No, I Will Not Fix Your #@$!! Computer → Re: IT Degree/Major

If you have any gray matter in between your ears college can be pointless in IT. Times are changing though with this market.

The more you have experience in the more likely they will hire you. It is a buyers market currently... but still I doubt it will be a buyers market in 4 years (assuming you are looking at a traditional 4 yr school).

Personally I decided that some real world experience + certifications was cheaper and got me where I wanted to go than a standard 4 year degree.

*edit*
Changed wording.
Again.. YMMV

Case in point. I work in IT and was recently hired into a full time position. I make more than the guy with his B.S. from DeVry and his M.S. from Keller. We do the same job and I make more than him (all I have is an A.S. right now).

That's been my theory too. I've been going to school though for that fancy piece of paper. I have a few certs but I'm actively working on getting more of them.

Probably depends on what area you live in. When I last tried for an IT job I had some experience as a network admin and I just got my MCSE. No one would even talk to me unless I had a B.S. degree.

I disagree. The IT managers/directors on my job have both certs, hands-on and college degrees. I have seen a lot of positions require college degrees for desktop supervisor or management positions.

I have been in the game for over 10 years but do not have a college degree. I think that is one of the things holding me back from management level positions. If I decided to stay in IT beyond 2010, I will go back to school part-time for a degree in MIS.

Thats true, you need a degree, I dont think that it matters so much if your degree is in MIS, IT or just business management. IMHO its an HR checkbox, nothing more.

Any college degree is just a checkbox. There are millions of qualified workers out there without college degrees that could fit the jobs they are applying for. Even the people without degrees believe it to be only a checkbox.

The reality of the situation is that a college degree is almost a requirement if you want a high paying job. For as many Bill Gates' there are in the world, that drop out of school and make a billion dollars, there are millions that find themselves toiling in technician/help desk hell because they can't move up because they don't have that sheepskin.

There is great business worth to getting a college degree. Just like any degree program, you get out of it what you put into it.

Just my .02 cents.

I think a lot of businesses assume because you do not have a college degree, you will not be suitable in said positions. I hear that college makes you well-rounded (I thought over-eating did that!) but I have seen some people with college degrees go off the deep end as well as some sharp high school or GED graduates.

I guess it all comes down to what you know, how well you work with what you know and where you are applying to work.

I do know that companies often want a degree for positions of responsibility. It is implied proof of hiring qualified employees. This is especially true for managers and up.

It is smart to pursue all credentials that will get you in the next door, or keep you in the running for the next promotion. People rarely get paid enough staying in one job for life.

A CS or EE degree is usually pointless. Accounting or other business degrees combined with your computer skills will be more likely to get you a job doing IT work. There just aren't that many people that understand both tech and business.

You have hit the nail right on the head.

Businesses are looking harder for people who are not only tech smart but business smart. They want people who are going to make good business decisions, be able to justify technology, and so on. Sure, there are places for people who just want to deal with technology, but those jobs offer limited or no upward movement.

It depends on what you want to do. If you want to program for most of the tech companies they will require an engineering degree and you'll find a lot of their programmers will be EEs or CS.

Not always. Try going to Google as a programmer without an EE or CS degree and you just wasted your time. Now once you land that dream job having an MBA on top of your EE means you advance to management and don't spend your career as programming.

True. The simple fact of the matter is to have that education. Especially in these rough times where you are competing against hundreds of other qualified candidates.

Well said. Google has strict guidelines on employment and a co-worker of mine even had to tell them his GPA in college before he got hired as a temp. They require a 4 year degree and relevant experience. I haven't bothered applying since it's really hard to land a job there. Once you're in though, that's a different story!

Yeah, I found a lot of the companies in the Bay Area seem to want their programmers to have some kind of engineering degree, general IT positions aren't as strict.

This is exactly why I want to get an MBA in a few years. I've been in my position for nearly a year (my first true IT gig since I got out of college) and I realize now how much of the business side of things I've learned and more importantly how much more I have to learn.

My boss ridiculed me when he asked what I was going to do when I graduated as far as education after I got my BS. I told him I was thinking MBA, and he poo-pooed it. Obviously I know he is wrong, but I thought it was funny none the less.

An MBA is a great second step for those who wish to advance in IT and business thats for sure. I never understood those that like to dissuade others from getting an advanced degree like an MBA. After all, you are striving to better yourself. Thats a value that we all should be aiming for.

Probably because when you are Sierra Hotel (Google "sierra hotel military slang") it strikes fear?

EDIT: Or google "sierra hotel meaning"

Because, I think there are cheaper alternatives to better yourself. I have nothing against degrees, I have everything against the schools that are practically extorting funds from tax payers.

We need a different system where individuals can show value, I dont think the college system is working. The more taxpayers subsidize tution, the more tuition increases. /rant/soapbox

Just like any educational medium, the education you get is what you take out of it. To say that there are better/cheaper alternatives is really a false statement. You can spend 10k on classes revolving around IT and not get anything more out of it.

A college education is only one piece of things. The drive and determination of the student really makes the education work. If you are not motivated to learn, then you will not remember the material. Look at any subject you have ever studied (such as Chemistry).

The college system works just fine.

I think its a true statement with regards to cheaper alternatives for school (if the end result isnt related to employment). People without degrees can be successful in the IT arena, HR is the limiting factor here. A degree doesnt make you smart, and its not the only means for gaining an education.

To me, as a person that does interviews, a degree is just a checkbox. Outside of the yes/no question I have no interest in what school someone went to, or what degree they have.

I think the college system is driving alot of unnecessary debt US debt. Employers need to open their doors to folks without degrees, but outside of experience there is really nothing else that you can use to judge a new candidate.

I agree with you somewhat. Yes, there are successful people who don't have degrees. Thats why experience can and always will be king. At the same time though, HR does have a checklist that they do follow and with good reason. Think about it, if you were in charge of hiring and its a buyers market, would you just be looking for someone with experience? I think not. I think you would be looking for someone who has the whole package. Experience, with a solid college degree, with certifications is the way to go.

Yes, a degree on its own doesn't make you smart. Just like someone with 10 years of experience on the job in a static environment. What makes someone smart doesn't even come out in the interviews. This is why you pick from the best out of the pool of candidates that you have. When we hired for the application developer position, we got 100 resumes. Picking the top 6 was hard to do.

Hey, I hear what you are saying, you don't like organized education. I think it is overblown on its own merit. That being said, I believe it still is quite worthwhile and society today believes that to be true as well. When society today stops putting any value on it in IT is when you will see no one go through college at all to get into IT. I just don't see this happening.

So its a simple choice really....

Want a high paying IT job where you start low and work up to managing and working on high level stuff later in your career? Get a college degree.

Want to just do help desk/technical work and stick around just doing that for 30 years and not earn the big paycheck? Get your high school diploma and start working help desk. Maybe you will get lucky and work your way up the chain and get to that high paying job. Its rare, but it happens.