How are tier 2 level schools viewed in this field?

Hello, I am a 27 year old male who currently works in medical billing looking to make a career change to IT. I don't see much of a future in medical billing. Is it too late? I feel I am too old for a career change(if you even want to call medical billing a "career").

I have a few questions:

1.) I am just curious how tier 2 schools are viewed in the field of IT. I recently got accepted into this school(high acceptance rate):

Department of Computer Information Systems | Department of Computer Information Systems | MSU Denver

Therefore, I am worried employers will frown at me because I went to Metro. However, if anyone is familiar with the Auraria Campus, my only other option is University of Colorado Denver which is SLIGHTLY more accredited. However, CU Denver cost more and takes less of my credits from my 2 year degree( Associate of Arts.)

2.) I have always had a below average intellect. People labeled me slow since kindergarten.What would happen to a guy like me with a IQ below the average range WITH a degree? Would I end up in a tier 2 level Help Desk position? Would I ever be able to become a Database Admin?

Thanks.

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Comments

thenjduke

I would not say you are slow. You may learn different than others. I have a buddy of mine that I work with that has always been classified as something he is not. He does have a learning disability but I can promise you one thing he can put anyone to shame with the amount of knowledge he knows on VMWare, Citrix, Microsoft, and Storage. He is a designer as well as I and he is a smart one.

thenjduke

One more thing measuring IQ does not mean anything to what you want to do in life.

Snow.bros

You know I remember before I came into the IT industry, and I once asked a guy who was already in the industry of IT and I said that, I am not good in maths and science but I want to have a career in programming and he asked me would I be interested in the networking industry and I said network requires that you should be good in maths and science and he told me that he is not good in science but he is good in maths but the things that they do in IT be it Networking, programming, security don't use a lot of maths and science most of the time and that maths and science is used some of the time most of the stuff are simple and basic stuff that anyone can do. In my honest I don't think what you want to do is rocket science but it is challenging but not impossible any one who is self disciplined and willing to learn and have a little bit of patience and you have to be sure that this is really what you want to do.

I think you are making an entry with a wrong mentality you have to be confident and be positive to have a successful career in this industry.

Rocket Impossible

My fiance went MSU for computer information systems and got a decent job within a month of graduating. It's not like employers are expecting a lot Ivy League grads to come walking through their doors out here in Denver. One of the awesome things about IT is that it's not all about the school you went to. It's about what you know and can you do the job. The vast majority of college grads in CO went CU, CSU, Metro, DU, Regis, Front Range or state schools in the mid-west.

If you're feeling self-conscious about your intelligence you can take matters into your own hands. I was always terrible at math so I went on Khan Academy and started in 3rd grade. You can take MOOC's an practically any subject now. Use the incredible resources at your disposal to take control of your education and career. Take the power back from people who doubted you and claim your rightful place among the successful.

TheNoob12345

Thanks for the encouraging responses guys!:)

My initial question regarding a tier 2 school such as Metro never got answered. How is it viewed by employers? Should I just go to CU Denver for MIS? Metro is CIS.

Both are non-profit accredited schools.

EDIT: nvm it got answered.

I took college algebra and trig in my associates and did Excellent btw. Math is my strong suite. I just learn slower relative to the average person.

Rocket Impossible wrote: »

My fiance went MSU for computer information systems and got a decent job within a month of graduating. It's not like employers are expecting a lot Ivy League grads to come walking through their doors out here in Denver. One of the awesome things about IT is that it's not all about the school you went to. It's about what you know and can you do the job. The vast majority of college grads in CO went CU, CSU, Metro, DU, Regis, Front Range or state schools in the mid-west.

If you're feeling self-conscious about your intelligence you can take matters into your own hands. I was always terrible at math so I went on Khan Academy and started in 3rd grade. You can take MOOC's an practically any subject now. Use the incredible resources at your disposal to take control of your education and career. Take the power back from people who doubted you and claim your rightful place among the successful.

What type of job did he get? Are people with CIS degrees able to successfully obtain jobs as Network Admins or Database Admins?

TheNoob12345

@ RocketImpossible

What job did he get? That is very encouraging!

Rocket Impossible

She's a Network Technician, she also does a of help desk stuff because it's a small department. It seems like the degree is a good starting point but adding a few certs wouldn't hurt if you want to go in the network direction. You probably aren't going to jump straight into the network admin or database admin job, but it can get you into the job that will get you the experience you need.

TheNoob12345

Rocket Impossible wrote: »

She's a Network Technician, she also does a of help desk stuff because it's a small department. It seems like the degree is a good starting point but adding a few certs wouldn't hurt if you want to go in the network direction. You probably aren't going to jump straight into the network admin or database admin job, but it can get you into the job that will get you the experience you need.

Would a degree from CU Denver hold more weight?

Basically, is MIS better than CIS?

instant000

What holds more weight in this field is what you can do.

I have a bachelors from a Nationally Accredited school for my bachelors, and a masters from WGU. (Both of those are going to be ranked WAAAAAAAAAAY below either school you're choosing between.) The NA school I attended (American Sentinel University) is so unknown that I was interviewed (for the job I currently hold) and the guy mentioned that he'd never heard of the school. (Needless to say, I got the job anyway.)

Trust me, instead of worrying about the prestige of your school, you're better served to work on your skills and do as Todd Lammle said at one of the Dallas Cisco User Group meetings: "Lab it up my friends."

Also, looking to the future, I like to recommend that people leverage their backgrounds. In your case, I'd recommend that you look at everything from the Healthcare IT angle. That is, don't throw away your background business knowledge in healthcare. You may be new to IT, but you're not new to healthcare.

Hope this helps.

TheNoob12345

instant000 wrote: »

What holds more weight in this field is what you can do.

I have a bachelors from a Nationally Accredited school for my bachelors, and a masters from WGU. (Both of those are going to be ranked WAAAAAAAAAAY below either school you're choosing between.) The NA school I attended (American Sentinel University) is so unknown that I was interviewed (for the job I currently hold) and the guy mentioned that he'd never heard of the school. (Needless to say, I got the job anyway.)

Trust me, instead of worrying about the prestige of your school, you're better served to work on your skills and do as Todd Lammle said at one of the Dallas Cisco User Group meetings: "Lab it up my friends."

Also, looking to the future, I like to recommend that people leverage their backgrounds. In your case, I'd recommend that you look at everything from the Healthcare IT angle. That is, don't throw away your background business knowledge in healthcare. You may be new to IT, but you're not new to healthcare.

Hope this helps.

Met with the adviser at Metro since I have already been accepted there. She said you are competing for jobs with other people in a field where a degree is not a barrier to entry. Hence, she suggested I get an entry level job somewhere as a degree WHILE getting the degree.

The good news though is 50 credits from my 2 year degree officially were applicable towards Metro.

iBrokeIT

TheNoob12345 wrote: »

Met with the adviser at Metro since I have already been accepted there. She said you are competing for jobs with other people in a field where a degree is not a barrier to entry. Hence, she suggested I get an entry level job somewhere as a degree WHILE getting the degree.

The good news though is 50 credits from my 2 year degree officially were applicable towards Metro.

That's certainly good advice that I agree with and great news that those credits transfer. Work experience with the technologies matter more than a degree so don't dig yourself into a huge hole of debt.

TheNoob12345

iBrokeIT wrote: »

That's certainly good advice that I agree with and great news that those credits transfer. Work experience with the technologies matter more than a degree so don't dig yourself into a huge hole of debt.

I am looking at taking out a 10k loan tops if I can't get pell grants. Although, I make 14 an hour in Colorado. Therefore, I probably make too much for pell grants sadly.

From talking to other people it also depends on WHAT you want to do in IT. For example, being a data analyst would require a degree.