as a certification but it can demonstrate concrete skills needed to do penetration testing. These sites may include courses, badges or "owned" boxes you can highlight.

Kansas City Area Professional Organizations and Conferences

Conferences

Professional Organizations

There's a big list here: https://www.kansascityusergroups.com/ in addition to those highlighted below.

Explore Careers and Entry-Level Positions

The education, certifications, and job experience you seek should be informed by real actual jobs available in the geographic region you plan to work. Therefore, one of your first steps is to research those jobs through websites like LinkedIn, Google, Indeed, and others. Start by searching for the job you are interested in (in your desired geographic region). Next, look at the amount of education, experience, skills, and certifications required. Often, that desired first job will require considerably more experience than you have initially. So, your next step is to chart a path towards that job. What kind of experience does that future job require and is there another entry-level position (even though it may be less desirable) that provides you that experience and the opportunity to gain those additional skills? How many years experience do you need (how long at minimum should you stay in that entry-level position)? What other education and/or certifications should you pursue while in that entry-level position? Create a plan for getting to that future dream job. You are then going to look for opportunities to meet those goals while in high school, college, and while at that first job.

Career Exploration Resources

General IT Jobs

Cybersecurity

Software Development/Developer

Cloud

Example Kansas City Area Entry-Level IT Jobs

This section currently focuses on opportunities for high school graduates. If you will graduate with an associates or bachelors degree, it's much easier to find entry-level positions through job searching sites.

Microcenter

Cerner

Garmin

  • Go to: https://careers-us.garmin.com/us/en/entry-level-jobs
    • City: Olathe
  • Example Jobs
    • Generally requires an associates or bachelors degree or equivalent work experience
    • Exceptions
      • Quality Tester requires a high school diploma, but desires an associates degree
  • Events
    • Not Your Typical Jobs in Tech
      • "If you are a student who is interested in having an exciting career in technology but aren't sure if the four - year degree is the right fit for you, come to this event and learn more about some of the career paths we have here at Garmin."

Jack Henry & Associates

Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City

Kansas WORKS (Job Seeking Site)

  • Go to: https://www.kansasworks.com/job_seeker
    • Enter your zip code and search radius
    • Enter a job position
    • Click "Search"
    • Go to Filters -> Education Level -> High School Diploma or Equivalent

Variety of Small and Large Businesses

  • Example Jobs
    • There are many options that only require a high school diploma and/or certifications

Get Bold

Find a company you are excited about and don't be afraid to reach out on LinkedIn or contact someone directly. Being bold may be just what you need to get an interview. Write a letter highlighting why you would be a good fit and the experience and qualifications you bring. Include your resume with that letter.

Another option is to start your own business, especially if you are the entrepreneur type and you are already doing work on the side. Grow that existing business and fund your own continued education and professional development.

Applying For Jobs

Before Applying For a Job, help employers find you and evaluate your education, skills, experience, and certifications by:

  1. Create a LinkedIn Profile and showcase your certifications, experience (volunteer and work experience), and link to your GitHub (or similar) projects
  2. Create a resume with similar information
  3. Write a cover letter explaining, highlighting, and summarizing your experience and qualifications to demonstrate how you stand out above other candidates for a particular job you are applying for

About

No description, website, or topics provided.

Resources

Readme
Activity

Stars

3 stars

Watchers

1 watching

Forks

0 forks
Report repository

Releases 2

JoCoITStudents 1.1 Latest
Apr 29, 2022
+ 1 release

Packages

No packages published