Anyone successful in IT without a degree?

Maybe went to a tech school or something instead? Or didn't go at all and just have experience? Curious to hear some success stories.

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bpenn

I know many people who are. But they KNEW someone. There are many talented people who dont have degrees but it is much harder to get into the door when you dont have a piece of paper "proving" you have the knowledge.

coreyb80

Depends on how you define success. I broke in to IT 2 years ago landing a desktop support making $21 an hour as a contractor. I was hired on a little more than 6 months later with a bump in pay. I've now landed a new position with a new company w/ a 20% pay increase and great benefits. I came in with no schooling or experience. Am I where I want to be, not yet, but I'm grinding my way there.

Blackout

The simple answer would be yes.

InfoTech92

coreyb80 wrote: »

Depends on how you define success. I broke in to IT 2 years ago landing a desktop support making $21 an hour as a contractor. I was hired on a little more than 6 months later with a bump in pay. I've now landed a new position with a new company w/ a 20% pay increase and great benefits. I came in with no schooling or experience. Am I where I want to be, not yet, but I'm grinding my way there.

That's awesome to hear. Congrats man, keep it up.

nelson8403

I had about 10 years of experience in IT in various roles without my degree. Once I wanted to break into a security role I saw 90% of the jobs require a bachelor. I got my bachelor degree and I was able to pass the HR / Interview and started about a year ago.

It's definitely possible if you stay in one spot or look for smaller companies, but most medium/large business will have their own HR and not having your degree will get your resume discarded quickly.

ªuthentic_8

Ah, someone who shares the same sentiments as I do. I felt that I could never land a IT role without experience or degree. I couldn't get a job initially because I didn't have any experience and I couldn't get any experience because I didn't have a job that would give me the experience. I managed to network with some people and I am currently working in a infrastructure and security role. I do not have a degree, but it seems as most jobs today require one.

I plan on getting my degree for the sole purpose of professional advancement, but I don't think having one validates my knowledge or potential to do well. Degrees from a HR perspective is just a way to screen applicants. I work with people who have degrees in finance, and accounting which is nothing related to IT. Now, that I have relevant experience it should be easier for me to move around. There is no substitution for experience.

Slowhand

IT was meant to be my "after school job" while I made my way through college towards and electrical engineering degree. . . that was 2001. Since then, I've worked as a PC tech, desktop support admin, NOC engineer, small-shop systems administrator, a sysadmin for a MSP, then moved up through the ranks of large-scale IT for a couple of startups, a healthcare provider, and now with a large (LARGE) software firm as Senior Windows Systems Administrator, taking point on AD and all Windows Server-based work. I make six figures, have for a while, and I'm hoping to roll it over into a six-digit number that doesn't start with a "1" sometime in the next few years.

Would I consider myself successful? Absolutely. . . but, the road's been bumpy.

If I had knocked out school a decade ago, I'd be in a management or architecture type of position by now, (if I was still in IT, that is.) I've been passed over for countless jobs due to the lack of a degree. Or, rather, because someone else with comparable experience and/or certs had a degree and I didn't, it tipped the scales in their favor. I've also been passed up for several promotions because I don't have a Bachelor's or better, and I get the feeling the reason so much of my time was spent as a contractor without getting offered FTE is the same. I have a big salary and a cool job 14-ish years in, but if I'd had that degree and 10 years worth of experience I'd most likely have stock options and a whole slew of other benefits by now that would be setting me up for a "more-than-comfortable" retirement; that's where the differences are at this point in my career.

If I'd had done a Bachelor's (or a Masters) it would have been so much easier to get to this point, I'd be further along in a shorter time, and my future would rely less on my own ability to scrounge/invest and more on the benefits a company would offer at a managerial, architect, or executive level.

xenodamus

Sure - you can be wildly successful in this field with minimal to no formal schooling. That's one of the great things about IT. However, whether you have a degree or not, your success is dependent on how hard you hustle and how quickly you learn.

I have an AAS from a community college and hit 6 figures by 28 years old. I keep saying that one day I'll slow down and finish my bachelor's, but I've managed to progress without it just fine up to this point. Below was my career path:

Age
16 - Got a job in a mom/pop PC repair shop
20 - Graduated CC with an AAS. Still working at the mom/pop
* Obtained A+
21 - Started teaching at a public school vocational center.
24 - Moved on to a large healthcare organization as desktop support
* Obtained CCNA, MCSA 2003, Security+
25 - Spent a short while as a DoD govt contracted Network Engineer
* Obtained CISSP
26 - Moved back into healthcare as a System/Network Admin
* Obtained CCNA:S, VCA-DCV, CCA-V, CCP-V
28 - Started teaching night classes at a local college. Combined income of $100k+
29 - Moved to a large IT vendor as a Sales Engineer in the VDI space.

I no longer teach night classes and make more $$ than I did before. All of this with an AAS, but I inserted the certs to show that I never stopped working on myself. I was constantly striving toward something, learning something, labbing something at home. Event today, I have a handful of technologies on my plate that I'm teaching myself outside of work. It's expected of me.

Anyone can make it in IT. You just have to want it bad enough.

phantasm

I know several who are. One of our Sr. Network Engineers at work has no college education and is very successful. In IT experience is valued more than education. However, sometimes you need education to get past HR.

rsutton

No degree but a few certs and lots of experience. I have done pretty well but could see some doors not being open to me since I don't have a degree.

SpetsRepair

In the early days a lot of people were thrown into positions and they were able to advance, I've met a lot of people with no formal education and most with no certifications. Some people just get lucky while others have to get degrees, certifications, and sell themselves out for IT jobs

datacomboss

I know plenty who are very successful without a degree. Especially in non-customer facing roles such as programming and network engineering/administration. I started as a computer operator at the corporate headquarters at a large, soon to be defunct national electronics retailer and they didn't hire anyone who didn't have a computer science or information systems degree. Of course, mainframes, dumb terminals and COBOL were still the norm back in 1990.

kriscamaro68

I have never taken a day of college and never knew anyone in any of the positions that I have held. I started out in corporate I.T. in 2007 making $14 an hour. Left that job making $16 an hour. Got another job and a Univeristy in I.T. making $36k and left making $38k. Came to where I am now in Jan of 2011 making $45k and now am at $96k at the same company. In my state $96k goes a very long way and it goes up every year as I have never not received a raise/cost of living increase. However either later this year or the beginning of next year I will probably start my degree at WGU so I never have to worry about taking crap for not having it.

The IT

Most of people in this forum are successful and also most of them they don't have a degree, But a degree become a must (that's why the topic of WGU is one of the most active in this forum)
I have no degree, I have a good job, but I worked double to get where I am now, as slowhand mentioned earlier without a degree you will miss lot of promotions and lot of opportunities.

Shoe Box

I got my Associates in Business Administration (a largely useless degree, in my opinion) from Penn State nearly 20 years ago. Wow, I am getting old! Is that good enough to get the HR people to think "ok he has a degree"?

I've been working my way through IT jobs for the last 3-1/2 years, mainly desktop support and XP to 7 migration contract assignments. Recently got my CCT R&S certification. Applying for jobs left and right, but it has been slow going all summer. Tons of applications, few interviews, even fewer jobs.

I know it is how things are, but I really resent the idea of being judged by some HR asshat who doesn't know the first thing about computers, for an IT job.

phantasm

Shoe Box wrote: »

I know it is how things are, but I really resent the idea of being judged by some HR asshat who doesn't know the first thing about computers, for an IT job.

Yea, unfortunately that's the beast we have to slay every time. Certifications help there though, especially if you have one that's listed on the job req itself. After a few years of experience it gets a little easier, but not much. For example, I have CCNP and 7yrs of networking experience yet I constantly get stupid emails from recruiters for developer and helpdesk jobs.

pevangel

It would definitely have been easier if I had a bachelor's degree, as there were many missed opportunities due to not having one. But there were some companies that gave me a chance to prove my skills, and I would say I've been pretty successful without one. I started my first IT job a little over 4 years ago have moved up pretty quickly. I recently got a job that pays over 200% more than what I made on my first IT job.

I would still recommend getting at least a bachelor's degree, and I will be going back to college sometime soon to finish mine. In the future, I don't want to be presented with an opportunity to land my dream job and not get it due to not having a bachelor's degree.

aderon

Shoe Box wrote: »

I know it is how things are, but I really resent the idea of being judged by some HR asshat who doesn't know the first thing about computers, for an IT job.

This always bothers me. Especially when asked an open ended question that has multiple answers. I sometimes feel like if I don't give the answer they're specifically looking for, they won't know enough about IT to realize that even though I didn't provide the exact answer that is on their paper, I'm still answering the question correctly.

Danielm7

REMOVED UNNECESSARY QUOTED REPLY FROM PREVIOUS POST

I had a situation like that a year or so ago. I did a phone interview with an HR person at a company. I thought it went well, I guess I didn't give her the exact answers she had written down that she was expecting, it never went any further than that. Six months later at my current company, which I started working at after the HR interview I mentioned, we hire a a new security guy. The security guy worked at the company where I didn't pass the HR screen, he works under me here, so...

scaredoftests

I think it all depends if you are in the right place, at the right time. Experience does go a long way. I do have a AA in computer applications and some certs. I gained alot of experience along the way.

networker050184

I've been very successful without one. To me it seems the industry you get into has a lot to do with how degrees are viewed. If you're working as an IT guy for a business who's focus is somewhere else (especially if that focus is in another area that degree holding people are valued) in the business world degrees seem to be more important. If you work for tech companies, service providers, etc. degrees rarely seem to matter over technical ability. That is where I prefer to work anyway. I've never had to deal with any of the HR horror stories people talk about here in this industry. Seriously, what company serious about tech would have some non technical HR person screening tech resumes...?

MrAgent

I got my start in IT from being in the military. I didnt have a degree at the time, but I had a clearance and some IT experience from my time in the Navy. I didnt get my BS until 2010, and finished my MS 3 months ago. I have been in IT since 1996.

I felt successful without having a degree, but I feel much more successful having a BS and now an MS.

So IMO yes you can be successful. You just need to be able to recognize opportunities and seize them when they come around.

bpenn

I am starting my degree plan in 3 weeks to finish up my bachelors but the REAL challenge I face here in getting a job is not having a Top Secret clearance. Honestly, that is worth more than any degree I can get...

CagePotan

InfoTech92 wrote: »

Maybe went to a tech school or something instead? Or didn't go at all and just have experience? Curious to hear some success stories.

Gates and Jobs, for example

.

The knowledge is what matters, not some fancy degrees.

markulous

It can obviously happen, but I grabbed a degree because I didn't ever want to get my resume ignored because of a piece of paper. So many jobs now say requires a BS, so really no reason not to get one.

Danielm7

CagePotan wrote: »

Gates and Jobs, for example .

The knowledge is what matters, not some fancy degrees.

How about examples that aren't one in 10 billion?

Dakinggamer87

markulous wrote: »

It can obviously happen, but I grabbed a degree because I didn't ever want to get my resume ignored because of a piece of paper. So many jobs now say requires a BS, so really no reason not to get one.

I agree you can be successful without a degree as experience is generally viewed as the most important aspect. However, your prospects and available opportunities by having the trinity increases dramatically: experience+degrees+certs = success!!

That's why I am getting my BS and MS done now so when I'm around the age of 30/31 I will be done with school and have my credentials in that area set for life.

Also, statistically degrees have been known to have longer and increased lifetime earnings over those who have no degrees. However, many variables and factors can influence that but just something to consider.

kohr-ah

I have seen where the degree depends on what you are trying to accomplish to help the most.

If you are new to IT it will help you get in the door easier with a degree than without.
If you want to move up the chain outside of an engineering type role a degree will help.
If you work at a higher fortune company a lot of times (not always) they want a 4 year degree.

Note by THEY I mean HR.

But I have met lots of great people who have done well for themselves with no degree but they have the experience to back up their pay.

210mike

I got pretty far in my career with only a 2 year associate from a community college. The reason I finished the 4 year degree is I couldn't get past HR at some of the larger companies I was interested in working for as I was either screened out automatically by their HR software for not having a 4 year, or dismissed by some low level HR clerk who doesn't know anything about IT but is looking for keywords and a degree. In the latter situation,that is where personal networking is key. If you can get your resume into a hiring managers hand and get around the HR filter you can have more success.

It's very possibly to have a successful IT career without a degree, but having one definitely makes things easier.

tpatt100

I got lucky, like really lucky when it comes to my first IT job. Somebody I knew from my night class referred me for a job at the place he worked. I got an interview but the hiring manager said she wanted somebody with a degree. The person chosen didn't want the job so I was second choice. I could have been upset with being second choice but I chose to run with it and take advantage of the opportunity presented.