Computer related jobs
There are like 3 jobs that I can kind of talk about. I do have some experience in each.
Computer Technician
The first job is computer technician. I did some work as a computer technician. I find this job best suited for people who like figuring out problems and troubleshooting. It is great investigative work. Sometimes you will be surprised about the solution. The thing about it is that Google has most of the solutions. It is the tools and the time that are expensive for customers so that is why they source you as a repair man to fix their gadgets. It is satisfying knowing that you can solve a problem for a customer and also teach them to avoid future errors.
Finding your first tech job could start with friends and family, co-op in high school, local mom and pop repair shop or like Best Buy. I have seen fellow techs who are still in school work for themselves by advertising their services on local ads sites like Craigslist, Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace to service their local area. They would even travel by bus to clients houses to repair.
Computer Graphics/Designer
As a computer graphics designer it is great to be able to use all the software tools like Adobe suite creatively. I did some work in design. I found lots of freedom in it. You can spend hours, even days, trying to create works of art. Google/The Internet can be your inspiration. I can get inspired by browsing the web for all sorts of multimedia. I am not naturally an artist so I never really delved into this field. I think I am sometimes but my artwork never hits the mark I feel so I don’t know what more I can say.
Finding your first design gig could be for family and friends, freelance for local companies to do a branding refresh. For experience and practice, you can design for free for content creators on YouTube by designing their logo and channel art. I have found for me that I had to practice a lot until I felt making designs took less effort and hit a level that is acceptable.
To learn a popular way of designing a image like a YouTube thumbnail, there are many YouTube videos tutorials that give you step-by-step instructions. After following a tutorial you can modify it to suit your needs. I have used YouTube to learn the tips and tricks in image manipulation. YouTube is great!
Computer Programmer
This is a skill that is new to me. Making software and thinking in code is not typical I think as a job. It is so objective. The more objective you think, the better the journey and project. I get ideas from Ben, William (from BTG) and myself. I only have interests in game tweaking and making system utilities. I was so fixated on these two things as a child when I got my first computer in grade 5. By creating software it opens your mind to create more and more solutions. I think this field is endless in opportunity. I am a beginner but also stuck just doing what I like. I hope I can grow …
Finding your first job, you could peer tutor, create personal projects and do freelance. School has the coop option. You can start your own projects and release them to the world by making a repository on GitHub. GitHub is the way most people deliver and showcase their wares these days.
