Q. I'm a high school student looking towards a career path somewhere in the computer field, such as software engineering or web development. I would say I have a decent knowledge of computers and technology, but it is primarily based on my own experiences at home and I have no formal education when it comes to any sort of development or design. I am, however, somewhat computer savvy and I'm capable of doing some minor repairs and/or replacements. I aspire to get a degree in the tech field and I'd love to start building up a foundation of knowledge before I go to school for it. It'd be great if I knew where to start, whether its volunteering to help out family and friends with their computer problems (which I've already been doing for some time) or actually taking a course somewhere nearby or even online. I feel that the earlier I start, the better; and I really enjoy learning about technology. One of my problems is that there aren't really a lot of tech classes offered at my high school, other than the really basic stuff, so I was wondering if someone with experience here could push me in the right direction. How can I improve my understanding of computers and where can I find more opportunities to gain experience and knowledge? Thanks.
A. Many high schools have limited IT classes. Even in your high school only has classes in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel these are going to be valuable to master as in almost every computer area you will be documenting your work, making presentations and creating spreadsheets, etc.
Some high schools will have co-op programs with local junior colleges so you can go take college course for high school credit. This would be a wise thing for you to investigate with your school counselor. If your high school does not have a program go make an appointment with a junior college counselor and find out if they will allow you to take some night classes anyway. If you are interested in programming applications and web you will need a Computer Science 4 year Bachelors degree for starters. The first 2 years of that can be done at a local junior college. If you are weak in advanced math you can forget the Computer Science degree and switch of to a Computer Information Systems degree and non-programming jobs and there are a ton of those too: Computer Technician, Service Center Coordinator, Help Desk Staff, Storage Administrator, Network Administrator, Systems Administrator, Systems Engineer, Enterprise Administrator, Active Directory Administrator, Exchange and Messaging Administrator, Backup Administrator, Disaster Recovery Specialist, Database Administrator, Computing Security Specialist, Corporate IT Acquisition Specialist and Data Center Administrator, just to name a few.
The first thing that you could take on as a project is to get your A+ certification. This consists of two tests and there are many online study materials for this. If you had an A+ certification and were of employment age you could walk into a Staples or Best Buy store and apply to work in their computer department. This would be while your other high school friends are working at lesser jobs Subway or McDonalds.
At the same time you should stop doing work for free (except for parents) and let your family and friends know you are now doing a Computer Virus Cleanup Service for $25-$35 and that they will need to bring their computer to you. Where I live people are paying $50-60 in repair centers for this service. Go to the McAfee web site and download the Stinger.exe free tool and get a small thumb drive that you can copy that program to. It is updated all the time so be sure to go get the newest version. When they bring the computer over you download the newest version of Stinger to the thumb drive and stick it in their computer and start the scan running. It may take a few minutes or a few hours depending on the computer's disk size and utilization. It requires no interaction so you just start it running and go do other things while it runs. After it is done it will list any stuff it found and you can report that to the user. Charge them an extra $5-$10 if they want to have an anti-virus program installed and you go out to Microsoft and install Microsoft Security Essentials (a free program). If they want an anti-malware program, charge them a few more dollars and download and install the free version of MalwareBytes for them. This cleanup is not technically hard and you can try it on your own computer to get the hang of it. Don't plan to fix the computer at their location as the Stinger scan can take 2-3 hours. At $25 a shot you could make a few dollars a week towards your A+ tests and study materials.
Also, you need to coordinate this business venture with your parents so you don't get yourself into any difficult situations where people won't pay you or where you have to deal with creepy people. Putting ads or flyers out can be good and bad news as it may get you business but it may get you the risk of dealing with strangers. Honestly once the word gets out that you are doing the service you may have family and friends enough to keep you busy.
Another thing to keep in mind is that sooner or later your customers will click on some link or go to some bad web site and pick up another virus that may bypass the free protection you installed. If you have done a good job they will be back for more help - and make you another $25 to fix it all over again. This is called repeat business!
Also, you can contact all the pawn shops or thrift stores in your area and tell them you can do these same virus cleanup services for them. A common issue they have is getting in any computers that the password has been lost on and you tell them that you can break into those for them. Sometimes people will pawn a computer and then not get it out in time. To perform the break-in you will download the free Trinity Rescue Kit and create a CD that will let you boot the computer and change the password without you needing to know the old password. The pawn shop may pay you in cash or store credit.
Some high schools will have co-op programs with local junior colleges so you can go take college course for high school credit. This would be a wise thing for you to investigate with your school counselor. If your high school does not have a program go make an appointment with a junior college counselor and find out if they will allow you to take some night classes anyway. If you are interested in programming applications and web you will need a Computer Science 4 year Bachelors degree for starters. The first 2 years of that can be done at a local junior college. If you are weak in advanced math you can forget the Computer Science degree and switch of to a Computer Information Systems degree and non-programming jobs and there are a ton of those too: Computer Technician, Service Center Coordinator, Help Desk Staff, Storage Administrator, Network Administrator, Systems Administrator, Systems Engineer, Enterprise Administrator, Active Directory Administrator, Exchange and Messaging Administrator, Backup Administrator, Disaster Recovery Specialist, Database Administrator, Computing Security Specialist, Corporate IT Acquisition Specialist and Data Center Administrator, just to name a few.
The first thing that you could take on as a project is to get your A+ certification. This consists of two tests and there are many online study materials for this. If you had an A+ certification and were of employment age you could walk into a Staples or Best Buy store and apply to work in their computer department. This would be while your other high school friends are working at lesser jobs Subway or McDonalds.
At the same time you should stop doing work for free (except for parents) and let your family and friends know you are now doing a Computer Virus Cleanup Service for $25-$35 and that they will need to bring their computer to you. Where I live people are paying $50-60 in repair centers for this service. Go to the McAfee web site and download the Stinger.exe free tool and get a small thumb drive that you can copy that program to. It is updated all the time so be sure to go get the newest version. When they bring the computer over you download the newest version of Stinger to the thumb drive and stick it in their computer and start the scan running. It may take a few minutes or a few hours depending on the computer's disk size and utilization. It requires no interaction so you just start it running and go do other things while it runs. After it is done it will list any stuff it found and you can report that to the user. Charge them an extra $5-$10 if they want to have an anti-virus program installed and you go out to Microsoft and install Microsoft Security Essentials (a free program). If they want an anti-malware program, charge them a few more dollars and download and install the free version of MalwareBytes for them. This cleanup is not technically hard and you can try it on your own computer to get the hang of it. Don't plan to fix the computer at their location as the Stinger scan can take 2-3 hours. At $25 a shot you could make a few dollars a week towards your A+ tests and study materials.
Also, you need to coordinate this business venture with your parents so you don't get yourself into any difficult situations where people won't pay you or where you have to deal with creepy people. Putting ads or flyers out can be good and bad news as it may get you business but it may get you the risk of dealing with strangers. Honestly once the word gets out that you are doing the service you may have family and friends enough to keep you busy.
Another thing to keep in mind is that sooner or later your customers will click on some link or go to some bad web site and pick up another virus that may bypass the free protection you installed. If you have done a good job they will be back for more help - and make you another $25 to fix it all over again. This is called repeat business!
Also, you can contact all the pawn shops or thrift stores in your area and tell them you can do these same virus cleanup services for them. A common issue they have is getting in any computers that the password has been lost on and you tell them that you can break into those for them. Sometimes people will pawn a computer and then not get it out in time. To perform the break-in you will download the free Trinity Rescue Kit and create a CD that will let you boot the computer and change the password without you needing to know the old password. The pawn shop may pay you in cash or store credit.
Setting up a web site?
Q. I have set up a spreadsheet application and a few calculators using Excel. I would like to share these on a web site for registered users. I would like the calculators to be able to be used right off the web site (no need to have Excel or equivalent on a desk/laptop). Like wise, the users would have their own password protected files for the spreadsheet application residing on the site. I am a neophyte at web design and applications and would appreciate any guidance and directions on how I should proceed. Would a hosting provider that uses MySQL be a solution? I have funds available to invest on this project.
A. As others have pointed out, your users would need to have excel installed. This also means they would have to have a platform that supports excel. (Very cumbersome for some of us, not everyone uses windows..)
However, you could port the functions over to say, javascript, perl or PHP if you wanted. Perl, PHP, Ruby, etc.. are languages that run on the web server and as such don't require any special software.
Javascript runs within the visitors web browser (so you need a javascript capable web browser.. pretty standard)
Which one you choose varies on the types of data. (if you need external data, then you'll probably have to have some server-side programming, this can work in concert with javascript if you like, AJAX typically work in this way)
As far as password protecting your files, there are a lot of existing tools out there for the task.
The easiest (if you're using apache) is simply to set up an .htaccess file. While simple and easy to install, this quickly becomes a hassle if you want people to be able to change their passwords or sign themselves up.
http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/howto/auth.html
Other solutions with more features (Such as collecting money from members and allowing them to change their passwords, etc..) are:
Amember:
http://www.amember.com/
GenieGate:
http://www.geniegate.com/listings/dolphin/
(Full disclosure, I own GenieGate)
If you're planning on having more than a few members, you'll probably want to install an actual user management application. If it's just you and a few friends, .htaccess files will be easier.
However, you could port the functions over to say, javascript, perl or PHP if you wanted. Perl, PHP, Ruby, etc.. are languages that run on the web server and as such don't require any special software.
Javascript runs within the visitors web browser (so you need a javascript capable web browser.. pretty standard)
Which one you choose varies on the types of data. (if you need external data, then you'll probably have to have some server-side programming, this can work in concert with javascript if you like, AJAX typically work in this way)
As far as password protecting your files, there are a lot of existing tools out there for the task.
The easiest (if you're using apache) is simply to set up an .htaccess file. While simple and easy to install, this quickly becomes a hassle if you want people to be able to change their passwords or sign themselves up.
http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/howto/auth.html
Other solutions with more features (Such as collecting money from members and allowing them to change their passwords, etc..) are:
Amember:
http://www.amember.com/
GenieGate:
http://www.geniegate.com/listings/dolphin/
(Full disclosure, I own GenieGate)
If you're planning on having more than a few members, you'll probably want to install an actual user management application. If it's just you and a few friends, .htaccess files will be easier.
Office Network... From Scratch? Urgent!?
Q. I have no choice now but to make an office network at work.
I have a broadband (BT - BT Voyager Router), and a hub for all 6 PCs running XP Pro. I have a server on Windows Server 2003 (Disconnected).
I need to sort out the set-up (from the very beginning and in basics) so all the computers use the server to save the files. Each employee can log on to any terminal and receive see their files and receive their e-mail and nobody else's.
Any Help - keep as simple and 'step-by-step' as possible!
Unfortunately, I cannot call in anybody to do this. I have no choice but to do this myself!
I have a broadband (BT - BT Voyager Router), and a hub for all 6 PCs running XP Pro. I have a server on Windows Server 2003 (Disconnected).
I need to sort out the set-up (from the very beginning and in basics) so all the computers use the server to save the files. Each employee can log on to any terminal and receive see their files and receive their e-mail and nobody else's.
Any Help - keep as simple and 'step-by-step' as possible!
Unfortunately, I cannot call in anybody to do this. I have no choice but to do this myself!
A. This is alot of work and you need to make sure you think of what it is that you want to accomplish and make a plan first.
What software will be loaded and where
client - server apps
sophistication of the software (MS Office 2007; sharepoint?)
SQL for databases hosted on the server for access by the pcs
Software interactions with the server and pcs.
I would suggest ethernet wiring be worked out first for the pc's to the hub and to the server (cat 6 at least). Most businesses, even small ones usually get help to to run ethernet cabling to a central location where the hub will be, then though ceiling rafters (or something)... to connect to a drop that is done professionally with data jacks placed near each desk (you do not want to trip over cabling). This way the ethernet cabling from each pc to a data jack is a separate piece.
You will need to work out how you want the pc's to authenticate to the windows server. I would read up on Active Directory to decide how you want this to work. It can depend on what programs the pcs will be using and how they will interact with the server etc
Do you want authentication to use a common 'work group' etc. From your description, you want the users to be roaming so they can log into any pc. It is likely easier if you setup the administrator with the same password on each pc and do not share it with anyone but your backup. Each user can be setup as a user per pc. If the pc needs to be shared with other users, then they can be setup as well.
The server should be secured behind a locked door with a UPS Tower. I doubt you will generate alot of heat with one server, but something to consider.
Your server needs to be secured with a password that is only known by IT (at least 2 persons in case you get run over by a bus).
Backup program for the server
Security concerns regarding antivirus programs, firewall etc,
For example, If your project is to setup a network to train people, it will be more straightforward than a network that is for pc's that need to be setup for different roles (accounting, sales, administration etc).
In the latter case scenaro.... rights to files on the server per different roles will need a carefully worked out plan for users' rights to the programs that are installed on each pc & or the server.
Internet... this is a biggy.
I would suggest you setup the network so that the internet is available to the users' pc's before authenticating to the network. This saves alot of grief and time for IT to accomodate visitors with laptops as well as configuring new pcs etc. It is possible to set up a wireless router as well...
Of course you need an ISP for small businesses. There are out of the box hardware/software solutions for email spam filtering which is a must for businesses.
I do think you would be advised to seek some help locally, for cabling and and to plan internet connectivity.
This is just off the top of my head....there are server applications you may need for however you setup security for the LAN and Internet...
Good luck
What software will be loaded and where
client - server apps
sophistication of the software (MS Office 2007; sharepoint?)
SQL for databases hosted on the server for access by the pcs
Software interactions with the server and pcs.
I would suggest ethernet wiring be worked out first for the pc's to the hub and to the server (cat 6 at least). Most businesses, even small ones usually get help to to run ethernet cabling to a central location where the hub will be, then though ceiling rafters (or something)... to connect to a drop that is done professionally with data jacks placed near each desk (you do not want to trip over cabling). This way the ethernet cabling from each pc to a data jack is a separate piece.
You will need to work out how you want the pc's to authenticate to the windows server. I would read up on Active Directory to decide how you want this to work. It can depend on what programs the pcs will be using and how they will interact with the server etc
Do you want authentication to use a common 'work group' etc. From your description, you want the users to be roaming so they can log into any pc. It is likely easier if you setup the administrator with the same password on each pc and do not share it with anyone but your backup. Each user can be setup as a user per pc. If the pc needs to be shared with other users, then they can be setup as well.
The server should be secured behind a locked door with a UPS Tower. I doubt you will generate alot of heat with one server, but something to consider.
Your server needs to be secured with a password that is only known by IT (at least 2 persons in case you get run over by a bus).
Backup program for the server
Security concerns regarding antivirus programs, firewall etc,
For example, If your project is to setup a network to train people, it will be more straightforward than a network that is for pc's that need to be setup for different roles (accounting, sales, administration etc).
In the latter case scenaro.... rights to files on the server per different roles will need a carefully worked out plan for users' rights to the programs that are installed on each pc & or the server.
Internet... this is a biggy.
I would suggest you setup the network so that the internet is available to the users' pc's before authenticating to the network. This saves alot of grief and time for IT to accomodate visitors with laptops as well as configuring new pcs etc. It is possible to set up a wireless router as well...
Of course you need an ISP for small businesses. There are out of the box hardware/software solutions for email spam filtering which is a must for businesses.
I do think you would be advised to seek some help locally, for cabling and and to plan internet connectivity.
This is just off the top of my head....there are server applications you may need for however you setup security for the LAN and Internet...
Good luck
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