College OR Experience?

dav1b3t

I'm 18 and I just graduated High School and scored a great job at a very large computer based company. Although, I'm only making 9.00/hr, there is alot of room for compensation improvement. I have my A+, i-Net+, CIW Foundations, and I'm inches from getting my Network+. My question to you all is, do you think working full time and getting alot of experiance will pay off better then going to school, then trying to find a job? Because I figure by the time im 22 or 23 I will have many certs and almost 5 years experiance in PC Services/ Network Services, and that will look better then a Bachelor's Degree. My parents are pushing me to go to school, but I think its the wrong idea. Anybody?

fondue

Listen to your folks and go to college, or at least work and go to college part time to get a degree. You can always find low paying IT jobs when you're young, in 10-15 years or when times get tough for IT professionals that degree will come in handy.

my_id_0308

Go for college!!And pick up a part-time job for experience.It is goin to get tougher as years go by.A degree will back you up big time,fondue is right!!!

jaeusm

Get your degree. While you are pursuing a degree, many universities offer part-time positions in their IT departments to select students. Also, try to get internships or co-ops. These are a great way to get experience and to get your foot in the door at companies that you might be interested in working for upon graduation. Many times, internships and co-ops lead to full time employment after you graduate.

A degree is far more valuable than you think -- especially in the long run. At your age it may be difficult to see that, but it's one of the best investments you can make.

stndrd_123

Go for the degree, with the amount of IT folk looking for work it will help put your resume at the top of stack. It will also open up some options years later for upper level positions and IT management positions. I'm working full time, going to school three days a week and studying for certs all at the same time; it will pay off in the long run though.

JDMurray

Some time ago somebody in one of these forums made a point that education, certification, and experience are all necessary things to achieve, but no one of these achievements is a replacement for the other two.

Therefore, your goal should be education AND certification AND experience. Always start with schooling; you will be spending the rest of your life working, and you can always study for certs in your spare time.

Go Bucks

I might be the odd man out, but I would suggest taking a year or two off from school and save up money for college so you don't have to take out loans. I worked my ass off on the family farm to put myself through school so I didn't have to take out loans and I'm glad I did. HOWEVER, if you can get a scholarship or if your parents will pay for school it would be foolish not to do that.

Also think about maybe taking one or two classes a quarter/semester and keep a full-time job. Nothing says you have to go to school full-time either to get a degree. Besides, a lot of companies will pay a fixed amount of money for education for its employees every year. That's definitely something you need to look into. Why pay for school when someone will pay it for you (or at least a good portion of it)? jdmurray is right though, you have to have all three to be complete.

raross

Go to college. Besides everything everyone else already said, having a degree allows you to moveup in the company you're at faster then not having a degree, plus you will make more. The "real" jobs, mostly require a degree anyways. Good luck and be ready to live by your choice !

determinedgerman

Hey dav1b3t,

You can do all 3 things at once.....Here is what I did:

I worked a full time job in the morning from 8am to 5pm and went to College at 6.30pm. Yeah it tough but it will help you in the short and long run. You will learn things in college and you will start one important thing and that is social networking. You won't believe how much it will help you knowing the right people at the right time. Plus some of the classes you are going to take at college (if you pursue a computer oriented degree) are going to help you in your hunt for certs. Believe me it will help you a lot having a degree. I was just hired permanent after being a contractor for 1 year and got a bigger pay increase because I had a bachelors degree.......

Hope this helps....

Mike