Is a Computer Science degree recommended for a network engineer/technician position?

and if so, why? I hear online and in various forums that employers who are hiring for network engineering positions want people with a computer science degree. It seems like a great degree for programmers no doubt, but how can a CS degree benefit someone who is going to work on routers and switches? It just doesn't seem like the ideal degree for a network person.

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yuddhidhtir

IT degree and some certifications will always be helpful.

devils_haircut

I've always chalked it up to non-IT people creating a job posting that they don't understand. But then again I'm pretty cynical about those things. For all I know there might actually be a CS degree somewhere out there that focuses on networking.

pinkydapimp

To be fair, as long as employers are asking for it, then it is ideal. A CS degree is not just for programmers and i think alot of people dont understand this. The Comp Sci curriculum teaches you a strong foundation of how computers work (hardware, software and networking and how they all work together). This will be very helpful in all areas of IT including networking. Also learning to program teaches you logic. Again, this helps you to be able to figure out complex issues in IT even with no prior exposure. Also having some basic coding knowledge will also get you comfortable with command line and with writing scripts and such.

N2IT

I still believe that the CS degree regardless of what field is the best way to go. IMO if you get a CS degree from a reputable University you really don't need to get certifications.

I have seen several people in my career only carrying a CS and they are doing well. Several are high level Network Engineers for a huge telecommunications company.

People will disagree and that is fine of course.... You do it right in the beginning you don't have to keep on chasing.

da_vato

I agree with Pinky, CS is not just for programmers, it is the foundational science for all of IT. New technology is still built on all of the principles that are taught in CS. My undergrad is CS and I started in general IT support then moved to networking engineer and I now do InfoSec. My undergrad knowledge has been the enabler for me to transition from different roles and pretty much hit the ground running so-to-speak everytime.

I cannot stress enough the importance of having a strong foundation and personally speaking I don't feel there is any better foundation in IT than CS. If you can understand a concept, learning methods is immensely easier.

TheNoob12345

da_vato wrote: »

I agree with Pinky, CS is not just for programmers, it is the foundational science for all of IT. New technology is still built on all of the principles that are taught in CS. My undergrad is CS and I started in general IT support then moved to networking engineer and I now do InfoSec. My undergrad knowledge has been the enabler for me to transition from different roles and pretty much hit the ground running so-to-speak everytime.

I cannot stress enough the importance of having a strong foundation and personally speaking I don't feel there is any better foundation in IT than CS. If you can understand a concept, learning methods is immensely easier.

I know I have asked this a million times. What is your opinion on CIS?

shodown

N2IT wrote: »

I still believe that the CS degree regardless of what field is the best way to go. IMO if you get a CS degree from a reputable University you really don't need to get certifications.

I have seen several people in my career only carrying a CS and they are doing well. Several are high level Network Engineers for a huge telecommunications company.

People will disagree and that is fine of course.... You do it right in the beginning you don't have to keep on chasing.

I disagree with you that you wont ever need certifications, it just depends on what your planning on doing. Me being a cisco parnter I will hire a person with certs over degree's 9 times out of 10 as it gets me bigger discount on equipment. Now If I was going to send a guy STAFF AUG, then his degree with experience would look good infront of my client. All of these things are just "TOOLS" and its up to the individual to know ho to use them.

Iristheangel

N2IT wrote: »

I still believe that the CS degree regardless of what field is the best way to go. IMO if you get a CS degree from a reputable University you really don't need to get certifications.

I have seen several people in my career only carrying a CS and they are doing well. Several are high level Network Engineers for a huge telecommunications company.

People will disagree and that is fine of course.... You do it right in the beginning you don't have to keep on chasing.

Yeah, I would disagree with this as well. While there are a lot of people in the industry without any certs and just experience, the reality is that it was a lot easier to get into the industry with just a degree back in the early 90s and 2000's. Those people still exist thanks to the fact that they have years of experience to back up their skills but it's a lot harder for network newbs to just jump into a networking gig without any sort of certs or something showing you know something about the platform you're using. Even if you have a great degree from somewhere, that doesn't mean you know how to configure, troubleshoot, and design networks.

Plus as shodown said, it benefits partners to hire certified people more than it does for them to hire uncertified people.

da_vato

TheNoob12345 wrote: »

I know I have asked this a million times. What is your opinion on CIS?

To be honest I have never worked with anyone with this degree...

To my understanding though a CIS degree is supposed to be that person that bridges the gap between business and technology implementation/management (I could be wrong so don't beat me up too bad).

To kind of round out the discussion I believe everyone is fairly correct from a perspective... If for whatever reason you want to just get a degree and nothing else CS will give you the greatest ROI. This is highly not recommended as most certifications touch on aspects or topics that are not touched on in academia or give a perspective that is only seen in the industry.

N2IT

While your experiences may indicate otherwise my experience points to the CS being a heavy hitter. Even networking engineering positions ask for CS degrees to this day, which IMO is the crème de la crème of IT degrees. If you go out to Indeed or any of the other sites the networking engineering positions a lot of times mention CS, either as required or preferred obviously other degrees can fill that requirement but the CS is the one that really stands out.

I know for AT&T for example having a CS degree can get you in a level 2 position right away and you can't become an engineer unless you have a degree.

As far as managed services I can see where certifications would help out due to the partnership status. That makes business sense, but all things consider a CS degree from Stanford or some other powerhouse, " for a extreme example" would squash a Cisco certification IMO.

Again this is my opinion no data to back it up but I know network engineers in their mid 20's that have just a degree. They don't work for a VAR or MSP but for a large corporation. One I used to work for, Shodown probably remembers.

Anyway those are just my thoughts on it. If you can get the CS degree do it, it's a huge value add.

@ Da vato I agree the CIS degree is more of the hybrid degree (business/information technology) with a lean towards IT. Whereas an MIS is more of the lean towards business, but still requiring some IT classes. Where I went to school you could get a CIS with a emphasis in OOP, General, and Security. There may of been another but, maybe databases.

egrizzly

with everything else being equal a candidate with a Computer Science degree will get the job before one with an Information Systems degree does. CS just has a lot more analytical thinking which is directly used in Network Engineering. You'll advance faster as a Network Engineer with a CS degree....Take note though. It's like I said, with everything else being equal.

TheNoob12345

da_vato wrote: »

To be honest I have never worked with anyone with this degree...

To my understanding though a CIS degree is supposed to be that person that bridges the gap between business and technology implementation/management (I could be wrong so don't beat me up too bad).

To kind of round out the discussion I believe everyone is fairly correct from a perspective... If for whatever reason you want to just get a degree and nothing else CS will give you the greatest ROI. This is highly not recommended as most certifications touch on aspects or topics that are not touched on in academia or give a perspective that is only seen in the industry.

That's exactly what it is. It isn't worthless I hope?

N2IT wrote: »

While your experiences may indicate otherwise my experience points to the CS being a heavy hitter. Even networking engineering positions ask for CS degrees to this day, which IMO is the crème de la crème of IT degrees. If you go out to Indeed or any of the other sites the networking engineering positions a lot of times mention CS, either as required or preferred obviously other degrees can fill that requirement but the CS is the one that really stands out.

I know for AT&T for example having a CS degree can get you in a level 2 position right away and you can't become an engineer unless you have a degree.

As far as managed services I can see where certifications would help out due to the partnership status. That makes business sense, but all things consider a CS degree from Stanford or some other powerhouse, " for a extreme example" would squash a Cisco certification IMO.

Again this is my opinion no data to back it up but I know network engineers in their mid 20's that have just a degree. They don't work for a VAR or MSP but for a large corporation. One I used to work for, Shodown probably remembers.

Anyway those are just my thoughts on it. If you can get the CS degree do it, it's a huge value add.

@ Da vato I agree the CIS degree is more of the hybrid degree (business/information technology) with a lean towards IT. Whereas an MIS is more of the lean towards business, but still requiring some IT classes. Where I went to school you could get a CIS with a emphasis in OOP, General, and Security. There may of been another but, maybe databases.

So, I assume a CIS degree would be more valuable(all thinks being equal of course) when it comes to getting a network tech job? It has more IT classes.

da_vato

I wouldn't say it is useless... any degree is better than no degree. Just ensure that if this is what you are pursuing that you actually enjoy it. The biggest waste of anyones time is pursuing a degree they are not fully interested in. Only you can define what the worth of your degree is by using that knowledge on the job.

CyberfiSecurity

The Computer Science degree is the foundation of technology. In the information technology, you definitely need certifications to get further, or more job opportunities. While individual area might requires less certifications than others, for example:

- Software Development/Engineering.....Development methodologies certification
- Software Programming .....None
- Database Administrator/Engineering ..... Oracle DBA, Microsoft DBA certifications
- System Engineering .... Microsoft, Redhat, LPIC, Solaris, and etc..
- Security .... CISSP, CEH, Security+, GIAC, ISACA's certs, and etc.
- Networking .... Cisco's, Juniper's, HP's and etc..

A college degree in for IT would not go anywhere. You problem lucky to land a job, but the opportunity growth is limited.

StonedHitman

I see, thanks for the replies everyone. I know a little more about Computer Science, and was actually thinking about pursuing it when I decide to go to college. I might actually do that thanks to everyone here.

timesvan32

Would an IT Management cut it then? That's what I am currently majoring in

datacomboss

egrizzly wrote: »

with everything else being equal a candidate with a Computer Science degree will get the job before one with an Information Systems degree does. CS just has a lot more analytical thinking which is directly used in Network Engineering. You'll advance faster as a Network Engineer with a CS degree....Take note though. It's like I said, with everything else being equal.

Can't speak for online degrees but my Texas degree prepared me very well to reason. I have a bachelor and master of science in IS and I learned object-oriented programming, algorithms/data structures and database systems/file structures in addition to marketing, management, economics and accounting, so who is more prepared to be more analytical?

Almost every job I see requiring a CS/CSE degree also lists IT/IS "or similar."