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I know that there was a post like this awhile back but I am still curious and very open to anyone’s input. I am currently going to school for a bachelors degree in Information Technology. I am curious as to whether or not a 4 year degree is necessary or if it would be smarter to go for an associates(with certifications) so that I might start working sooner? I also want to clarify that if I do go for a bachelors degree, there is about a 90% chance that i’ll get certifications anyways. The main question i’m asking is if a 4 year degree is necessary or if I would still be ‘safe’ going for an associates and certifications?

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I got a BoS in Computer Science, no one ever asked me other than ‘oh you got that, good good’ anything about that, It is really only a door opener to get past HR as they for some weird reason always list a degree as ‘requirement’.

Of course it does not hurt, so I’d say do both. (I can say that because I’m from Germany and I paid like 500 euros a semester…and these days it’s even free…) You should check how much debt it is worth (the less the better of course)

I did both and i am now looking more at certs than on furthering my ‘Bos’ to a Master.

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I am going for both but sadly my degree is going to take 6-7 years because I am trying to get it without getting any student loans.

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Both! I have my MBA and my Network + and Security + certs. Certs could potentially expire if not maintained, whereas that MBA is not going anywhere!

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If you are already in school and have a plan to complete your BS, no reason to stop early. Having the degree can only help you. One thing you can do, to help get the “real world experience”, is ask around if anyone is looking for a student volunteer or intern or whatever, so you can get hands on while you are still in school. A couple hours a night, every Saturday, something like that. There are a lot of business who are set up to do that.

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Start work now.

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Then finish your whatever.

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The whole point is to get a job. So I would get your associates, and apply. No takers, get some certs, apply again. No takers get your Bachelors, and apply. If you ever find a good job along the way, you know you have enough. Education is just to get the doors open, from there experience will get you much further.

Outside of these try setting up a home lab/projects so you can put some experience on your resume.

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I am in my late forty’s and I dropped out of college a couple of years in and went and got my certs, do I wish that I finished college…yes, it would have opened up a couple of doors that I had to do the hard way. Did not having it impair my career…no. I have thought about going back and getting it a couple of times but didn’t have the time to expend on it. Certain people will look down upon you if you don’t have a degree, most won’t know or care once you get past your twenties, in this industry the bachelors or a certificate will only get you through a door, you then need actual experience and knowledge.

Just my ramblings.

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I stopped at AAS and found this job just before Graduation. Then once graduated, they hired me on full time. I think experience trumps both school and certs, but certs are a good validation of the experience. At this point, taking on more loans (student) would be crushing on my finances.

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I currently have about 2 years of experience in the IT field, and counting…so I know that’ll help in the long run. It has really helped to get a feel for whether or not this is what I want to do as well. Thanks!

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Generally: Experience > Certifications > Degree

Experience trumps all. Regardless of what choice you make set up a home network and learn the technology that you want to work with. Degrees, while often a requirement, generally mean nil in regards to IT. Stay current with technology being used and incorporate its use into your home test environment.

The sooner you get into the field the better off you will be.

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13

My experience on this type of question has been that the degree is not necessary…however the certs are not always necessary either. To give a little background and foundation on this viewpoint I am new to IT only 3 years experience, but came from teaching. So I had a degree from college that was not related to IT and I had no certs at the time. I was able to land a job with a smaller MSP which has been great. That said, I applied to a ton of jobs and usually could not get my foot in the door probably because I only had 6 months experience at a PC repair facility and no certs. The place that ultimately hired me turned me down via email, but they did it very quickly so I actually responded thanking them for that, but said I felt that I could do the job, which was desktop support and that although I respected their decision, they were making a mistake. They ended up calling me a few hours later inviting me for an interview and the rest is history. I love the job and have since gained a few certs and moved up a bit. The reason I tell that story is because the reason they did not originally ask me in for an interview was because I had no certs and an unrelated degree. If I had those things I probably would have gotten the interview straight away. Instead I got lucky, and was able to prove myself in the interview. I was given the job after interview one of a 2 to possible 3 interview process normally.

So in my opinion I think both of those things are door openers, but a good interview ends up being key. I also would say this, if you are going to school for anything, do it smart. Find the cheapest way to do that because IMO college cost does not always provide a good ROI. And that is coming from a former high school teacher that is supposed to puch college on kids. What I tell young people that are considering college is to think about what you want to do and how you can achieve it. Some things, Doctors, Lawyers, Teachers, require college, but other things, business owner, any IT job, do not necessarily require college. College can be a path to achieving the goal, but it is not always the only way, and it is not always the best way either. Sometimes it is…

I was smart and have a relatively small debt from college, but I know others that have huge debts and are unemployed. I moved to IT because the market was better. Teaching in my area was a tough market to get into. I needed to make the switch because I needed something dependable the was also plentiful. IT is just that in most areas.

To finally start ending this long-winded post, I would say this to you. One, I think you are asking a great question. You are asking how can I get to X. That is something that many people do not take the time to do. They just default to college. Think outside the box. The most successful people defy the norm. If I was in your position, with the knowledge I have right now, I would say look for a job. Study for certs or go to college or both, it doesn’t matter really. They both provide “Ins”. That is the bulk of their value. Neither guarantees anything though. Anyways look for a job, if you get one that you like, take it and grow in that job. Experience seems to be the best tool for getting to where you want to go, and that applies to almost everything in life. It might not be what you want to do, but if you can do that and grab some certs, or go to college as well as work that is where you become successful. You can have experience and a cert or 2 within a year, and that already opens more doors. Or you have experience and a start to college. Either is great. It diversifies your options and keeps your eggs in multiple baskets which ultimately gives you a better chance to achieve your goal.

This is obviously very much just opinion, but it is based on my actual experiences and not just conjecture. I am not saying that just getting certs or going to college is not the right thing to do, because ultimately they all can be, and the right thing will be the thing that works.

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Try to get an entry level support\helpdesk position, you don’t need a degree, certs help, shows you know how to read and take tests haha. Experience is the key, the sooner the better.

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Learn how to master an interview and sell yourself. Degrees and certifications are great to have though. In my experience, school is far more useful when taking classes at the same time as work. You start to learn with a purpose. Again, this is only with my experience and with a group of my friends. We all did better when we knew we wanted to better our skills and directly apply them to the job for better opportunities and more money.

You are already in school and have invested money in to it. Start working your school network to find part time jobs, meet people! You pay for that network that will introduce you to your next employer.

My parents are super cool for paying for my school and allowing me not to work so I could concentrate and finish. I think I would have been better off working while going to school. I missed out on valuable work experience. DO BOTH. Work and School. It sucks for a while but it’s worth it in the end.

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I don’t have a degree or certs but i feel both are important. A degree wont go anywhere as opposed to certs that expire but potentially employers just want to know you know what your doing. If your working on your degree then just keep at it. if you wouldn’t have i would just go straight for certs.

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Me, bachelor’s and master’s degree from the School of Hard Knocks. Was really burned out after high school, so the plan was to take a year off, work full time, then head off to get a degree. Never went back for that degree and just kept working. Fortunately, I had a part-time job (that turned into my full-time after HS graduation) working at a computer repair shop. Learned on the job, picked up some certs along the way. By the time friends of mine had graduated college, I was making more than them and had no debt to pay off, so was way ahead. That allowed me to buy (not rent) my first home by the time I was 22-23.

After a while of working, I’ve not found any roadblocks in regards to not having a degree since I’ve got more than enough equivalent work experience to make up for it. The only time that it’s really been an issue has been if it was a management position.

Now, looking back, I do regret not going for my college degree when I was younger. In talking to friends who went, most don’t even have jobs that relate to their degree at this point. However, the biggest thing that they all got was learning how to learn, time management, focus, etc. That, and the overall “college experience” of being away from home, having fun, and making new friends.

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No degree and no certs here. So it can be done. Degree can help in lean times when people filter out applications automatically, but as you get more and more experience it doesn’t matter much.

At this point if someone offered me free schooling I wouldn’t even bother. And if I got a degree and a ton of certs tomorrow my salary wouldn’t go up a penny.

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Two basic things:

  1. Certs can get you through the HR door when they are looking for those things.
  2. A Degree can get you through the HR door when they are looking for those things.

In my opinion, experience is the best thing to open doors and get a job, but lacking that, you have to get through the pile of resumes on HR desks first. This all comes down to job availability in your area, and the available pool of workers skill levels in your region. Do some research. A good place to look is at state jobs in your area. Most will be fairly competitive with what all other companies are looking for, and you can get a general feel for demand by seeing what they are asking for on qualifications, length of time openings stay posted, and salaries provided.

Now saying that, continuing your education will always open more doors for you, so do as others have said. Get an internship, start knocking on employers doors, interview them, ask them what they would be looking for. Go to IT events, start networking (the human kind), keep in school and work towards a part-time or full-time position. Get your certs if you find you need them to get in the door, they are mostly easy to acquire, and don’t mean a lot, but can make a major difference when you have no experience.

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Get the degree. Try to minimize debt while doing it.

It’s not necessary, but it really helps a lot. Many of the people who “made it” without a degree simply haven’t seen the situations where it makes a difference. And that’s the mode these days.

Certs may or may not help, depending on the exact situation. They usually do. They don’t when the actual skills necessary vary from what certs test, which all certs do to some degree. Some are closed systems - you don’t get to work without getting the cert. This is nothing new, going back centuries to the guild system. The modern versions are like some vendors “Partners Programs.”

As you can see by the variance in answers, the field is big enough where many answers can be correct. But how much does each generalize?

So, get the degree.