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I want to start a career in the IT. I already started taking Cisco/CompTIA classes in a community college, they also offer ASS in computer science. I got qualified for Financial AID and all my classes are paid in full. I have a full time job and also have a family, for that reason I am just going part-time school. My question is-Should I just do the Certificates first and then get my degree? the certification classes I take now will also count towards my degree.

I live in the USA.

Thank you for you help!

12 Spice ups
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Get 'em both. The more education, the better.

I will be following this as I am in a similar boat.

7 Spice ups
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Before you do anything, I would check to see if your credits will transfer to a bachelors degree. Find out where you can transfer them and what options you have. If your credits won’t transfer, then I would look for another institution where they will… just in case. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

Associates degrees aren’t bad, but Bachelors degrees are still better (and leave the door open for graduate degrees in the future). You don’t have to pursue a 4-year degree right away, but be sure that you’ll have the option to do so later, without backtracking. The worst thing you could do would be to back yourself into a corner. I know a lot of people who got two-year degrees from non-accredited institutions, and it unnecessarily limits their options, because they’d have to repeat a lot of courses to get another degree.

Taking certification courses first, will allow you to have measurable progress over time. You can take a few courses, get a certification, and (for me at least) that’d help keep me motivated. Or, you might mix in a few gen-ed courses between certifications, so you don’t get as bored with them. This is up to your personal preference.

As long as you can transfer the same credits towards an associates, and then a bachelors degree down the road, I say go for it. Especially if it’s paid for.

Good luck!

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thank you Andrew G for your prompt and very helpful response! I have not thought about transferable credits to a 4 years college and that is something I will look into, because my final goal is to get a BS degree in computer science. I was also thinking in getting two certs(compTIA A+ and CCNA) to start with. Thank you again for your help!

2 Spice ups
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Get them both but prioritize experience above all. Too many companies rely on HR departments that have not clue about the actual jobs they are supposed to be hiring for, especially IT. Degrees/Certs will help you (not much though really) get past the stupid squad. Experience will help you get to the IT manager who is hopefully the one making the final decision and knows the difference between head knowledge and the ability to actually apply said knowledge.

All that said, you’re going be in for a uphill battle for a job in IT unless you have a very specific skill set. Once you get the experience the doors will start slowly opening. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get solid bites for awhile. I’m there right now and it’s frustrating but I’m hopeful for the big one to come up for a bite eventually.

Disclaimer: Maybe not all HR departments are so bad but I can count the ones I’ve seen on one hand and that’s not to say they were anything more than mediocre.

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I started my IT adventure in 2009 when I took classes to obtain a Master Certificate in PC Design and Networking with Security. I obtained the CompTIA A+ and CompTIA Security+. My school helped me to land a job as a Quality Inspector for a company that created custom tablets for people with ALS. I worked in this position for a year until the IT Administrator job opened at the company. I gained real world experience in this job over the course of two years with the help of an IT forum such as Spiceworks.

I left that company to pursue an IT job that would teach me even more. I currently work on a team with other Systems Engineers that help many other clients with their individual networks. I make a great salary and only have the two ceritificates.

I think it is important to obtain a few certificates to get your foot into the door, but real world experience is the key. I personally do not need to get any more certs or go to school based on my real world experience at this point.

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Hey Jaime,

I completely agree with Andrew’s reply. Just to put it into perspective, at my college I get 12 credits for a CCNA alone. Though I would stress that before making a decision you should study up a bit on what is that you want to do or rather enjoy doing. There is a plethora of certifications out that you can choose from and it really depends what you want to get into. The Comptia A+ is great to get your feet wet, but I wouldn’t count on finding the perfect job with that.

Taking the Cisco track is a bit different but again you would start off on full networking and wouldn’t get into other fields until you get your CCENT or CCNA for others. Now as far as a college degree, certifications way pretty heavy. Though if you want to get into other roles and higher paying positions it’s nice to have a degree to fall back on as well. So ultimately your goal should be both.

My suggestion is start up on your certifications as soon as possible, certification tests are always changing and new technology is always being created. Check out some online videos / free training and start learning what field you would enjoy. Professor Messer has a lot of great free training you check out for the Comptia track, learning up on the Network + will get you a good base to start learning Cisco as well. Hope this helps!

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Thank for your advice Michael C. I don’t have any IT job experience, but I started my own computer repair business 2 months ago and is going pretty good. The computer classes I am taking I do a lot of hands on equipment which I find very helpful. I was also thinking about applying for a Technology assistance job at the school district where I work at to start building some experience. I’ll keep you posted!

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Thank you Angelicdream for your good advice! I already finished my compTIA A+ course, and am half way done with my ccna (switching and routing) course. I’m planning on taking the A+ certification test next month and hopefully finish my the ccna course at the end of this year and take the test. this is my certification plan: CompTIA A+, N+ and C+, Cisco CCNA, and CCNP. Thank you again!

1 Spice up
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WGU offers both in there BS degree. This is a work at your own pace. The testing is pretty easy, but the papers are harder than traditional college. as you entire pass/fail depends on one paper , but you have to score at least a 3 out of five onevery section.

2 Spice ups
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I would do the CCENT not worth the risk then CCNA second exam. I would not take the CCNA one test not worth the risk.

1 Spice up
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You want the 4 year degree. The company I work for will hire contractors with certs only, but there is not a lot of growth opportunity in that path. If you want to reach Director level or above a 4 year degree is required, at a minimum. Most contractors get less pay that full time and no benefits.

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I have a BSIT/ISS from University of Phoenix and so far only Security+ from CompTIA. My manager is requiring us to pursue A+ however, even though since before I was hired I have been studying for CCENT, so eventually I’ll need to shift gears back to basics. I would definitely suggest doing what I didn’t – get certs as you go and have something under your belt going in.

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Yep, totally agree with this. Get both. The degree has a different purpose than certification.

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Go for your BS if you can.

A good BS program will give you the fundamentals needed. I take certification exams now to get more direct experience, and find most of them easy because I have a firm understanding of the basics. A good employer will want to hire somebody who has a firm understanding of the basics because there is more versatility in what the employee can do in the future.

I’ve had good experience with my degree, others have not. I think you’ll get varied responses on this topic.

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Plus 1 for this, the cert tests are required to pass the classes, and included in the tuition costs.

But, as I always say, check your local job listings, what are they looking for?

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Take the certifications first. Those will get you in the market to get an IT position faster than a degree simply will. Then, after you have started in the IT field, continue on to school and pursue your degree if you wish or not. The thing is that once you have the certs, you can start getting experience which is where you will earn your money.

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Computer Science (CS) is a research degree, not a degree for IT. That’s the wrong field of study for what you want to do. You’d be far better off with a liberal arts degree, history, english lit, business, etc.

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Statistically college is bad for your career. For any given person, it might work out. Statistically just means that 51% of people or more suffer from getting a degree. That means that as many as 49% of people (but probably less) benefit from it. You can make them work for you, but it makes your path a harder one.

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Just because some companies requires degrees doesn’t suggest that they are a good idea. On average, getting degrees hurts your career (and that’s for ALL careers, IT is even more dramatically anti-degree.)

Contractors normally make far more than employees. That’s how they get them to be contractors - they pay a premium in exchange for fewer benefits but they advance much faster.

The contractor path is one of the fastest ways up the ladder.

And trust me, even on Wall St. you don’t need a degree to get to directory. In fact, if someone requires a degree for a high end job you are in one sad company. Imagine how bad a company would have to be for their senior roles to not be determined by proven performance! Wow.