So, I am getting the impression that a college degree isn't a deciding factor for a network tech? Or is it taken for granted that everyone has one? Eventually I will get a degree, but that's years off at best.

Being single and in my early 20's, I would be more than happy with myself if I could pull 30k a year somehow. I think I'd like to be making more along the lines of 50k or so after several years of experience.

yeah, this is great help. It's hard to get anywhere without a direction. crap money you say... haha... I think every college student makes crappy money no matter what they do.

I'm heading in a computer science direction as far as school. This will make it easier to get into a low level job and get the experience I need. As far as the certification is concerned, I have a few semi-modern(less than 5 years old) machines at my disposal I could use for following examples and all. At work there are enough displaced techies to fill in any gaps I might have. These boards work well too!

One thing I have working for me is mobility. So far I have nothing holding me to any one particular area(girlfriend, family, probation > , etc.). There are several well qualified individuals working at Compaq doing some pretty mundane things because they don't feel they can uproot their family.

About Compaq-
I've heard that the Ontario and Indianapolis brances of Compaq are run differently than ours. I'm not sure though. This may just be a rumor. Almost all of the people where I'm at are placed my temp-staffing agencies. While some of those people do go full time, it's really no advantage to do so. Same pay and only benifit is health insurance. For me it's just a job and the experience is better than say restaurant or construction work.

thanks again guys... this is great feedback