Some IT jobs start at $40K, and you may not need a 4-year degree to do them

Saturday, May 23, 2020
IT jobs that don't require a 4-year degree
Some of these jobs have salaries STARTING at $40,000, and you don't have to know anything about computers or tech to get going in the field. Watch the video above for more on the gig that could be waiting for you.

You've heard of white collar jobs and blue collar jobs, but get ready for new collar jobs in IT and cloud computing.

They may sound complicated, but you don't need a four-year college degree to get one.

More than 600 U.S. companies have joined a new initiative to prepare workers for thousands of so-called new collar jobs. For these jobs, they will soon be offering online training in cloud computing, cybersecurity and computer networking, installing and trouble-shooting the inter-connected world.

"Networking has always been one of those careers where you don't have to have a degree," said Linda Head with Lone Star College.

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Community colleges like Lone Star also offer degrees or certifications for hundreds of new collar jobs with starting salaries often more than $40,000 everything from writing code, to data base management to cybersecurity.

Whether you're a barista or a builder, you can learn new skills and get an IT degree in less than two years. And you don't have to know anything about computers or technology to start.

"You just have to be interested enough to learn about the interconnectivity of computer equipment, both the physical part and now the cloud part," said Head.

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If you do have computer or IT experience, you could be certified for many jobs in just weeks.

"If you already have work experience in almost anything, you could come in and go through a boot camp type of environment, and be prepared to take a certification test in probably a couple of weeks," explained Head.

Associate's degrees take two years to complete at most community colleges. The average cost is $3,570 per year at public institutions, but you can take certification tests for as little as $300 in many IT jobs.

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