New to IT. Which Path

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Hi there,
I watched Network Chuck's Youtube video on which paths to go down if you want to get into IT. They were Help Desk, Security, Networking, Cloud and Ethical Hacking. He also gave the certification that is required for each and I am almost complete with all the videos for the Security Plus.

I am 39 years old. The ability to make money in this career field is also very important to me. When I was in my 20's I was going to Western Michigan University for Aviation Science Management and am still about 30 credits from completing the degree.
Some of the jobs that I saw online that do pay well in this field are the following:
Product Manager, Full Stack Developer, DevOps Engineer, Data Scientist,
IoT Solutions Architech, and Software Architech. It looks like these are some of the jobs that get paid.
I would like to know if to get to some of these positions if I will need to complete my degree or if I get a bunch of these certifications can also lead me in that direction?

I have no wife and kids and my financial responsivities are relatively low.

I did see that I do have a strong liking for this field and through a platform like IT Pro TV can finally learn this content in a way that my mind can understand.

Any good input from the team will be helpful in knowing which direction to move.

Thank you,

Chris

@Chris-Bagley said in New to IT. Which Path:

Hi there,
I watched Network Chuck's Youtube video on which paths to go down if you want to get into IT. They were Help Desk, Security, Networking, Cloud and Ethical Hacking. He also gave the certification that is required for each and I am almost complete with all the videos for the Security Plus.

I am 39 years old. The ability to make money in this career field is also very important to me. When I was in my 20's I was going to Western Michigan University for Aviation Science Management and am still about 30 credits from completing the degree.
Some of the jobs that I saw online that do pay well in this field are the following:
Product Manager, Full Stack Developer, DevOps Engineer, Data Scientist,
IoT Solutions Architech, and Software Architech. It looks like these are some of the jobs that get paid.
I would like to know if to get to some of these positions if I will need to complete my degree or if I get a bunch of these certifications can also lead me in that direction?

@Chris-Bagley,

Thanks for asking the question. Today's job market is fast changing in the requirements. For that you'll have to keep looking at the posting and find out what they absolutely expect for a pre-req. Some companies may have to have a degree because of some compliance issue. Some may not require one if you have a work history. Some may regard certifications over a degree or vice versa.

So that is say, there is no one answer. Every locale will be different based on the market you're in. It also means that it's important for you to know the market you're looking to be hired in very well. Do not be afraid to ask others working in your market. "Networking" in the social sense with real people in those markets through professional meet-ups may help you more than you know. Talk to a professional recruiters at different event or over social media to see how they help you.