5 answers
Marlo
Student
Portland, Oregon
1
Question
Asked
704 views
There are 5 tracks in Merit Amrica, but I am not sure which one to choose. IT support, UX design, data analytics, Java development, and cyber security. I want to choose the one that has the best opportunities in the future and what each one does. Could you help me with that?
Hey,
After I graduate from highschool I plan on applying for Merit America to get tech training and experience. I cannot afford to go to college. I do not think it is worth it. All I need is a high school degree.
There are 5 tracks, but I am not sure which one to choose. IT support, UX design,
data analytics, Java development, and cyber security. I want to choose the one that has the best opportunities in the future. Could you help me with that?
Thanks
5 answers
Xing Su
Software Engineer
11
Answers
Sunnyvale, California
Updated
Xing’s Answer
Hey Marlo,
While I'm a software engineer specializing in Java development, not a career advisor, I'd still like to offer some thoughts based on my experience.
First, there's a saying I like: "There are no right decisions, only decisions you make right through effort." Whatever path you choose, make it the best one!
Second, if possible, try each of the options you're considering. If that's not feasible, pick one based on what resonates with you. Follow your curiosity!
Lastly, remember to never stop learning and exploring new opportunities. Our world is constantly evolving, with AI advancing rapidly. Some jobs may disappear in the future, so continuous learning is key.
I hope this helps!
While I'm a software engineer specializing in Java development, not a career advisor, I'd still like to offer some thoughts based on my experience.
First, there's a saying I like: "There are no right decisions, only decisions you make right through effort." Whatever path you choose, make it the best one!
Second, if possible, try each of the options you're considering. If that's not feasible, pick one based on what resonates with you. Follow your curiosity!
Lastly, remember to never stop learning and exploring new opportunities. Our world is constantly evolving, with AI advancing rapidly. Some jobs may disappear in the future, so continuous learning is key.
I hope this helps!
I will use this advice as I prepare for my career.
Marlo
James Constantine Frangos
Consultant Dietitian & Software Developer since 1972 => Nutrition Education => Health & Longevity => Self-Actualization.
5667
Answers
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Updated
James Constantine’s Answer
Hello Marlo!
Navigating Your Ideal Tech Pathway at Merit America
IT Support:
Overview: IT support is all about helping individuals and companies with their tech requirements. This could mean fixing hardware and software problems, establishing networks, or offering technical guidance.
Prospects: The need for IT support experts is high across diverse sectors, as businesses heavily rely on technology. The growing dependency on tech ensures a steady demand for IT support specialists.
UX Design (User Experience Design):
Overview: UX designers are tasked with creating products that offer meaningful and engaging experiences to users. They focus on usability, accessibility, and overall user satisfaction.
Prospects: As user experience becomes a competitive edge for companies, the need for UX designers is on the rise. This field presents opportunities in a variety of sectors, from tech firms to healthcare and finance.
Data Analytics:
Overview: Data analytics is the process of analyzing data to draw out useful insights that can guide business decisions. Data analysts work with extensive datasets to spot trends, patterns, and correlations.
Prospects: In our data-centric world, data analysts are highly sought after. Sectors like e-commerce, healthcare, and finance depend on data analytics to steer strategic decision-making.
Java Development:
Overview: Java development revolves around programming using the Java language. Java developers craft applications, websites, and software solutions using Java programming principles.
Prospects: Java is a popular programming language for enterprise applications and web development. Companies seeking to develop robust and scalable software solutions often look for Java developers.
Cyber Security:
Overview: Cyber security experts are charged with the protection of systems, networks, and data from cyber threats. They put in place security measures to avert cyber attacks and ensure the security and integrity of information.
Prospects: The increasing global cyber threats have led to a rapid rise in demand for cyber security specialists. Organizations in all sectors need skilled experts to protect their digital resources.
Choosing Your Ideal Pathway: When selecting the most suitable pathway at Merit America based on future prospects:
Reflect on your passions and strengths in tech-related areas.
Investigate job market trends to figure out which pathway aligns with your career aspirations.
Assess the growth potential of each pathway based on industry demand and projected job openings.
Consult with professionals or mentors in the tech industry for insights into the potential of each pathway.
In the end, selecting a tech pathway that matches your interests, abilities, and career goals will put you on the road to success in the dynamic tech industry.
Top 3 Credible Sources Used for this Response:
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS): The BLS offers extensive data on employment trends, job prospects, and salary details across various sectors, including tech-related fields.
TechCrunch: TechCrunch is a renowned technology media outlet that provides insights into emerging tech trends, industry progress, and career opportunities within the tech industry.
Harvard Business Review (HBR): HBR publishes research-driven articles on business tactics, tech innovation, and workforce trends, offering valuable insights into future opportunities in tech pathways like those at Merit America.
God Bless You,
JC.
Navigating Your Ideal Tech Pathway at Merit America
IT Support:
Overview: IT support is all about helping individuals and companies with their tech requirements. This could mean fixing hardware and software problems, establishing networks, or offering technical guidance.
Prospects: The need for IT support experts is high across diverse sectors, as businesses heavily rely on technology. The growing dependency on tech ensures a steady demand for IT support specialists.
UX Design (User Experience Design):
Overview: UX designers are tasked with creating products that offer meaningful and engaging experiences to users. They focus on usability, accessibility, and overall user satisfaction.
Prospects: As user experience becomes a competitive edge for companies, the need for UX designers is on the rise. This field presents opportunities in a variety of sectors, from tech firms to healthcare and finance.
Data Analytics:
Overview: Data analytics is the process of analyzing data to draw out useful insights that can guide business decisions. Data analysts work with extensive datasets to spot trends, patterns, and correlations.
Prospects: In our data-centric world, data analysts are highly sought after. Sectors like e-commerce, healthcare, and finance depend on data analytics to steer strategic decision-making.
Java Development:
Overview: Java development revolves around programming using the Java language. Java developers craft applications, websites, and software solutions using Java programming principles.
Prospects: Java is a popular programming language for enterprise applications and web development. Companies seeking to develop robust and scalable software solutions often look for Java developers.
Cyber Security:
Overview: Cyber security experts are charged with the protection of systems, networks, and data from cyber threats. They put in place security measures to avert cyber attacks and ensure the security and integrity of information.
Prospects: The increasing global cyber threats have led to a rapid rise in demand for cyber security specialists. Organizations in all sectors need skilled experts to protect their digital resources.
Choosing Your Ideal Pathway: When selecting the most suitable pathway at Merit America based on future prospects:
Reflect on your passions and strengths in tech-related areas.
Investigate job market trends to figure out which pathway aligns with your career aspirations.
Assess the growth potential of each pathway based on industry demand and projected job openings.
Consult with professionals or mentors in the tech industry for insights into the potential of each pathway.
In the end, selecting a tech pathway that matches your interests, abilities, and career goals will put you on the road to success in the dynamic tech industry.
Top 3 Credible Sources Used for this Response:
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS): The BLS offers extensive data on employment trends, job prospects, and salary details across various sectors, including tech-related fields.
TechCrunch: TechCrunch is a renowned technology media outlet that provides insights into emerging tech trends, industry progress, and career opportunities within the tech industry.
Harvard Business Review (HBR): HBR publishes research-driven articles on business tactics, tech innovation, and workforce trends, offering valuable insights into future opportunities in tech pathways like those at Merit America.
God Bless You,
JC.
Thank you so much, James Constantine!
Marlo
Isabel Dominguez
Student
98
Answers
Corning, California
Updated
Isabel’s Answer
Hello Marlo!
Deciding on the right path at Merit America can pave the way for a bright future in the tech industry. Here's a simplified rundown of each domain:
IT Support: This area is all about diagnosing and maintaining computer systems. It's a great starting point with a consistent need for professionals.
UX Design: This involves crafting user-friendly interfaces and experiences. There's a high demand for this skill in tech and product design firms.
Data Analytics: This field is about examining data to assist businesses in making educated decisions. It's a rapidly expanding field with a robust demand across various industries.
Java Development: This involves programming in Java to develop applications and software. There's a substantial demand for developers, particularly in corporate settings.
Cyber Security: This important field is about safeguarding systems and data from online threats. Its importance is growing rapidly, creating a high demand for skilled professionals.
Cyber Security and Data Analytics generally provide promising future prospects due to the escalating importance of data and security in all sectors.
Think about what sparks your interest and matches your strengths!
Deciding on the right path at Merit America can pave the way for a bright future in the tech industry. Here's a simplified rundown of each domain:
IT Support: This area is all about diagnosing and maintaining computer systems. It's a great starting point with a consistent need for professionals.
UX Design: This involves crafting user-friendly interfaces and experiences. There's a high demand for this skill in tech and product design firms.
Data Analytics: This field is about examining data to assist businesses in making educated decisions. It's a rapidly expanding field with a robust demand across various industries.
Java Development: This involves programming in Java to develop applications and software. There's a substantial demand for developers, particularly in corporate settings.
Cyber Security: This important field is about safeguarding systems and data from online threats. Its importance is growing rapidly, creating a high demand for skilled professionals.
Cyber Security and Data Analytics generally provide promising future prospects due to the escalating importance of data and security in all sectors.
Think about what sparks your interest and matches your strengths!
Thank you for the advice, Isabel.
Marlo
Aaron DeRan
Technical & Business Consulting
2
Answers
Prosper, Texas
Updated
Aaron’s Answer
As a consultant of technology for a large global technology corporation, of the 5 areas you listed, Data Analytics and Cyber Security are the two that are current hot topics and areas of growth. There is a significant investment and rapid growth in areas like Generative AI, actionable insights, and automation in the marketplace today and all of these have a heavy reliance on data. Additionally, companies are investing heavily in cyber security to protect their data, assets, and customers.
UX Design is easily the most creative of the 5 options you listed. UX Design is a fascinating field with a variety of applications for its use. As companies look to optimize their customer and employee experiences, UX Designers will continue to be in demand.
Java development is not a growth area, but is an area that will have demand for years to come. That said, there are many Java developers in the marketplace already, which is something to consider.
There will always be a need for IT support, but many companies are investing heavily in Generative AI and automation as they look to reduce operational expenses, in other words, reduce the number of people to do the work in this area.
UX Design is easily the most creative of the 5 options you listed. UX Design is a fascinating field with a variety of applications for its use. As companies look to optimize their customer and employee experiences, UX Designers will continue to be in demand.
Java development is not a growth area, but is an area that will have demand for years to come. That said, there are many Java developers in the marketplace already, which is something to consider.
There will always be a need for IT support, but many companies are investing heavily in Generative AI and automation as they look to reduce operational expenses, in other words, reduce the number of people to do the work in this area.
Nathan Weddle
Lead Software Engineer
3
Answers
Portland, Oregon
Updated
Nathan’s Answer
Marlo,
All of these programs look promising, I'll give you my take on each of them. These areas cover a wide range of skills and jobs. I have been a software engineer for 25 years and I never regretted my decision. I admit I am biased toward Java Development in your list. I will rank them in order that I would choose if I were you.
1. Java Development - Learning to code is a foundational technical skill. It helps train your mind to be more logical and methodical. Java has been around long time and its demise was expected by some, but it is still very popular. There is nothing special in particular about Java, but learning any useful programming language could be the single most important thing you learn in the technology space. Once you are proficient, it opens up so many opportunities in other areas, some of which are listed here, like Data Analytics and Cyber Security. Also many companies like to hire people has project or engineering managers that have a technical background.
2. Data Analytics - I know people that work in this area, and many of them have degrees in Math and/or Statistics, but my guess is the program will teach you how to use Data Analytics software packages and possibly dabble in programming languages like R or Python. Data Analytics can be used to analyze data and help make predictions. For example, a company like Nike could feed manufacturing data into an Analytics software package that could help them with various tasks, like identifying slow parts of the supply chain, or which materials are take longer to procure.
3. Cyber Security - This is a very broad category, like being a doctor. There are many types of doctors that do many things. Cyber Security professionals do things like analyze security vulnerabilities at a company, conduct penetration tests (basically act like a hacker to find vulnerabilities) against various software programs and IT infrastructure (servers, network devices, databases, etc), create security standards for software and infrastructure engineers and audit for compliance. I know several people that work in this field and ALL of them started out as software developers. Generally you need to be very skilled in one or more programming languages and have intimate knowledge of how software is developed, network and encryption protocols, databases, etc. The best way to get this experience is to work as a software developer. That being said, I'm sure there are other jobs in Cyber Security that don't include what I have just described.
4. UX Design - UX (User Experience) Designers help design user interfaces (mobile apps, web applications, etc) that are simple and easy to use. They need to be knowledgable in the latest UI design trends and how users react to how data is presented to them. It's easy to build an UI (User Interface) with lot's of functionality, but the real skill is building a UI with lots of functionality that is simple to use and easy to understand. That's what a good UX Designer can do. I have work with UX Designers currently. They generally work with product owners and software developers very closely. They usually use software tools to create mock ups of what a screen could look like and review that with the product owner and software developers. This is probably the least technical of all the areas in the list. My experience with UX Designers is that they are usually more artistic people that enjoy the design and aesthetic aspects of things. It's a fairly narrowly focused field with less demand. In my group at work, there are 10 software developers and only one UX Designer. I know some designers who have moved over to UI software development. That is a common thing to do. It is also lower paying than software development.
5. IT Support. This is another very broad category. Most IT support folks help with both hardware issues (mobile phones, laptops, desktops, etc) and software issues (How do I do X with software Y). Most corporations also have IT support handle user creation when a person is hired, along with security permissions and such. You will work closely with users and could sometimes be stressful if people are upset. For folks that aren't quite ready for one of the other categories, could start out in IT support and slowly increase their knowledge and then move up to the other areas in the list. It's not uncommon to get your feet wet in IT support, and then learn other technical skills to move into a different job. IT support can be a good way to get some exposure to different technologies. At my company, IT support folks can move up to customer support, and customer support folks can move into software development roles.
There's a lot of information here, but I would view it all though the lens of opportunity. Which areas gives you the most opportunity to be successful? You want to swim in the largest possible pond, and Java Development would be my recommendation. There are also other useful programming languages like Javascript, Python and Go, not just Java. Any of these choices would be good. If I was learning a new language today, I would start with Python, since it's easier to learn than Java. Also worth mentioning, the world of software development is generally divided into "Frontend" and "Backend" development. Javascript is largely Frontend, and Java, Python and Go are largely Backend. There are exceptions of course. Most of the code in the world is Backend, however there is plenty of opportunity in the Frontend.
Good blog on coding for beginners - https://blog.hubspot.com/website/how-to-start-coding
All of these programs look promising, I'll give you my take on each of them. These areas cover a wide range of skills and jobs. I have been a software engineer for 25 years and I never regretted my decision. I admit I am biased toward Java Development in your list. I will rank them in order that I would choose if I were you.
1. Java Development - Learning to code is a foundational technical skill. It helps train your mind to be more logical and methodical. Java has been around long time and its demise was expected by some, but it is still very popular. There is nothing special in particular about Java, but learning any useful programming language could be the single most important thing you learn in the technology space. Once you are proficient, it opens up so many opportunities in other areas, some of which are listed here, like Data Analytics and Cyber Security. Also many companies like to hire people has project or engineering managers that have a technical background.
2. Data Analytics - I know people that work in this area, and many of them have degrees in Math and/or Statistics, but my guess is the program will teach you how to use Data Analytics software packages and possibly dabble in programming languages like R or Python. Data Analytics can be used to analyze data and help make predictions. For example, a company like Nike could feed manufacturing data into an Analytics software package that could help them with various tasks, like identifying slow parts of the supply chain, or which materials are take longer to procure.
3. Cyber Security - This is a very broad category, like being a doctor. There are many types of doctors that do many things. Cyber Security professionals do things like analyze security vulnerabilities at a company, conduct penetration tests (basically act like a hacker to find vulnerabilities) against various software programs and IT infrastructure (servers, network devices, databases, etc), create security standards for software and infrastructure engineers and audit for compliance. I know several people that work in this field and ALL of them started out as software developers. Generally you need to be very skilled in one or more programming languages and have intimate knowledge of how software is developed, network and encryption protocols, databases, etc. The best way to get this experience is to work as a software developer. That being said, I'm sure there are other jobs in Cyber Security that don't include what I have just described.
4. UX Design - UX (User Experience) Designers help design user interfaces (mobile apps, web applications, etc) that are simple and easy to use. They need to be knowledgable in the latest UI design trends and how users react to how data is presented to them. It's easy to build an UI (User Interface) with lot's of functionality, but the real skill is building a UI with lots of functionality that is simple to use and easy to understand. That's what a good UX Designer can do. I have work with UX Designers currently. They generally work with product owners and software developers very closely. They usually use software tools to create mock ups of what a screen could look like and review that with the product owner and software developers. This is probably the least technical of all the areas in the list. My experience with UX Designers is that they are usually more artistic people that enjoy the design and aesthetic aspects of things. It's a fairly narrowly focused field with less demand. In my group at work, there are 10 software developers and only one UX Designer. I know some designers who have moved over to UI software development. That is a common thing to do. It is also lower paying than software development.
5. IT Support. This is another very broad category. Most IT support folks help with both hardware issues (mobile phones, laptops, desktops, etc) and software issues (How do I do X with software Y). Most corporations also have IT support handle user creation when a person is hired, along with security permissions and such. You will work closely with users and could sometimes be stressful if people are upset. For folks that aren't quite ready for one of the other categories, could start out in IT support and slowly increase their knowledge and then move up to the other areas in the list. It's not uncommon to get your feet wet in IT support, and then learn other technical skills to move into a different job. IT support can be a good way to get some exposure to different technologies. At my company, IT support folks can move up to customer support, and customer support folks can move into software development roles.
There's a lot of information here, but I would view it all though the lens of opportunity. Which areas gives you the most opportunity to be successful? You want to swim in the largest possible pond, and Java Development would be my recommendation. There are also other useful programming languages like Javascript, Python and Go, not just Java. Any of these choices would be good. If I was learning a new language today, I would start with Python, since it's easier to learn than Java. Also worth mentioning, the world of software development is generally divided into "Frontend" and "Backend" development. Javascript is largely Frontend, and Java, Python and Go are largely Backend. There are exceptions of course. Most of the code in the world is Backend, however there is plenty of opportunity in the Frontend.
Nathan recommends the following next steps:
Thank you, this is amazing! I really needed it.
Marlo
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