any IT guys here, willing to answer a few questions.

[cmspaz]

Just to throw it out there, Hennepin Tech is part of the Minnesota college system, so the credits will transfer to any state school... which means that any 4 year school that takes credits from the MN state schools takes credits from Hennepin Tech.

[Matt D.]

Add me to the list of people who work in IT without a degree. I took some MCSE classes back in the day and that's it. I've applied myself at work and had a thirst for getting my hands dirty and learning new stuff all the time. My past three jobs have all been attained through knowing someone, so what Jim said about meeting people and networking rings true.

[DoughtCom]

Agreed with MattD and Jim, networking is a big deal in our field. ASP.Net/Java programming are both very valuable. One thing that's interesting in my field is most reputable places hire people with experience over people with college. We kind of look at programming with the idea of it's not something that can be taught in a classroom, so I lucked out in that regard.

[Shane@DBPerformance]

I did professional programming for 10+ years. I liked it a lot, it is the kind of thing you need some natural talent for and like to do. I went the no real college route also, I went to the U but dropped out when my programming job started paying too good and taking too much of my time well before I took any actual computer classes. Unlike networking, DBA, keeping computers running, etc it is something that often can't be just taught in a classroom, it takes some creativity, problem solving ability and you need to like it. A lot of people who like computers hate programming.

[DoughtCom]

Damn Shane I didn't know you used to be a programmer! It all makes sense now :) Well said too, that's pretty much exactly how my field is.

[tehehodi]

And the list keeps growing...

How does one get a basic understanding of programming and little taste of it? Python? Vb? C+, C++, C#? Theres so much out there and I'm just trying to become more well rounded myself and touch base on a few things. Suggestions? Websites? Wiki?

[mlomker]

How does one get a basic understanding of programming and little taste of it?

I'd suggest starting with a scripting language (Perl, Python, VBScript, Windows Powershell). Data structures, loops, calls, and other logic doesn't vary a great deal between languages. The nice thing about scripting is if you decide that programming isn't for you, scripting is still very useful for admin work.

I wouldn't say that I dislike programming but I have no graphic arts ability at all. The stuff that I create is utilitarian.